Dixie Chicks

[Amberjem]

What you are cutting down their Bleachers To they hold up score cards after you work in the yard?

Awwk I give him a 5.5 how about you Buffy?

deb

I can just soo see that

 

[Amberjem]

When I began with chickens, I got 2 production hens, and a rooster. When I expanded, I got a couple more production hens. The newcomers were quarantined. They had worms, so I wormed them. I dusted them too. The one hen was bare backed, but during her quarantine, her feathers grew back out. When I finally put them in with the others they looked good. It wasn't long, and the newcomer that had the bald back, was bald again. I couldn't understand it. They were all being fed the same thing, and had plenty of free choice oyster shell, and none of the others were having feather problems like her. She was not the rooster's favorite, nor was she his least favorite, so he was not being rough on her. It didn't affect her laying. She laid good, and her eggs were fine. Fast forward to her first molt.

All the other hens molted, but over time, and regrowth of feathers was normal. She lost all but 2 feathers, all at once, and I didn't see any telltale nubs or signs of regrowth. I wasn't worried about her health, but she was getting sunburned. I put her in a big dog crate on my screened in porch. She had quit laying. I added some canned cat food to her diet for the protein. Everything seemed fine, but no eggs or feathers. The next time I went to the feed store, I got Manna Pro Gamebird/Showbird feed, and began feeding that to her. The next day she laid an egg. I continued with the new diet for her, and in less than two weeks she was covered with nubs. Commercial feeds usually have vegetable proteins, but during molt I find that they also need animal protein. Instead of cat food, I began buying Mackerel, and treating all of them with it at least 3 times a week. Everyone was fine, and she had new growth everywhere, but I kept her on the porch until her feathers had almost completely grown back in. When I put her back with the others, she didn't get a bald back like before. Her feather quality was fine. Her next molt was normal, not all at once.

Now, at the first sign of molt, I get Purina Flock Raiser (it's cheaper), or Manna Pro Gamebird/Showbird feed, and mix it in about 50/50 with their layer feed, and treat them with canned Mackerel, or canned cat food. They seem to regrow their feathers a bit faster, and the feather quality is great.

I think it might be a wyandotte thing... I swear their second molt is hard........violet practically become nude when she hard molted in fall...was kinda embarrassing watching her roam around in the yard lol.. usually it's been this one or that one who has molted... this time more then half of em are going thru a big molt..and I see their lil nubby pin feathers coming in as fast as they are loosing em...

 

[Amberjem]

turkey eggs!

 

[vehve]

Our birds have so far done the stealth molt too, you can see some signs in their tails and around the head, but mostly they just look a bit scruffy during the molt.

So, anyone got any tips and tricks for making a bird broody?

 

[hennible]

Just the dark box thing.... Not sure if it works I've never tried it.

 

[Alaskan]

Fake eggs

 

[Amberjem]

yeah everything dark seems to trip my girls off into broodiness..............

my turkey eggs are supose to be here! waiting for mail guy to come

 

[Amberjem]

turkey eggs are here!!!!!!

 

[Amberjem]

where is everyone hiding? should I be hiding also?

 

[Austinspoultry]

Im here idk where everyone else went