After a prolonged vacation, I returned yesterday to find my best show hen had gone broody. Rats.
Unfortunately, the upcoming show for which I was preparing her is in almost 2 weeks. Fortunately, she hasn't plucked her breast too much, and she's a cochin, show it's actually hard to see the...
I found some silk at a fabric store on clearance... and I had a 50% coupon, so I got 2/3 of a yard at a ridiculously cheap price; so I should be good to go for quite a while. :-)
Thanks for your help, everyone!
You can order them from Hake's Twin City Poultry Supply (online) for around a buck and half each. They have flat-rate shipping, and you can order them either singly or in a 12 pack. They come with both a spring and a vinyl strap to attach them to the cage. I use these for my show birds, and I...
This feeder works very well for young chicks. They have plenty of room to spread out and eat. They do tend to try and roost on top of it though, which could potentially lead to droppings in the food. Unless you can find some way to elevate it, they also tend to kick woodchips in it.
I tried using these waterers for my show chickens, and they just aren't worth the hassle. The chickens were constantly knocking them over and/or kicking woodchips and other junk inside the basin. Once they're knocked over, odds are they will leak all of their contents onto your pen or cage floor...
Thanks so much! I'll make sure I get my hands on something that will actually work before the show in July.
I guess now I have an excuse to go thrifting. If all else fails, I can steal some silk biking tights from someone I know
At my local county fair we have a very competitive poultry division-- there are a lot of great birds and great exhibitors there. One of the consistent winners at the fair recommended that I use a satin cloth to wipe down my chickens right before showing them, and was even kind enough to give me...
No, she's not. However, she's a 4-H show chicken and has a pen all to herself. There is a rooster in a separate pen from her who is in her general vicinity-- I'll be sure to keep tabs on him, too. I checked his pen and person last night, and didn't see any signs of mites.
Yes, I will be sure to be very thurough :-) I'm hoping to be able to keep her in the garage for a week. If I dust/spray her pen every day and there's nothing for them to eat, I'm hoping to have eliminated the problem. Only time will tell, I guess.
They only live to be a week old, right? If I...
Okay, so I went out to check on her late last night, and I noticed a huge amount of mites crawling all over the poor thing :-( That must be why her comb and wattles are so pale. I'm going to bathe her vigorously today and keep her in the garage while I clean and dust her cage. I'm pretty...
I also have a pullet with this problem. She's a black cochin bantam, about 6/ 7 mo. old. The area around her eyes are swollen (in a perfect circle). Her comb, waddles, and face are also really pale. Again, she's acting fine, eating and drinking water, etc. She's had this for a while and it...
Thanks for your help! I have made sure that she had plenty to eat and lots of warm water. I also turned on a heat lamp. She showed almost immediate improvement. Within 2 days she had stopped sneezing. However, her eye area is still pale a swollen (several weeks later), and the rest of her face...
I also have a pullet with this problem. She's a black cochin bantam, about 6/ 7 mo. old. The area around her eyes are swollen (in a perfect circle). Her comb, waddles, and face are also really pale. Again, she's acting fine, eating and drinking water, etc. She's had this for a while and it...