Despite having a medical degree, all these barring genetics are so confusing to me! It wasn't an intentional cross, but the cream leg bars go broody every summer and are lovely mothers, so we usually let them hatch out one brood each year (they share the incubation and the raising between the...
Thanks. We will look at separating this and the male so that the laying siblings (the hatch-mate araucanas and the black one, as well as some younger buff orps who they share a coop with are all laying) can continue on the layers pellets. I usually start mixing and switching over to layers when...
I hear what you're saying, thank you. Weird though that this is the only bird that hasn't developed as much (if indeed a male). The others have reached full size (compared to older birds in our main flock - these guys are separate) and beginning to grow/lay. Just this one seems ambiguous. So...
They get organic layers pellets and mixed corn (started on chick crumbs then growers pellets until around 18 weeks)
. There is another (pullet) sibling who is a touch bigger and plain black, and two lavender Araucanas hatched at the same time who are clearly female. Usually they get a lot of...
I'm flummoxed! These two birds are siblings - cross between cream legbar mother and bantam Pekin father. I have always understood that offspring of barred hens are always male if barred. These are both barred but at 8m old one is so clearly a cockerel - bright red and well developed comb and...
I'm flummoxed! These two birds are siblings - cross between cream legbar mother and bantam Pekin father. I have always understood that offspring of barred hens are always male if barred. These are both barred but at 8m old one is so clearly a cockerel - bright red and well developed comb and...
Oh that's interesting to know, thanks! I guess I got hopeful when I saw the comb and wattles much paler and less developed, but maybe he's just a slow developer!
This is a cream legbar X pekin cross. There are three chicks with very similar colouring and I initially thought all three were boys, but one chick is smaller and the comb and wattles are less developed and more a pearly pink than bright red so I wondered if it might be a girl after all (the...
Update - HE LIVES! I tried aspirating and got some air out but it just kept collecting there again. He was so sickly and I really thought he would die. I gave him some metronidazole as I had seen it recommended in another forum, cayenne in his water, and kept him separated for a few days from...
Update - the neck swelling is going down slowly. I aspirated a little but it kept coming back. He is soooo much better and back to his usual strutting self, thank goodness! Thanks for the advice xx
It feels like surgical emphysema... I tried applying some pressure to see if it was somehow linked to another air sac but it seems a fairly constant volume. Maybe I'll give aspiration a go, thank you. It's just weird. I can't see any obvious injury but I suppose I wouldn't necessarily.
My 4 month old turkey poult Jon Snow has suddenly developed a swollen neck and is very lethargic. He has been fine until now. What might be the problem and is there anything I can do to help him? The neck swelling feels like air.
My turkey poult Jon Snow who's around 4 months old has suddenly become very listless today and I've noticed his neck is very swollen with air. What could be causing this? I want to do everything I can to help.
I have six copper black Marans chicks who are now around 9-10 weeks. There are no obvious gender signs that I've observed yet (my Seramas of the same age are very definitely either male or not-male!). Have I really got all pullets? Is this breed known to declare itself late?! I am glad if I have...
One of my 2 week old chicks somehow got itself caught up in the mama hens feathers under her (she's a Buff so very fluffy), I only realised when I went down to do their corn so it could've been stuck for ages today. There were two feathers tightly around the top of the baby's wing. I managed to...