Chicken Keeping notes

[SkyAJK]

The Chicken Health Handbook by Gail Damerow. This is a heavy duty chicken book, it has just about everything.

A few years back I read online that egg is not to be washed because it has a protective layer after the chicken laid it. Today reading this book, it says to wash it, dry and refrigerate it. Now I am thinking will washing it removes the outer protective layer on the egg.

Anyhow, I clean the eggs with dry tissue, then refrigerate it, before I cook it I wash it in water.

I really like this book, it has a wealth of information. The illness section is so long and showing so many illness do have the same symptoms so it is very hard to tell....

 

[Debbie292d]

A few years back I read online that egg is not to be washed because it has a protective layer after the chicken laid it. Today reading this book, it says to wash it, dry and refrigerate it. Now I am thinking will washing it removes the outer protective layer on the egg.

This gives the low down on eggs. Our first year, I had it printed and on the fridge as hubby wasn't grasping the fact about leaving eggs on the counter. He gets it now, and saves them until there's a dozen to go in the fridge. We wash the day we use them.

 

[SkyAJK]

Thank you @Debbie292d
I clean my eggs with a tissue - almost like unwashed, so it is taste fresh and good for 3 months.

I will keep this in mind

 

[SkyAJK]

Yesterday...found 2 worms on chicken poop....WHODONEIT? That is a Sherlock Holme's question....

Found my hen Apple - Plymouth Rock hen so quiet, she is almost 4 years old now, she came to me at about 2 years old and no egg. She prefer human to chicken She bully any chicken in the flock that she can bully, she is such a troublesome hen.Now she is being beat up by the oldest hen Big Mouth.For a little while now, Big Mouth chases Apple every morning, Apple gets away.

Today I will take sometime hold Apple, she is craving for human interaction, it has been raining the last 2 days, I have not been hang out with them except be there to provide food/water..etc..

Each of my chicken have their little need, a need for hug, attention, a chat here and there.

My heart gets a squeeze when my chicken and I lock eyes, this is the part where the two souls touched for a brief moment, all that need to know and say is known and said......magical

When I held Mint, she rested her head on my arm, her body completely rested on me, ....there is nothing in the world is capable of describing the feeling of being so trust and so love ...by my chicken.

I prefer and enjoy going to produce store that sell chicken stuff, I love walking in there, looking at everything, bedding materials, feed, treats, feeders,...etc.... I don't care to browse any other type of store.

 

[SkyAJK]

Today I will be going to produce shop to shop for new chicken feed and it will be more than that when I check out...these kind of stores driving me crazy, the bigger the store the more stuff to look at.

These animals stuff stores are independently own and operate, so I actually get to see real chickens/farms people. I will be going to 2 stores....certain am in seven heavens.

Should I get extra grains for treat? Meal worms? - meal worms very expensive so that might be a nope. I did try to raise meal worms just a few weeks or a month back and they all died! I will think about starting that again, but I will hold that thought for now.

The chicken feed is so complicated. 1 manufacture only have plant protein in it, why make chickens vegetarian? they eat bugs in the garden anyway.

Then there are feed that very high in protein turn out to be for meat bird before....soup time.

I am not venture into the world of making my own chicken feed. I will just get a few this and that and mixed them all up then watch how my chickens go. If there is a PhD for chicken or a bachelor degree for it, I will take that.

 

[SkyAJK]

Yesterday...I treated 3 hens for worms..I found the long round worms in poops, and 1 hen has undigested whole grains in her poop, that never happened before.

Adzuki and Basil that had implant early this month both are now starting to molt, less active, more quiet, which are the signs of their implants are in effect. I am concern about Basil because her face is deep red, and some part of her comb is purple.

Here is photo of Adzuki - she has white feather and both her parents are Isa Brown. Adzuki's face is less red, this is a good sign.

Basil is an Isa Brown hen - Deep red face & comb, dark comb also bad.

 

[SkyAJK]

....both Adzuki and Basil have a golf ball crops yesterday, but Basil was bigger. All the undigested grains in their poops. They got human tablet of enzyme to help with digestion. This morning their crops are much smaller. I massage their crops 3/4 times a day yesterday.

I will give them 1ml vinegar mixed with water to prevent sour crop this evening. I think the implant is causing this issue, but I am not sure. I will just go day by day and treat them accordingly. They are molting heavily now.