*Buff Orpington Thread!*

[BayBay Peepers]

Is it normal for chickens to lose weight after you worm them? I wormed our girls with Valbazen for the first time two weeks ago and again 10 days later, this past Tuesday. I noticed one of our sweet girls seemed to be lighter than normal so I weighed her and she has lost 6 oz since the first worming. She was only 4.5 lbs to start with. The other girls are not losing weight so I am a little concerned. Other than the weight loss, she is acting totally normal, eating, drinking, laying, demanding to be held constantly.

I saw no evidence of worms or parasites but our Vet advised us to worm our Buffs too since I had to worm our new Chocolate Orpington babies who were very sick and still in quarantine. I am hoping that worming our original girls when they didn't seem to need it didn't harm them.

I don't believe it does much harm. And better safe than sorry. Keep monitoring her weight. Is there much difference in what they were eating from the previous season? I don't know what vegetation you have in AL. Maybe she just needs a little pick me up.

 

[COChix]

Hello, thought I would post some updated shots of our boys, Rocco and Bruno, our Buff Orph Roo's. Here they are at 26 weeks, so pretty now. They are a great duo....

Bruno - Second in command

Rocco - Alpha

Bruno

 

[Johnn]

Johnn, thanks for the update on Bella's mother. I am so happy to hear that she is feeling better. What chicken wouldn't feel better after that "Breakfast of Chicken Champions!" I can only imagine the "chicken piranha" feeding frenzy that would start if you put that bowl down in front of your healthy chickens.

Oh, as usual, your photos are lovely. I always enjoy them so much.

I agree. You do take some great pictures Johnn. Glad she is on the mend

Thank you both!

John, great pics as usual Tell me, what is the breed of your white one with black on her? She is very beautiful.

Thank you, she's a mix as far as I know. Think she is like a Light Sussex crossed with a game hen. Only think the game hen bit because she goes crazy fighting the other hens. She is mental haha!

 

[Johnn]

Well I decided to make it my mission today to find the injured orps feathers to give me am idea of what happened to her. I managed to find them, not sure how I didn't see them before, but anyways I've narrowed it down to be a weasel/stoat. I originally thought she was took over the broken down wall further up, so I thought it could only be a fox. But in fact she wasn't dragged over it. She ran down the woods and went through the broken fence at the bottom and then realised she was cornered by the stoat the stream and the wall, so she went around the wall and squeezed through the fencing and got stuck so the stoat must have started ripping her feathers out until she pushed through and then it got her again and ripped more out and then something must have interrupted it all or the stoat give up and she made her way up to the broken down wall as it may have been familiar to her. And also a big clue is that when I was leaving the hens and set off walking down, a few meters from their gate there is a squished weasel/stoat on the road which would explain why I've had no bother since that day...

Btw its not my belly in the first pic, its just my jacket folded together sticking out!

 

[hennible]

Ah ha great detective work....
I seem to have lost another hen (small possibility she's going off to brood again)
Day time predator, no traces or commotion, has to be a hawk right?

 

[Peanutsmomma]

I don't believe it does much harm. And better safe than sorry. Keep monitoring her weight. Is there much difference in what they were eating from the previous season? I don't know what vegetation you have in AL. Maybe she just needs a little pick me up.

Thanks for the reassurance.

They have been eating Scratch and Peck Layer 18% layer feed with corn for the past 6 weeks. I think I will order the 16% feed today as their egg production will most likely slow down anyway with the cooler weather. All in all feed, consumption seems to be on the upswing since it is FINALLY getting cool here. In the mornings, I give them assorted greens (kale, spinach, etc), berries, seeds and sometimes scrambled eggs and then I let them out around noon to free range until about 6:00. We still have lots of green grass and carpet weed and bugs for them to munch on in the yard. Maybe I should put some vitamins in their water? Hopefully all she needs like you said is "a little pick me up." She has been laying every single day by noon since she started laying 5 weeks ago. Maybe she is exhausted! Our other hens did the same thing though, it took them awhile to get on their egg schedule of taking a day off every 12 days or so.

 

[Johnn]

Ah ha great detective work....
I seem to have lost another hen (small possibility she's going off to brood again)
Day time predator, no traces or commotion, has to be a hawk right?

I'm sorry, I hope you find her! What breed is she? When I have had Buzzards take mine there was always some feathers...

 

[Peanutsmomma]

Ah ha great detective work....
I seem to have lost another hen (small possibility she's going off to brood again)
Day time predator, no traces or commotion, has to be a hawk right?

Oh no!!! Bless your heart. Crossing my fingers and hoping she went off to be broody.

 

[hennible]

No signs anywhere.... Thanks for the crossed fingers... Marshmallow is an EE.... Oh I hope she's brooding and I find her.... It's way too cold and wet for her or chicks....

 

[hennible]

Found feathers everywhere she's gone...