California - Northern

I found one of my favorite hens dead in the pen mid morning - I hadn't noticed anything wrong with her before and in fact had just been in the coop cleaning their boards and refilling their feeder. I was completely shocked. I didn't notice anything amiss when I looked her over, either. I wonder if she could have broken her neck flying against the hardware cloth of their pen maybe - she was a spirited hen and I have seen some of them crash into the side of their pen before - or if she might have eaten a poisonous plant or mushroom (it has been sooo wet) on Saturday when they were last out to free range. Are you checking your range over for toxic plants and if so, what are the ones to watch out for? We do have some sequoias next to their coop so I guess deadly mushrooms might be an issue?
 
I found one of my favorite hens dead in the pen mid morning - I hadn't noticed anything wrong with her before and in fact had just been in the coop cleaning their boards and refilling their feeder. I was completely shocked. I didn't notice anything amiss when I looked her over, either. I wonder if she could have broken her neck flying against the hardware cloth of their pen maybe - she was a spirited hen and I have seen some of them crash into the side of their pen before - or if she might have eaten a poisonous plant or mushroom (it has been sooo wet) on Saturday when they were last out to free range. Are you checking your range over for toxic plants and if so, what are the ones to watch out for? We do have some sequoias next to their coop so I guess deadly mushrooms might be an issue?
hugs.gif

I am so sorry!

The best thing to do would be to send her in for necropsy. It costs $20.00 now but is a great way to find out how she died and if you need to worry about your flock.

@casportpony used to have a guide in her signature line but has removed it. Instructions are at: cahfs.ucdavis.edu.

you can mail her there using fedex.
 
I have had Pita Pinta for almost 4 years now. This is my 3rd season of breeding them and I have probably hatched close to 200 chicks. We use the extra boys for meat and the pullets that don't make it into the breeding program are sold or kept for egg laying. The chicks are very friendly and not aggressive. We have not had a single aggressive pullet/hen. A few of the males have been standoffish and peck when picked up but I have never had to watch my back or worry about a sneak attack. They watch over their girls and vocally protest when I pick up the hens but have never come at me. Here in town, I have quite a few chicken breed odds and ends but the PP get along fine with all of them. They are good foragers and are too busy doing their own thing to get involved in flock disputes. They are not flighty like the Bresse we used to breed even though they are only medium sized large fowl. Some of my Langshan on the other hand would love to roost in our mulberry tree and are always up on top of the coop.

It is a very small gene pool here in the US and some defects and health issues have popped up that we are trying to get rid of. I have had some hens suddenly develop reproductive problems at around 1 1/2-2 yr. I sent some in to Davis and they reported back that unlike normal chickens, the hens that died had 2 functioning ovaries. That messed them up and resulted in death. I took last year off from breeding them so this year's breeding hens are 2 yrs old. I'm hoping that any reproductive problems would have shown up by now.
fl.gif
Now that's a couple breeds that interested me at first -- Blue Bresse and Langshan. Since Bresse were considered more for meat than eggs I passed on them plus they didn't seem to be a human-chummy type. We don't eat our birds but keep the backyard flock for eggs and entertainment -- we haven't had a TV in 6 years. The Langshan interested me for their stately appearance and feathered legs but I wasn't getting the kind of feedback on them I was looking for. I wanted a unique breed, non-combative, wasn't a wanderer and stayed in the yard, and was a decent egg-layer. The Breda was suggested to me and I tried one because it was reportedly a docile and lightweight breed. We were pleasantly surprised at the unusual looks with the feathered legs I liked, docile temperament, and prolific egg-laying. But as with all the rare breeds there are breeding problems. Breda are being worked on by a few dedicated breeders because like the PP the Breda are worth improving because of all their unique qualities. Breeding from only the hardiest older survivors of a rare breed will probably ensure a hardier stock. Too many anxious breeders are breeding the pullets and cockerels too early getting offspring that don't survive because they didn't give the parents time to show their hardiness before breeding them. I like your choice -- waiting to get hardy 2 yr old surviving PP stock before breeding them.
 
Now that's a couple breeds that interested me at first -- Blue Bresse and Langshan. Since Bresse were considered more for meat than eggs I passed on them plus they didn't seem to be a human-chummy type. We don't eat our birds but keep the backyard flock for eggs and entertainment -- we haven't had a TV in 6 years. The Langshan interested me for their stately appearance and feathered legs but I wasn't getting the kind of feedback on them I was looking for. I wanted a unique breed, non-combative, wasn't a wanderer and stayed in the yard, and was a decent egg-layer. The Breda was suggested to me and I tried one because it was reportedly a docile and lightweight breed. We were pleasantly surprised at the unusual looks with the feathered legs I liked, docile temperament, and prolific egg-laying. But as with all the rare breeds there are breeding problems. Breda are being worked on by a few dedicated breeders because like the PP the Breda are worth improving because of all their unique qualities. Breeding from only the hardiest older survivors of a rare breed will probably ensure a hardier stock. Too many anxious breeders are breeding the pullets and cockerels too early getting offspring that don't survive because they didn't give the parents time to show their hardiness before breeding them. I like your choice -- waiting to get hardy 2 yr old surviving PP stock before breeding them.
I have a slightly different take on the 2yr thing. Ive found that as the hens age the eggs become more "fragile" so to speak making it harder to hatch more and with the more fragile and weaker eggs I think you can have more problem birds. I think waiting till pullets turn a full year is about the sweet spot. If you can ensure really good egg health for the older birds sure hatch from them but hatching from "healthy quality" young birds should be fine. Currently though all of my Pita girls except last years pullet (will be a hen in about a month) are 2 years plus. I was having fertility issues with my 2 year old boy early in the season so I swapped with my best last year boy. Fertility is improving and Im seeing fertility in the birds with my 2 year old boy I hope to switch him back later in the season and hatch some more from him. I also think that the older the birds get the more health issues (non genetic ones) you are likely to encounter putting the breeding program at risk. Its my opinion that you need to breed both young and old to keep a vigorous line going.
 
I have delaware chicks for sale straight run hatched 4/10-11 and 4/15 PM me if interested. I can also sell hatching eggs for Delaware and Pita Pinta.
 
:hugs
I am so sorry!

The best thing to do would be to send her in for necropsy. It costs $20.00 now but is a great way to find out how she died and if you need to worry about your flock.

@casportpony
used to have a guide in her signature line but has removed it. Instructions are at: cahfs.ucdavis.edu.

you can mail her there using fedex.

Thank you for the virtual hug! I was not prepared to be so thrown by it - it was quite a shock.
And thank you for the necropsy info, that is very good to know.
I decided to bury my Matilda, and just have a necropsy done if I were to lose another hen, which I hope very much will not happen.
I wonder now if the rooster I just gave away a couple of weeks ago already knew something was wrong with her when he started attacking her in the last few days he was here. He would go out of his way to peck her and send her away screaming. I thought then it was because she was pretty high in the pecking order and would not let him mount her ever... he was not a gentleman and never a dancer, he'd just grabbed the hens and jumped on them. All but three had bare spots on their backs, Matilda was one of the ones that looked pristine...
She was also the one I most feared was a rooster as a little one because she was always the first to approach me, the one to jump up on all high places in the brooder and generally a bit brazen...
Oh well...
 
Because I am brooding chicks in the garage my garage door stays at least partially open most of the day. I went to close it tonight and I found out I trapped a pair of doves in the garage. Last year we cut down the cherry tree where a pair would nest regularly. Ive been seeing them hang around a lot I think they are looking for a place to nest. I have part of a bale of straw in the garage and they seem pretty calm about being near me as long as i dont move fast. I set some wheat and flock raiser feed down for them and a bowl of water and opened the door again they didnt fly out. Ill have to get pictures of them but its kind of funny to me that they are comfortable enough to enter the garage probably because of the baby chicks.


*edit * here they are perched on the garage door opener.
 
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I have a slightly different take on the 2yr thing. Ive found that as the hens age the eggs become more "fragile" so to speak making it harder to hatch more and with the more fragile and weaker eggs I think you can have more problem birds. I think waiting till pullets turn a full year is about the sweet spot. If you can ensure really good egg health for the older birds sure hatch from them but hatching from "healthy quality" young birds should be fine. Currently though all of my Pita girls except last years pullet (will be a hen in about a month) are 2 years plus. I was having fertility issues with my 2 year old boy early in the season so I swapped with my best last year boy. Fertility is improving and Im seeing fertility in the birds with my 2 year old boy I hope to switch him back later in the season and hatch some more from him. I also think that the older the birds get the more health issues (non genetic ones) you are likely to encounter putting the breeding program at risk. Its my opinion that you need to breed both young and old to keep a vigorous line going.

That's a good point bringing up the shell quality of younger birds. On the same token the harder shells might make the offspring work too hard to crack out of the shell. The one year mark is considered "adult" for chickens except that with laying hens many show reproductive problems between one and two years old. Having good records to show young hen and older hen progeny progress must be quite a task. So many things to consider when breeding which is why I don't do it. Can't anyway because of my zoning but I'm still interested in seeing what owners are trying in their projects to get rare breeds improved. And what causes fertility issues other than a possible chicken disease/malady? Is it the problem with the roo or the hen?
 

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