Arizona Chickens

[mckenzy]

Anyone know a source for some RSL pullets? Local so I don't have to deal with shipping...?

You guys always have such great input.

<3

 

[Mama Hen Chris]

Lady Kota Doria was telling me about film. It is a very interesting documentary. My Life as a Turkey, It is about 50 minutes long.



http://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/episodes/my-life-as-a-turkey/full-episode/7378/

 

[BY Chicken Lady]

One is here!!!!

I let my silkie Cloud sit on 4 of her own eggs. At the time, the only roo available was the blue silkie as our cochin started mounting the girls after she started sitting. So, these are pure silkies, though they are only hatchery quality.

I candled a while back and one ended up being a dud - not even fertilized. The other 3 were developing. Well, one hatched yesterday!! The cool thing is that I went out to check on her, lifted her up and actually saw the first pip happen in those few seconds! I left them alone for a while, then snuck a peek later and then again today. Was a little worried about the other two but I gently held one of the eggs to my ear and could hear movement and peeping inside! Yay! She (Cloud) is such a sweetie - never pecked me once during her whole broody time or even when I wanted to see her new baby. Here's some photos....


1st pip


Hatched!




All fluffed up...


Discovered the chick starter left in there for mom...




Hopefully tomorrow I'll have 2 more babies to show!!

Well isn't that just the cutest little thing!

 

[LadyKotaDoria]

Lady Kota Doria was telling me about film. It is a very interesting documentary. My Life as a Turkey, It is about 50 minutes long. 



http://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/episodes/my-life-as-a-turkey/full-episode/7378/

Thank you Chris, I have been under the weather starting before Powder died. I was not surprised, I have been watching her and she just been struggling. She was letting herself go. Her white feathers stayed dirty, instead of cleaning herself, pluse slowly losing

 

[Mama Hen Chris]

Some Friday fun photos of the girls:

Lucille ...time to lay the egg



Gidget modeling


6 week old half Silkie, half Polish


I am ready for my close up


Veronica!!


Daisy checking herself out in the lens


Vivian..Where did everyone go?


Vivian


Gidget


Mimi

 

[redrocketrooster]

Welp Hatchery order is in guys. Pretty good ship, silkies were short 2 in my order. 3 blue (1 DOA), 2 black (one is very show type looking too) and 4 buff. Welp made up for it by adding in 3+ more porcelain dUccle, 1+ golden and 1+ Orloff. What a nice bunch we got too. I'm happy and the chicks are all in very good shape. I think the DOA silkie was a bad hatch as part of the egg shell was still stuck to it's bum.

Only two of the silkies have head fluffs...Does that mean these are bearded? /silkie n00b

@Mama Hens Cant wait to see how that silkie/polish looks when its older! Interesting cross for sure.

 

[City farm]

Anyone have advice on a soft large crop? Our black French copper Maran has had one for the 2nd day.. Can I help her
with manipulation? It could be nothing, it just seems to be softer than the other girls.. And it is way larger than any of the other girls.
I did scan the emergencies Fourm. Nothing was labeled CROP.. So I figured I would ask here first..

 

[Twinklin]

Anyone have advice on a soft large crop? Our black French copper Maran has had one for the 2nd day.. Can I help her
with manipulation? It could be nothing, it just seems to be softer than the other girls.. And it is way larger than any of the other girls.
I did scan the emergencies Fourm. Nothing was labeled CROP.. So I figured I would ask here first..

I just dealt with a crop issue with my EE. I made a post that I updated as I went through the process. https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/803948/first-time-owner-dealing-with-sour-crop#post_11639677 The steps I took ended up working really well and Eleanor has been back with her sisters the past couple days and feelin fine. I continue to give the lactose free kefir milk that I mention in my post. I mix it with whatever treat/scraps they get that day. When they finish this bottle I'm going to go a bit more inexpensive and get plain live culture yogurt that will helpfully keep their good bacteria levels up so I don't have to do this process again. I also add a little ACV to their water now. Ely lost some weight over the few days she was ill, and her crop stretched out but she's already looking better and her crop seems to be going back to normal. I check it every morning to make sure she doesn't have anything sitting in it. Good luck!

To sum up my post these were the steps I took.

1. Hold chicken like a football, tilt head to floor, upside down and massage crop to let her vomit letting her breathe in between until you get no more vomit.
2. Isolate chicken in area with no hay or pine shavings
3. Massage crop for a few minutes a few times a day
4. Make a thick soup from kefir milk and crumbles or smashed up pellet, feed only that until crop is empty
5. Make sure grit is available
6. add Apple Cider Vinegar to water. I used 1tsp/quart.

 

[tsuninight]

What beautiful birds!

 

[countrygirl74]

I thought I read about a poultry processing workshop several months ago. Now of course I cannot find it. I would like to raise meat birds and cull my unwanted roosters, but I too need someone to teach me and help me get past the killing part without freaking out.

We have done it twice now - 1st time was the hardest as it was our own roos that were named and handled because they were supposed to all be girls and were improperly sexed. I have to admit I did cry and my husband, who actually did the killing, had a hard time too. Second time was much better, more matter of fact and fast! We did meat birds - they all looked the same, no names, and we were putting them out of their misery. Two had heart attacks before we could get them all processed that week. Maybe those of us who have processed before could get together at someone's house and do a processing day to teach others in different areas around AZ???

i need some help by someone that knows about chicken anatomy. I lost my pure little Powder yesterday. Not sure of the time of death. At 14:00 I opened her, removing the Brest plat and skin to see organs in place. The liver was large but not exsisive, color washed out, I assume that this was do to being refrigerated. Intestines were, I am sure, functioning will. However, the heart was in a sack of water/fluid. When I have butchered wild game, I scooped in interals out. If there was a water sack around the heart, I have never seen one. In human the heart surrounded by water is not a good thing! Is this a sign of heat stroke? She had one small egg about 2 finger widths from vent fully formed. There was 1 egg yoke started. I stopped here. I did not believe I would learn anything from the eggs. I have no idea about the lungs, they were pink and wet. Possibly they had water in them, I did not expect them to be so moist.

Question, did she die of the heat, or was she sick and the heat finished her?

Not sure what caused it, but it's common in the meat birds due to them eating so much and getting fat so quick - we've processed some with fluid around the heart and were glad we got to them before they actually had their heart attacks...
Maybe someone else will comment as to why Powder might have had this going on.

I've processed quite a few chickens, and I'd be glad to get together with people and do it. It isn't that hard to do, in terms of the actual process, emotionally it can be kind of difficult-I still have trouble processing my own birds.

X2 - I prefer doing meat birds or someone else's birds - just so long as I haven't had the chance to get attached, that's what makes it difficult. We'd be happy to help others...