Maine - Page 271

I honestly don't know. None of my mutts have ever hatched with leg issues...as far as the Breda, I have one that doesn't seem to know how to eat, I have to hand feed and if it lives and is a pullet it won't go to the breeder pen. I have expressed my concern on the board about these rare breeds because there is a limited gene pool. I will be working on project colors in the Breda so that will relieve some of the inbreeding issues and expand the gene pool... I have noticed that position in the egg can play a role in leg issues, so I can't always pinpoint the cause. I do band my problem chicks so they don't go to be breeders, but the boys get culled and the girls go to the layer pen... I hope the babies will be ok..

what a horrible day. my favorite chicken has caught her leg and now it's useless. she has no feeling at all in it. no swelling, but it just hangs and she's not able to walk. I'm going to give her 24 hours in hopes she can walk, if not that's it. she's the only one like her, she's a mauve color, very diluted blue laced red, just stunning, it's going to suck to lose her. she just started laying this week, hoping for one more egg.

Hoppy, that stinks! Hoping for some signs of improvement so that you dont lose  her!

x 2.

 

My favorite hen got bit by a snake (her fault the stupid little imp) and couldn't use her leg for 24 hrs. I cried cause I thought I'd have to cull her. She was much improved the next day.

 

I'll keep my fingers crossed for you.

I'm really hoping she will be fine , she was interested in eating so the head works, hopefully the leg will.

 

I have 12 eggs in the incubator, they all look like they are gonna hatch! They are due to hatch tommorrow!

Hoppy, any change in your chicken ?

I wish I could say yes, but no. I'm giving her until tonight but I already know this pretty much a done deal. if I thought she could get around on the one leg it would be fine but I think the rooster was mating with her and he's huge
 

 

I moved here last June, and quickly started building my kitchen garden (which includes 4 chickens and 3 ducks for eggs).  I am addicted to chickens, ducks & backyard farming & just love Maine.

 

I did no insulate my coop last year but I did fill it with tons of clean hay, and wrapped the run in plastic, and piled bales of hay around the coop box for a few of the coldest months.  I also put straw down on paths for the chickens to range in & tossed vegetable peels & scraps out in the hay.  That kept them pretty active, even on some of our less pleasant days.

 

I think I got pretty lucky last "winter" though, and am not sure it was such a great test of Maine winters where keeping a flock is concerned.

I am building a bigger coop this month and am not going to insulate it, either, but I will be using hay bales around the outside again, and probably for more of the season.

 

I am so sorry about your hen, Hoppy.    It always seems like the favorite hens, doesn't it?  Anytime there is something dramatic that happens here (and, it seems from posts on BYC to be standard) it happens to my favorite hen, or the man of the house's favorite hen. 

I just saw this on craigslist & it made me sad.

I wish I were close to Dexter:

 

http://maine.craigslist.org/pet/2949532204.html