Barnevelder breeders lets work together and improve the breed

[Chickenman76]

Here are some of my 5 Barnevelder chicks, they are approx between 6 - 8 weeks old! So hard to get a photos as they are continually on the move!

 

[pysankigirl]

This sucks, my one Barnie Roo Died, and he just was barely over a year old, don't make since he was perfectly healthy

it is probably too late but alot of states will necropsy for free under the Avian influenza balloon if you bring it to one of their state testing facilities. I hate not knowing WHY.

 

[sherpagirl]

Is anyone here in Colorado?

 

[DiamondDust]

I have been enjoying my Barnie chicks that I hatched from Trisha's eggs! I've had a couple of tragedies lately but everyone else is doing fine. One of the little pullets managed to get in with my turkeys and they are super aggressive...the little pullet lost a wing. It was so shocking to find her without a wing! She is amazingly doing just fine though! The are has healed up well and you would never know she is different the way she gets around and all. The other tragedy was one of the cockerel chicks...he managed to jump up into the goat's water bucket and died. I don't even know how he got into the goat pen but he did...poor little guy. Anyway, the rest of the little flock is doing fine and I'm really pleased with how they are growing. I have one splash cockerel out of the dozen blue Barnie eggs that hatched, four other cockerels and the rest are pullets. They will join my other two pullets and one hen and one cockerel once they are old enough. All the young ones free range but the hen is penned with my layer flock. Once they start to lay I will phase out the layers and keep just my Barnies, I think.

DD

 

[tls_ranch]

I have been enjoying my Barnie chicks that I hatched from Trisha's eggs!  I've had a couple of tragedies lately but everyone else is doing fine.  One of the little pullets managed to get in with my turkeys and they are super aggressive...the little pullet lost a wing.  It was so shocking to find her without a wing!  She is amazingly doing just fine though!  The are has healed up well and you would never know she is different the way she gets around and all.  The other tragedy was one of the cockerel chicks...he managed to jump up into the goat's water bucket and died.  I don't even know how he got into the goat pen but he did...poor little guy.  Anyway, the rest of the little flock is doing fine and I'm really pleased with how they are growing.  I have one splash cockerel out of the dozen blue Barnie eggs that hatched, four other cockerels and the rest are pullets.  They will join my other two pullets and one hen and one cockerel once they are old enough.   All the young ones free range but the hen is penned with my layer flock.  Once they start to lay I will phase out the layers and keep just my Barnies, I think.

DD

Sorry about the tragedies Over the weekend while we were gone camping, I had a broody loose all of her 13 eggs due to a fight with another broody. I have 8 broody hens right now. Its a bit crazy as I really don't need any more chicks right now. I have nearly 50 pullets of various ages, but most are between 4 and 7 weeks old. Hopefully tomorrow I will be selling off about 20 four week- old cockerel chicks to a guy for capons/ meat birds. This will be the second batch he has got from me. I'm keeping 6-7 of the most promising to grow out longer.

Of my oldest juveniles, so far I have one nice standard cockerel, 2 blue cockerels, and 2 really promising splash cockerels that I'm growing out as breeding prospects. One of the splash cockerels is HUGE and still growing. The other is good sized too, but much younger so I don't know if he will get as big as his brother. The younger cockerel has a really nice head and I can't wait to see how he turns out.


Trisha

 

[Anniebee]

First of all, you won't usually see worms when an animal has worms. You actually won't see them until the worms start to die, and then they are passed in the stool. What you really have to look for are the worm eggs, which you would need a microscope to see. Moult is a good time to worm chickens since many of the wormers require a 2-4 week egg withdrawal, so you would be throwing away fewer eggs by worming during a time when the chickens aren't laying a lot anyway.

Second, I would look for mites or lice crawling on her skin. Mites, lice and worms will all cause a chicken to become lethargic and anemic. I don't know what you have available to you in Australia to treat for mites or lice, but I usually use Sevin dust. I also sprinkle Sevin dust on the bottoms of the coops when I clean them.

Lastly, it could be the moult. I would try increasing her protein and vitamin intake. Scrambled eggs are good, plus they may encourage her to eat. There are also vitamins you can mix into their water. I've also heard of people giving their birds liquid baby vitamins when they are "off" like this.

Thank you Bonny. I wormed them a couple of weeks back - in a small amt of water with the only worming mixture I had left. I didn't know ( ooops ) to not eat eggs from chickens that have been wormed, and I wouldn't have foggiest idea which of the 18 eggs I have at present, would have been affected ? So far we have not been ill ourselves, so I guess we have been lucky in some way. I know one cannot 'over-worm' chickens - so I think I will give them another lot in a week's time ( which is 3 weeks before due ). I have used Pestcene mite and lice powder in their coops, but have not specifically dusted Milly herself - which I will do today. She is eating well - but removes herself mostly from the larger chickens. Isolates herself - almost anti-social and stands gazing into space a lot ??? Yesterday she passed a foul smelling greenish bowel, but later her droppings were normal. I put that down to the previous days' scratching and eating of insects etc. in a new patch in the garden - where they had never been before.

She perches by herself, and moves away from the only other percher ( my Welsummer ) on the perch. If they crowd into the nesting box for warmth, she always manages to get underneath them - thus getting the most warmth I would imagine. Today, a little of her poop is greenish but is more solid and normal looking.

I will be cooking up some mince steak today for her to eat by herself ( protein ) ... and will hard boil and mash a couple of eggs. - from the latest couple laid so's there's no worming mixture in them. This food she will get by herself, which will suit her splendidly. I thought too of some boiled rice & vegies ( which is not nutritious but is given to dogs and cats when they are off colour ). Binds up the bowel a bit, and settles the stomach. Kind of hoping that works for chickens as well !!

Lastly, I am wondering about the moult. Is it possible that a chicken can begin a moult and then stop ? Is it possible that a chicken can 'need' to moult but for some reason cannot do it ? Milly began to lose a few feathers when she stopped laying, along with my bantam Araucana. The Araucana's feather loss could fill a pillow case. The other three including Milly Barnevelder are very sparse in moulting ... although there's much less of Milly's than anyone elses. All 3 larger chickens moulted fiercely during our late ( and horridly hot ) summer months. That was 4 months back. Even though it's winter now, my Welsummer and RIR are still laying 5-6 eggs each per week. !!

Again thank you ... will go with the protein and further worming, plus a personal 'dusting' of mite powder for Milly. .
Cheers --- AB .

 

[Anniebee]

Anniebee, while it is possible your hen is sick, some of my hens acted very odd during the molt. A few would not come around me and holed up in the nest box, refusing to sleep on the roost with the others for a while. There combs were very pale. I worried about mine also, but they were fine after the molt.

If you haven't done so already, it may be helpful to offer some high protein treats such as scrambled eggs during this time. Keep an eye on her, but I'll bet it is just the molt having an effect.

Thank you Bucka. I wormed them a couple of weeks back - in a small amt of water with the only worming mixture I had left. I know one cannot 'over-worm' chickens - so I think I will give them another lot in a week's time ( which is 3 weeks before due ). I have used Pestcene mite and lice powder in their coops, but have not specifically dusted Milly herself - which I will do today. She is eating well - but removes herself mostly from the larger chickens. Isolates herself - almost anti-social and stands gazing into space a lot ??? Yesterday she passed a foul smelling greenish bowel, but later her droppings were normal. I put that down to the previous days' scratching and eating of insects etc. in a new patch in the garden - where they had never been before. Today, a little of her poop is greenish but is more solid and normal looking.

I will be cooking up some mince steak today for her to eat by herself ( protein ) ... and will hard boil and mash a couple of eggs. This food she will get by herself, which will suit her splendidly. I thought too of some boiled rice & vegies ( which is not nutritious but is given to dogs and cats when they are off colour ). Binds up the bowel a bit, and settles the stomach. Kind of hoping that works for chickens as well !!

Lastly, I am wondering about the moult. Is it possible that a chicken can 'need' to moult but for some reason cannot do it ? Milly began to lose a few feathers when she stopped laying, along with my bantam Araucana. The Araucana's feather loss could fill a pillow case. The other three including Milly Barnevelder are very sparse in moulting ... although there's much less of Milly's than anyone elses. All 3 larger chickens moulted fiercely during our late ( and horridly hot ) summer months. That was 4 months back. Even though it's winter now, my Welsummer and RIR are still laying 5-6 eggs each per week. !!

Again thank you ... will go with the protein and further worming, plus a personal 'dusting' of mite powder for her.


Cheers --- AB .

 

[Anniebee]

Could Milly be egg bound ?

Thanks for reply Sherpa. I have checked as far as I was able, and could know what I was doing - and she doesn't seem to be egg bound or have anything in that area that resembles a hard bulbous anything. By the time the egg ( from what I have learned ) reaches the end of it's journey, it is fully formed with a good shell - and can be easily felt if she cannot lay it. If there is any other problem up further when the egg is being formed, our Vet would have to x-ray her I think to find out. As she is eating well ( nice full crop this morning ) and picking at anything that takes her fancy - I will keep an eye on her and give her some more protein, dust her for mites ( not just the coop ) ... and worm them again 3 weeks earlier than due. I have been told it is not possible to 'over-worm' chickens although good sense should always prevail of course.

Cheers .... AB.

 

[faykokoWV]

I just had to share these pictures of the blue laced barnies I hatch out. Eggs were from Pickledchicken - shipped 12 eggs to me, 10 hatched and all but 2 were blue. Very excited to see these guys grow up!

 

[pickledchicken]

Here are some of my 5 Barnevelder chicks, they are approx between 6 - 8 weeks old! So hard to get a photos as they are continually on the move!