Diary of a Crossbeak: Support for Special Needs Chickens and their Keepers

[artsyrobin]

My girl ginger does, but with winter, she stopped- she had just started laying last month, so i figure its the weather

 

[brittfish]

Well I guess I have my answer. This morning my cross beak girl was all over the house hopping in and out of potential nesting sites. She finally settled down and stopped digging. Think she even got overheated where the box was so I moved it to a cooler room away from the wood stove. After she was quiet a little I checked on her and she had an egg in there. I didn't even notice it at first because she was so quiet. She was standing over it. So I let her be after looking at the egg. I put it safely back with her. Last week she started squatting when we neared her which is super cute.her appetite has been kind of unpredictable and actually not eating quite as much and more spacey. Normally we feed her mash twice a day and she eats enough to fill her crop to clementine size but the past few days has been weird. She has also had loose stools sometimes diarrhea and her stools have been very formed prior to a few days ago. The other hens started laying about a month ago... they live outdoors though.
Would it be normal for her to eat a lot of food a few weeks prior to laying and then back off a little immediately before laying? Loose stools?
Coincidentally we have a rooster that's somewhat sick after a possible crop impaction and we're thinking he gave something to her but now we aren't sure. She has been acting very peppy and also drinking water from a dish quite a bit which she rarely did before. We figured she was getting substantial liquid from her mash as we have cats and a dog so water is always available she just never drank any. Maybe because of the loose stools? Perhaps from making an egg?
After she layed a few minutes after she started frantically and very loudly clucking. From what I read that's probably normal. Poor thing was probably so flustered. Because of her disability she lives inside so she hasn't even seen the others lay. Poor girl was probably like ***???!! I feel so proud though of my little cinnamon! She's the cutest and coolest chicken. Part of me hoped she wouldn't lay because she's so small and because she lives inside but mainly I was worried about her but I guess it actually shows a sign of her health. At least she layed where she is supposed to! Hate to find an egg long after it was layed. .. lol
Sorry for the extremely long post. Thought maybe someone else has this question about their criss beak.

 

[Wishapup]

Well I guess I have my answer. This morning my cross beak girl was all over the house hopping in and out of potential nesting sites. She finally settled down and stopped digging. Think she even got overheated where the box was so I moved it to a cooler room away from the wood stove. After she was quiet a little I checked on her and she had an egg in there. I didn't even notice it at first because she was so quiet. She was standing over it. So I let her be after looking at the egg. I put it safely back with her. Last week she started squatting when we neared her which is super cute.her appetite has been kind of unpredictable and actually not eating quite as much and more spacey. Normally we feed her mash twice a day and she eats enough to fill her crop to clementine size but the past few days has been weird. She has also had loose stools sometimes diarrhea and her stools have been very formed prior to a few days ago. The other hens started laying about a month ago... they live outdoors though.
Would it be normal for her to eat a lot of food a few weeks prior to laying and then back off a little immediately before laying? Loose stools?
Coincidentally we have a rooster that's somewhat sick after a possible crop impaction and we're thinking he gave something to her but now we aren't sure. She has been acting very peppy and also drinking water from a dish quite a bit which she rarely did before. We figured she was getting substantial liquid from her mash as we have cats and a dog so water is always available she just never drank any. Maybe because of the loose stools? Perhaps from making an egg?
After she layed a few minutes after she started frantically and very loudly clucking. From what I read that's probably normal. Poor thing was probably so flustered. Because of her disability she lives inside so she hasn't even seen the others lay. Poor girl was probably like ***???!! I feel so proud though of my little cinnamon! She's the cutest and coolest chicken. Part of me hoped she wouldn't lay because she's so small and because she lives inside but mainly I was worried about her but I guess it actually shows a sign of her health. At least she layed where she is supposed to! Hate to find an egg long after it was layed. .. lol
Sorry for the extremely long post. Thought maybe someone else has this question about their criss beak.

That's amazing...how old is Cinnamon? My first crossbeak, a black Ameraucana, was hatched in May last year and hasn't laid yet. I was hoping she might begin this spring but also don't really expect her to produce anything because all her effort and nutrition goes to maintaining her weight. She's thin and spends quite a bit of time eating after dusk when the others are sleeping and no one bothers her. She has to concentrate on scooping up the pellets!

Eggs have a lot of water content and laying hens definitely will need, and do drink, more water.

Beautiful hen and egg too! And yes, when they lay eggs (my hens do it both before, during, and after) they "sing the egg song." I never heard it referred to as an egg song before seeing it on this website--it is quite similar to the alarm/danger noise they make when startled/upset, so I can see how it might sound if she was flustered. It's normal though!

 

[artsyrobin]

Well I guess I have my answer. This morning my cross beak girl was all over the house hopping in and out of potential nesting sites. She finally settled down and stopped digging. Think she even got overheated where the box was so I moved it to a cooler room away from the wood stove. After she was quiet a little I checked on her and she had an egg in there. I didn't even notice it at first because she was so quiet. She was standing over it. So I let her be after looking at the egg. I put it safely back with her. Last week she started squatting when we neared her which is super cute.her appetite has been kind of unpredictable and actually not eating quite as much and more spacey. Normally we feed her mash twice a day and she eats enough to fill her crop to clementine size but the past few days has been weird. She has also had loose stools sometimes diarrhea and her stools have been very formed prior to a few days ago. The other hens started laying about a month ago... they live outdoors though.
Would it be normal for her to eat a lot of food a few weeks prior to laying and then back off a little immediately before laying? Loose stools?
Coincidentally we have a rooster that's somewhat sick after a possible crop impaction and we're thinking he gave something to her but now we aren't sure. She has been acting very peppy and also drinking water from a dish quite a bit which she rarely did before. We figured she was getting substantial liquid from her mash as we have cats and a dog so water is always available she just never drank any. Maybe because of the loose stools? Perhaps from making an egg?
After she layed a few minutes after she started frantically and very loudly clucking. From what I read that's probably normal. Poor thing was probably so flustered. Because of her disability she lives inside so she hasn't even seen the others lay. Poor girl was probably like ***???!! I feel so proud though of my little cinnamon! She's the cutest and coolest chicken. Part of me hoped she wouldn't lay because she's so small and because she lives inside but mainly I was worried about her but I guess it actually shows a sign of her health. At least she layed where she is supposed to! Hate to find an egg long after it was layed. .. lol
Sorry for the extremely long post. Thought maybe someone else has this question about their criss beak.

aren't they funny though! yes that was her 'egg song' they are very proud of those gems they lay! mine usually lay their egg and then drink alot of water afterwords- my girl gets fermented feed- and has dry available too, she gets frequent baths, that wet feed gets all over her beard, ends up with dreadlocks- but she does seem to eat more that way

 

[Firekin1]

Mine lays eggs and they usually have an excellent shell. ..only the odd time they've been thin or soft. Are you sure you have a hen and not a rooster...not all roosters will crow...I have a 11 mths old blue Ameraucana roo who has never made a peep

 

[Wishapup]

Lost my crossbeak 2 days ago. She was 8 months old.

 

[estamets]

Lost my crossbeak 2 days ago. She was 8 months old.

I'm so sorry for your loss. Do you know why she passed?

 

[brittfish]

That's amazing...how old is Cinnamon? My first crossbeak, a black Ameraucana, was hatched in May last year and hasn't laid yet. I was hoping she might begin this spring but also don't really expect her to produce anything because all her effort and nutrition goes to maintaining her weight. She's thin and spends quite a bit of time eating after dusk when the others are sleeping and no one bothers her. She has to concentrate on scooping up the pellets!

Eggs have a lot of water content and laying hens definitely will need, and do drink, more water.

Beautiful hen and egg too! And yes, when they lay eggs (my hens do it both before, during, and after) they "sing the egg song." I never heard it referred to as an egg song before seeing it on this website--it is quite similar to the alarm/danger noise they make when startled/upset, so I can see how it might sound if she was flustered. It's normal though!

She is 7 months old. Not going to lie she lives inside we give her watered layer feed (mash) and although she's small she's pretty filled out. Her comb has grown lately and is bigger than the other hens. She lays every one or two days it seems. We have to clean her feet and chest every night but she's very tolerant of it and starts to hop up the stairs to her roost all by herself. We do love our little wonder hen.

 

[artsyrobin]

yes, my ginger is a house hen, with her roo mumbles, also a crossbeak- its a bit of work but well worth it

 

[brittfish]

They are so cute! Cinnamon is a territorial house chicken. She doesn't like when the others come in. She's been pretty good with our roo that has been sick but not the hens. I see gingers beak is almost as bad as cinnamons... does her tongue dry up? Do you put anything on it? She's had a chunk fall off before and now she has an area that's hard and dry doesn't seem to bother her. I think it regrows almost. You ever notice that?