Chickens for 10-20 years or more? Pull up a rockin' chair and lay some wisdom on us!

[JeffOeuf]

I'm pretty green here, but I think she's moulting....even if she was born in February. I've got one going through it right now, and she started out just like that.

 

[delisha]

molting is not necessarily out.. I don't like her comb color either. You are right to be concerned, she is a bird that needs watching. I suspect a molt.

 

[al6517]

I have a newbie question with photos. Don't make fun of the hatchery stock

My "RIR" is missing some feathers around her neck and head. I'm not home at all while they're out foraging right now due to the short days, so cannot offer any commentary on the rooster's treatment of her, but will say she's been bred since June by the same rooster, with the same number of flock mates, and never had a problem with feather loss due to him. I noticed this last week, did a thorough search for bugs with a friend, And we found nothing. I dusted with ashes & DE anyways. This week, she's gotten worse & lost more feathers. There's one spot on the front of her neck too, which makes me even more confident it's not from the roo. I did notice she & another hen picking on one Another last weekend, and this other hen has a bit of the same problem now. Maybe they're pulling each others' feathers out?

I just want some other opinions so I know what to look for (bugs? Fighting? Roos? Something I haven't thought of yet )

Thanks in advance!

Another one of the more common reasons for the birds feather picking each other is their internal body mechanism's need for a certain nutrient such as animal protien derived from the most available source................. chicken feathers. It's kind of like when your house dog eat's fresh green grass then vommits it up, they are telling you they need cloraphil, same thing with the birds.

 

[Maven]

Another one of the more common reasons for the birds feather picking each other is their internal body mechanism's need for a certain nutrient such as animal protien derived from the most available source................. chicken feathers. It's kind of like when your house dog eat's fresh green grass then vommits it up, they are telling you they need cloraphil, same thing with the birds.

Yep - another reason to listen to the wise old A(w)l on this thread! Since I upped the protein in my feed and started top-dressing with animal fat I have NO, absolutely NO feather picking whatsoever amongst my birds.

They were never really bad about it, but I saw it happen regularly. If they weren't actually pulling feathers, they were still zeroing in like F15s on any little feather that fell out of somebody and it would be eaten before it hit the ground.

Now, I watch feathers fall, and there they lay.

 

[NikkiMiChickie]

Those pictures are telling me something is up with your bird, your camera, or your picture taking skills. It is not your roo.

 

Lol, could be a combination of the 3 glad my roo isn't the cause, although I was pretty sure he wasn't. Thanks!

I'm pretty green here, but I think she's moulting....even if she was born in February. I've got one going through it right now, and she started out just like that.

I wondered if it were a possibility for them to molt off-schedule, so to speak. Thanks!

molting is not necessarily out.. I don't like her comb color either. You are right to be concerned, she is a bird that needs watching. I suspect a molt.

I'll keep an eye on her. At what age is it common for them to have their first molt? I think they have 2 as they're growing, and replace their growing feathers... Is this an odd age for any bird to molt? If that's what it is. And if so, would she be a cull in your flock come spring? She's certainly not one of my favs, although she was laying around 5 eggs/week before the shorter days. Her comb has grown pale since the days grew shorter, and although she's a "spring chicken," I just attributed her slowing down to that.

Another one of the more common reasons for the birds feather picking each other is their internal body mechanism's need for a certain nutrient such as animal protien derived from the most available source................. chicken feathers. It's kind of like when your house dog eat's fresh green grass then vommits it up, they are telling you they need cloraphil,  same thing with the birds.

Good to know, Al, and hadn't even considered this. I'll keep up with the top dressing. I took out a cup of pot roast drippings this morning and everyone had a good time with that. I don't do it very regularly though, so I'll make a point of doing so and see if I notice a difference.


Thanks for your input, everyone!

 

[JeffOeuf]

Al,

Have you ever smoked jerky on your Big Green Egg? Just put a batch on mine that has been curing for a couple days. It's what my nephews ask for for Christmas every year.

 

[Maven]

Here, Al!!

 

[Rodster]

Hi. still a newb i guess, but have had a flock for over a year and a half now. Started with 3 dark sex link hens and a silky roo. added a few americannas, then added 3 turkey hens and a tom, then took in a few more hens.Then took in 11 baby roosters. before i knew it i had a flock of 40+ birds with 3 hens and all 3 turkeys each hatching out a clutch. I learned then that an incubator can be INVALUABLE when you really need one. the turkeys and chickens shared the same run with 2 seperate coops. my youngest turkey hen (suzy) i raised from about 8 weeks old. she was the only one i could get to perch on my arm and a full grown turkey is quite heavy i found. (her sister succommed to turkey pox about a month after i got them, so sad) and i only lost one hen due to pneumonia before i learned about tylan 50. A year ago i had 2 serious back surgeries and had it not been for my former roommate i would have had to stop then. (My new back is WONDERFUL now and i'm no longer crippled I've had my share of fowl related illnesses and learned on the fly how to deal with each of them, special thanks to BYC. About 6 months ago i was facing a move and had to let the whole flock let go, selling all 4 of my grown turkeys for total of 30 dollars so they would all go to the same place (so i was told). 6 weeks later I found out i wouldn't need to move right away afterall. after a few months up north, i got 10 of my original birds back from a good friend that took all my chickens for me, allowing me to visit my sick mom. He sold some and kept the rest and now has a nice flock of his own, including the sole remaining turkey poult i had left from the last hatch. Altho i'm still probably considered a newbie on here, i have some pretty good experience and hope to have a flock for the rest of my life. I DID actually take in 11 baby roosters a year ago and raised them for the purpose of eating them, but found the process of culling them to be unbearable. Altho i dispached 9 of them with help from my former roommate, i threw up after eating the first one and could not eat another, having nightmares for months. I know some here do this routinely and i respect them for it, but as for me... i find that i'd rather eat their feed then them. The biggest tip i can provide is to spend time with your birds every day and get to know them so if one starts acting "off" you can address any illness before it gets out of hand. keep Tylan 50 and needles a plenty on hand at all times and LEARN how to give a shot BEFORE the need arises so it wont be such a big deal. Also, if you ever need a good laugh, make extra speghetti and see how much fun it is watching them eat it. they also LOVE watermelon and grapes. these are the biggest tips i can think of for the first time chicken herder. looking forward to watching this thread develop.
Have a nice day everyone

 

[delisha]

Hi. still a newb i guess, but have had a flock for over a year and a half now. Started with 3 dark sex link hens and a silky roo. added a few americannas, then added 3 turkey hens and a tom, then took in a few more hens.Then took in 11 baby roosters. before i knew it i had a flock of 40+ birds with 3 hens and all 3 turkeys each hatching out a clutch. I learned then that an incubator can be INVALUABLE when you really need one. the turkeys and chickens shared the same run with 2 seperate coops. my youngest turkey hen (suzy) i raised from about 8 weeks old. she was the only one i could get to perch on my arm and a full grown turkey is quite heavy i found. (her sister succommed to turkey pox about a month after i got them, so sad) and i only lost one hen due to pneumonia before i learned about tylan 50. A year ago i had 2 serious back surgeries and had it not been for my former roommate i would have had to stop then. (My new back is WONDERFUL now and i'm no longer crippled I've had my share of fowl related illnesses and learned on the fly how to deal with each of them, special thanks to BYC. About 6 months ago i was facing a move and had to let the whole flock let go, selling all 4 of my grown turkeys for total of 30 dollars so they would all go to the same place (so i was told). 6 weeks later I found out i wouldn't need to move right away afterall. after a few months up north, i got 10 of my original birds back from a good friend that took all my chickens for me, allowing me to visit my sick mom. He sold some and kept the rest and now has a nice flock of his own, including the sole remaining turkey poult i had left from the last hatch. Altho i'm still probably considered a newbie on here, i have some pretty good experience and hope to have a flock for the rest of my life. I DID actually take in 11 baby roosters a year ago and raised them for the purpose of eating them, but found the process of culling them to be unbearable. Altho i dispached 9 of them with help from my former roommate, i threw up after eating the first one and could not eat another, having nightmares for months. I know some here do this routinely and i respect them for it, but as for me... i find that i'd rather eat their feed then them. The biggest tip i can provide is to spend time with your birds every day and get to know them so if one starts acting "off" you can address any illness before it gets out of hand. keep Tylan 50 and needles a plenty on hand at all times and LEARN how to give a shot BEFORE the need arises so it wont be such a big deal. Also, if you ever need a good laugh, make extra speghetti and see how much fun it is watching them eat it. they also LOVE watermelon and grapes. these are the biggest tips i can think of for the first time chicken herder. looking forward to watching this thread develop.
Have a nice day everyone

Welcome to the group and I am glad you have recovered.

That is all good and fine you experimented with your flock and know about giving shots and drugs. If you have all of them birds and do not cull or butcher you are gong to need a ton of experience with fowl pox, antibiotics, and shots.

Have you ever thought about how to go about raising healthy chickens who do not get sick all the time and need all the shots? Just curious.

 

[Zanna]

I know Iam not much help on the bator issue, I made my own Cabinet incubator years ago, and just listening to all the horror stories from foam bators gives me the heeby geeby's LOL. I am pretty serious about breeding so hatching is a big deal for me, I want to hatch them not mess them up LOL.

So are you thinking about doing a barrel set-up of your own ??

Wow, this thread was/is busy today!!! Yes, thinking of a barrel set-up. We can get the blue barrels for around $10 and I am thinking a row of 4 on the bottom, 3 on the top. Have some BCM and Delawares that I want to single mate and those would be great for the hens and rotating the roos between them during breeding season. Also for show conditioning, may do some of that in 2013. I know you like sand for bedding in them, what do you think about shavings? Cheaper in our area and readily available. I suppose I could bring a garbage can or so of sand home from the coast on a fishing weekend

Thanks for the input on the incubators, I have 2 Genesis Hovabators, one I use for incubating, one dedicated for hatching. Love them and can't imagine ever needing to hatch more eggs than they hold at a time but will deal with that if the time ever comes!