Recent content by terryg

  1. terryg

    Will my younger pullets molt this year?

    Not molting is one of the reasons why pullets can start laying in the autumn and lay all through the winter. Next year your hens will molt in August or September, and need almost two months to grow in their feathers. You'll start seeing eggs again by February. BTW, the poorest layers molt first...
  2. terryg

    Chickens Bleeding from Rectum

    You're sure they don't have wounds? Have you picked them up and looked carefully? (for those interested, I have a video that shows how to pick up a hen and examine the vent area here: http://hencam.com/faq/handling-and-picking-up-your-hens/ A bit old for coccidia, but blood in the manure is a...
  3. terryg

    bound eggs?

    Vetch is a green vine type plant often found in pastures in New England. If consumed in large doses on an empty stomach, (as happened with my Buffy) it can be toxic to hens. Cows love it. As far as what to feed - there's a lot of opinions out there and a lot of folk lore and misinformation. What...
  4. terryg

    Hens coming up on 20 weeks old now...

    Patience! :) Your pullets are old enough to safely eat laying hen feed, but why not wait for the first egg to give the younger ones a bit of time to catch up. You can put out oyster shell free choice now. I use a rabbit feed hopper which keeps it tidy and there's no waste. See a photo of that...
  5. terryg

    bound eggs?

    If a soft-shelled egg happens once it's not a big deal, but it can cause big problems, like internal impactions and infections, and also cause egg eating to start. I have a feeling that your pullet needs a much better diet. Egg shells are almost all calcium, and eggs a mostly protein. She need...
  6. terryg

    missing neck feathers?

    I had a very good laying hen that lost her feathers on her neck like that. It was always a sign that she was laying. After molt they'd all grow back in, then she'd lose them again. But, look for other causes. Are the hens rubbing the feathers off putting their heads through a fence? Is there...
  7. terryg

    Adult chicken with pasty butt

    It might be vent gleet, which is a yeast infection. It can be alleviated with a bath and providone. I've written about that here (along with other messy butt issues.) http://hencam.com/faq/Yuck-My-Chickens-Have-Messy-Bottoms/
  8. terryg

    Hen Hemorrhoids?

    Yes, it's a prolapse. Have you separated her from the flock? The other hens will peck her to death if they see it. I successfully kept a prolapse back in using honey - not only is it sticky and has natural antibacterial components, but it's hydrophobic - it pulls out moisture and keeps the air...
  9. terryg

    Adding Young chickens to older chickens

    You could combine them now as none of them are fully mature. If they are penned, make sure you have enough space (minimum of 8 square feet per bird, and another 4 square feet inside.) I think that outside roosts go a long way to alleviating stress. Make sure the feeders and waterers aren't in...
  10. terryg

    HELP! Something is wrong with my chicken.

    Broody hens not only have a higher body temp, but they pull out their breast feathers so that their hot skin will have direct contact with their eggs. You can stop a hen from being broody by putting her in an anti-broody coop. Directions here: http://hencam.com/faq/the-broody-hen/
  11. terryg

    Feeding different ages on one feed - is it bad?

    Layers can eat chick feed, but chicks can't eat layer feed. If you can give your older birds access to oyster shell where the chicks won't be interested in it, that'd be great. I give mine oyster shell free choice out of a rabbit feeder. Quite tidy and no waste. You can see that here as well as...
  12. terryg

    How much food?

    How much pelleted food they eat depends very much on what else they have access to. If they're free ranging they'll get about half their intake from what they find. But, it's good to offer free choice pellets during the day and make sure that they have a full crop going to roost at night. It...
  13. terryg

    Pullet has Ceased Laying for Two Weeks

    There are many, many things that could be happening. Does she free range? She might be hiding the eggs. Has she gone broody? Is there a new stress? Some hens stop laying if a predator is lurking. Or eating the eggs? As long as she looks fine I wouldn't worry, but, I too would want to know where...
  14. terryg

    how oftenly do i need to worm my hens

    I've had chickens for almost 20 years in a backyard setup. I've never had to worm. Every few years I have the vet run a fecal on the hens and it shows that I've never had a problem. I've also done necropsies on hens and have never seen signs of internal parasites. I prefer not to use chemicals...
  15. terryg

    water poop, barely eating or drinking

    Hi - I'm the HenCam person :) If you think she's gotten into something toxic, then dose with epsom salts (1 teaspoon epsom salts to 1 ounce water) and also give her an epsom salt bath. It's a detoxifier. I have info here: http://hencam.com/henblog/2011/02/the-epsom-salt-cure/
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