Australia - Six states..and that funny little island.

[Fizzybelle]

Yeah the first moult is known as a ' soft ' moult but the ' hard ' moult is far more taxing on the bird. You can get a great product called ' Calcivet ' from your feed store. Just add to the birds water , it's the easiest way to administer extra calcium.

I use avi-calcium soluble calcium, have used calivet in the past though. Whatever's in stock on planetpoultry.com really. Both are good.

Yeh it was my araucana Mabel's first major mature moult this year, and Beatrice my belgian as well. Both were a little out of sorts, poor Mabel was just covered in spikey pins poor girl. She looks amazing now, and so soft. Perfect winter cuddlin' chicken.

 

[birdmandan]

Sorry, didn't realise you meant quails. If they are more fragile than chicken I can't imagine how you get any to arrive in one piece. My chicken ones end up half smashed!

Fresh local quail eggs usually have a hatch rate of around 80% or more. Posted quail eggs generally have a hatch rate of 50% or less. I know many breeders who stop posting quail eggs as they had too many complaints about poor hatch rate. Maybe the eggs get hairline cracks during transit. Maybe they get chilled on the plane. I just know that my previous batch of 24 posted eggs only had 20 arrive unsmashed and only a few hatch of which all ended up being culled.

 

[Susan Hampshire]

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Gorgeous! Fancy.... trying to catch up and workout new format ... not easy.....no email alerts .... it's a nuisance!

 

[Susan Hampshire]

Thanks Luckysmum.

I think for now I might monitor Ada for now and see how her eggs go. If she shows other symptoms then I'll take her to the vet, but I'm really thinking for her it might be the beginning of her winding down. I'll monitor her diet and calcium intake.

See, my concern stems from the fact I'm currently treating Annabelle my other hybrid layer for an infection. I don't know what, but it showed up in a blood test and the avian vet prescribed the most suitable antibiotics. Annabelle has been laying soft and dodgy shelled eggs for a long while, since a respiratory infection. I put the eggs down to that, and that maybe she wasn't getting enough calcium. This current infection could be why she's been laying those kinds of eggs, or it's new and due to something else. She also has a heart murmur that could be due to the infection. Annabelle has bounced back though, she's totally herself again, one more day of meds to go (on noroclav). I wasn't advised to keep her separate, so maybe Ada picked up something from her, but like I said, Annabelle has been going on a very long while laying soft eggs, but only started acting sick over a week ago and no-one else is acting quiet and ill the way she did, they're all noisy and nosey.

I'm just conflicted as to whether or not I should take Ada to get checked out as she's otherwise healthy, and my vet whilst great, is very pricey. If need be I will spend the money, just I'm job hunting atm, and need to be a bit careful for a little while, hence the hesitation. Like seriously, I'd be looking at about $200 for consult and blood test to confirm anything going on in her (That's on top of the price of Annabelle's next checkup as well). It's just a lot when there's not a whole lot for concern just yet.

Annabelle has her check up appointment on Tuesday to see how she's going. I will mention it to the vet anyway if I decide not to take Ada along. I might give it a little time and see how she goes. Just trying to work things out in my head, wanted experienced opinions, so thanks

Good luck Fizzy!

 

[Fizzybelle]

Thanks Luckysmum.

Annabelle is all well, her checkup went great, all better. Vet advised me on Ada, I'll monitor her eggs for a while, and take note of any soft shelled eggs, and go from there.

Currently my pekin Esmé has bad scaly leg, poor bubba. I treated her for it a while back but it doesn't seem to have cleared up. She's been what I call 'pancaking' a lot lately, basically she's just sitting down on the ground, but because she's so round, the way she spreads out she looks like a fluffy pancake . The scales on her middle toes have lifted up and it must be bothering her, so she's in for a week of daily vaseline treatments, after painting on some malaban wash today. Scaly leg can make them want to stay off their feet right? She's otherwise fine. Not laying currently, she moulted after her last broody bout a few months ago, and decided to take the rest of the winter off. Appetites fine.

It's always something with my lot. Thank you though for your input, it puts my mind at ease and helps with what direction to go in. Much appreciated!

 

[satay]

How's everyone down south going with the wild weather? we have had a hot winter a quite a few storms.. Very cold mornings still but nice days.

 

[Susan Hampshire]

How's everyone down south going with the wild weather? we have had a hot winter a quite a few storms.. Very cold mornings still but nice days.

Been very cold and wintery down here on the Bellarine Peninsula. Lots of rain! I am getting 3 eggs per day from 5 Spangled hamburgs after a hard moult that lasted for a month or more!

 

[satay]

Fresh local quail eggs usually have a hatch rate of around 80% or more. Posted quail eggs generally have a hatch rate of 50% or less. I know many breeders who stop posting quail eggs as they had too many complaints about poor hatch rate. Maybe the eggs get hairline cracks during transit. Maybe they get chilled on the plane. I just know that my previous batch of 24 posted eggs only had 20 arrive unsmashed and only a few hatch of which all ended up being culled.

I agree with you. I have only bought one lot of quail eggs. Bought 65 eggs and 1 hatched. I have had some gifted to me years ago from a bycer and they did much better hatch rates of 95% and they were sent from Sydney. I've had some good results posting myself. A few 100% hatches and a few that have had smashed eggs and everything in between.

 

[LuckysMum]

Thanks Luckysmum.

Annabelle is all well, her checkup went great, all better. Vet advised me on Ada, I'll monitor her eggs for a while, and take note of any soft shelled eggs, and go from there.

Currently my pekin Esmé has bad scaly leg, poor bubba. I treated her for it a while back but it doesn't seem to have cleared up. She's been what I call 'pancaking' a lot lately, basically she's just sitting down on the ground, but because she's so round, the way she spreads out she looks like a fluffy pancake . The scales on her middle toes have lifted up and it must be bothering her, so she's in for a week of daily vaseline treatments, after painting on some malaban wash today. Scaly leg can make them want to stay off their feet right? She's otherwise fine. Not laying currently, she moulted after her last broody bout a few months ago, and decided to take the rest of the winter off. Appetites fine.

It's always something with my lot. Thank you though for your input, it puts my mind at ease and helps with what direction to go in. Much appreciated!

I'm happy that Annabelle is well. Good luck with Ada I'm sure she'll be fine.
Poor Esme. I had scaly leg when I got my nephews chooks. I used Vicks (cheaper brand) and that fixed them all except Trudy (blue Andalusian) she was really bad I had to do hers a few times and she has it mildly again. Poor thing. I've finally got my stick fast fleas under control. Poor girls have been locked in the coop for 3 weeks, it has a concrete floor, I go in all the time and give them weeds, of which there are plenty from all the rain we've had.

Fancy if you read this I would really love to buy some silkie eggs when you have them.
Thanks

 

[Fizzybelle]

I'm happy that Annabelle is well. Good luck with Ada I'm sure she'll be fine.
Poor Esme. I had scaly leg when I got my nephews chooks. I used Vicks (cheaper brand) and that fixed them all except Trudy (blue Andalusian) she was really bad I had to do hers a few times and she has it mildly again. Poor thing. I've finally got my stick fast fleas under control. Poor girls have been locked in the coop for 3 weeks, it has a concrete floor, I go in all the time and give them weeds, of which there are plenty from all the rain we've had.

Fancy if you read this I would really love to buy some silkie eggs when you have them.
Thanks

I forgot about using vicks, might mix it up, alternate with the vaseline.