B.Y.C. Dorking Club!

[pysankigirl]

I had a glass of wine

You know...I was never going to breed him, he was not my chosen breed. and he was friggin gorgeous and deserved to pass down his genes. she is not only giving him a great home, but he will be the father of many babies and it would have been a shame if his superb genes were stagnating here with me just to raise other rooster's progeny.

I just wish I liked my Dorking roo better. The girls are great! I think I just don't like the roo. So I will get rid of him and wait for a better roo.to come along.

 

[dncarr09]

Ok, one of my SG pullets I got last week is acting kind of funny. I noticed the first day I brought them home all they acted like they wanted to do was go to sleep. Now, everyone runs to me when I bring food, and they eat and drink well. But, I still have one pullet that will occasionally come over and eat, but she acts so sluggish and just sleeps all the time. I can walk right up to her and she doesn't even try to run or get away she just wants to sleep. Also, I noticed her tail feathers look a little different than the other pullets. Almost like her tail feathers are more raggedy or tattered if that makes any sense. Any ideas, I know that doesn't give much to go on I have just never experienced this before. Anything I should try to do for her?

 

[Rockashelle]

You have probably thought if this already, but have you checked her for mites or lice? She could be anemic.

 

[dncarr09]

You have probably thought if this already, but have you checked her for mites or lice? She could be anemic

Well, I thought about that. But, I am not for sure. I have bought stuff that you spray to treat their area with. See, I am pretty new to chickens. I have only had chickens for about 6 months and have never dealt with lice or mites. The place they come from last week was pretty dirty, and they had been packed in with alot of other chickesn in a barn. There is a good chance it could be something like that. I just didn't know if that is what it was since all the other pullets, and the roo in their with her seem fine feather wise. I know this may be a silly question, but how do you treat the chicken for mites/lice? Any ceartain products, or dips or anything?

 

[Eggcentric Rae]

Both of my last batches of chicks had one "underperformer" in it as compared to the others. I bought what we refer to as "chicken gatorade" - the powder with electrolytes and minerals in it. We added it to the general population's water and also did some extra work on the sickly chick to give her more (she wasn't readily drinking because of the sleeping issue).

Happy to say we have two more happy/healthy chicks after trying this. For $5-$7 at the feed store, it couldn't hurt.

 

[dncarr09]

Both of my last batches of chicks had one "underperformer" in it as compared to the others. I bought what we refer to as "chicken gatorade" - the powder with electrolytes and minerals in it. We added it to the general population's water and also did some extra work on the sickly chick to give her more (she wasn't readily drinking because of the sleeping issue).

Happy to say we have two more happy/healthy chicks after trying this. For $5-$7 at the feed store, it couldn't hurt

Thank you, I have some save a chick at home that I thought about trying. I use it for my babys in their first couple of waters to help start them out on the right foot. I am going to try it for her also. Thanks for the help!

 

[Eggcentric Rae]

Perhaps it will help bring the bird's strength back up while you research any other problems. We also hand feed dry oatmeal (the store brand of long cooking stuff) to our "behind" babies.

Good luck!

 

[Rockashelle]

You know, I try to keep ahead of the little buggers. Every coop is susceptible to them. The chances of your birds being infested from a dirty home are especially higher. Treat them all! There are great references available here on treating your birds and coop. You will need to do both… several times. Initially, and then within 5 – 10 days, and I’d do it again 5 days later. I keep dust baths available at all times in hopes to keep them ahead.

You will get lots of advice on what to use to de-louse or mite proof your birds. I personally use a mix of wood ashes, play sand, DE (Diatomaceous Earth), peat moss and powder sulfur (kills & repels bugs quickly / naturally and safe enough to spray on veggies in a garden, I dust the wooden coop with it as well as that’s where they lie in wait for night to fall). Some people don’t recommend DE because it can lead to respiratory problems if overly inhaled. I use a minimal amount of DE in comparison to the rest of the ingredients. (1 cup) People have used it for years with no problems.

Sounds like they all may have been suffering initially but some may have shaken some of the buggers off dust bathing in the yard. Sounds like you need to do something pronto with the little pullet that isn’t do so well. I’m not certain about dips/sprays/etc. I would be tempted to dust her with the straight sulfur and get her some electrolytes from a local feed store STAT plus apple cider vinegar in her water. Is she eating or drinking? Yes... Oatmeal is a great idea!

 

[Sydney Acres]

I had a glass of wine

You know...I was never going to breed him, he was not my chosen breed. and he was friggin gorgeous and deserved to pass down his genes. she is not only giving him a great home, but he will be the father of many babies and it would have been a shame if his superb genes were stagnating here with me just to raise other rooster's progeny.

I just wish I liked my Dorking roo better. The girls are great! I think I just don't like the roo. So I will get rid of him and wait for a better roo.to come along.

Temperament can be so important, and a bad rooster can make your whole flock (and you) miserable. It's best to get rid of a rooster that no one can live with. If he's superior quality otherwise, maybe he'd fit into another breeder's flock. If he's average quality or less, plus a bad temperament, then it's probably best to cull him. Sometimes it takes a while to find the right rooster, but it's worth the time. It sounds like your Maran rooster got a great home. Maybe you can keep in touch with the new owner. You'll feel better about your decision if you know he's happy.

 

[ki4got]

for parasites I use a couple of things... sevin dust (10% in/around the coop, 5% can be used ON the birds directly or in a dust bath) is inexpensive and effective. I add about a cup to a sandbox about once a month. and twice a year i use ivermectin pour-on (for cattle) and spot-on each bird (big birds i usually do about .4cc, bantams .2cc). the pour on soaks into the skin and kills internal parasites plus mites/lice and even scaly foot mites. I go thru the whole flock twice a year, doing everyone at the same time. i just make sure everyone's in the same coop for one night, and go thru down each roost, dosing under one wing where the feathers are thinnest.