California - Northern

[PGRanch]

Well...I think its safe to say that the chickens are comfortable here. Just wallowing in the dirt while the workers bang away a few feet over

 

[zooweemama]

Well...I think its safe to say that the chickens are comfortable here. Just wallowing in the dirt while the workers bang away a few feet over

A group dust bath too looks like! haha

 

[PGRanch]

A group dust bath too looks like! haha

HA! yeah. The king Roo with his 4 ladies while the lesser Roos keep watch.

 

[ronott1]

Talk to me. So the sick chickens I had...no longer 'sick'. While they have been separated from the rest the ones that rattled when they breathed- have completely gotten better. Rattles are completely gone. I am still processing the cockerels - I have already have 5 'keepers' and only like 14 females- my ratio is already jacked lol. (need more hens! haha)

Anyway...I had a female, one of my FBCM who was breathing very poorly. Acting low. Not doing well and had a minor limp. Now she is acting very chipper, more pronounced limp but she is vigorous and breathing just fine. The one cockerel that we had dubbed Wounded Knee also has recovered for the most part. He still has a slight offness in his gait but at one point he was walking on his knees. He is now walking normally (just a slight offness that is generally seen when he gets bumped hard or steps into a dip). He is also still getting processed. But I am just struggling with the female- she is far too small to process so she would get culled and that's it. But I have not treated the chickens with any kind of medical intervention whatsoever. And they are all getting better (at least it sure seems like it! Breathing issues gone, lameness seems to get bad before it mostly corrects itself).

Should I still cull the pullet or would you wait and see? I am impressed that although these chickens (nearly all of them (affected by the mold) are the FBCM only 2 of the Orps were affected during all this) are recovering on their own without intervention on my part. The males are still goners as I do not need any more males- but that female could lay eggs darn it! LOL I hate the fact that despite her limp (Wounded Knee's was horrible for a time, walking on both knees and now he walks nearly normal!) she is actually doing wonderfully.

I did toss in a male Orp with all 'meat chickens' that was not sick because I only planned on keeping 1 male Orpington but since I plan to actually breed my Orpingtons- I think I should keep 2 Orp roosters - because if something happened to the one Orp roo I have now- I would have NO Orpington rooster. Not good.

Thoughts on my pullet- watch her, ruthlessly cull her? If I cull her- I need to do it asap because watching her fight her way back to good health is really getting to me. LOL

And I have to add that all the healthy ones that have been living with the sicks ones never got sick and I have had no new sicknesses (except the breast blister which is unrelated) of this type since cleaning and treating my coop and installing a roost and poop board.

Keep the pullet. She sounds like she is disease resistant.

 

[zooweemama]

HA! yeah. The king Roo with his 4 ladies while the lesser Roos keep watch.

I do not know what it is about dust bathing but when chickens do it- I stop and watch. I can't help it. It is the funniest thing to me. Having not grown up around chickens - I find it rather charming. lol When they do it in groups - it kills me. SO funny!

 

[zooweemama]

I know not many (if any) of you keep ducks but maybe even your chicken knowledge might help? I know when it comes to why it's heavier you may not be able to help. But perhaps regarding egg size you can? I know when a chicken first starts to lay the size can vary and usually be kinda small. Shape can vary too. But some of my ducks have been laying for a good 6 weeks and the eggs are not getting any bigger? Maybe they need more time?

-----

So I have Runners, 300s, Pekins, Buffs and Harlequins. I have 11 females. I am only getting 4-5 eggs a day. So I do not think they are all laying. I have never had a 6 egg day. Ever.

I have been getting this many eggs for over a month now.

The average egg size is about 52-68 grams. (ranging from 2 -3 ounces approx each egg) Now these eggs are easily fitting in standard egg cartons. Every now and then I get a double yolker that will go 95 grams or so- those won't fit in the cartons.

Duck eggs seem to feel a little heavier for their size when compared to chicken eggs. But I am not having any issues with fitting duck eggs into chicken egg cartons. Is this everyone else's experience with ducks eggs?

So size wise they are not very big but they are very heavy. When you look at this guide-
http://pubs.ext.vt.edu/2902/2902-1091/2902-1091_pdf.pdf For sizing (chicken eggs I assume) generally.

Also if you see Metzers site (where 8 of my females came from) my egg size and what their site says aren't matching up yet. http://www.metzerfarms.com/DuckBreedComparison.cfm?CustID=1162152

How long would a duck need to be laying before their egg size begins to be more of what it 'should' be? I seldom get any eggs over 68 grams. Months? A whole laying season? Mine have only been laying about 6 weeks so far...

Per dozen my yield fluctuates from 30 ounces to 36 ounces (thats not counting any double yolkers). So even when I get a 36 oz dozen- the eggs are still not what I would consider jumbo sized but are indeed heavy.

I wonder what would make the duck eggs seem so much more dense? Anyone else experience this?

 

[Happy Chooks]

Keep the pullet. She sounds like she is disease resistant.

It wouldn't hurt to give her a chance - she's doesn't have a contagious disease, so she can't infect the rest of your flock.

 

[Hangtown Farms]

It wouldn't hurt to give her a chance - she's doesn't have a contagious disease, so she can't infect the rest of your flock.

I agree. she may pass a resistance down

 

[Gomes Bantams]

I have had a hen like that. 6 generations later and they still carry that "gene".

 

[debs_flock]

Today I did my afternoon "chicken walk". Basically, it's just part of my husbandry practice; walk through and observe the birds in each pen. I check feeders, waterers, check for eggs, look at the birds, head count, etc.

I was so excited! When I got to my pen of Araucana, there in the corner of the run was a bright blue spot..................their first egg!

It is just beautiful!

Deb