Thanks so much. It's only 8 hens. I can't find good information on how long molt takes, but they've been down between 0-3 eggs/day for easily 6 weeks. Possibly longer.
That being said, I DID notice a few days ago that there were so many feathers in their run that I truly thought a predator...
Yeah, I didn't have a clear picture of this in my mind when we started. But my girls are 2-1/2yo and clearly done with laying as of about 2 months ago.
I think in my head, we'd just keep them until they died (how long is that? I thought 10 years!). But now we have to relocate from NJ to...
Okay... no ceacal poop visible today... all the normal type. And... ONE EGG. This is the first in a week.
Not sure what to make of it, but am going to probiotic up (yogurt style) and cider vinegar them down. And I'll let them have some of our carrots since I know they're good.
I guess we'll...
If the birds aren't used to foraging, whatever they have eaten would have an effect on their droppings. Also anytime you feed the birds something different, it can effect the color and consistancy of their droppings. Our flock is doing Blue Colored Poo these days because of blueberries...
Have you seen the "poo chart?" It might be helpful for you to sort out what is normal and what is not in what you are seeing:
Poo appears ceacal from the chart (nothing in the abnormal shots). Possible that it's only every 8-10 droppings but have never seen this before now.
Do you have them...
1) What type of bird , age and weight.
8 hens--all 2y2m old, 3 Black Australorps, 2 Buff Orps, 1 BR and 2 RIRs... no clue on weight
2) What is the behavior, exactly.
They all seem to be acting fine, but have stopped laying after one of them laid a "jelly" egg (literally--like a leather pouch...
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HOLY MOLY... they'll make ya crazy--right??? I had all kinds of delusions of having done something wrong and causing some kind of parasite infestation or something... remembering posts about calcium deficiency and thinking it had something to do with being on their sides.
Thanks!
I'm panicking.
I have 8 hens. I usually let them out to free range late in the day. Today has been one of the cooler days of the week (mid 80s) and their coop (and attached run) are in the shade.
So I let them out and first, one laid down, laid on her side and lifted a wing. About a minute...
Okay, so the crunchiness I felt in the vent wasn't an egg because Sunday she finally pooped and when I felt it through my gloves, it is EXACTLY what I felt... weird... crunchy. The poop was VERY dry and in a perfect ball, but otherwise didn't look strange. Which, I thought, was strange.
She...
I don't have a vet nearby that deals with chickens much less one open on a Sunday.
Buffy got her head caught in the nest box Friday so I thought that was her problem, but she's still not standing up--just crouching and not really eating or drinking. I separated her yesterday and she hasn't...
One of my Buff Orps got her head caught between the back wall of the nest boxes (three in a row) and one of the dividers. It's THIN plywood. Like bendable thin, but they're screwed together... With her feathers working against her, she couldn't back her head out. She was in there for several...
WHEW!!! Yeah--thankfully this is a lesson I'm learning in winter, too.
So if they float, I chuck 'em... right? I think that's the deal. THANK YOU! Wait... what if one end kinda tips up to the top of the water, but it doesn't actually float? Am I making too much of this?
I'm sure I didn't...
Is there a way to "test" whether or not these eggs would be any good? The hens only started laying in late November. I don't THINK they STARTED laying where I found these eggs and there's easily 12 of them.
I only have hens, no roos--so it's not like they're fertilized and might have chicks...
We have a Henspa coop and the feeder holds 50lbs. of food at a time. It's a tall, rectangular feeder with an opening at the bottom and the bottom of the feeder extends out to create a little tray for them to eat from.
With the mash feed, we had this buildup that made "bridges" and they were...
It's our first year as chicken owners, so realize that I'm learning some nasty lessons.
Lesson 1: even though they're in the coop over winter and I can't see them too much, I need to INSPECT my ladies regularly. The "passed reproductive tract" thread made that clear to me.
So I inspect my...