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

[SilkieChickStar]

Howdy folks 

LuckysMum on yeah, I didn’t think of how many eggs a day you would be getting with all your new charges .. it must be heaps!

Fancy those nest boxes look pretty cool.  I was thinking I could put some in the Princess Palace, making sure they were well spaced but the little munchkins would probably still squabble and all try and fit in one! 

Anniebee sorry, I had a chuckle at Mandy and the Currawong .. she is a rascal! 

SilkieChickStar ah yes, bed time can be very amusing 

Your new arrivals are beautiful jessbonnitcha … congratulations!  Congrats also on the Phoenix find.  I see Fancy has given good advice [as always] regarding the shipping but if I can chime in with my 5 cents worth .. I recommend ordering a few more than you plan on hatching as, depending on how well they are packaged, you might lose a few to breakage.  I have had both good and bad experiences with shipped eggs.

sweetbeak Not that I would even trust my judgement when it comes to sexing Silkies, I think your Partridge might be a rooster; sorry if that was not what you wanted to hear    But, again, sexing Silkies is definitely not my forte'.  

So, in news from Bambrook Bantams, Crystal was a good girl today and did not really start kicking up a stink until the 3pm mark when she wanted out and that is the norm.  She did have a couple of ‘I want out’ shouting sessions earlier in the day but I ignored her and she gave up 

GodCilla has spent two days in broody jail, with nights on the roost.  This afternoon I thought I would see how she went with the rest of the flock on free range.  When I first let her out, she had a wander around, had some meal worms and was ‘playing nice’.  She did chase Chucky away from his dinner but he is a wild bird and them’s the breaks.  She halfheartedly tried to peck LuLu but LuLu ducked and ran.  A bit later, she did manage to get a peck on Crystal but again, only halfhearted.  However, she went back to the broody jail after she jumped on Blondie’s back and proceeded to hammer into her head like a woodpecker on a tree!  GodCilla is not done with yet   

That is a determined broody. That mental image though. Lol!

 

[MyHaven]

maybe I'll be third time lucky. I have been trying to post a request for advice without success.

I am several pages behind but I will get back to them to read all the news. I hope everyone and their charges are fine.

Thanks to everyone who posted good wishes my littles recovery. He's back at school and back to normal.

This "chicken from the train" has become suddenly ill.

Her stance has completely changed from this.

To this

She is walking very gingerly with legs slightly apart. I don't know if she's toileting or not. While I was watching her she strained as if to go but nothing came out. She has a little poo on her but but not much.

She is eating but not as vigorously as normal but I think that's more about discomfort in moving. Having said that I couldn't catch her this morning to examine her, so will get her when she goes to bed tonight.

What should I be looking for.

 

[MyHaven]

Along time coming AB and I apologise for the quality of the photos, but here is the picture of my buttercup I promised you a long time ago.

Trying to get a shot of her comb for you. She's not to standard - her patterning should look more like eyes. But she'll do me.

Thanks for your praise of Lizzy, she is one of my special girls.

And here's some more of Lizzy and Fraidy. And my Barney - Lacey.

Lacey is an example of why you shouldn't cull too soon. She's the one the fox grabbed by the neck and tried to pull under the coop. She could not walk without tumbling over , but she could eat so I gave her a chance. Still not 100% steady on her feet but doing ok. Still one of my best layers.

 

[Fancychooklady]

She could be egg bound , by the description of her stance . Is she laying ? My advice would be to go out and get her tonight ( less stressful ) examine her for parasites and bulges or softness in the abdomen. Sometimes a warm 20 min soak in Epsom salts will help them along. Keep her isolated and warm so you can have a look at her droppings and any egg that she may lay. If you don't have a good 'pep ' up or multi vitamin , dissolve 1/2 a teaspoon of vegemite in hot water, let cool and put it on her feed.

 

[Fancychooklady]

Along time coming AB and I apologise for the quality of the photos, but here is the picture of my buttercup I promised you a long time ago.

Trying to get a shot of her comb for you. She's not to standard - her patterning should look more like eyes. But she'll do me.

Thanks for your praise of Lizzy, she is one of my special girls.

And here's some more of Lizzy and Fraidy. And my Barney - Lacey.

Lacey is an example of why you shouldn't cull too soon. She's the one the fox grabbed by the neck and tried to pull under the coop. She could not walk without tumbling over , but she could eat so I gave her a chance. Still not 100% steady on her feet but doing ok. Still one of my best layers.

Absolutely! My little ' buddy ' was staggering all over the place after coming out of fight , it's been weeks but he is now back with his girls.

 

[Anniebee]

I bought 3 x of these nest boxes, can't wIt to install them.

http://www.tassiebirdandpoultrysupplies.com/Nesting_Box_Closed_with_Perch/p2684740_16297707.aspx

Very similar to a booda box cat litter tray - which I have one of. .... Good size for little Minday Araucana - but probably too small an opening for the two bigger girls.

Am wondering now if I should resurrect it, clean it thoroughly, and give it to her. She 'nests to lay' in a very old credenza type cupboard which is open one end and closed the other. On top of that cupboard is her special towel covered side on brick that she roosts on every night without fail. Easy to clean overnight woopsies from the cupboard top too - straight into an old tray I keep for just such things.

No matter how much soft bedding ( straw and / or wood shavings ) I put in there for her - she kicks the whole lot out - and prefers to sit on a flat uncovered piece of masonite to lay / drop her egg.

I can but try ... she might like the booda box ?? Didn't think of it until I saw the link you posted ... with a nesting box which looks so similar.

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

 

[Anniebee]

Along time coming AB and I apologise for the quality of the photos, but here is the picture of my buttercup I promised you a long time ago.




Trying to get a shot of her comb for you. She's not to standard - her patterning should look more like eyes. But she'll do me.

Thanks for your praise of Lizzy, she is one of my special girls.

And here's some more of Lizzy and Fraidy. And my Barney - Lacey.




Lacey is an example of why you shouldn't cull too soon. She's the one the fox grabbed by the neck and tried to pull under the coop. She could not walk without tumbling over , but she could eat so I gave her a chance. Still not 100% steady on her feet but doing ok. Still one of my best layers.

**************************


Thanks so much for the photos MyHaven ... Buttercup - a beautiful bird with all that patterning - even if not 100% 'to the book' Lovely comb and wattles from what I can see.

Speaking of combs and wattles, your barney Lacey ... has a very large comb and pendulous wattles. Front on has the looks of a rooster, but the tail is not long / big or brag-ish enough to be rooster-ish. AND she lays eggs, so that is my own question asked and answered .... LOL. ... You have really lovely girls there.

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

Now to another question you have asked :

and and particularly :


THIS is exactly how Mandy has looked for months, on and off - becoming worse in recent weeks - which now appears to be fixed

hopefully. At least in Mandy's case it was her swollen leg which has returned to normal size. This is the 'tail down' that I have been describing, and is not a 'penguin sit' which is entirely different, and often a sad scene and outcome.

Fancy suggested it could be egg binding, so do everything that Fancy has suggested - and have a vet evaluate her, if it doesn't improve in a day or so.

Check her legs, her wings, etc., she might be having trouble physiologically. I thought of egg binding for Mandy, initially - but soaking with warm / almost hot towels in her nether regions, made her a very happy chook ( back beginning of year ) ... but did not in the long term do much. But, she was laying then also - nice good eggs so I determined not to worry too much then, her last eggs being early April ( I think - from the colour and brown spray ). Then the long moult, and nothing - just more of the tail down business, and a few weeks back, the evidence of her leg being swollen. ...... Vet visit. .... and recently, a few eggs.

Now - I am not saying this is the same for you - not by any means, but I figure a chicken with tail down is saying something - that she is not happy. On the other hand, considering Mandys intense dislike of leaf rakes and currawongs - which has had her upright and ready, and able to move properly, faster with tail up ... I am going to suggest something :

1 ) ... Do everything Fancy suggested. Hopefully, that helps 100%.

2 ) ... If you know of something that will raise her interest or have her run for some reason - try to get her to elevate her tail and move normally. If she cannot do that for even a few moments, then it's back to no. 1 again ... and a Vet visit.

Must say, that Mandy did not 'strain' to do anything, and did not walk with her legs slightly apart ... just sloooow - one foot beside/in front of ... the other. And then a sit ( repeatedly ).

See if you can catch your girl sitting to lay an egg or trying to ... if her tail is elevated at that time, then that I think, is a good sign. Mindy Araucanas' ' tail literally hits the roof when she is laying. And I hope your catching her, shows something you can recognise - is her crop full ( evening ) ? ... can you feel ( very carefully ) any 'lump' between the upper bones of her legs ? ... is she swollen in the belly region ? does she have any swellings anywhere else ( like feet / legs ) ... is she uncomfortable if you lift her wings ( she will let you know ), does she have any nasty looking wounds on the bottom of her feet ?.

Might I also suggest, a cotton bud with plenty of vaseline, to be introduced into her vent. Will help if there is an obstruction - won't do any harm if there isn't. She will not mind that at all.

The best of good luck with your 'chicken from the train' .... I cannot now recall the story of how she came to you. Sorry ...

Let us know .... I do hope all will be well.

Cheers .......

 

[LuckysMum]

Hi all. I think I have worked out the breeds of the chickens my nephew gave me and yes I am getting heaps of eggs. I have been given some frizzles, gold sebrights, silver sebrights, cochin, wheaten maran, pekins, silver spangled hamburgs, black and gold phoenixes, Andalusian, splash Andalusian, araucanas, speckled Sussexs, silver Sussex, buff pekin and lots of mixed breeds.
Now the hard part who do I keep they are all beautiful. I don't think any amount of chicken math is going to help me keep 70+ chickens even if more than half are bantam chickens.

 

[satay]

Hi all.  I think I have worked out the breeds of the chickens my nephew gave me and yes I am getting heaps of eggs.  I have been given some frizzles, gold sebrights, silver sebrights, cochin, wheaten maran, pekins, silver spangled hamburgs, black and gold phoenixes, Andalusian, splash Andalusian, araucanas, speckled Sussexs, silver Sussex, buff pekin and lots of mixed breeds. 
Now the hard part who do I keep they are all beautiful. I don't think any amount of chicken math is going to help me keep 70+ chickens even if more than half are bantam chickens.

It's always a hard decision on who to keep. When i breed each season i always want to keep them all. I don't ashubby would kill me but so far i have not sold one Millie fleur Belgian i have bred. I guess you go with either the breed you like or the egg colour, size etc. The chicken owner in me says to you to keep them all but i have been known to be a bad influence

 

[satay]

She could be egg bound , by the description of her stance . Is she laying ? My advice would be to go out and get her tonight ( less stressful ) examine her for parasites and bulges or softness in the abdomen. Sometimes a warm 20 min soak in Epsom salts will help them along. Keep her isolated and warm so you can have a look at her droppings and any egg that she may lay. If you don't have a good 'pep ' up or multi vitamin , dissolve 1/2 a teaspoon of vegemite in hot water, let cool and put it on her feed.

x2