Hi. I have 3 Cochin bantam hens and am considering introducing 2 Silkies to the flock. Just wondering if you ended up with a mixed flock of Cochins and Silkies and how they get along. Any recommendations on integration of Silkies?
I'm very grateful to the folks who coached, cheered, supported and held their breath with me when my favourite hen, Queen Mab, had a prolapsed egg. I learned plenty that day about not only how to successfully deal with the prolapse and recovery, but how wonderfully knowledgeable and empathetic...
My run hasn't much you are going to want to imitate except my little banties love to swing, so I have a low, wide swing that doubles as a treat shelf and a high trapeze which they use to leap from into the coop door sometimes
Know that you aren't alone. My 4 Pekins/cochins are finally all laying eggs but my girl who was the first layer has now gone broody om me and I have to force her off her nest so she will eat and drink. Within a minute she's back laying on an empty nest!! Very frustrating.
I can tell you what she is not, as I have bantam cochins and she is not that. Not very helpful I realize. She has a very upright elegance to her though.
They sure do! I feel like I should try to sell it for concrete! I am hopeful that the plug coming away yesterday has made a difference because this morning her feathers were fluffy and dry. they have been for the entire week covered in sticky white paste but today she's got a fluffy butt!!!😁
OK. Here is a pic of her vent and poop. A huge white poop plug came off the outside of her vent that had been stuck there for a few days. I hope this helps her ferl more comfortable.
The poop I cleaned this morning but I can get a pic of her vent. Not home at the moment but will send an updated pic in an hour or so. Thanks for sticking with me on this. You guys are truly fabulous!!!!
She is eating and drinking and there appears to be the usual 4 areas of droppings under where 4 hens would perch at night. I'm not at all experienced with whether her crop is empty though. I do worry that this build up of (uric acid??) might burn and damage her vent. I did ask the vet about...
Around the vent. Meds are Meloxicam. She had an injection of Metacam and 3 days of Meloxicam taken orally. These are usually prescribed to dogs and cats as an anti inflammatory and pain management med for joint pain, so don't know that its going to do much for what's going on around her vent...
Friday update on Queenie. So it's been a week since her prolapsed egg and she is going strong. We still have to give her a nightly butt bath as she has an accumulation of cement- like white poop that keeps gathering around her vent. She's on some meds, so hopefully this will help clear her up...