California - Northern

[CALI CHICK]

This is great!

I saw someone getting old produce form our Grocery Outlet. I was told that in Davis the Co Op will give away old and blemished produce. I am going to check on this today at the Grocery Outlet.

Happy Saturday!

Ron

Neither Safeway or Bel-air will give you old produce...because of company policy! Both stores "used to" give produce to people, but someone probably claimed it made their bunny sick...

so now they send it back to a distribution center where it is given to farmers. (Probably with a disclaimer to protect the store from being sued)
Anyway, I went to a little European market and they gave me a box of stuff.....mostly cabbage leaves. I guess you just have to ask around and find a place that will work with you.

By the way, is the heat effecting your hens from laying? Yesterday I didn't get any eggs from my 3 girls - too hot! But, this morning they've already layed 3 eggs.

Here is this morning's treat. I should probably cut it up in small pieces and bag it for the future, but I was curious what they would do with it right out of the box!
You can also see my "chicken garden" in the background. The container seeds seem to germinate faster. When they get about 3 inches high I will put a container in the silkie pen and continue to rotate the containers. When the plants in the pvc tractor get 3 inches, I'll move the tractor to a new location and seed again. I hope the greens last awhile.

 

[ronott1]

Quote: Yes, mine have slowed down a bit, but I also got a pullet egg today! so cute.

I had a bit of a scare, one of my AM Dorking=Easter Egger was missing from the layer yard--found her under one of the breeder hutches! She is in out of the heat now.

I picked up a bag of crimped oats today and will see if it helps them.

Ron

 

[zooweemama]

I'm beginning to hate weekends. I have congested birds. What in the world??

It's the black ones so far. The BC Marans. One guy is worse- his nose is crusty, breathing rattly. The ones that I can tell that are having issues also have some eye swelling? Around the eye it is swollen- where you can see the inner portion of their eye? Hard to explain. It has been thing after thing with chickens for us. Is this normal? Should I have just gotten hatchery birds? I have SO much invested in these pure breeds though! I am just heartbroken right now. I removed the 2 obvious ones and they are in a kennel together. I put anti-biotics in their water.

Their poops look normal that I can tell and everything flocks to the food when I bring it out. I am going to go look for more. I am so tired you guys. I haven't been anywhere or done anything in weeks. It's all about the chickens. I just want to sit down and cry.

 

[debs_flock]

I don't know what to tell you, your luck has been terrible.

I have 200+ birds and really haven't had many problems at all. The occasional chick that was fragile at hatch and didn't survive or a few chicks with pasty butt. I did lose two birds this week from (I assume) the heat.

Deb

 

[zooweemama]

Can someone please re-link me to the place where you send your bird to have it diagnosed and PM a humane way to cull birds please? All the other stuff I managed to get through but when it hits the respiratory- I KNOW that is bad news. I can see some of the others 'might' be having issues but it's hard to tell because everyone's beaks are open anyway because it's 300 hundred degrees outside. It looks like primarily the Marans that are affected for some odd reason. It doesn't matter what IT is- I need to identify it so I know if I need to cull my whole flock.

In the meantime- antibiotics in the water right?

 

[zooweemama]

I don't know what to tell you, your luck has been terrible.

I have 200+ birds and really haven't had many problems at all. The occasional chick that was fragile at hatch and didn't survive or a few chicks with pasty butt. I did lose two birds this week from (I assume) the heat.

Deb

What's frustrating is I don't GO anywhere. So I am not bringing this home to my birds. My mil goes once a month to her brothers house to get our eggs. That's the only contact we have with other birds. My mil doesn't care for the chickens- I do though. I honestly do not get it.

 

[debs_flock]

Are you sure it isn't just the heat?

Every bird I have is panting right now. I nearly lost two more birds today from the heat. They were lying on their sides nearly comatose. I wet their run, dunked them in cool water up to their chins and they are now standing in my hall bathtub enjoying the AC. When they get put back outside tonight, I hope they don't tell the rest of the girls what we have in the house.

Deb

 

[Hangtown Farms]

Are you sure it isn't just the heat?

Every bird I have is panting right now. I nearly lost two more birds today from the heat. They were lying on their sides nearly comatose. I wet their run, dunked them in cool water up to their chins and they are now standing in my hall bathtub enjoying the AC. When they get put back outside tonight, I hope they don't tell the rest of the girls what we have in the house.

Deb

I do not keep Maran's but here they are not super heat tolerant.

 

[zooweemama]

Are you sure it isn't just the heat?

Every bird I have is panting right now. I nearly lost two more birds today from the heat. They were lying on their sides nearly comatose. I wet their run, dunked them in cool water up to their chins and they are now standing in my hall bathtub enjoying the AC. When they get put back outside tonight, I hope they don't tell the rest of the girls what we have in the house.

Deb

The one with the crusty nose- when I brought a sneezing pullet in to join him- he had a bubble hanging out his nostril. :| I don't think heat would induce sneezing and wet sounding breathing with crusty nose? Only the one has a crusty nose (cockerel). But another marans pullet is also sneezing. The Orps seem to be find for the most part actually. It's very weird that it's just the Marans right now. It might eventually hit the Orps but it hasn't just yet.

I just don't even know what to do. I feel like I am the 90210 chicken girl on the thread lol- sorry guys!

 

[zooweemama]

I do not keep Maran's but here they are not super heat tolerant.

They (marans) are the first to pant and first to droop when the day starts warming up for sure. Even though the Orps have mad crazy amounts of feathers lol.