Any one want to join me in waiting for eggs, posting and comparing notes?

[Melabella]

Thank you guys, I so appreciate your cyber BYC hugs, it means an awful lot to me

Ok, going to show the two pictures of her prolapsed vent. I have read a lot about it, and it's causes and perhaps i could have tried to help her at onset with epsom soaks, and Preparation H, and carefully try to push it back in. 3 days ago, I had a shelless egg broken on the coop floor. Probably was hers, as I read it is much harder to pass shelless eggs than it is normal shelled egg. then I had the other egg that had yolk smeared all over it. I keep plenty of oyster shell and feed all the egg shells back to them. Then I remembered back a couple of weeks ago she looked a bit off under the bushes, resting while everyone was free ranging, with her feathers a bit fluffed up. Then by days end she was back with the flock, acting normal. Another sign perhaps was some blood smears on the big jumbo eggs on two seperate occasions. I just chalked it off to a bit of stress from laying those big eggs. Looking back, these were all signs something was off. I feel that I failed her, but she was acting totally normal yesterday, and last night when they all went into the coop at night. OK,, so onto the photos....I will put them a bit lower if someone wants to skip over to the next post...




















Closer up shot



Poor Matilda...

 

[Spikes Chooks]

So sorry for your loss, MB, that is so sad. As another poster said, it's comfort that she seems to have gone peacably and quickly. I shall certainly be keeping an eye out for a prolapsed vent. Amongst all the other possibilities.I haven't lost one yet, as they are so young, but I know it will be very hard. Thinking of you

 

[Spikes Chooks]

I have also read about minding the protein intake of birds as this can be related to that issue. Could also be caused by an injury too. i recently had to sit and cut some 100 spikes off of the wire that was laid down under the dirt that my handyman did not cut when he built the coop run. I guess the girls had worn down the dirt covering it,, and I noticed they were sticking up. All he had to do was trim the welded wired correctly. I found myself sitting on a stool on the floor of the run, trimming each one, and making sure I didn't leave a piece, surely one of the girls swallowing it would create havoc on their insides! grrrrrr...

MB

Quick question for you, MB. Is it possible that I have been giving them too much protein? Should I restrict that from now on? Their layer feed is 15% but most days they get left over cat food too. Spike of Avatar fame, has become very picky with his food in his old age and we tempt him with a couple of options, so now there is often 1 tablespoon or so for each chicken of cat food, which I put in their breakfast mash. If this might exacerbate a tendency to bumblefoot perhaps I should stop? I did a search but haven't found reference to protein yet under the bumblefoot articles, but I'll try again.

Thanks for your advice!
Katrina

 

[debbie_nibbles]

So sorry MB thats terrible! I wanted to post my pic of what we got today! All 8 of our girls layed today! Giving us our 1st 8 egg day!!!


And that means our Lilly layed too! She must of missed us, she quit laying the 3 weeks we were gone

 

[Spikes Chooks]

So sorry MB thats terrible! I wanted to post my pic of what we got today! All 8 of our girls layed today! Giving us our 1st 8 egg day!!!


And that means our Lilly layed too! She must of missed us, she quit laying the 3 weeks we were gone

Congratulations!!!! What a beautiful set they have laid you. I am sure they are sensitive to our absences. So nice Lilly gave you a welcome home present!

 

[Angelicisi]

Awwwww! Great rainbow

So sorry MB thats terrible! I wanted to post my pic of what we got today! All 8 of our girls layed today! Giving us our 1st 8 egg day!!! And that means our Lilly layed too! She must of missed us, she quit laying the 3 weeks we were gone

 

[Melabella]

So sorry MB thats terrible! I wanted to post my pic of what we got today! All 8 of our girls layed today! Giving us our 1st 8 egg day!!!


And that means our Lilly layed too! She must of missed us, she quit laying the 3 weeks we were gone

Nothing like an egg from every girl! That is wonderful, and the different colors are beautiful!
So happy for you debbie,, see, it didn't take that long!!! (he he he)
​

 

[Melabella]

Quick question for you, MB. Is it possible that I have been giving them too much protein? Should I restrict that from now on? Their layer feed is 15% but most days they get left over cat food too. Spike of Avatar fame, has become very picky with his food in his old age and we tempt him with a couple of options, so now there is often 1 tablespoon or so for each chicken of cat food, which I put in their breakfast mash. If this might exacerbate a tendency to bumblefoot perhaps I should stop? I did a search but haven't found reference to protein yet under the bumblefoot articles, but I'll try again.

Thanks for your advice!
Katrina

Spikes,

I certainly think that the major cause of BF is a bacterial infection from a small cut or somehow dirt getting into a very small wound. With all chickens step on, and the surfaces they scratch around on, it can certainly happen. I have been reading about urate buildup in chickens when overfed proteins, and foods high in urates. Just like a human with gout is supposed to avoid certain things, I would hold off giving the girl with the BF any extra protein while she heals through it. As a rule, I try not to give my flock any protein more than 2 times a week, now that it is summer, and they will be getting tons of bugs I will back that down to once a week if that. I have been trying to take note of full crops when they head up to roost, that way I know they have had their full while free ranging. I think meat every day may be a bit on the high side, but don't stress, I guess if it were that horrid, they would all have it. i would imagine some are more susceptible than others. I will try to find some print about it, I know I have read it several times.

MB

 

[Crafty chick]

MB~ Matilda looks like she was a sweet hen. sorry. That is how I found one of my BO girls in the yard about a month ago. She was still warm and grass in her mouth. So sad, I feel for you

 

[Melabella]

MB~ Matilda looks like she was a sweet hen.

sorry. That is how I found one of my BO girls in the yard about a month ago. She was still warm and grass in her mouth. So sad, I feel for you

I have to tell you, it affected me all day... poor little thing with her head down in curl like she was bowing. Wonder what killed your bird,, with grass in her mouth too, maybe a heart attack? so sorry about that, i don't remember reading about it, so sad. When i was inspecting Matilda, i also noticed that her keel, the area down the center of her breast was all red under the skin, she was full of blood. Whatever she had going on, she was hemorraging inside. I just read a very interesting article on red sex link, production reds being very suseptible to a multitude of things. i tell you she was a 6/7 day a week layer. The largest eggs too. i will miss her, and thanks for the support.

MB