Colorado

[WendyGeisler]

Tonight I caught Peprika, my adopted and very scaredy chicken, and gave her a bath. She was a good sport to be honest. She was farm raised and given to me with the use of a net. She has a mild heart attack every time I try to pick her up.

She enjoyed the warm water. While rinsing her, I noticed her crop was empty???, and she had lots of missing feathers. I have been worried about her because her under tail looked bald. I don't think she has laid her chocolate colored eggs in awhile (hard to tell since I have 4 other BCMs) But as I washed her I realized a lot of her is bald.

Is this a really bad molt? I suspect she is 2.5 years or older.



The salon was sent up in the garage.


Wait.... chicken porn coming up... avert your eyes if needed...






so it looks like she is seriously molting everywhere... tummy, shoulders,
neck, ect..


I can't find anything wrong with her vent...



all ready for bed for the night... I wonder if she needs a heat lamp or not.
suggestions?

 

[Mtn Margie]

Quail eggs went on lockdown last night. 9 went in. We will see how many hatch. I have their rabbit hutch set up and ready for after brooder time. I have heard that you cant leep chickens to close or they could spread some disease to the quail. Any advise on this here.

Some say yes and others no. Yes, some chicken diseases can kill quail and so can mean birds, but then again some say keep turkeys separate from chickens due to diseases.
Do whatever fits best and then be willing to change it up if something goes amiss......ps.... no quail yet on my end but I was going to make them a quail area in the chicken coop for warmth and convenience of bear proofing.

P-funk- you are a ways from me that is for sure by about three hours or so. Patience grasshopper....., are there really no meat eaters down your way?

 

[Mtn Margie]

all ready for bed for the night... I wonder if she needs a heat lamp or not.
suggestions?

I would not put a heat lamp on, but you can cover half of the bucket with a towel to prevent any drafts. Her skin looks good and it is about time that some birds will be starting their molts. Keep an eye on her and see what happens. I have had birds go almost featherless during molt and some just lose a few here and there for a long time.

 

[Pozees]

Wendy, I agree with Margie, the skin looks very healthy, and some birds molt a few feathers at a time while others seem to drop a pillow's worth in a day or two. The only thing I might do as long as you have her and she's so difficult to catch, is maybe put some Nustock or vaseline on her legs just in case there are any leg mites hanging about, but her legs look fine so that would strictly be precautionary. I'm curious, did she eat for you after her bath and being placed into the container for the night?

 

[techpeak]

I see a lot of posts lately with people who have, or are looking to, medicate their chickens. Except for some coccidiostats (get rid of coccidia drugs), there are no approved antibiotics or dewormers for laying hens. The reason is that they don't know how long the chicken can still have that in her system and put it in her eggs. For example, I am severely allergic to penicillin. If someone treated a chicken with penicillin and I ate one of the eggs, I could go into anaphylactic shock and die from it.

I would really like to see one of the veterinary drug manufacturers do some studies on egg withdrawal times (how long between treating a bird and when you no longer find the drug in the eggs). They have milk withdrawal times and meat withdrawal times, why not for eggs? Maybe with enough people onboard with the idea, we could encourage one of them to do that with some of their antibiotics and dewormers.

 

[cosbackyard]

I see a lot of posts lately with people who have, or are looking to, medicate their chickens. Except for some coccidiostats (get rid of coccidia drugs), there are no approved antibiotics or dewormers for laying hens. The reason is that they don't know how long the chicken can still have that in her system and put it in her eggs. For example, I am severely allergic to penicillin. If someone treated a chicken with penicillin and I ate one of the eggs, I could go into anaphylactic shock and die from it.

I would really like to see one of the veterinary drug manufacturers do some studies on egg withdrawal times (how long between treating a bird and when you no longer find the drug in the eggs). They have milk withdrawal times and meat withdrawal times, why not for eggs? Maybe with enough people onboard with the idea, we could encourage one of them to do that with some of their antibiotics and dewormers.

If I can put on my grouchy hat for a moment -
I like the idea here, but the drug companies would not voluntarily do this. And even if they did I would not trust the results considering than they could negatively affect revenue. We should all be wise enough to know that dollars will win out over decency any day.

That said I'm sure there have been some enterprising folks who have done studies on this. Knowing nothing about how this works I assume that all you'd need are some chickens, some drugs, and a lab you can send eggs to.

 

[Pozees]

I see a lot of posts lately with people who have, or are looking to, medicate their chickens. Except for some coccidiostats (get rid of coccidia drugs), there are no approved antibiotics or dewormers for laying hens. The reason is that they don't know how long the chicken can still have that in her system and put it in her eggs. For example, I am severely allergic to penicillin. If someone treated a chicken with penicillin and I ate one of the eggs, I could go into anaphylactic shock and die from it.

I would really like to see one of the veterinary drug manufacturers do some studies on egg withdrawal times (how long between treating a bird and when you no longer find the drug in the eggs). They have milk withdrawal times and meat withdrawal times, why not for eggs? Maybe with enough people onboard with the idea, we could encourage one of them to do that with some of their antibiotics and dewormers.

I am pretty sure Duramycin is approved, the package I have lists dosages and withdrawal for poultry. I am allergic to Penicillin and its derivatives, as well as Sulfa and Shellfish. If I had to, I would use Duramycin, follow the guidelines, and have no worries. Bear in mind, almost every egg at the grocery store is laid by a hen treated with antibiotics in far greater amounts than you and I would ever consider.

 

[samsr]

I picke up a couple chixks from big r this afternoon to place under my broody hen. We first had to wash her under side and move her amd the bad eggs to another nesting box. Away from everyone else. After the bath and the move she settled down. We then went out after dark and switch out the eggs with the two chicks. So far she has taken to them. What do you think the odds are she will take them in. They are under her right now and she seems to be happy.

The breeds that big r teceived look like americauna, blue cochin, leghorn, black australorp and maybe buff orpington.
The woman behind the counter seems to know about chickens pretty well for a change.

 

[P-Funk]

P-funk- you are a ways from me that is for sure by about three hours or so. Patience grasshopper....., are there really no meat eaters down your way?

I guess not. Some peeps have suggested I just shoot and eat them, but I don't have the heart. I haven't even consumed any chickens since the day my first hatch happened over 2 years ago. They're just too cute too eat. If somebody else wants to do it, take them somewhere I can't see it. I would just as soon eat my horses or my puppy. Or the budgies, or the kitties, or the ducks, turkeys, the list goes on,

Signed Preston, becoming closer to a veggie every day.

 

[Wendi C]

Hi Everyone,
You all have been busy since I've been gone

so many new faces have popped up (YAY)! Anyway, on to beginner chicken business...
I think I've been hoodwinked.

6 weeks ago, I bought 3 black sex-links (at least that's what I was told). Of course, as a chicken beginner, I had no idea what the chicks should look like. Well, to make a long story short, I am beginning to transition the new babies into the "Big Girl coop" and I noticed that one of my new babies does not look like the others. I think I may have another cockerel

.

So I'm posting photos to get your opinion.

Are they black sex-links?
Does the one with the black head have missing DNA (XY vs. XX)?








Also, now I am scared to mix the flock with the latest mareks posts, because I know my older girls received mareks at the hatchery, but I can't be sure the younger ones received it from the breeder. Any thoughts?