BREEDING FOR PRODUCTION...EGGS AND OR MEAT.

[DesertChic]

I'd certainly believe it based on the condition of the paddocks and how frequently they need to be rotated for some of the groups!!!!

(To clarify - the Naked Necks have the shortest nails... and I have to rotate them the most frequently. I think the Cream Legbars might be longer in part because they had a harder time of it with dry fowl pox than the other chicken in their area...)

My NNs also have some of the shortest nails, along with my White Rocks. A couple of my NN hens have nails so short that they started injuring the tips of their toes when they scratched.

 

[Fire Ant Farm]

Quick question about despurring - I despurred my oldest rooster yesterday evening (he was starting to stand funny, so I needed to do it). I used the plier method to take off the outer sheath. It went well, with some small amount of bleeding from the base and the quicks at first, but he continued to ooze for a little while. I used flour to reduce the bleeding (was out of styptic), and held him a little while, then put him back to roost when it was mostly stopped. I didn't put anything else on them (Vetericyn, iodine, etc.)

Checked on him this morning before leaving for work, and it seems he must have oozed more in the night, as the spurs are caked in dark red bloody flour, essentially (also some bedding on one). He seemed ok otherwise to me.

The question is, should I catch him again today after work and clean them off or otherwise tend them? Or is this something that will work out on its own and fall off like a scab? (It's my first time doing this, so I wanted to check, and I didn't want to harass him unnecessarily two days in a row...)

Thanks!

- Ant Farm

 

[holm25]

FAF I would just let him be... Some people might do something but I prefer to just let them heal up on their own.

 

[bnjrob]

Quick question about despurring - I despurred my oldest rooster yesterday evening (he was starting to stand funny, so I needed to do it). I used the plier method to take off the outer sheath. It went well, with some small amount of bleeding from the base and the quicks at first, but he continued to ooze for a little while. I used flour to reduce the bleeding (was out of styptic), and held him a little while, then put him back to roost when it was mostly stopped. I didn't put anything else on them (Vetericyn, iodine, etc.)

Checked on him this morning before leaving for work, and it seems he must have oozed more in the night, as the spurs are caked in dark red bloody flour, essentially (also some bedding on one). He seemed ok otherwise to me.

The question is, should I catch him again today after work and clean them off or otherwise tend them? Or is this something that will work out on its own and fall off like a scab? (It's my first time doing this, so I wanted to check, and I didn't want to harass him unnecessarily two days in a row...)

Thanks!

- Ant Farm

Leave it. Messing with it could start bleeding again. Birds can die from hypovolemia quickly, even from just a nicked quick from a nail trim.

 

[DesertChic]

Leave it. Messing with it could start bleeding again. Birds can die from hypovolemia quickly, even from just a nicked quick from a nail trim.

Well...that's alarming.

 

[Fire Ant Farm]

FAF I would just let him be... Some people might do something but I prefer to just let them heal up on their own.

Leave it. Messing with it could start bleeding again. Birds can die from hypovolemia quickly, even from just a nicked quick from a nail trim.

Thanks! That was my default thought as well - I was worried about starting bleeding again and making it worse - but it is good to get the reassurance. (But I didn't realize birds could die from a nicked quick, yikes!)

Quote: x2

Now I want to go home during lunch and make sure he's not bleeding again...

(Styptic powder is ordered and on its way - I swear I had some somewhere, but have now given up on finding it...)

- Ant Farm

 

[bnjrob]

Thanks! That was my default thought as well - I was worried about starting bleeding again and making it worse - but it is good to get the reassurance. (But I didn't realize birds could die from a nicked quick, yikes!)

It's the possibility of bleeding starting back up after you've left the bird that is the risk of fatality. They have a such a smaller blood supply compared to larger animals, so it's easier to bleed out faster even with a small nick if they are unattended.

 

[Fire Ant Farm]

Quote:
Not sure if he bled overnight or not (and I forgot to check under the roost before dark). He's moving around ok, and ranged, but is subdued and went to roost early. The spurs are blackened (dried blood), no new bleeding now. I'll keep an eye on him.

How do you handle it - do you observe them for a given period of time?

Thanks for the heads up/tip!

- Ant Farm

 

[NanaKat]

 
I do @dfr1973! I still have lot's of room for new projects over here. I have 3 1/2 acres to play with! lol

That may not last long LOL - I have 2-1/2 acres, but the goat pasture takes up almost a full acre, and the pig pen takes up a 16x32 ft chunk of that (potbelly crosses).  Then of course, there's the house and outbuildings, and room for gardens, plus I planted some fruit trees, some of which are still alive.

I have designated an acre around the barn for pens and freerange the layer flock daily. The breed pens freerange when I'm not collecting eggs for hatching. They can range where ever they choose. We have 248 acres at the home ranch, but the flocks choose to roam about a six acre area around the house barn and garden.

@Fire Ant Farm When I trim spurs on a rooster, I only take off 1/3 the length of the horn. I prefer a blunt cut followed with a sanding drum to round off the edges. If one slips by me and is too long, taking off more than that 1/3 invariably cuts into the quick as that elongates as the spur grows. Two weeks later, I can trim again if needed.
Just like a dog's toenails, you have to take off short pieces to avoid bleeding.
I have a Dremel in a special holder where I can easily pick it up to cut the spur. Another with a sanding drum for beaks. Help of another person to hold the bird, makes the task easier. Rarely, I have used a band saw in the barn.
Caged birds tend to grow nails quickly that can curl in the wrong direction. Twice monthly trimming is a must.
Off label use of Koppertox (a horse product) on the bleeding toe, spur or hoof along with wound dust can replace a steptic pencil. An ice cube can be helpful. Hydrogen peroxide with flour or a flash burn with a match as a last resort are two more methods for stopping bleeding.

 

[FaerieChicken]

Do these weights look accurate in growth for the first week?
Wk 1 is actually at 1 to 2 days old...