*Buff Orpington Thread!*

[tigger19687]

I wanted BO's so bad, but got 2 New hampshires and 2 sussex because they needed a home (plus they were free and 9 wks old).
Some day I may see if I can trade 2 of mine for 2 BO's I can only have 4 hens

 

[henmania]

Pecking order can change.

They can also do this to each other if there's limited roosting space and they get bored. At least, that's a factor with my neighbor, I suspect. (Her birds always looked a bit more disheveled than this, except after a raccoon attack left her with only 2 girls... Who started to look very well feathered.) The guideline is at least 10"/bird ... I would think BOs wouldn't mind a little more!

Just an update.

This is their roost bars. With the space they still decide to sleep like this lol

 

[HollyBonds]

Hi
I have a BO that is 9 months and has been laying since April. She all of the sudden has stopped laying. She has not laid in over a week. We checked her vent for mites and looks clear. I am a little worried she may not have gotten enough water recently while I was out of town. Activity level and appetite is normal. Is it normal for them to take a break?
Thanks in advance for any advice.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Hi
I have a BO that is 9 months and has been laying since April. She all of the sudden has stopped laying. She has not laid in over a week. We checked her vent for mites and looks clear. I am a little worried she may not have gotten enough water recently while I was out of town. Activity level and appetite is normal. Is it normal for them to take a break?
Thanks in advance for any advice.

Breaks are completely normal, especially in the heat. Not drinking enough water no matter the season will cause a halt in laying too.

 

[HollyBonds]

Breaks are completely normal, especially in the heat. Not drinking enough water no matter the season will cause a halt in laying too.

Thanks for the quick response. I've been worried about her. I may also be stressing her out trying to examine her all the time

 

[smudge]

Hi
I have a BO that is 9 months and has been laying since April. She all of the sudden has stopped laying. She has not laid in over a week. We checked her vent for mites and looks clear. I am a little worried she may not have gotten enough water recently while I was out of town. Activity level and appetite is normal. Is it normal for them to take a break?
Thanks in advance for any advice.

She also could be hiding them...

I thought my Peaches had taken a break. (Easy to recognize her eggs - they're shiny.)

Then one day I found her stash - 8 eggs. Well, Easter egg hunting isn't so bad if you know where she's hiding them, right? A couple of weeks after that, she has a shell less egg, so she's decided the corner of the coop is a better place. *shrug* Go figure.

 

[henmania]

My two other hens started pecking my BO to bleeding today
Her vent is bleeding now. Any suggestions?

 

[DuckPro]

Yay! My thread came out! Yippee!

 

[Wyorp Rock]

View attachment 1080578 My two other hens started pecking my BO to bleeding today
Her vent is bleeding now. Any suggestions?

@henmania
Do you know if she laid an egg?
It look like your BO has a prolapse. Separate her.

Soak her bottom in an bath with epsom salts added in. Gently cleanse it to examine the extent of the damage. Apply some hemorrhoid cream or honey to help reduce the swelling. Gently push to see if the prolapse will go back in. It may come back out - if so, keep it moist with cream or honey - you don't want the tissue to dry out. Place her in a kennel, crate or tub to let her rest.

Also make sure she is drinking well, if you have them give her some poultry vitamins. Also provide extra calcium - crush up a TUMS and sprinkle it over some chopped egg to see if she will eat it. Calcium will help with contracting the prolapse back in.

I would keep her separated for most of the day if you get the prolapse back in. If she has some injury to the vent from pecking, apply some Blu Kote to hide the wounds.
IF the prolapse won't stay in - sometimes you need to wait for the tissue swelling to go down, then keep her separated until it will stay.

 

[meetthebubus]

for any who are having withdrawls seeing their orps as babies again... here you go! lol