BlueTheBrahma’s thread!

[2ndTink]

No more deaths, increase in egg numbers again (one is a marans pullet), so things are looking better here, if you ignore the rain.

Not to dredge up past stuff, but I'm late to the party as always...

My 2 cents (partial pounds? is that a thing?) any way they ate moldy feed? Even if not visibly moldy, or did they get under a feeder where is could have been hiding and growing? I don't know if mycotoxin poisoning could take them out that fast either.

The other would be some strain of cocci, it can take them out pretty quick and whatever I have over here doesn't have bloody poop as a warning, but, lethargy, puffed up, and some foamy orange poops.

If you have been having a lot of rain those are my guesses, but, both should show some symptoms.

Or, a predator coming around and caused heart attacks in the boys and the stress put the girls off laying a little?

No matter the cause, I am so sorry for your loss Blue, and I am very glad things seem to be back to normal with the ladies.

 

[2ndTink]

It might be a bit of an ambitious project, but I’m thinking about starting a website to sell my hatching eggs, spare cockerels, but also get some feeders and things stocked on it for some income on the side. It will also feature a bit of a blog, some of my own diagrams and photos, and maybe breed standards. It will be marans focussed and other features may come later.
Still the early stages but this is the plan.

I'd read the blogs for sure!

 

[BlueTheBrahma]

Not to dredge up past stuff, but I'm late to the party as always...

My 2 cents (partial pounds? is that a thing?) any way they ate moldy feed? Even if not visibly moldy, or did they get under a feeder where is could have been hiding and growing? I don't know if mycotoxin poisoning could take them out that fast either.

The other would be some strain of cocci, it can take them out pretty quick and whatever I have over here doesn't have bloody poop as a warning, but, lethargy, puffed up, and some foamy orange poops.

If you have been having a lot of rain those are my guesses, but, both should show some symptoms.

Or, a predator coming around and caused heart attacks in the boys and the stress put the girls off laying a little?

No matter the cause, I am so sorry for your loss Blue, and I am very glad things seem to be back to normal with the ladies.

I can’t remember how rainy it had been when it happened - it’s basically waterlogged now though. The runs have good roofs though, so the chickens themselves can stay dry.

There were no symptoms at all. My best photos of Napoléon were taken the day before he died, you can see his face was well and red. There were mites under his no-crow collar but not under the olive egger’s. Thankfully the mites have died off now.

There’s foxes, cats and badgers, non can get in but could definitely be prowling around (no other evidence of foxes or badgers around us specifically though). Rats are the biggest problem, my biggest concern is if one dies in a coop and a bird pecks at it the poison could be recycled, but that seems unlikely as I’ve never found them devoured and I can’t imagine it’s that strong by the time it would enter the chicken.

It’s a big loss however. The olive egger was the last living relative of Barry and was lined up to cross with Brahmas for my grouse-leg project. And Napoléon was pretty much showable, my best BCM cock by far. I was also hoping to have two parallel GCM projects to set up clan breeding. Unless I buy a new BCM in the spring the GCM project is still underway but has less staring diversity.

At least Wellington is a silver cuckoo so I don’t have to breed out extended black yet (I may may breed an F1 cockerel to the dark cuckoos to eventually be bred into the GCMs, though the BCMs are going to be the fast route.

Anyway, the deaths were a bit of a mystery, but I’m not completely lost after it. I still have a silkie cock to sell hatching eggs, and Wellington the marans for hatching eggs and the GCM project. I might cross a marans to the Brahmas to revive the grouse-leg project.

Thanks for your concern.

 

[BlueTheBrahma]

Merry Christmas to all my friends who let me ramble on in this thread of mine. I hope you and your families are well and have a great time, and your hens gift you with plenty of lovely eggs.
God bless.

 

[2ndTink]

View attachment 4271596
Merry Christmas to all my friends who let me ramble on in this thread of mine. I hope you and your families are well and have a great time, and your hens gift you with plenty of lovely eggs.
God bless.

Thank you Blue, Merry Christmas to you and your family (feathered and peoples) God bless and I hope you have a wonderful day!

 

[Auntiejessi3]

View attachment 4271596
Merry Christmas to all my friends who let me ramble on in this thread of mine. I hope you and your families are well and have a great time, and your hens gift you with plenty of lovely eggs.
God bless.

Merry Christmas!!!