I never got an answer from aart, but I'm happy to report that Stewart the Welsummer cockerel is back to his normal self. I have no idea what his problem was and how he recovered, but it's a pleasure to hear him crow the sun up every day now.
His comb is still orange, but he is very active and...
Here are the answers I can provide, aart.
1. Welsummer rooster, 6 months old, I have no idea about his weight. He looks about the same size as the hens who were in his age group except he's taller.
2. He seems lethargic. Normally he would be very active and run to me when I come out of the...
My beautiful 6-month old Welsummer rooster had a dark red comb up until about two weeks ago. Now it is still standing beautifully but it is turning an orangish color.
Does anyone know what might be causing this? Is it a problem?
Thanks for your help. I'd hate to lose this bird.
I'm anxious to hear what is recommended. I have a three week old chick that appears to have a broken leg. It is not showing signs of stress but it does sleep a lot between eating and drinking and it has a hard time getting around. Some of the roosters in the batch of six do occasionally pick on...
Thanks for the answers. She is the only one who has not yet squatted. She's also the biggest of the EE's.
It's not that her butt is wider, it's just that the hump of feathers at the base of her tail is much bigger and rounder than I've ever seen it.
One of our Ameraucanas has developed a very large 'sweep' (I think that's what it's called--that spot on her back just in front of her tail) in the last two days. It is twice as big as it was a day or so ago--big and standing up high. Some of the other girls have the same prominent feature but...
I was buying pea greens from a local organic farmer so I could give them to my pullets as a treat. He informed me that pea greens will grow in the winter and are easy to grow. Clay Mudd says the birds will not destroy the plant. I'm not a farmer so I don't know.
I had not thought about pecking but that could be the case, I suppose.
Why would they peck only around her vent? That seems pretty strange to me.
Thanks, RhodeIslandRedFan, for the pictures and chart. Luckily it doesn't look like any of the mite or lice infestations that are shown.
Maybe I...
I have searched the site for info on this but to no avail.
Our seven month old NH Red pullet has a bit of a scabby-looking vent. Not all crusted up and gross like some of the pictures I've seen of gleet, but just a little bit scabby- or crusty-looking. When I say scabby, these are very small...
We have a pullet who has laid for twelve straight days since she laid her first egg.
She seems healthy and happy as can be. Is there a record for straight egg-laying days?
Sounds like you have a good 'mutt', swampcat.
Now I can hardly find a broiler/fryer that is less than four pounds. Back in the good ole days when I worked in my dad's butcher shop, the three-pounders and up were known as 'baking hens'.
I prefer a smaller bird for broiling, but the only ones I can find are Cornishes and they cost an arm and...
Good point, centrarchid.
The run is a 12' by 8' trapezoidal run with the coop in the center. The whole run is covered top, sides, aprons by hardware cloth. The run is in a wooded are with mature white oaks, maples, and poplars so when the trees are leafed out, as they are now, there is not much...
Thanks for the info, centrarchid.
I was in the house and did not have my hearing aids in, so I could not have heard the predator alert call. All I saw was the girls all freezing instantaneously and in unison.
This is the first time I have ever seen them do this and they were in their...
No, I'm not referring to processed broilers.
This morning while I was watching our girls in their run they all went absolutely stock still--frozen--for over a minute. Not a twitching muscle on a single bird.
I'm not exaggerating about the length of time either. I called my wife after about...
The ten I saw are all really good, but I agree with Coopa Cabana that it would be best if we could see all 45 then we would have a better idea of what the best of the best are.
Great idea. And beautiful birds.
Thanks for the info about the squatting.
Today was day seven and we had another egg in the box.
I'm going to build another nest box and put it in the coop--just in case. The one I have is a sheetrock bucket with straw in it. Due to the rounded sides there is not really enough room for two...
And that's from the youngest of our six pullets, Goldie the Golden Sex Link.
Is this normal or did we just get lucky? Is it possible that another of the girls is laying but not squatting?
The other pullets are a week older than her at 24 weeks, but Goldie started squatting on Labor Day. She...