2018 Newbie Chat!

[CannedMonster]

The chicks we hatched will be 6 weeks tomorrow.
Heres’s pig (below) View attachment 1570046
Lazarus (below)View attachment 1570038
& Little Blue (below) name to be determined on gender. View attachment 1570040

 

[CannedMonster]

OMG guys Silkie just died!!!

I was in our side yard and all the birds were foraging in our backyard and I heard him squawk loudly and saw him frantically flapping his wings.
But he didn’t run. He couldn’t seem to get up.
I ran over and so did Angus.
All the other birds were disturbed by what was happening with Silkie but they weren’t running from anything.
There were no predators or anything.
No other birds were next to him.
By the time I got over to him (mere seconds!) he had passed.
He even had a bit of food in his mouth.

DH and I believe he had a heart attack.
I can’t believe it... He was only 8.5 months old.

RIP dear Silkie. You were loved!!
You had a great life even if it was short.
I’ll miss your beautiful crows!!!!

 

[Anna Ranieri]

Just when I thought things have finally calmed down, my chicken Pedro and one of my female ducks has taken a liking to eating Roo's feathers. To begin with they only ate her feathers which fell out naturally but now she's not losing many Pedro has taken to picking - this has been happening for the last 4 or 5 days - when Pedro manages to get a feather, the duck chases Pedro trying to get the feather from her but so far hasn't managed to as Pedro is way too fast and eats it before anyone can take it off her, now the duck tries at Roo too but Roo is too fast for her plus I'm there with my stick so she hasn't been (and won't be) successful. Trouble is Pedro isn't picking a patch, or in any particular area, its a case of Pedro sneaking up on Roo and if she manages to get at her, she takes one or two feathers eats them then leaves Roo alone, so I can't put anti picking solution on without completely covering Roo from head to toe . I tried upping their protein and gave Pedro a dose of Nutri-Drench which did the trick for one day but I knocked over the bottle of Nutri-Drench some days ago so only had enough left for less than one dose and not enough for both birds, I have some on order but it won't get here until the 10th Nov (We don't have it in the UK so I have to buy it and pay for it to be shipped over from the US) As of today I have put a 100% ban on all treats and will only allow them to have their feed only b'cos Pedro, Aurora and one of my drakes keep gorging on the treats and ignoring their proper feed and I believe this to be the problem and they are lacking in nutrients and an expert has told me chick feathers are 100% protein and considered a delicacy, they also told me that because these three gorge on the treats, and Pedro is refusing her feed, it interferes with their nutritional balance and they are trying to make it up by eating the feathers - our situation is such that I can't give treats separately, so although the others eat well and balance what they eat themselves, they will have to go without their treats too. If this fails then I will have to bring the three of them in so they won't have access to anything other than their feed and keep them separated from the others and without access to outside until their nutrition balance is corrected, I know when they finally get put back with the others, they will go back lower in the pecking order than they are so isolating them will be a last resort. Trouble is Pedro is such a fussy eater, she's none too happy that I changed their feed recently but it is the feed she needs to be on for her age, she wants to stay on chick crumb but she is 25wks now and breeders have told me if I don't get her on growers feed it will stunt her growth beyond repair and is probably the reason she isn't laying yet. She is old enough for layer feed but I have been advised to have her on growers until her nutritional balance is corrected. It is totally my own fault for allowing her to get away with eating chick feed for so long and for not monitoring how many of the treats she was eating out of what I was giving the two flocks and I have let them down badly. Thankfully no blood has been drawn and there are no bald patches on Roo and it is getting harder for them to bully her because she is almost the same size as them now and in a few weeks and months will be bigger - plus Lilah still protects her to an extent, she lets the others get away with a little but if they try to get too rough with Roo, Lilah gives them what for. I often intervene but only if its getting out of hand which is rare thankfully. Would be grateful for any advice on the best and quickest way to get them detoxed and nutritionally balanced asap.

 

[llombardo]

OMG guys Silkie just died!!!

I was in our side yard and all the birds were foraging in our backyard and I heard him squawk loudly and saw him frantically flapping his wings.
But he didn’t run. He couldn’t seem to get up.
I ran over and so did Angus.
All the other birds were disturbed by what was happening with Silkie but they weren’t running from anything.
There were no predators or anything.
No other birds were next to him.
By the time I got over to him (mere seconds!) he had passed.
He even had a bit of food in his mouth.

DH and I believe he had a heart attack.
I can’t believe it... He was only 8.5 months old.

RIP dear Silkie. You were loved!!
You had a great life even if it was short.
I’ll miss your beautiful crows!!!!

View attachment 1570788
View attachment 1570789
View attachment 1570790

I had a siniliar experience with Prince. Luckily i was there and he went in front of me and collapsed.

I truly believe he choked on something. Once I put my finger down his throat to clear the air way and rubbed his neck, his comb started turning red again.

I'm very sorry about Silkie.

 

[Anna Ranieri]

OMG guys Silkie just died!!!

I was in our side yard and all the birds were foraging in our backyard and I heard him squawk loudly and saw him frantically flapping his wings.
But he didn’t run. He couldn’t seem to get up.
I ran over and so did Angus.
All the other birds were disturbed by what was happening with Silkie but they weren’t running from anything.
There were no predators or anything.
No other birds were next to him.
By the time I got over to him (mere seconds!) he had passed.
He even had a bit of food in his mouth.

DH and I believe he had a heart attack.
I can’t believe it... He was only 8.5 months old.

RIP dear Silkie. You were loved!!
You had a great life even if it was short.
I’ll miss your beautiful crows!!!!

View attachment 1570788
View attachment 1570789
View attachment 1570790

Oh my gosh! I've just seen this, oh my gosh poor Silkie - poor you! I am so very very sorry for your loss

 

[llombardo]

Just when I thought things have finally calmed down, my chicken Pedro and one of my female ducks has taken a liking to eating Roo's feathers. To begin with they only ate her feathers which fell out naturally but now she's not losing many Pedro has taken to picking - this has been happening for the last 4 or 5 days - when Pedro manages to get a feather, the duck chases Pedro trying to get the feather from her but so far hasn't managed to as Pedro is way too fast and eats it before anyone can take it off her, now the duck tries at Roo too but Roo is too fast for her plus I'm there with my stick so she hasn't been (and won't be) successful. Trouble is Pedro isn't picking a patch, or in any particular area, its a case of Pedro sneaking up on Roo and if she manages to get at her, she takes one or two feathers eats them then leaves Roo alone, so I can't put anti picking solution on without completely covering Roo from head to toe . I tried upping their protein and gave Pedro a dose of Nutri-Drench which did the trick for one day but I knocked over the bottle of Nutri-Drench some days ago so only had enough left for less than one dose and not enough for both birds, I have some on order but it won't get here until the 10th Nov (We don't have it in the UK so I have to buy it and pay for it to be shipped over from the US) As of today I have put a 100% ban on all treats and will only allow them to have their feed only b'cos Pedro, Aurora and one of my drakes keep gorging on the treats and ignoring their proper feed and I believe this to be the problem and they are lacking in nutrients and an expert has told me chick feathers are 100% protein and considered a delicacy, they also told me that because these three gorge on the treats, and Pedro is refusing her feed, it interferes with their nutritional balance and they are trying to make it up by eating the feathers - our situation is such that I can't give treats separately, so although the others eat well and balance what they eat themselves, they will have to go without their treats too. If this fails then I will have to bring the three of them in so they won't have access to anything other than their feed and keep them separated from the others and without access to outside until their nutrition balance is corrected, I know when they finally get put back with the others, they will go back lower in the pecking order than they are so isolating them will be a last resort. Trouble is Pedro is such a fussy eater, she's none too happy that I changed their feed recently but it is the feed she needs to be on for her age, she wants to stay on chick crumb but she is 25wks now and breeders have told me if I don't get her on growers feed it will stunt her growth beyond repair and is probably the reason she isn't laying yet. She is old enough for layer feed but I have been advised to have her on growers until her nutritional balance is corrected. It is totally my own fault for allowing her to get away with eating chick feed for so long and for not monitoring how many of the treats she was eating out of what I was giving the two flocks and I have let them down badly. Thankfully no blood has been drawn and there are no bald patches on Roo and it is getting harder for them to bully her because she is almost the same size as them now and in a few weeks and months will be bigger - plus Lilah still protects her to an extent, she lets the others get away with a little but if they try to get too rough with Roo, Lilah gives them what for. I often intervene but only if its getting out of hand which is rare thankfully. Would be grateful for any advice on the best and quickest way to get them detoxed and nutritionally balanced asap.

I believe and I may be wrong, this is a protein issue. Do you give them sny mealworms or anything like that as a treat?

 

[Anna Ranieri]

I believe and I may be wrong, this is a protein issue. Do you give them sny mealworms or anything like that as a treat?

You are not wrong, I have been told it's a protein issue but its b'cos they are eating too many treats and not enough feed it causes the deficiency. I do give them mealworms usually everyday and I have upped their protein intake but hasn't worked and I have been advised to stop giving them treats for a while (including mealworms) in order to give their bodies a chance to rebalance by using only grower feed. Do you think I should continue giving the mealworms?

 

[CannedMonster]

My birds eat 20% protein Flock Raiser/All Flock feed.
I don’t give them layer feed.
They get oyster shell for extra calcium.
No feather eating problems.
Too much treats can cause nutritional problems for sure.
Be strong and determined and stick to your guns about it and things could turn around shortly.
Sometimes it’s not a nutritional issue anymore but becomes a bad habit.
High protein treats could be helpful but only about 1/2 a tablespoon per bird per day.

 

[Anna Ranieri]

My birds eat 20% protein Flock Raiser/All Flock feed.
I don’t give them layer feed.
They get oyster shell for extra calcium.
No feather eating problems.
Too much treats can cause nutritional problems for sure.
Be strong and determined and stick to your guns about it and things could turn around shortly.
Sometimes it’s not a nutritional issue anymore but becomes a bad habit.
High protein treats could be helpful but only about 1/2 a tablespoon per bird per day.

Awwww hi hun, I am so sorry for your loss, I'd just been reading about sudden chicken death syndrome and how it is common and unexplainable - can imagine how hard it is for you, you have my deepest sympathy.
Thank you for replying to my post, I have them on British grower feed which I think might be the equivalent to your flock raiser feed. There is oyster shell available but she doesn't eat it but this might be because she isn't laying yet, or just that she's so fussy. I've often read that chickens eat just about anything but this isn't the case with her. Do you recommend any particular high protein supplement - just for the record though she won't eat cat food, tuna, eggs, or peas but will eat mealworms.
I put out wheat for the ducks for a supplement they need and also some corn scratch mix for the chickens as a treat and enjoyment, I hadn't realised she and my duck had been eating the whole lot! They should only have about a couple or so tablespoons a week each, but no one else was getting a look in because they had been gorging themselves on it and I missed it. It has taken less than two weeks for them to get in this condition. I don't know how long Pedro has been eating the moult feathers but I noticed them disappearing from their cage about just over a week ago and she has been pulling them from Roo for about 3 days now. I could use a repellent but I'd have to cover Roo from head to toe because shes not picking from one spot, she just sneaks up on Roo and grabs whatever she can. She tried nibbling the tip of one of Jellybean's tail feathers but Jellybean didn't let her, and she wouldn't dare try at Lilah (although my duck hen does and has managed to get the odd feather) so I'm guessing Roo is the easy option. My drake will take a run at Roo but she's way too fast for him, he also tried to nibble one of Jellybean's feathers but she doesn't let him, his deficiency shows more in his tripping over a lot and being extra clumsy - I have some special duck food on order but have to wait for it to come. I am totally to blame, I took my eye off the ball and I feel so bad for them. The others are good eaters and will fill up on good stuff and only nibble at the treats - I'm so worried I won't be able to get them back to good health.

 

[Anna Ranieri]

Awwww hi hun, I am so sorry for your loss, I'd just been reading about sudden chicken death syndrome and how it is common and unexplainable - can imagine how hard it is for you, you have my deepest sympathy.
Thank you for replying to my post, I have them on British grower feed which I think might be the equivalent to your flock raiser feed. There is oyster shell available but she doesn't eat it but this might be because she isn't laying yet, or just that she's so fussy. I've often read that chickens eat just about anything but this isn't the case with her. Do you recommend any particular high protein supplement - just for the record though she won't eat cat food, tuna, eggs, or peas but will eat mealworms.
I put out wheat for the ducks for a supplement they need and also some corn scratch mix for the chickens as a treat and enjoyment, I hadn't realised she and my duck had been eating the whole lot! They should only have about a couple or so tablespoons a week each, but no one else was getting a look in because they had been gorging themselves on it and I missed it. It has taken less than two weeks for them to get in this condition. I don't know how long Pedro has been eating the moult feathers but I noticed them disappearing from their cage about just over a week ago and she has been pulling them from Roo for about 3 days now. I could use a repellent but I'd have to cover Roo from head to toe because shes not picking from one spot, she just sneaks up on Roo and grabs whatever she can. She tried nibbling the tip of one of Jellybean's tail feathers but Jellybean didn't let her, and she wouldn't dare try at Lilah (although my duck hen does and has managed to get the odd feather) so I'm guessing Roo is the easy option. My drake will take a run at Roo but she's way too fast for him, he also tried to nibble one of Jellybean's feathers but she doesn't let him, his deficiency shows more in his tripping over a lot and being extra clumsy - I have some special duck food on order but have to wait for it to come. I am totally to blame, I took my eye off the ball and I feel so bad for them. The others are good eaters and will fill up on good stuff and only nibble at the treats - I'm so worried I won't be able to get them back to good health.

P.S. I've read that it takes a lot of protein during a moult. Our local pet shop sells a mixture which helps during moult, Pedro's moulting has slowed down somewhat but isn't finished yet, do you think I should get some for Pedro?