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

[thedragonlady]

That's about it, in a nutshell. Should be cross stitched, framed out and hung in every coop in America.

This is why I cull for the best...I simply do not like drama. It's a peaceful and enjoyable thing to have good birds. You don't have to worry about health problems or laying deficiencies and day follows day in an orderly and lovely way. You get to know each bird and how they act in each season, so you don't have too many surprises of the negative kind.

If I am trying to do anything at all in these two threads, it is to bring home the fact that keeping chickens can be an easy, successful and stress free endeavor if you just follow a few basic husbandry rules. After that you can dress it up anyway you wish to enhance the experience even further...get different breeds, different types, try different feeds, etc.

Unfortunately, to get good birds you have to have a goal and have the fortitude to stick to it. If you really want a good experience with chickens, this is pretty much the only way to get it.

Really watching your birds to get to know their natural behaviour will teach you lots, and help you avert problems. Yesterday I noticed that Monty, my huge English Buff Orpington cockerel, was just not moving well. He wasn't lame, just moving cautiously. I picked him up, and found that he had somehow gotten his numbered bandette over his spur nub down to the area between his spur and his foot. That band was TIGHT there! I immediately moved it back in place, and put some bag balm on his ankle. The big goofball really acted grateful. He's very chipper and moving well this morning. No telling what might have happened to his leg and foot if that had gone on without my catching it.

 

[Mskayladog]

Difference between egg bound and constipation in chickens? Should I treat or let nature take it course? I'm leaning towards not treating and keeping a eye on her if she gets better good if she starts getting worse kill her.

About her
Plymoth rock good layer of small eggs
No eggs for two full days none this morning from her.
I have seen one poo yellowish in color yesterday ( can't stand out there all. Day waiting for her to poo so that's the last poo I have seen from her no idea is she has pood more)
She is not leathrgic ie droopy head but she does not seem as active as she has been.
Now and then she stands still and strains. Not like a hen straining in the nesting box but still straining a bit.
Vent is not swollen. Sometimes when looking at her she does seem puffy if that makes sense.
thanks


Edit| her poo is 100% normal

 

[Fred's Hens]

Difference between egg bound and constipation in chickens? Should I treat or let nature take it course? I'm leaning towards not treating and keeping a eye on her if she gets better good if she starts getting worse kill her.
About her
Plymoth rock good layer of small eggs
No eggs for two full days none this morning from her.
I have seen one poo yellowish in color yesterday ( can't stand out there all. Day waiting for her to poo so that's the last poo I have seen from her no idea is she has pood more)
She is not leathrgic ie droopy head but she does not seem as active as she has been.
Now and then she stands still and strains. Not like a hen straining in the nesting box but still straining a bit.
Vent is not swollen. Sometimes when looking at her she does seem puffy if that makes sense.
thanks
Edit| her poo is 100% normal

Keep an eye on her. If she walks like a frankenstein, stands alone, comb dulls in color, tries to pass something, but fails, swells or puffs up? She's in real trouble. Soak her in a tub of 98 degree (body temp) water. Soak her good. Blow dry, like they do for the show birds. Separate her from the flock so she doesn't fall victim to being picked on. Try to maintain feed and water.

Soak her again in 6-8 hours. Lube her vent. Gently do a digital exam. Don't go deep. Just a little swirl and see if, per chance, there' s egg debris near the opening.

Keep us posted. If this is internal ovarian issues, EYP. ascites, etc, this rarely ends well. I'm very sorry to say. Hope for the best.

 

[Mrs.ChickChick]

She's 100% pure mutt. 4th generation ISA Brown. ISA's don't breed true, of course, but this white line does pop out in the F2 and F3. She does have that WR look and that could be strengthened by putting a good WR cock over her. Sadly, I do not have one at my disposal.
At least not until after the Columbus Nationals, maybe, maybe.

Interesting! Are ISA Browns different from hatchery Red Sex Links in that they are patented? Seems like I've heard each hatchery has their own "recipe" for the RSL, is that true?

Hopefully you'll be able to find a WR roo that would suit your needs if you decide to go in that direction. Bruce suggested breeding a rose combed Rhode Island White with your girl, is this so the rose comb would be passed to offspring to withstand harsher winters? Just trying to understand the reasons behind breeding choices.

 

[Fred's Hens]

Interesting! Are ISA Browns different from hatchery Red Sex Links in that they are patented? Seems like I've heard each hatchery has their own "recipe" for the RSL, is that true?

Anyone, even backyarders, can make an RSL. Simple. Put a RIR over a silver(white hen) and ta da. Some hatcheries sell roll their own, others sell one of the many commercial types. No way of knowing, as most hatcheries don't disclose. I think it depends a lot on whether they have a lot of larger, commercial customers or just so a few retail type sales.

The ISA Institute de Scientific Animale is one of the oldest poultry research groups. The own a proprietary flock of grandparent stock. The ISA Brown is one of the oldest, most popular, commercial RSL used throughout the world in the laying industry. Bred now for over 30 years, the ISA owned a bunch of laying records, back in the day. Lohman Brown, Bovan Browns were others. There has been a lot of consolidation of the genetics companies, as DeKalb, ISA, Hendrix, Bovan, Shaver, HiSex, Babcock have all merged into one corporation. Tetra is another large firm, as is Hyline, etc.

 

[Fred's Hens]

Hopefully you'll be able to find a WR roo that would suit your needs if you decide to go in that direction. Bruce suggested breeding a rose combed Rhode Island White with your girl, is this so the rose comb would be passed to offspring to withstand harsher winters? Just trying to understand the reasons behind breeding choices.

No, I won't go Rose Comb. That creates a whole issue I don't want to deal with. Some rose, some straight, some mixed, or with side spikes. Plus, the true RIW is just flat too rare and wouldn't provide the body shape I'd go with, on the whites, anyhow. RIR and RIW are brick shape. I prefer to see white birds with a more "soup bowl" shape. The european White Sussex, likely used in the original mix, is white legged and I don't care for white legged birds. If I do any direction with the whites, it will be Rock. But, that said, to what end? The White Rock is itself a fantastic bird. Not too sure what we could make that would make any difference to the chicken world or our own needs, We'll see.

 

[Beekissed]

I often wonder about this belief that large combs makes a breed not cold hardy. It does not automatically follow that, if the bird has a large, single comb, it will be frost bit in cold weather. I've had combs of all sizes and shapes and only had two roosters in one winter, get a bit of frost bite on the tips. That was my fault due to increased humidity in the coop, not because of the temps. It wasn't any more cold than any other winter that year.

Since then I've not had any frosted tips at all. I also have not had a rose comb in the flock for a good 4 years now. Comb size and type do not necessarily class a bird as cold hardy or not cold hardy.

 

[Leahs Mom]

It wasn't any more cold than any other winter that year.

How many winters did you have that year?

(Okay, just my strange sense of humor...I knew what you meant...ignore this and carry on.)

 

[Ridgerunner]

I often wonder about this belief that large combs makes a breed not cold hardy. 

There's probably a reason the Chantecler and Buckeye were developed as cold weather breeds with smaller combs.

I put this in the difference in what can happen and what will certainly without fail happen. A lot of people on this forum have a lot of trouble understanding the difference.

You can have an accident the next time you get in a car, whether you are driving or not, whether it is your fault or not. I sure hope not and don't expect you to, but it can happen. I'd think you'd take reasonable precautions against having an accident, maintaining your car and watching how you drive. I doubt you obsess about it, just take reasonable precautions.

A single combed bird is probably more likely to get frostbite than a smaller combed bird. If you take reaosnable precautions, like keeping the humidity down, it's not likely to happen, but it could.

Not everybody is going to take the same reasonable precautions so a pea, rose, cushion, or whatever smaller combed bird is probably more cold hardy, especially if you don't practice good husbandry. It's just a tiny bit more insurance.

 

[Beekissed]

Quote:
How about this....that winter was no more cold than any winters we have previously had or have had since then. Better?

If you want to split hairs, in WV we do have 2 winters in one year, one starts in January and another starts the following fall..in the same calendar year.