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  1. NewFlockOnTheBlock

    keeping chicken hydrated

    I have an older, sick girl, named ChronoHen, who I know is declining... I've posted about her in another thread. Our vet did an exam and an x-ray on her at the beginning of this week and said she had pneumonia, an egg (likely without shell) that she can't pass, and digestive issues including...
  2. NewFlockOnTheBlock

    starter vs. grower - for older hens

    We have a mixed flock with some laying hens, some older, non-laying hens, and a rooster. We also have one hen who has recently started having digestive issues and is no longer able to digest whole grains. We have been feeding Scratch & Peck Grower, which is a whole grain feed with supplements...
  3. NewFlockOnTheBlock

    chicken's crop not working

    I have an older hen, named ChronoHen (weird name, long story, no, not related to the coronavirus) whose crop seems to have essentially stopped working. At the end of March I noticed that she had slowed down and was spending a lot of time just standing with her eyes closed. I picked her up and...
  4. NewFlockOnTheBlock

    skin sore on chicken's belly - what is it and how to treat?

    I discovered a sore on Prefix's belly when I brought her inside to clean up a poopy butt last night. She doesn't appear to be in any discomfort and is her usual loud, bossy, curious self. However, it looks scary and I'm not sure what it could be and how to treat it. It doesn't feel like there...
  5. NewFlockOnTheBlock

    need help with crop & digestive issues

    I've posted about our sick girl before, and subsequently posted an update, but it appears that starting a new thread is a more effective way to get help than reviving an old thread, so here goes: Our RIR girl Nutmeg, about 4 years old, is having crop/digestive issues and won't eat. It all...
  6. NewFlockOnTheBlock

    is my chicken sick or just bullied?

    We have a sweet, 3-4 year old hen named Spice Cake who is having some symptoms and we need some help figuring out what's wrong with her. Here's what we're seeing: She started laying again in January, then stopped after a few weeks. The eggs were completely normal while she was laying. Very...
  7. NewFlockOnTheBlock

    rooster on antibiotics = egg withdrawal period?

    I'm thinking about treating our rooster with oxytetracycline for what appears to be a chronic mycoplasma infection that he picked up last winter. Do antibiotics pass into semen/sperm? If so, an egg withdrawal period may be necessary. Personally, as oxytetracycline is approved for use in laying...
  8. NewFlockOnTheBlock

    oocysts per gram count

    I had our state vet lab do a fecal float last December when we suspected that our flock had coccidiosis, and the results came back as 2 oocysts per gram. Anyone know if that's considered a light load or a heavy load? The lab is looking at another sample for us as I type this; will be...
  9. NewFlockOnTheBlock

    oxytetracycline expiration date

    Asking "How long is a newly opened bottle of oxytetracycline good for" might sound like a silly question ("Look at the expiration date on the package, duh") but hear me out: it's more complicated than you might think. The package says the expiration date is November 17, 2020. However, it ALSO...
  10. NewFlockOnTheBlock

    how to dispose of used pine shavings?

    We use pine shavings as bedding in our coop and are not sure how to best dispose of used shavings. The first time we changed out the shavings, we spread the old, dirty shavings in a little-used area between the coop and the fence. The second time, we spread them on the garden bed as fertilizer...
  11. NewFlockOnTheBlock

    globular calcium deposits on eggshell

    Has anyone ever had a hen lay an egg like this one? This came from one of our Cuckoo Marans who is just finishing up her molt. In fact, this is the first egg she laid since she started molting and stopped laying a couple months ago. Hoping that her reproductive system will sort itself out before...
  12. NewFlockOnTheBlock

    are we dealing with mites?

    My husband noticed that our rooster's tail feathers are looking a bit off and suspects we are dealing with some sort of feather mites. I'm inclined to think that any ruffled-looking feathers are simply due to our guy being in the final stages of finishing up his molt. What do you all think?
  13. NewFlockOnTheBlock

    broken/missing feathers won't regrow

    This is Chanterelle, our friendliest Buff Orpington hen. She is missing feathers on her back and on the tops of her wings. The ones on the back are completely gone; on the top of her wings some are missing completely and others appear to be broken off and the shaft stumps have a sort of a jagged...
  14. NewFlockOnTheBlock

    vitamins and galvanized waterers

    Anyone know if it's safe to add a chicken-specific vitamin supplement to galvanized metal waterers? It seems to be reacting with the metal and causing a rust-like patina; I'm guessing this is due to the iron in the supplement.
  15. NewFlockOnTheBlock

    eggs but no egg song in the winter?

    My chickens are still laying despite the colder, darker days (well, some of them are, anyway) but they are no longer singing the egg song. Has anyone else experienced this? It used to be that either the hen that laid the egg, or another hen that was nearby, or both, would start out with the...
  16. NewFlockOnTheBlock

    bare back in winter

    We have a hen who is one of our rooster's favorites, and her back has gotten quite bald from all the mating over the summer. The weather is getting cold around here, below freezing every night now (23-27 in the forecast for the next few nights). Pretty soon daytime temps will be dropping below...
  17. NewFlockOnTheBlock

    change in rooster's behavior with hens

    Our rooster Peter has always been good with his ladies, sharing food and treats, calling them over when he finds a tasty morsel, etc. Lately, however, he has been doing the opposite, chasing the girls away (particularly those who are his least favorite) in order to stuff his face. What could...
  18. NewFlockOnTheBlock

    chronic respiratory infection - how to treat?

    Our rooster appears to have developed a chronic respiratory infection. He went through acute respiratory illness last winter, which started as coughing, sneezing, and wheezing, and progressed to the point that he became very weak, almost lethargic, and produced a barely audible rasp instead of a...
  19. NewFlockOnTheBlock

    optimal humidity inside chicken coop

    I keep hearing about the importance of keeping the coop dry inside, particularly for those of us living in cold winter climates. But, what is the optimal humidity? How humid is too humid? I put a hygrometer inside our chicken coop recently, close to where the chickens roost, and the readings...
  20. NewFlockOnTheBlock

    how often to change chickens' drinking water

    We have two double-wall vacuum-based metal waterers for our flock, sitting on top of milk crates in two different spots in the yard. (In the winter the waterers will move onto heated bases inside the coop as temps will be below freezing for several months.) How often should I change the water...
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