A Bielefelder Thread !

[DesertChic]

Wow! I guess you must collect your eggs quickly & never leave them outside or they'll incubate on their own!

I'm lucky enough to be at home more often than not, and yeah...I collect eggs multiple times per day at this time of year.

When I allowed that persistent broody, Lily, to hatch into early summer last year, she finally got to the point of leaving the eggs for over 15 minutes once the ambient temperature got so high that it reached "incubation level". When she returned to the nest she sort of hovered above the eggs, standing so her body was about 2 inches above them, with her wings held out and while she panted heavily. It was tragic to observe. Luckily by that time she was very close to the end of the hatch and her nesting box was large enough for me to keep fresh water right next to her to keep her from dehydrating.

 

[DesertChic]

I guess we don't deal with that kind of heat here, good luck.

Thanks! I can use all the luck I can get.

The heat out here really is a game changer. I was recently conversing with a woman who moved here from the state of WA. She was positively frantic over how hard it is to keep chickens in this harsh climate and had already lost half of the flock she'd brought with her. Even one of the seasoned breeders I know in the area lost nearly a dozen birds so far this summer. Most of the year it's a piece of cake, but for three months it's a real battle to keep the birds alive and healthy.

 

[Coop de Grass]

Quote:
My brother is in Midlothian, so I know you get some pretty good heat! Just not quite like AZ!

 

[Coop de Grass]

Thanks! I can use all the luck I can get.

The heat out here really is a game changer. I was recently conversing with a woman who moved here from the state of WA. She was positively frantic over how hard it is to keep chickens in this harsh climate and had already lost half of the flock she'd brought with her. Even one of the seasoned breeders I know in the area lost nearly a dozen birds so far this summer. Most of the year it's a piece of cake, but for three months it's a real battle to keep the birds alive and healthy.

Sounds like you need an RV with an airconditioned trailer for the chooks! Then you could all take a 3 month vacation to the mountains every year.

Schnitzel update: prolapse again, but I cleaned her up, trimmed some more feathers (nothing like a bikini trim on a hen!) applied Bag Balm and Prep H and put it back.

This time I felt an egg, so I am about to begin the egg bound hen routine.

 

[Faraday40]

Please keep us updated on Schnitzel. I'm really cheering for her to come through it all and grow into a healthy hen. Prolapse is one of my big fears, so I'd like to learn all the possible treatments.

 

[DesertChic]

Please keep us updated on Schnitzel. I'm really cheering for her to come through it all and grow into a healthy hen. Prolapse is one of my big fears, so I'd like to learn all the possible treatments.

Me too! To date the only treatment I've heard of being completely successful is surgery...basically neutering, and I don't know of too many people willing to incur that expense.

 

[Red Banks]

Quote: That is why I have decided to phase out the Bielefelders. They are struggling with the heat. We have been in the high 90s with 100% humidity. Not that all my birds are panting..... just that they seem to mind it more. In the meantime I have 12 young hens so I will have Biels for a long time I hope.

When I first moved to AZ I felt like a pioneer. I realized what those people must have endured because even with all the modern conveniences it is a wild environment - where a Sunday drive can be your last. Dust storms, Valley Fever, 120 degrees, no cell phone coverage and miles and miles of nothing are just some of it. Not like the populated east. I fell in love with the desert, it was one of the greatest places I have ever lived. Amazing, beautiful. Windy and Wierd.

 

[DesertChic]

That is why I have decided to phase out the Bielefelders. They are struggling with the heat. We have been in the high 90s with 100% humidity. Not that all my birds are panting..... just that they seem to mind it more. In the meantime I have 12 young hens so I will have Biels for a long time I hope.

When I first moved to AZ I felt like a pioneer. I realized what those people must have endured because even with all the modern conveniences it is a wild environment - where a Sunday drive can be your last. Dust storms, Valley Fever, 120 degrees, no cell phone coverage and miles and miles of nothing are just some of it. Not like the populated east. I fell in love with the desert, it was one of the greatest places I have ever lived. Amazing, beautiful. Windy and Wierd.

You and I have a lot in common.

 

[Red Banks]

Quote:
I don't know if you have horses but that is an ultimate experience in AZ. Go riding with a group and have one horse back into a jumping Cholla. It is a Remington painting wreck in real life. One horse bucking and running off and then they all start. Then you have to remove all the cactus balls stuck to the horse, even in delicate noses. Terrible. Go under a dry creek bridge and just listen to what seems like hundreds of rattlesnakes, the horses just back right out on their own and you let them. I could go on and on and I would if you let me. I loved it and all its peril.

 

[Coop de Grass]

Please keep us updated on Schnitzel. I'm really cheering for her to come through it all and grow into a healthy hen. Prolapse is one of my big fears, so I'd like to learn all the possible treatments.

Me too! To date the only treatment I've heard of being completely successful is surgery...basically neutering, and I don't know of too many people willing to incur that expense.

Can you guess??? I gave Schnitzie a sitz bath in a brand new dishpan - never owned one before! This time I did it right covering the coffee table with a vinyl outdoor tablecloth and putting the dishpan on that. Much easier on the back and arms than sitting on the floor reaching into a 24" deep rubbermaid tub with 5 " of warm water and an unhappy hen!


I kept her in the warm water until it was almost cool, and I massaged her abdomen - she did not like it - but I did it anyway. When I took her out, I had two towels, one around her dripping body, and one around her head which kept her really calm. I laid her down on the water absorbent mat by the front door, kept the towel over her head,and and used olive oil to push the prolapse in and spent about 5 minutes rubbing the oil around and massaging the egg. It has already moved closer to the cloaca which was a great sign. then I got out the blow dryer. With the towel over her head it was much easier to make her nice and fluffy, and at the very end, she was standing up while I gave her the final touches.

Then I put her back in the crate with a handful of weeds and covered the crate completely. I checked her at 7:30 and while I was trying to coax her out to check her, I saw the egg!!! It looks completely normal.

Best news of all, the prolapse has withdrawn itself! I gave her a handful of chick kibble and the Nutridrench that I ordered from Amazon this morning and covered the crate again. I am hoping that the whole thing was successful! If I have to treat another hen, I won't be in quite such a panic next time.

Never thought that I'd have to midwife a hen!

I will keep an eye on her for the next couple of days to be sure that she is ok. I suspect that I should keep her away from the roo!

Thanks guys, for all your support! I couldn't have done it without you!

Almost forgot! I got 1/2 of a Tums Smoothie into her by breaking it up and basically putting it in her throat. The calcium helps with contractions.