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

[IamSamSam]

My LS was called Fred. I still have wilma

 

[IamSamSam]

Hello folks. I haven't been around for ages, because life got busy. And then chickens got busy. My gorgeous Rooster, Wellington, became a violent bully. At home, with me? He was fine. My husband? He attacked. My daughter, he attacked. THEN he attacked the toddler next door! Then he became coq au vin. I lost my Ancona, Antimony, who had been laying absolutely gorgeous green eggs for u, and my beautiful Maran just...dropped dead off the perch. That was a real loss - she was one of those chickens who comes over to cuddle you, so it was very sad. Chicken math occurred, because I'd lost several chickens and then felt sad so treated myself to some faverolles...and I felt guilty over Wellington, so I adopted three ex factory hens and am currently rehabilitating them to make up for having to get rid of him. They lay such gigantic eggs, but they're half the size of my birds. It's really quite sad, but boy do they love me now - they follow me around and let me hug them. Which is when THIS lady showed back up: With fifteen babies. FIFTEEN BABIES.

How cute is the chick sitting on the egg !

 

[appps]

How cute is the chick sitting on the egg !

Ha ha ha, I missed that!

 

[tandykins]

Ok ... about Mindy....

Had hoped I would not have to say anything, but ........

Have done some research - and came up with this URL which seems the best of quite a few I investgated : http://www.thepoultrysite.com/articles/450/several-reasons-why-your-hens-may-stop-laying-eggs/

Mindy - after laying quite a few soft shells, ( she has layed two outside in her run twice ) shoved one with her beak towards the wire run fence, for Miss Ruby dog to grab out and eat ????

... seems to be perhaps, giving up on laying altogether.

In the past few weeks, she has laid a few good eggs - strong shells, but many soft shells, which she occasionally eats, but also now on occasion, ignores.

She is one weird chook - always has been. Has taken to cluck cluck clucking with an enormous cockerel shriek at the end of it. ( which I took to mean "I have laid an egg " ).

Not so .... she is now 4 days without a good egg, or any egg ... and this from a very prolific layer, is a bit disturbing. While 4 days is probably not much to many people, it seems strange to me as she has been the most productive of chickens .... 6 or 7 out of every 7 days .... was always pleased when she took a day off.

I know that chickens have a 'limit' ... they only produce eggs when they can, and can run out of productivity ( for want of a better word ).

She is fiesty, interesting in everything, stands tall, talks a lot, feeds well ( always a good full crop end of day ) .... walks well, squats for anything that moves, and looks ultra healthy.

Today I bought a bag of calcium powder ( not calcium carbonate - but the type used for horses ) ... which I was assured is ok for chickens. She will get a dessertspoon full of that mixed in with some of my 'special tucker' starting tomorrow - twice a week. Am also aware that bi-carb of soda in drinking water may help - coutesy of a regular poster here - so sorry I cannot find the post or remember who it was who mentioned that.

The worry always is, will an ill-formed egg get stuck in the system ? ... which would / could result in death. There is no sign of a stuck egg ( via palpation ) .... in her nether regions.

All 3 chickens are fed Barastoc Layer pellets ( which should give them all they need ). Works for the two big girls ... but not so much for Mindy who has been several weeks laying soft shells here and there, and 4 days without any laying at all. She does not appear to be broody either.

I had hoped a couple of days back, that I wouldn't have to write this.

The other thing is, since the massive elm tree in the rear property has grown all its' leaves now, there is not much sunshine at all for Mindy to enjoy. The big girls get some sun per day. With that in mind, the long clippers must come out and do something drastic to that tree, and surrounding foliage, to let sunlight in properly for her. More work for my recently retired husband.

Just wondering - if anyone has any further thoughts about this situation ........

Cheers - and thanks in anticipation ...... AB

When my Buttface girl started to get older she began to lay a string of jelly eggs - about three weeks worth before the calcium and the tender loving care I was giving her finally started to turn it around. She's back to laying daily again - though has decided that she can't handle flying up to the roost or into the nesting boxes so we've tended to her special needs by giving her a special, low roost and a ground-floor nesting box. So at 5 years old - and after a few jelly eggs and special circumstances - we still get 4-5 eggs/week from my 5 year old SLW.

I also feed mine Barastoc Layer Pellets - but did find that we had calcium issues on occasion with it. I began mixing small amount of scratch mix in (with grit) or occasionally giving them treats of baked eggs (including the shells) and that seems to have done the trick.

It may well be that she IS laying but the eggs are completely shelless right now or the shells are getting eaten before you can see them. Buttface began laying her jelly eggs on the poop boards while she roosted at night and about 80% of the time they'd be eaten before I even let them out in the morning. I only found out because I caught them one morning. To all appearances, to me - it appeared she wasn't laying at all. Bad jelly eggs will basically come out without a shell at all, just the contents of an egg spat onto the floor or with a parchment-thin, soft membrane which passes for a shell.

I'd give her time, really. If she's laying jelly eggs and then stopped altogether, her body may well have just decided, "Right, we have enough calcium to have bones OR lay eggs so laying eggs is going to have to wait."

Even when you begin to give her calcium, it will take a while for her stores to properly replenish. It took Buttface ~2 weeks to begin laying "normally" again.

I hear you on the elms. We have them growing along one side of our yard on the fenceline. My phone reckoned to me yesterday that I walked 6km. All I did yesterday was mow my yard (half acre) which involved hours of mowing down elm suckers and nettles. 6km of elm sucker murder. Ugh.

On a related note - I have been wondering to myself if Buttface might have something like chicken arthritis. I have arthritis myself and it might just be me anthropomorphizing my chickens - but there's something about the way she walks which suggests to me soreness and stiffness. It's nothing new. She's just been sort of progressively wearing down over the last year or so. I had thought about treating it like arthritis and supplementing her diet accordingly like I would myself (non-inflammatory treats, omega 3, tumeric, etc).

I'm disinclined to put her down because apart from this - she seems fine. She lays well, her comb is red. She's a bit slow and she's getting over-mated so I put a saddle on her and we're increasing our hen to rooster ratio over the summer to give all of the hens a bit of a break (which was always my intention for this summer anyway). I originally realized she wasn't roosting when I found her sleeping on the poop boards underneath her flock. She kept leaving the special roost I made for her and going back on the poop boards. One day I found red ammonia burns on her belly and decided to try a different approach, taking one of her nestmates (someone beneath her in the pecking order but only just) and putting that hen on the roost with her. Now that she's no longer alone, she stays. Her belly healed fine, and our system seems to be working for everyone.

I'm open to suggestions on her behaviour and how I should tackle it.

Our new Araucana girls (and yeah...the whole Araucana v. Americauana thing, btw? Freaking -confusing-.) are doing well. One of them - always the one -without- a dark spot on her tail (None have names yet) keeps stuffing her impossibly fat little body through the space underneath my front gate and doing a runner.

Now..finding chickens on the footpath in front of my house is hardly unusual. My neighbours love it because my birds are friendly and personable and any chicken out there will briefly decide to follow unsuspecting people on a walk for half a block in a "Can I come home with you?" fashion before turning around and coming back home. When groups of children walk by my house I hear them squeal, "THERE THEY ARE! YOU'RE SO FLUFFY!" It's the best...really.

Except...one of these girls doesn't camp out in front of my gate. So far she's gone missing four times and each time I've found her walking down the street more than a block away from my house. My new chicken is Nope-ing right out of my yard. Dangit, bird!

Thankfully, yesterday after I put her back into my yard (I open the gate and then passively herd them toward the gate) she actually stayed. I realized a couple of days ago when I was pointing at the gate and she followed my directions that chickens actually get pointing. And then it hit me like an embarrassment truck. Of course they do. Roosters point when they tidbit. It was like I had this glorious moment where my brainparts played back all the times I watched my rooster gesture with his wattles and head, pointing to the girls - and then a big, floridly written banner reading, "You dumbass." pasted itself over the memory.

At least my self-mockery is whimsical.

 

[tandykins]

Replacement Freds name isnt fred is it??? Lol. Noooo cant be I enjoyed fred little darling.. x

I have done most of my replies via ovations tonight haha just seemed easier off to bed, enjoy the beautiful weather folks

If his name is literally "Replacement Fred" though it may make my day. XD

 

[Fancychooklady]

Cute araucanas scaly leg mites just dip them in either parafin oil or any cooking oil will do

Unless they infested with lice they should be ok won't hurt to treat them with some lice treatment I use the dog flea powder from woolies excel pet it contains an ingredient which plant based. How do I know this I've rescued some before and yes some people can be cruel to our chookies

You had better check the list of ingredients on any cat or dog product, most contain chemicals that are not recommended for use on ' food producing ' animals.
Chickens in particular can suffer sever organ damage once those chemicals are absorbed into the skin.
I too have had several rescue birds over the years and scaley might is usually the least of their worries.

 

[Teila]

Good morning Friends

locknest4 I am pleased that your flock were OK with not being let out .. don’t beat yourself up too much; sometimes we forget things and life can get hectic at times. They will not be blaming you. Having said that, I know that guilt weighs heavy but is also a good reminder.

Anniebee the Crows already have a name … Evil Black B#$%^’s

I am guessing Bazza did not like my training methods

As you probably know by now, what ails chickens is not my forte but I forget how old Mindy is? This might help others giving advice.

Steampunked good to see you again. I am sorry to hear about Wellington, Antimony and your Maran.

That is a gorgeous photo and yep, that little one spraddled over the egg is adorable. 15!! Wow!

Chooks01 I am sorry to read of your loss also, Lloyd was a very handsome fella. Replacement Fred is pretty good looking also

 

[tandykins]

You had better check the list of ingredients on any cat or dog product, most contain chemicals that are not recommended for use on ' food producing ' animals.
Chickens in particular can suffer sever organ damage once those chemicals are absorbed into the skin.

I too have had several rescue birds over the years and scaley might is usually the least of their worries.

Yeah absolutely - I had a hard time finding stuff that was either okay to use on birds or was either not really bad for use on birds. The flea shampoo I use is pyrethrum based, as is the spray I use on them. I'm not of the school of thought that pyrethrum is harmless for chickens, however, and we never use it as a preventative. I prefer to prevent mice and lights (mites and lice) with herbs and reserve the nasties for the treatment when my gentler methods fail - then I use it sparingly. I prefer to tackle the coop itself by marathon pressure-washing rather than heavily spraying the place.

locknest4 I am pleased that your flock were OK with not being let out .. don’t beat yourself up too much; sometimes we forget things and life can get hectic at times. They will not be blaming you. Having said that, I know that guilt weighs heavy but is also a good reminder.

^^^ THIS.

I love my chickens to the point where -I make clothes for them-. I still, very rarely, forget to lock up their coop at night. That hasn't ended in tragedy for us yet, but it may well one day. These things happen to the best of us. I chalk it up to learning and just try to do better next time. If you feel bad, just give them extra cuddles and maybe some penitence treats. XD

And on that note...because you can't mention chicken clothes and then not show people (that would be rude):

I based the design on a chicken saddle. I was already sewing them due to my hens being a bit bare along their backs. I'm a total novice with sewing so this is all very new to me - but it was my first attempt and I thought it turned out excellent. I intend to keep fiddling with the design and (based on the suggestion of a friend) we decided that Pipper needs a tiny Victorian-style bonnet to go with her dress and I'm in the process of making that now.

Because I have mental problems and too much time on my hands. >.>

(Pipper, btw, is a 7 month old Golden Spangled Hamburg X Lavender Araucana and was hand-raised indoors for her first 16 weeks as a solo chick. My attachment to her is so great she has her own Instagram hashtag #PipperTheChicken XD)



I also make chicken hats (bc that's totes normal), diapers, bow ties, crow collars, horrific implements of chicken torture and whimsy...

https://instagram.com/tandykins/

 

[Fancychooklady]

Yeah absolutely - I had a hard time finding stuff that was either okay to use on birds or was either not really bad for use on birds. The flea shampoo I use is pyrethrum based, as is the spray I use on them. I'm not of the school of thought that pyrethrum is harmless for chickens, however, and we never use it as a preventative. I prefer to prevent mice and lights (mites and lice) with herbs and reserve the nasties for the treatment when my gentler methods fail - then I use it sparingly. I prefer to tackle the coop itself by marathon pressure-washing rather than heavily spraying the place. ^^^ THIS. I love my chickens to the point where -I make clothes for them-. I still, very rarely, forget to lock up their coop at night. That hasn't ended in tragedy for us yet, but it may well one day. These things happen to the best of us. I chalk it up to learning and just try to do better next time. If you feel bad, just give them extra cuddles and maybe some penitence treats. XD And on that note...because you can't mention chicken clothes and then not show people (that would be rude): I based the design on a chicken saddle. I was already sewing them due to my hens being a bit bare along their backs. I'm a total novice with sewing so this is all very new to me - but it was my first attempt and I thought it turned out excellent. I intend to keep fiddling with the design and (based on the suggestion of a friend) we decided that Pipper needs a tiny Victorian-style bonnet to go with her dress and I'm in the process of making that now. Because I have mental problems and too much time on my hands. >.> (Pipper, btw, is a 7 month old Golden Spangled Hamburg X Lavender Araucana and was hand-raised indoors for her first 16 weeks as a solo chick. My attachment to her is so great she has her own Instagram hashtag #PipperTheChicken XD) I also make chicken hats (bc that's totes normal), diapers, bow ties, crow collars, horrific implements of chicken torture and whimsy... https://instagram.com/tandykins/

I see you are very crafty. I used to be crafty , in another life. Life before horses and a 15 years and counting renovation. On the subject of arthritis in chickens, it's more likely to be visceral gout. Too much calcium and or protein is usually the problem. The legs , feet and toes will usually thicken and look much fatter than they should. The bird will show discomfort and eventually go down on its haunches . At the other end of the scale , if the calcium to phosphorus rates are out of whack they can suffer a form of rickets. Annie, Calcium should only be offered ' free take ' , not added to the feed for any length of time as you will only encounter more problems further down the track. Calcium carbonate is more readily absorbed than other calcium supplements.

 

[tandykins]

I see you are very crafty. I used to be crafty , in another life. Life before horses and a 15 years and counting renovation.
On the subject of arthritis in chickens, it's more likely to be visceral gout. Too much calcium and or protein is usually the problem. The legs , feet and toes will usually thicken and look much fatter than they should. The bird will show discomfort and eventually go down on its haunches . At the other end of the scale , if the calcium to phosphorus rates are out of whack they can suffer a form of rickets.
Annie, Calcium should only be offered ' free take ' , not added to the feed for any length of time as you will only encounter more problems further down the track. Calcium carbonate is more readily absorbed than other calcium supplements.

Could be protein - I have been giving them quite a high protein diet lately. I don't usually supplement them with calcium but keep a bowl of grit around instead for "free take". The recent(ish) calcium supplementation has been because when I last pressure washed the coop I forgot to put the grit back in and began noticing calcium problems (whoops). I'll take stock of the nutrition of the treats I'm giving them and have a look at cutting back the protein.