- May 15, 2014
- 12
- 1
- 24
Hi there all you hen lovers:
First I want to thank all of you who posted replies for my chickens dying one by one...You were all so very kind and supportive. I checked everything everyone suggested.
It ended up with ALL the Red Stars dying and only the Wyandotte, "Cruella DeVille" left. I took the last hen in for necropsy and they found that her entire abdominal cavity was putrid - every organ....and severe egg yolk peritonitis. Based on what I told him about all of them dying in the same way, he thinks that I got a bad "genetic" batch - there was nothing in their tissue samples or blood work to indicate parasitism, toxins, or environmental concerns including their maintenance and food etc. THey said the one egg a day that I had been getting had probably always been from Cruella. As I cannot afford to add another coop or build in more fencing into my front yard, she is going to remain my "pet" girl who now sits on my lap with her head in the meal work bag for treats and lets me pet her soft feathers. She continues to lay her egg a day, bless her. I wish I could put in a couple of similar girls with her, but I am afraid that they/she will fight to protect or take over the coop. I just can't afford 3-4 hundred dollars for another coop and fencing to keep every body separate. Too bad they can't just "get along" with all that space and 4 boxes to nest in!
I had a flock of 20 or so wild turkeys parade past her yard the other day. Four or so of them walked up to the fence and Cruella was fascinated by her "cousins." She stretched her neck up to look taller and walked along the fence line with them all the way. They, in turn talked with her. It was charming in the extreme.
Again, thank you for all your support and knowledge. I like the Wyandottes, when the time is right or Cruella passes on, (hope not too soon, I am very attached to our lap sessions) I will probably get 3 or so more of them..
First I want to thank all of you who posted replies for my chickens dying one by one...You were all so very kind and supportive. I checked everything everyone suggested.
It ended up with ALL the Red Stars dying and only the Wyandotte, "Cruella DeVille" left. I took the last hen in for necropsy and they found that her entire abdominal cavity was putrid - every organ....and severe egg yolk peritonitis. Based on what I told him about all of them dying in the same way, he thinks that I got a bad "genetic" batch - there was nothing in their tissue samples or blood work to indicate parasitism, toxins, or environmental concerns including their maintenance and food etc. THey said the one egg a day that I had been getting had probably always been from Cruella. As I cannot afford to add another coop or build in more fencing into my front yard, she is going to remain my "pet" girl who now sits on my lap with her head in the meal work bag for treats and lets me pet her soft feathers. She continues to lay her egg a day, bless her. I wish I could put in a couple of similar girls with her, but I am afraid that they/she will fight to protect or take over the coop. I just can't afford 3-4 hundred dollars for another coop and fencing to keep every body separate. Too bad they can't just "get along" with all that space and 4 boxes to nest in!
I had a flock of 20 or so wild turkeys parade past her yard the other day. Four or so of them walked up to the fence and Cruella was fascinated by her "cousins." She stretched her neck up to look taller and walked along the fence line with them all the way. They, in turn talked with her. It was charming in the extreme.
Again, thank you for all your support and knowledge. I like the Wyandottes, when the time is right or Cruella passes on, (hope not too soon, I am very attached to our lap sessions) I will probably get 3 or so more of them..
and Welcome To BYC! Sorry about your Red Stars, they are a wonderful cross, but do often have reproductive problems when they are older, sounds like the ones you had were really bad. If you aren't set up to add more bigger birds to your flock, many Wyandottes will go broody, if Cruella does, you could consider putting just hatched chicks (most broodys will adopt new chicks) or fertile eggs under her (with eggs you would need to figure out what to do with roosters).
