Chickens for 10-20 years or more? Pull up a rockin' chair and lay some wisdom on us!

[ldutch123]

Idutchh, is it possible a dog or something pounced on her while she was dust bathing? I know mine really get into it an aren't always looking out for trouble trouble...the flopping around could attract something too? A broken neck is all it takes, no wounds necessarily.

Well I say free range loosely cause I have 3 of my 5 acres fenced and they have access to that. So they are fenced but anything is possible. A dog could've jumped the fence but there were no feathers anywhere or anything. It looked like she was laying sideways and by the time I got home she was all dried up with a blue comb. It was just awful. She was one of my favorites.

I was looking at all my other girls tonight and i have a question...... Is it normal for you to feel their breast bone? One of my brahma girls ( runty) I can really feel hers. I can somewhat feel the other girls also but hers seems mo prominent. She may be thin actually. But she goes to bed with a full crop every night and ranges all day.

No doubt I'm looking into all my birds now. I'm super worried,

You guys really help me here though. I trust people who have hands on experience who know their way around the coop

 

[ldutch123]

I have a stupid question. Is a hen the full size and weight when it starts to lay or does she grow more? And the same thing with a rooster?

My EE girls started laying at 5 months old and they at about 7 months old now and they still aren't full size. I'm no expert but from the girls I have raised I would say they are gonna a little bit bigger.

Also my rooster is 7 months and he is still not filled out. He kinda looks like a teenager still

 

[jazzy519]

Thanks I just wondered I have EE, Dominique's, BO, and Rhode Island reds. None laying yet they should be in about a month or so.

 

[ldutch123]

My EE roo doesn't even have his fancy tail yet not to mention my 9 month old girls just kick his butt. But he is still learning how to sweet talk the ladies lmao!!

 

[jazzy519]

My EE roo is just starting to chase the girls hes really been good about letting them eat and snack first but he is learning what the girls are for and they will put him in his place lol.

 

[jazzy519]

This is my first time with chickens and I love them. I got them to get eggs for my quilting group and now they are here to stay. My grandsons really enjoy them.

 

[ldutch123]

I really like mine too that's why I ended up with 80 different chickens, 4 runner ducks and a blind turkey lmao! Things got a little out of hand lol. All in less than a year!

It's really hard to lose one though. Yes they are livestock but you can't help having a few favorites lol.

 

[jazzy519]

Thats so true. I have 23 lost 2 in the past month 1 bar rock hen broke both legs had to cull her and my bar rock rooster boke his neck . Chickens can do some crazy stunts.

 

[therapydoglady]

I have never heard of getting eggbound in a hen, but I have had it happen in other birds. The first time I just disposed of the carcass. When soon after, the second bird was dead in her pen, I got worried I had some disease or something, and had a necropsy done. She was definitely eggbound, the vet said, and there is nothing you can do about it, but it solved the mystery. Sometimes, for me anyway, I just gotta put out the money to find out what's going on. Gave me some peace of mind anyway

 

[Ridgerunner]

I am not that concerned when I find a dead chicken. That does not mean I don't want to know what happened, but if the rest of the flock acts healthy, I don't over-worry about it. If you deal with living animals, you are going to have to deal with dead animals. If others start dying or acting sick, then I'd get concerned. I have not had that happen yet.

It might help you to know what a necropsy costs for you. You can call your county extension agent and talk to them about the cost and how to treat the carcass so it can be examined. If you know this ahead of time, you can make that decision and maybe preserve the carcass. And find out all the cost, not just the necropsy costs.

Here in Arkansas, it is $45 for the chicken necropsy with a $15 carcass disposal fee. If you have a live bird, there may be an Euthanasia fee, I think $30. That's not cheap. This is according to a fee schedule dated 2008.

From a recent thread, the cost in Maryland is nothing for the necropsy for a chicken and the carcass disposal fee is on a per pound basis, so pretty cheap for a chicken. The avian pet necropsy fee was $200, so quite a bit of difference.

Just google "State Name" chicken necropsy fee schedule for your state and see what comes up, or call you county extension agent.

A little knowledge ahead of time can help you deal with a situation.