The Buckeye Thread

[autumnhearth]

S/he's been doing just fine, I had her/him out free ranging this morning (pic is from yesterday) still acting a bit aggressive toward some of the girls, especially if they go up on the high perch or ruffle their wings (not aggressively but the Buckeye seems to see it as a challenge). I'll keep a close watch though.

 

[autumnhearth]

Is it making sounds when it does that and if so what does it sound like? Is it eating and drinking? I had a young chick doing something like that once. She made this terrible honking sound, I can't really describe it. It turned out she had something stuck in her throat and couldn't eat.

Completely silent, eating and drinking just fine, occasionally I will hear our sex-link Amelia making a sort of clicking sound in her throat that I assume is working on swallowing. How did the stuck throat get resolved? I've seen the Buckeye do this before when interacting with our cat. But I've seen some of the other girls do it too in the past, though it looked more like yawning and this didn't somehow.

 

[sumi]

Quote: O.K. that's good. A friend of mine had a similar case and his chick didn't make it... Ours actually got resolved accidentally. I was trying to feed the poor thing something liquid, just to get something into her crop and she resisted. When she started struggling I accidentally squeezed her throat very hard. I put her down immediately and watched to see if she's o.k. and she was. 100% fine, no noises, breathing o.k. she was fine! I somehow managed to dislodge whatever it was from her throat when I squeezed it, but I definitely won't recommend this method. That was just a stroke of luck, really.

 

[autumnhearth]

That is lucky! I will keep an extra close eye on everyone, s/he ate a big slug outside this morning

 

[Minniechickmama]

Sometimes I will see a bird who just ate too much dry food too fast and needed to wash it down and they act weird until it passes.
I am glad that it is acting, eating and drinking okay. With a picture you just don't know, so thought it prudent to ask. That is a little odd for behavior. Have you tried looking down its throat to see if there is anything there? I know I would if I had a chicken doing that and wasn't acting sick.

 

[Sydney Acres]

That is lucky! I will keep an extra close eye on everyone, s/he ate a big slug outside this morning

If the behavior/symptoms started shortly after eating the slug, as opposed to before the slug, the slug could be stuck. The slime they produce can be like glue! I used to have a pet chicken that loved slugs, but after eating a few her beak would get glued shut. I tried lots of things to scrape the slime off her beak, but then remembered that pineapple has lots of enzymes in it that could dissolve the proteins in the slime. It worked great. So we later developed a routine -- she would go out and eat slugs until she couldn't open her mouth anymore, then she would come find me and squawk through a closed beak. I would open a can of pineapple chunks in its own juice, and she would drink the juice until the slime broke apart and I got pineapple treats. Worked out great for both of us. And after a few years I had almost no slugs on the farm! Sadly, Sydney has been gone for almost 9 years now, and none of my 35 current chickens/turkeys like slugs enough to control the slimy pests.

Other problems that can cause gaping (lifting the head into the air, stretching out the neck, opening mouth without vocalizing, +/- adjusting the crop), would be temporary overconsumption (especially of dry food), crop blockage for any reason, sour crop, and gapeworm, plus probably several other issues. If it continues for a long time with any frequency it may be a problem, but if it lasts less than a day and goes away on its own than it's nothing to worry about, as long as the chick is doing well otherwise.

 

[autumnhearth]

If the behavior/symptoms started shortly after eating the slug, as opposed to before the slug, the slug could be stuck. The slime they produce can be like glue! I used to have a pet chicken that loved slugs, but after eating a few her beak would get glued shut. I tried lots of things to scrape the slime off her beak, but then remembered that pineapple has lots of enzymes in it that could dissolve the proteins in the slime. It worked great. So we later developed a routine -- she would go out and eat slugs until she couldn't open her mouth anymore, then she would come find me and squawk through a closed beak. I would open a can of pineapple chunks in its own juice, and she would drink the juice until the slime broke apart and I got pineapple treats. Worked out great for both of us. And after a few years I had almost no slugs on the farm! Sadly, Sydney has been gone for almost 9 years now, and none of my 35 current chickens/turkeys like slugs enough to control the slimy pests.

Other problems that can cause gaping (lifting the head into the air, stretching out the neck, opening mouth without vocalizing, +/- adjusting the crop), would be temporary overconsumption (especially of dry food), crop blockage for any reason, sour crop, and gapeworm, plus probably several other issues. If it continues for a long time with any frequency it may be a problem, but if it lasts less than a day and goes away on its own than it's nothing to worry about, as long as the chick is doing well otherwise.

Thanks, it was just yesterday evening, but good info. Aww the pineapple story is too cute!

 

[Turk Raphael]

Hi. I would like to join this thread. I did keep turkeys for a while but now have only a few australorps. I've been interested in Buckeyes for quite a while but I'm finding it difficult to locate them. Any help would be appreciated. I'm trying to avoid the hatchery option.

Thanks

 

[Regin]

Hi. I would like to join this thread. I did keep turkeys for a while but now have only a few australorps. I've been interested in Buckeyes for quite a while but I'm finding it difficult to locate them. Any help would be appreciated. I'm trying to avoid the hatchery option.

Thanks

Welcome

There are people on here from all over. It may be helpful to tell where you are located to see if someone is near you.
There are two breed clubs that support Buckeyes as well. Both have FB pages and Breeders lists.
Suggest that you check out any source before ordering. Soon most breeders will stop shipping because of the heat.

 

[Turk Raphael]

Welcome

There are people on here from all over. It may be helpful to tell where you are located to see if someone is near you.
There are two breed clubs that support Buckeyes as well. Both have FB pages and Breeders lists.
Suggest that you check out any source before ordering. Soon most breeders will stop shipping because of the heat.

Thank you. I live in Kentucky on 3 acres near Louisville, where I work but we are moving to a 225 acre farm, not too far from Frankfort. We should be moved in by the end of the month.