Eggs all over and more...help
- Thread starter VioletBlueIvy
- Start date
- Thread starter
- #12
- Jan 29, 2010
- 507
- 3
- 186
Hello Everyone! Thank you all for your help.
I checked them for lice and they sure do have them! Yuck!!!
I dusted them a little, not to well I don't think, since it was my first time. And did their whole house too. I replaced the broken nest with a new milk crate and fresh hay in it. They have been fine since! I never would have thought of lice!
I got some organic stuff and am going to do it again.
As far as the injured chicken; I think she may have been in the nest when it broke and she got caught in the wire lining the bottom, that's why it was on the floor across the room, perhaps.
The soft egg was probably the one she was getting ready to lay, but was freaked out by falling through the bottom of the nest, and it came out too soon, one of them did that when we were transporting them from my inlaws next door, my daughter was carrying one of the hens and the dog tried to grab her, and she laid a soft egg right there with lily carrying her. (Incidentally someone mentioned that I wasn't giving them oyster shell, and I wasn't, but I am now, thank you for reminding me!) I figure that night she couldnt get on the roost and it has been very cold here, and she must have nearly frozen to death on the floor by herself.
After I posted my questions, and went home she was all warmed up no frostbite ect. My husband and I both examined her and her leg was not broken, and after a couple days she started using it a little now and then, and she would stretch it and flex her toes. She enjoyed her stay in the bathroom, after a week or so she started limping around pretty well when we let her out of the crate, she would hobble around, to get the treats we brought her, then get tired and go lay down on my bathroom rug, lounging on her side, not a care in the world it seemed. She continued to lay the whole time. On friday I decided to move her outside and see how she does, the rooster went right after her, so I kept her in the crate until the next day. I let her out and they were fine. I kept checking frequently over the next few days to make sure she wasnt getting picked on, and saw some neat behavioral stuff!
I gave them some scratch and she was standing over a pile of it, and another chicken came over to bully in and she stretched up as tall as she could get and made this long low sound and when the other one didnt back off, she attacked her and grabbed her right by her comb and held on for a few seconds, and the intruder beat feet when she turned her loose! So she is standing up for herself, I took that to be a good sign.
The other cool thing is I have been putting her in the crate at night, so she has a warmer place to sleep, and wont hurt herself trying to get up with the others. The first morning when I let her out she went and had a drink, then went right over under where the nest is and looked and looked up at it. She was plainly trying to work out how she was going to get up there to lay her egg. So I picked her up and put her in the nest. She settled right down to buisness and laid an egg! Every morning since she has walked over and just stands there, looking at me, then the nest, until I put her in it. She doesn't struggle or run away when I pick her up. I swear, she is waiting for me, asking me to do it. She is barely limping now, but still cant get up into the box. I am going to build her her own roost near the floor and make a ramp to the nest box this weekend. She is going to be fine!
You should have heard my Grandmother when I told her I had a chicken living in my bathroom in my brand new house!!!
It was worth it though. I have always wanted chickens, always liked them, but I never knew they had this much personality!
Oh, and I kept running the light, but only at night, it has been well below zero for weeks. With this weeks warm weather (20's) I have been keeping it off at night and letting them go out in their run, and they seem happier without it. My chicken coop is my kids old playhouse, so I am going to close in the front porch and face it south, for a greenhouse effect, and add some insulation, so next winter I won't need the light. I think that is what messed them up, why they wont stop laying an molt, I put the light on when they slowed down this fall, I think I will let them do what comes natural next year.
Thank you for all your help!
I checked them for lice and they sure do have them! Yuck!!!
I dusted them a little, not to well I don't think, since it was my first time. And did their whole house too. I replaced the broken nest with a new milk crate and fresh hay in it. They have been fine since! I never would have thought of lice!
I got some organic stuff and am going to do it again.
As far as the injured chicken; I think she may have been in the nest when it broke and she got caught in the wire lining the bottom, that's why it was on the floor across the room, perhaps.
The soft egg was probably the one she was getting ready to lay, but was freaked out by falling through the bottom of the nest, and it came out too soon, one of them did that when we were transporting them from my inlaws next door, my daughter was carrying one of the hens and the dog tried to grab her, and she laid a soft egg right there with lily carrying her. (Incidentally someone mentioned that I wasn't giving them oyster shell, and I wasn't, but I am now, thank you for reminding me!) I figure that night she couldnt get on the roost and it has been very cold here, and she must have nearly frozen to death on the floor by herself.
After I posted my questions, and went home she was all warmed up no frostbite ect. My husband and I both examined her and her leg was not broken, and after a couple days she started using it a little now and then, and she would stretch it and flex her toes. She enjoyed her stay in the bathroom, after a week or so she started limping around pretty well when we let her out of the crate, she would hobble around, to get the treats we brought her, then get tired and go lay down on my bathroom rug, lounging on her side, not a care in the world it seemed. She continued to lay the whole time. On friday I decided to move her outside and see how she does, the rooster went right after her, so I kept her in the crate until the next day. I let her out and they were fine. I kept checking frequently over the next few days to make sure she wasnt getting picked on, and saw some neat behavioral stuff!
I gave them some scratch and she was standing over a pile of it, and another chicken came over to bully in and she stretched up as tall as she could get and made this long low sound and when the other one didnt back off, she attacked her and grabbed her right by her comb and held on for a few seconds, and the intruder beat feet when she turned her loose! So she is standing up for herself, I took that to be a good sign.
The other cool thing is I have been putting her in the crate at night, so she has a warmer place to sleep, and wont hurt herself trying to get up with the others. The first morning when I let her out she went and had a drink, then went right over under where the nest is and looked and looked up at it. She was plainly trying to work out how she was going to get up there to lay her egg. So I picked her up and put her in the nest. She settled right down to buisness and laid an egg! Every morning since she has walked over and just stands there, looking at me, then the nest, until I put her in it. She doesn't struggle or run away when I pick her up. I swear, she is waiting for me, asking me to do it. She is barely limping now, but still cant get up into the box. I am going to build her her own roost near the floor and make a ramp to the nest box this weekend. She is going to be fine!
You should have heard my Grandmother when I told her I had a chicken living in my bathroom in my brand new house!!!
It was worth it though. I have always wanted chickens, always liked them, but I never knew they had this much personality!
Oh, and I kept running the light, but only at night, it has been well below zero for weeks. With this weeks warm weather (20's) I have been keeping it off at night and letting them go out in their run, and they seem happier without it. My chicken coop is my kids old playhouse, so I am going to close in the front porch and face it south, for a greenhouse effect, and add some insulation, so next winter I won't need the light. I think that is what messed them up, why they wont stop laying an molt, I put the light on when they slowed down this fall, I think I will let them do what comes natural next year.
Thank you for all your help!
I'm so happy things worked out for her! You did a good job!
I had to chuckle about how she has you trained to lift her into the nest box. Priceless. I wonder if she'll keep it up after she's fully recovered.
I had to chuckle about how she has you trained to lift her into the nest box. Priceless. I wonder if she'll keep it up after she's fully recovered.
- Thread starter
- #14
- Jan 29, 2010
- 507
- 3
- 186
Oh, I forgot, I think they are New Hampshire reds! I looked them up in the breed index and they look just like the pictures there. They are great chickens.
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