California - Northern

[debs_flock]

Shell less eggs are no issue, I get them now and then. The funniest thing though, it seems like when I get them, the biggest percentage of the time, the hen lays them IN the water. I almost never find a normal egg in the water.

 

[debs_flock]

Well, I'm sitting here in the dark in a motel room, drapes are drawn, DH is still snoozing. It's time to wait him up or we'll miss the "free breakfast", it's 9:15 for goodness sakes. We had to fly to So. CA to attend a wedding this weekend. I can't go anywhere without the laptop in tow if they have free WiFi. So I'm playing on BYC to kill time. The wedding is this afternoon and we fly home tomorrow.

My son is housesitting for me, can't leave the animals at all without a live in sitter. If it were just the chickens, they'd be fine, but the dogs need tending since they are all housedogs and the darn sheep/alpaca/llama insist they still want to eat on schedule

Anyway, it's time to wake him up, I've finished off the horribly weak room coffee.

 

[lawatt]

Beautiful eggs Laura. I've thought of letting my BC marans be one of the breeds I no longer work on for show. I have to cut back somewhere and get this feed bill beaten down to at least below $1,000 from it's current near $2,000

But I know I'll have to at least keep my darkest layers for the egg flock.

x

thanks! one had a small crack in it from shipping, so I opened it up -- it's on the left, one of my girls' eggs is on the right:


i realize it's probably difficult to free-range chickens in texas in the summer (and perhaps a lot of breeders don't free-range?), but glad to see my girl's is so dark and plump by comparison!

i scrambled them with some leftover shrimp spread -- SO heavenly...

 

[debs_flock]

Quote: Yes, their girls aren't getting nearly enough greens.

 

[ronott1]

I posted this in the emergencies and illnesses thread but was hoping some of you could help me out too. Thanks. She is generally a happy girl though thinking on it now she used to always be the first in the house if the door was open but she hasn't done that since she was sick. I think I will weigh her since weight loss is a sign too.

Hi I am bumping this post because I have not had a lot of success in my research. I wanted to also give more information and an update on Della.

I treated her for sour crop and she responded.

Since then she has not laid a single "normal" egg. She has laid maybe 4 or 5 super soft shelled either below the roosts or in the run.

When I feel between her legs I can feel something in there but nothing ever comes of it

One thing I did read is that internal layers have reverse peristalsis in their ova tract so that the eggs don't make it to the vent instead they travel the wrong way and are deposited in the abdomen. She has laid an enormous egg with a normal sized egg inside which I also understand is a result of reverse peristalsis. She is 15 mos old now and other than for the first month she was laying has never been "normal" in terms of her laying. Soft shelled, shellless, weird things like what is pictured above...those are her normal

If anyone has any experience with this I would appreciate it. I guess what I want to know is how long she is likely to live with this condition. She doesn't appear to be sick in general and seems to be enjoying life so I don't want to euthanize her yet but what can I expect to have happen??

This is a tough one indeed. She is laying eggs. Internal layers do not live if the egg goes into the abdomen. The lump you feel may be a tumor but who knows?

Laying problems are more common in Hybrids but I am guessing Della is a Delaware? Other than Nutrition and making sure there are no parasites you really cannot do much. Vets that work with Poultry are very expensive.

Take the best care of her you can and if she passes send her in for a free Necropsy with 70% discount on shipping from UC.

 

[debs_flock]

The State Fair news crew filmed events. They had asked if they could interview me, I told them I was only the clerk and they should interview the judge. I was standing in the background doing my best to be a good clerk (out of the way and unobtrusive, only speak to the judge to set up their classes, etc). All of a sudden it dawned on me I was actually in the shot, LOL


Anyway, for those of you interested in the art of poultry judging. A beginner's guide

 

[chiqita]

Hello!
We are off to the fair today. My only day off ! Quick question what day is the orange ville small animal fair? The San Rafael wine and food affair is the 10th and I'm wondering if they conflict.

 

[ronott1]

Hello!
We are off to the fair today. My only day off ! Quick question what day is the orange ville small animal fair? The San Rafael wine and food affair is the 10th and I'm wondering if they conflict.

The Small Animal exchange or the chicken Festival?

 

[debs_flock]

Orangevale is the second Saturday of the month during it's run (I think through Sept or Oct.), so the 10th of Aug. I went one month, I was the biggest vendor there.................I guarantee you I wouldn't drive up from San Jose unless you had something else going on also.

 

[tommysgirl]

This is a tough one indeed. She is laying eggs. Internal layers do not live if the egg goes into the abdomen. The lump you feel may be a tumor but who knows?

Laying problems are more common in Hybrids but I am guessing Della is a Delaware? Other than Nutrition and making sure there are no parasites you really cannot do much. Vets that work with Poultry are very expensive.

Take the best care of her you can and if she passes send her in for a free Necropsy with 70% discount on shipping from UC.

The lump seems to come and go. Della is a hatchery Delaware so I am sure she has some other...probably leghorn...mixed in. I forgot to add that she will sit in a nest box often for hours and produce nothing. I don't think she has laid an egg in the nest box since April and those were soft shelled.