Poor bird. Poor YOU!!!! I'm lucky in that I have a really experienced avian vet in my area. I'm wondering if the lower mandible could be brought into alignment over time by rubber banding it to the upper beak. Could be worth a try. I think they wear the rubber band 6 hours at a time or so...
That almost looks unfixable. Has it always been this way? I'm noticing the bird looks feathered out. Did it break it's mandible somehow? I had a young Nankin chick with a crossed beak, it never stopped cheeping. I finally, duh!, figured out it was starving to death. Brought it in the...
I have some chicken trachea from processing some birds. I'm thinking to dehydrate, not sure if I want to use my raw food dehydrated, or bake at 200 in the oven. Suggestions?
There are vendors selling this stuff at the dog shows. The chicken trachea are exactly the right size for my toy dogs.
He got a bit of a frozen spot from being on the ice. These boys ranged the backyard and had the run of my 700 sq/ft pen. The last couple of days they spent in a 10x15' pen.
Turk, I wish you were nearby! My goal is to learn to caponize next year. How old are your boys when you do that procedure? Could you wear a GoPro and video it?
I think I'll be hoping for more roosters next season. These are Black Javas, hatched 4/19/2016.
Yesterday I processed my 4 culls. They weighed at 5#10oz, 5#, 4#11oz, and 4#3oz. Not bad for a slow growing breed without extra attention to fattening them up.
Thanks. I've narrowed my 6 boys down to 2 keepers. One will go live a ways away and one is a backup boy. Nice pullets are next on the list for next spring.
Thank you! I picked the nicest cockerel last year and many of his babies had bright yellow feet. I'll look at his daughters tonight and band the ones with good yellow feet. I'm keeping a son who has nice feet, good comb and medium dark eyes along with a nice broad back.
So order of...
I have just started a flock of black Javas. They are lovely, large birds, very slow growers. I'm wondering if growth rate for the table could be improved by adding a dark Cornish to the bloodline.
Is it considered more difficult to breed towards a correct comb or a dark eye? My cockerels seem to have one or the other. The combs have a little ruffle on the very rear, and the eyes are medium brown.
THANK YOU! Despite the age of this thread, I must say I think it's helped my Nankin, Fred. I came home from a week away on Friday. Fred was laryngitic and gurgly. Too late for the avian vet, and searches said maybe bacterial, maybe fungal. I had already tried a few cc's of tylan 50 orally...
I am, but I need to develop the lines. Next year I'll breed best daughters to my Bart, and best cockerel to my yearling hens. Bart and the 2 ladies will be 2 next March. The current crop will be yearlings. I have at least 4 lovely cockerels, and 7 pullets. Probably 6 pullets that I can use...
Hi. I got them from Hathor up in the Asheville area. She hasn't updated her blog in a year, so I have no clue what's going on. They are lovely, sturdy, very gentle birds. Very healthy, also.
Hi All! Little bit cooler up here in Wake Forest this week! I have a true Ameraucana rooster that I'd be willing to gift to someone wanting to start a colored egg project. He's about ready for some ladies....
I'm also looking to place a breeding pair of Black Javas with someone in the...
Hi all. I got test hatching eggs from Hathor March 2015. This is the cockerel I chose to keep. I call him Bart and he's shown here with one of my Dorking hens. Anyhow, I kept 3 Java hens from the hatch, placed a couple of the others that I'd hatched out. One Java has disappeared, one is...
This breed is listed as threatened on the livestock conservancy website. What I love about these birds is that they are hardy and active. The rooster is very calm and non-aggressive, while remaining watchful over his flock. As hatchlings, I found d the chicks to be very active and social...
I have 2 week old red Dorkings. Can't keep them all. They are part of a breeding project. Some flaws, but that's the way it is with this breed right now. I think I have 6 or 7.