Hello,
Her symptoms include paralysis of the left foot (possibly the wing too- it behaves oddly but I can't tell if that is due to a lack of balance). She lays around in the cage/hops a bit. She is still eating on her own, but seems lethargic/not herself.
She is not in as bad shape as her...
One more question...I have current sick hen in my garage. Should I cull her, or is there a chance she will be able to walk again? With my last sick one, I let her go for about 2 weeks before culling (she was to the point where she couldn't hop around/eat/drink. I hate taking that measure, but...
Thank you so very much. I was feeling like a bad chicken owner. I take a lot of pride in keeping my coop clean/comfortable, so this was a real blow to my confidence. I will take this advice to heart. I always have a broody silkie or two, so when the time is right, I'll have them hatch some...
Hi friends - It's been quite a while since I've posted, but I'm feeling discouraged and a bit sad. I suspect that my flock has a problem with Marek's. It started with my hen, Thomas, going blind. She progressively went blind, with a narrowed pupil. I just thought (I was less informed then)...
I am very concerned about my Easter Egger. She has always been a sporadic layer and her eggs are always a little bumpy/gritty. My husband has been feeding and watering them lately. He told me he thought she was acting broody. Yesterday was a nice day so I let them out to free range. She wouldn’t...
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I also live in PA. Two biggest things: 1. Make sure they have thaw water (I use a heated dog dish and check it twice a day) 2. Ventilation (seems counterintuitive but an unventilated coop=moisture =frostbite). A few other things I do...make sure roosts are wide enough so they...
So glad you got them back. Let us know how things go with the last three. That's also good info on the roo. I just got a roo. Behavior patterns are always interesting to me so I know my chickens aren't "strange." And I agree also with the idea of confining for a few days.
Can you lure them by calling them and using treats? If I go out and do the "chook chook" call and sprinkle their favorite treats, they always follow me. But it has to be me. They don't do it for my husband.
I never had a chicken go broody until I got a roo. I know they can go broody unprompted but it did get me wondering if they will go broody due to changes in flock, environment, etc. if she is broody, you may want to try putting her in an elevated, wire bottom cage with no bedding to break her...
I let her out last night. She hasn't returned to the box! Woohoo! Now PeekABoo is in the jail. I couldn't believe how quickly the cage method worked. Thanks all!
My little silkie, Jingle got pooped on today. Bad. I only bathe the girls when absolutely necessary...but man do they love it. Jingle was falling asleep wrapped up in the towel after. The things we do for our chooks...
How severe is the cross? My crossbeak has just a slight cross. She eats and drinks fine. I'm just sure to trim her beak every month or so. I was really disappointed when I first noticed it. But Thomas (yes it's a girl...my three year old named her) is sweet, quirky, and has become my favorite...
She's been in this type of cage for about five days. I plan to let her out today to see what she does. Fingers crossed. I have another bird that needs to go in next.
I'm in PA and it's been a very rainy spring. So much that the run turned into about 4 inches of stinky mud (even though it's on a hilltop!). We spent last week adding sand and stone in for drainage. Topped it off with sweet PDZ. I think it helped. And have seen no issues with the birds!
If you can find the pallets that have a hard plywood attached...those are awesome. Two oversized pallets like this constructed the floor and wall of my addition(yes...an addition...lol). It made construction a breeze. I painted with barn and fence paint to protect the wood. Happy building!
The best coop will be built by you, if you are handy. If not, maybe a friend or relative? It's cheaper (esp if you can get reclaimed materials), you can build in certain features you want, and build it to last. As for food, I also like dumor. And use pine shavings in my bedding. Have fun with...
That's going to be the last ditch effort. Luckily we have a silkie roo to fertilize the eggs. I'm sure if I have her hatch a few silkies I could unload them pretty quickly. I wouldn't care so much. But I now have two of my nine hens gone broody and hogging 2/3 of my nesting boxes. Sigh.
Thank you. I'm in Pennsylvania so summer has just begun. I think I'll give her a few more days and then go for the cold water like you suggested. How do you tell if they are broke? Do you just let let free and see if they go back to nest?