Australia - Six states..and that funny little island.

[Anniebee]

SilkieChickStar .......... Your hens are absolutely beautiful. .... lovely to see those pics - made my day.

................

I have a question ? ( another one - same subject from way back ). To anybody who can help with some ideas ??

Mandy Welsummer, my huge chicken who I have mentioned before, seems to spend a lot of time sitting down - because I believe she cannot support her own weight.

She has been like this for almost a year incl. through her long moult. Everything appears normal, she has a bright red comb and is squatting. Eats well, drinks well. Bowel normal and ... huge. She is NOT limping. She does walk like a little old lady - sooo slow - on her huge feet. Yet she never stumbles, or trips on her own feet ( how she manages that is beyond me - ), and she does not collapse. She also stands with no problem to eat and to drink.

I will however, up-end her to see if she has bumblefoot. Have Bactroban which would treat that well. But I doubt it is that.

Watching her closely this morning, she walks in her run with tail up, then stands still - tail drops right down, and then down she slowly goes onto the ground to sit, at which time her tail happily raises up as it is when she is walking around. She has been spending a lot of her time during the day 'in her coop bed' more recently, but then it is still very very cold here..

Considering she's been doing this for such a long time, has anyone else ever seen an oversized chicken do anything like this.

I only have to pick up the leaf rake ( which she hates when I use it to rake fallen leaves and twigs in their run ), and she rises immediately with tail up, and walks or even jogs away .... a few minutes later she is sitting down again. Occasionally she will remain upright for a longish time - especially when free ranging, but if she finds a comfortable spot in the garden - she sits there too. ?? She also occasionally 'sits' on the washing machine, when having feathers cleaned or trimmed. ??

..... Now - we have had two beautiful eggs laid by one of the two big girls - Mandy, or Molly RIR. Molly - when younger laid gorgeous pink eggs with not a hint of spray or faint spotting on them. Just pink glossy-smooth eggs.

..... Last few eggs from that coop was early April - sparsely dark spotted on beige. The two new eggs are much darker than Molly used to lay, but I could not call them terra cotta. And the second of them had the faintest of sprays, only a tiny bit different in colour to the egg ( under a magnifying glass ).

..... Mindy Araucana - who is ultra Araucana to look at, has pretty splashes of ' coffee ' throughout her feathers, so there was a cross somewhere back there. At 2 - 3 yrs of age, she laid blue and green eggs. The recent lot have been olive green, and yesterdays was a quite darker olive. ?

.........

Do hens - as they age, ( all 4 yrs of age ) change the colour of their eggs. And could the introduction of BOSS twice a week, change the colour - not only of their poop, but of the eggs as well ?

Got me scratching my head big time, and no amount of Googling can answer my questions. I will only know if both big girls are laying, if I ever find two eggs in the nest.

Sorry to be such a nuisance about this, but thought maybe someone had had the same kinds of experience.

Cheers - and thanks ........

 

[AustralorpsAU]

Hey everybody. Check out my website and let me know what you think.

www.zadebrown.wixsite.com/zadesaustralorps

 

[AustralorpsAU]

Oh and im in the south west of WA

 

[Fancychooklady]

SilkieChickStar .......... Your hens are absolutely beautiful. .... lovely to see those pics - made my day.

................

I have a question ? ( another one - same subject from way back ).   To anybody who can help with some ideas ??  

Mandy Welsummer, my huge chicken who I have mentioned before, seems to spend a lot of time sitting down - because I believe she cannot support her own weight.

She has been like this for almost a year incl. through her long moult.   Everything appears normal, she has a bright red comb and is squatting.   Eats well, drinks well.  Bowel normal and ... huge.   She is NOT limping.   She does walk like a little old lady - sooo slow - on her huge feet.   Yet she never stumbles, or trips on her own feet ( how she manages that is beyond me - ), and she does not collapse.  She also stands with no problem to eat and to drink.    

I will however, up-end her to see if she has bumblefoot.   Have Bactroban which would treat that well.   But I doubt it is that.    

Watching her closely this morning, she walks in her run with tail up, then stands still - tail  drops right down, and then down she slowly goes onto the ground to sit, at which time her tail happily raises up as it is when she is walking around.   She has been spending  a lot of her time during the day 'in her coop bed' more recently, but then it is still very very cold here..  

Considering she's been doing this for such a long time, has anyone else ever seen an oversized chicken do anything like this.   I only have to pick up the leaf rake ( which she hates when I use it to rake fallen leaves and twigs in their run ), and she rises immediately with tail up, and walks or even jogs away .... a few minutes later she is sitting down again.   Occasionally she will remain upright for a longish time - especially when free ranging, but if she finds a comfortable spot in the garden - she sits there too.  ??  She also occasionally  'sits' on the washing machine, when having feathers cleaned or trimmed.  ??  

..... Now - we have had two beautiful eggs laid by one of the two big girls - Mandy, or Molly RIR.   Molly - when younger laid gorgeous pink eggs with not a hint of spray or faint spotting on them.   Just  pink glossy-smooth eggs.

..... Last few eggs from that coop was early April - sparsely dark spotted on beige.   The two new eggs are much darker than Molly used to lay, but I could not call them terra cotta.  And the second of them had the faintest of sprays, only a tiny bit different in colour to the egg ( under a magnifying glass ).    

..... Mindy Araucana - who is ultra  Araucana to look at, has pretty splashes of ' coffee ' throughout her feathers, so there was a cross somewhere back there.   At 2 - 3 yrs of age, she laid blue and green eggs.   The recent lot have been olive green, and yesterdays was a quite darker olive. ?  

.........

Do hens - as they age, ( all 4 yrs of age ) change the colour of their eggs.   And could the introduction of BOSS twice a week, change the colour - not only of their poop, but of the eggs as well ?  

Got me scratching my head big time, and no amount of Googling can answer my questions.    I will only know if both big girls are laying, if I ever find two eggs in the nest.  

Sorry to be such a nuisance about this, but thought maybe someone had had the same kinds of experience.

Cheers - and thanks ........   

Some things to consider when a bird can't support its own weight are calcium to phosphorus ratio and excess protein. A hen should only be getting around 15-16 % once it reaches 24 weeks of age. Excess protein can cause visceral gout , I've had 2 x come to me with gout , the classic symptoms are very large , fat toes and feet. The bird generally becomes unwilling to stand and eventually becomes lame.

 

[SilkieChickStar]

Thank you @Anniebee so sweet of you. We love our chookies.

I've been down with a cold all day. And at 6 I made sure they were locked up. However my 4 year old daughter just ran to me "Mum, Mum, it's dark, I can't see if the chickens are in bed! Are the doors locked up??"
Such a good little helper. She's constantly asking for "chicken jobs".

I don't have answers to your questions but I hope you find them

 

[Fizzybelle]

Ok, ramp still needs attaching, but here is how the nest/sleeping box will look when complete. I finished painting it today! This one is for my larger chickens, Ada and Annabelle. The bantams will have one of their own, about the same size. Today we also worked on the roof of the run, attaching shadecloth and a tarp over it (the shade-cloth to help keep the tarp in place, and the tarp for easy waterproofing). We also marked out where to put the posts to divide the run into the two pens (with one of these nest boxes in each pen).



Isn't it cute? It looks like a little house (actually seriously it looks like our old house, though that was completely unintentional).



The windows have aluminium fly mesh attached, as well as the back of the box. It has a cut out section with mesh covering it to allow plenty of air flow during those god-awful hot summer nights. I will be putting curtains across the entrance to further help keep mozzies out. For the bantams box, we might put guard rails on the ramp to help Aggie if her eye sight deteriorates further. Those plants I will plant once the our shed is constructed, that goes down in the next fortnight I think. I want to make the yard more jungle like, with plenty of shade and cover for the girls, I'm sure I'll end up needing more plants.




The front doors open for easy cleaning. Originally it was only going to be a frame with the fly screen attached, but that would have made getting in to clean it out a little tricky. The front half of the roof also lifts up (I took this photo before we moved it out into the yard and moved all that wood out of the way).



Inside, there is a plastic drop tray to collect and shake out the poop! That'll make life much easier. That's also not the perch they will be using, it was to test the position and length. We're going to try and use suitable branch, go the natural route. The divider comes out, in case of squabbling over nest boxes, or if I crack the ***** with it just being there. I used the girls to check the sizes and placing of everything.



I plonked Ada on the perch so you can see what it looks like in use. Dad's original measurements were for something half the size, which wouldn't really be as cool and comfortable for the girls (plus, always take chicken math into consideration). I'd probably widen it a bit more actually, but it's hard to know until it's in front of you what something will be like. Overall I'm really very very pleased with it. And yes, those hinges there are for the ramp, and that bit of wood I think will be used to help secure the perch when it's been selected and is in place. Anyway, hope you like what we've done so far. The bantams box will have three nest areas, they'll be a bit smaller, and it will have two perches, a high and a low one (good luck trying to hog BOTH perches at once Esme, you cheeky Pekin!).

 

[Anniebee]

Some things to consider when a bird can't support its own weight are calcium to phosphorus ratio and excess protein. A hen should only be getting around 15-16 % once it reaches 24 weeks of age. Excess protein can cause visceral gout , I've had 2 x come to me with gout , the classic symptoms are very large , fat toes and feet. The bird generally becomes unwilling to stand and eventually becomes lame.

Thank you Fancy .... so much appreciated.

I have no idea how to calculate the calcium to phosphorous ratio ... but I only feed protein ( cooked mince steak and mashed cooked eggs ) when the hens are moulting. Other than that, it is business as usual in the food department ( except for my mash, which is reduced after moults to NO protein, - but rather rice, oats, a teaspoon at most of bran, a spoonful of grated cheese, and heaps of finely chopped up greens - plus ( recently ) the black oil sunflower seeds rather than scratch mix mixed in. Dried meal worms have been stopped. All of this mix is shared between 3 chickens. Have been putting a pinch of paprika on each hens individual bowls, recently too. Thing is, Mandy's been this way for sooo many months, with no obvious signs of any other affliction ??? When standing high and erect on her legs, tail up - she has perfect proportions ... just very BIG.

I think I will try a multi-vitamin. It is virtually impossible to separate them ( so's Mandy gets vitamins and Molly not ) unless I use a dropper with diluted vitamins in it, a few times a week for Mandy only.

I have not as yet up-ended her for a search for bumblefoot - but don't beleve it is that. She has very big feet but not out of proportion to her size - her claws are not overly long ( for her feet ), and her feet look healthy - the scales are yellowish as they should be, and there are no lumps on them. Her top beak is slightly longer than Mollys' but then - being a huge bird, it doesn't surprise me ... does not trouble her when eating, including picking up dirt and grit ... and eating the scratch mix they all get a couple of times a week, plus feeding herself on layer pellets, and drinking. She is so big, it is impossible to feel anything but a very small crop ( if any ) at any time of the day. Thought at one stage she may have pendulous crop, but having seen on-line, hens with that, she is not afflicted. ( by comparison, Mindy Araucana has a crop like a hard large golf-ball at end of day - gone by the morning ).

I have done a heap of research on visceral gout since your post, and nothing resonates. Her urate is white on top of good bowel, but when she was younger, she always loudly squirted large amounts of bowel ( with white urate ) .... softish - when laying. Into a moult, and her bowel always hardened to what I would call 'excellent poop' from a chicken. She is currently passing somewhere in between solid and softish - all with good white urate and normal but slightly darker colour ( as they all have since the BOSS ).

She is one heilluva complex chook ... and maybe a visit to an avian Vet might be upcoming. ... however, this evening ( just to make a total liar out of me ) ... there she was, strutting around happily - tail held high, and putting up with the frantic runs that Molly makes up and down the fence, ( when she 'thinks' Mum's mash is on the menu ). Watched Mandy for 20 minutes, and she continued to strut around like a young chicken. !!!!

... Of course, they are not caged birds ( ugh ) .... she just 'cages' herself on many occasions ...

Maybe I am being paranoid and worrying needlessly. ???

( don't all speak at once please !! )

Thanks again, and cheers .....

 

[satay]

Good morning folks 

Day off? What day off?  As we have a rental inspection coming up soon and I always want to make sure they have no reason to complain, yesterday was spent cleaning the oven, cleaning the windows, washing down doors and door frames [scuff marks etc] and dusting and I still did not get it all done.

Tee hee Fizzybelle I hear ya with regards “insane levels of preciousness”   Sadly I do not have any recommendations for a good place in Brisbane to buy vaccinated chickens.  I purchased Cilla from Northside Produce back in the early days and I am pretty sure she was not vaccinated.  Dusty I purchased from Brendale Produce and again, I do not think she was vaccinated.  LuLu was vaccinated but she was purchased from Chandler Markets after a breeder from Kingaroy advertised on Gum Tree that they would be there with frizzles for sale.  Since then, I have only purchased fertile eggs.   But, yeah, the unwanted roosters are always a dilemma.   Looking forward to the coop pics.

MandeePandee sorry I can not help with your guinea fowl question, I know zip about guinea fowl except I had read they are noisy?

Thanks for letting us know sourland. 

MullyAly I have seen a broody tuck an egg under her wing and carry it back to her nest and another roll one with her beak across the coop floor until it got to her stash .. they are determined!  Good luck with the hatches.

Fancy kudos to you for taking on the baby quails 

Chooks01 Yep, tis the season to be broody, tra la la la la la la la laaaaaaaaaaaaa 

Touch wood, we do not have any broodys yet but it is just a matter of time .. or, in Cilla’s case, one more egg, she has laid 9 since the return to laying 

Sorry if this is a silly question but do hens prone to broodiness stop going broody when they get older?  I am guessing once they stop laying they do not go broody? 

Nope. If your remember my chooka i had she was over 9 when i lost her and went broody every year. Maybe it's a pekin thing. My two broodies from winter are still broody. They have got to have been trying to sit for over 3 months now.

 

[Teila]

Good morning folks

Anniebee with it still being a little on the cool side, could Mandy just be reacting to the coolness and possible joint aches in the cooler temps?

Not saying that Mandy may be overweight but if she is not moving much this may be adding to the problem in that she is becoming unfit so to speak?

LuLu was getting a little too chunky for my liking so we put her on an exercise regime and she is back to a good weight now. I believe this was due to the shorter free range time in winter.

So, what we did was when meal worms were being shared out, besides feeding up close to ensure that they all got some [they tend to try and pinch each others] we also tossed a worm across the garden, causing them all to run and try and catch it. Then they would run back for more worms. Kinda like a dog playing fetch except there was no fetching back of the worm

Doing that a few times every afternoon ensures that they are getting a good run.

AustralorpsAU Good start on the web site

SilkieChickStar sorry to hear you have been unwell and hope you kick those cold germs soon enough.

The coop looks great Fizzybelle!

After laying her 10th egg yesterday Cilla decided that she was going to pick on everyone and then retire to the empty nest box. Knowing that she had laid and had no reason to be there, I booted her out and shut the door to keep her out; she was not happy about that. She did sleep on the roost and I have let them out early this morning to wander the garden but I think it is only a matter of days before I have a full blown broody on my hands

Went to Bunnings yesterday to purchase a replacement hose fitting and came home with an Emperor Mandarin tree!

As is the case with most plants, animals etc here at Bambrook Bantams, the tree needed a name .. meet Ming the Mandarin:



PS. Chucky still visits every afternoon without fail.

 

[sjturner79]

Good morning folks Anniebee with it still being a little on the cool side, could Mandy just be reacting to the coolness and possible joint aches in the cooler temps? Not saying that Mandy may be overweight but if she is not moving much this may be adding to the problem in that she is becoming unfit so to speak? LuLu was getting a little too chunky for my liking so we put her on an exercise regime and she is back to a good weight now. I believe this was due to the shorter free range time in winter. So, what we did was when meal worms were being shared out, besides feeding up close to ensure that they all got some [they tend to try and pinch each others] we also tossed a worm across the garden, causing them all to run and try and catch it. Then they would run back for more worms. Kinda like a dog playing fetch except there was no fetching back of the worm Doing that a few times every afternoon ensures that they are getting a good run. AustralorpsAU Good start on the web site SilkieChickStar sorry to hear you have been unwell and hope you kick those cold germs soon enough. The coop looks great Fizzybelle! After laying her 10[SUP]th[/SUP] egg yesterday Cilla decided that she was going to pick on everyone and then retire to the empty nest box. Knowing that she had laid and had no reason to be there, I booted her out and shut the door to keep her out; she was not happy about that. She did sleep on the roost and I have let them out early this morning to wander the garden but I think it is only a matter of days before I have a full blown broody on my hands Went to Bunnings yesterday to purchase a replacement hose fitting and came home with an Emperor Mandarin tree! As is the case with most plants, animals etc here at Bambrook Bantams, the tree needed a name .. meet Ming the Mandarin: PS. Chucky still visits every afternoon without fail.

I hope Ming does well and provides lots of good fruit. We are trying to work out how to do an exercise regime for the chooks here as the meat birds need to build some strength if we are going to manage to breed out of them. The coop and run at the farm here has just finished being completely rebuilt and we have the meaties, layers and ornimental all in together. Will certainly get some interesting mixes if we hatch before the pre-cull fertitlity runs out. Hoping for a broody to do it as we don't really have a spot to do a brooder at the minute.