Getting the flock out of here - a diary of a crazy chicken man

[Sally Sunshine]

Quote: I am curious pig, did you weigh one? and I would love to know heights too.... I have nothing to compare my brahma too, the little orphs I got local I sold and like I said Little He looks of nice size.

 

[Sweetpea3829]

Two blue eggs today and both were on the ground and smashed. The shells seemed softer, too. Any ideas why?

 

[ozexpat]

Two blue eggs today and both were on the ground and smashed. The shells seemed softer, too. Any ideas why?

are your birds getting adequate calcium?

 

[Tomtommom]

If they do get enough calcium, make sure they're not eating citrus. It'll make the shells weaker. My birds like to sneak orange peels off the compost pile next to their run.

 

[Bulldogma]

Perhaps the name Negrense could do magic for the strain. Nice for keeping the roo. If it is the roo in your 10/28/2013 photo its a good looking fowl. If mated to a red local hen it will produce an offspring with a bumblebee color.

1. I like the name "Negrense."

2. "it will produce an offspring with a bumblebee color."

I think if someone could create a cuckoo chicken with black & yellow like a bee, there would be people lining up and throwing money to get one!

Two blue eggs today and both were on the ground and smashed. The shells seemed softer, too. Any ideas why?

The reproductive systems of new layers go through stages. Sort of like a teen girl skipping a cycle or having an unusual cycle. It's generally nothing to worry about and corrects itself within a few days. It can also happen to older hens after weather changes.

As long as they have plenty of calcium available and are on a healthy diet, don't worry about it.

 

[Sweetpea3829]

are your birds getting adequate calcium?

We added crushed oyster shells a few weeks ago, in anticipation of eggs. They have a separate tray of that, but I'm not sure how much they actually eat.

If they do get enough calcium, make sure they're not eating citrus. It'll make the shells weaker. My birds like to sneak orange peels off the compost pile next to their run.

DOH!

The reproductive systems of new layers go through stages. Sort of like a teen girl skipping a cycle or having an unusual cycle. It's generally nothing to worry about and corrects itself within a few days. It can also happen to older hens after weather changes.

As long as they have plenty of calcium available and are on a healthy diet, don't worry about it.

That's more or less what I was suspecting. I'm actually quite surprised that the first eggs from them were good! Solid shells, uniform, good size. I'm still scratching my head on why the eggs were on the ground. They were doing well with laying them in the nesting boxes. I should probably be happy they weren't laid in the box this time because they made a mess. Hopefully nobody decided to take a taste of smashed yolks.

 

[ozexpat]

Mrs Oz went to Dumaguete yesterday. Its about a 660 KM (400 mile) round trip. SHe took the bus as its better than driving on her own. AFter spending 2 hours there, supervising research subjects completing her PhD project, she bussed back home. The round trip was 17 hours. The 5.5hr bus ride home was on a non-aircon bus. She is a tough woman.

On the way she did meet up with Analou and gave her the Android. Service is very patchy in our area, especially in the early afternoon (my evenings in LA) but it already proved invaluable. A quick photo of the new coops had all the birds sorted by feather color instrad of leg band color. The BBS Jersies and Orps we together, as were the black orps, the bresse, Jersey and Marans roo. No damage done. The big birds are not laying yet.

The goat house is finished. The pen goes up today.

We have been setting eggs mutt every 4 days. we have 70 in the bator with probably 24 more to go in Sunday. Of the eggs 7 days and older, we have 43 of 46 developing. I am watching these closely - well I am imagining watching them closely.

The new chicks are doing well. The Quail have survived their first week of life. It was in their second week last hatch where they started keeling over at a rate of 5-15 per day. Although I have an extensive arsenal of medications, all my years working in hospitals has taught me to treat symptoms so I find it difficult pre-mixing antibiotics into feed. At the same time, I cannot lose 100 quail again so I am giving them a very low dose of Bacitracin. I hope its the right thing to do.

Pigs 4,5,6 did get a 4 day course of antibiotics for their scours but that is life threatening for the pig so I have no problem with that.

 

[Wisher1000]

Sweetpea - I was cleaning my coop one day and out of the corner of my eye, I saw a chicken run out the door with something in her mouth! I followed to see what was going on and found that the 'something' was an EGG! At first it looked like she had her beak opened wide enough to hold the egg in it, but I soon realized that she had speared it with the top of her beak and was supporting it with the lower part. She ran around the shop and stopped on the far side to eat her egg alone. I took it away from her, collected the rest of the eggs, and bought ceramic eggs for each nest box. For months after that, I collected eggs as often as I could (several times a day) and made sure the ceramic eggs stayed in prominent spots in the boxes. Eventually, the egg eating stopped, but not before I would find half hearted peck marks on some of the eggs I collected for several weeks. I think I caught her early........

 

[perchie.girl]

Two blue eggs today and both were on the ground and smashed. The shells seemed softer, too. Any ideas why?

Point of lay or pullets can have a couple of soft eggs thier first ones out.... Still getting that whole egg laying mechanism going. The other clue is the fact that they layed them on the ground.... As in Surprise..... that wasnt a poo.

Lay mash has calcium in it already. So to supplement you can either buy some Oyster shell, Or you can save your eggshells and roast them till they are dry and smush them up so they are unrecogniseable as egg shells. Then feed the shells back to them.

If your curious about the different kinds of eggs that can happen key in the words "Fart Eggs" There is a site out there that is very very informative on the subject. The fellow has retired from chicken keeping but he keeps the site open so you cant ask questions but you can read.

http://www.poultryhelp.com/oddeggs.html

deb

 

[Tomtommom]

Sweetpea - I was cleaning my coop one day and out of the corner of my eye, I saw a chicken run out the door with something in her mouth! I followed to see what was going on and found that the 'something' was an EGG! At first it looked like she had her beak opened wide enough to hold the egg in it, but I soon realized that she had speared it with the top of her beak and was supporting it with the lower part. She ran around the shop and stopped on the far side to eat her egg alone. I took it away from her, collected the rest of the eggs, and bought ceramic eggs for each nest box. For months after that, I collected eggs as often as I could (several times a day) and made sure the ceramic eggs stayed in prominent spots in the boxes. Eventually, the egg eating stopped, but not before I would find half hearted peck marks on some of the eggs I collected for several weeks. I think I caught her early........

I've had one like that, running around with an egg in her beak. Started offering some extra calcium in the form of egg shells, rather than oyster shell, and it helped. I still get the occasional egg with a peck mark, but nothing unuseable. I've found with mine that they wont bother with a whole egg, if they can have empty shells with a lot less effort. We use 6 eggs a day, so they're used to getting a healthy dose every day.

I gather atleast 3 times a day. I'm home all the time, so it gives me a little trip to the backyard.

Point of lay or pullets can have a couple of soft eggs thier first ones out.... Still getting that whole egg laying mechanism going. The other clue is the fact that they layed them on the ground.... As in Surprise..... that wasnt a poo.

Lay mash has calcium in it already. So to supplement you can either buy some Oyster shell, Or you can save your eggshells and roast them till they are dry and smush them up so they are unrecogniseable as egg shells. Then feed the shells back to them.

If your curious about the different kinds of eggs that can happen key in the words "Fart Eggs" There is a site out there that is very very informative on the subject. The fellow has retired from chicken keeping but he keeps the site open so you cant ask questions but you can read.

http://www.poultryhelp.com/oddeggs.html

deb

I've had a chicken lay an egg on my hand. She was walking funny, I expected her to be eggbound. So I am petting her, feeling her sides and tummy and she lays an egg in my hand...

Another time I went to check for eggs and spooked a girl, so she left the box. As I am feeding them some treats, I turn around and find an egg in the middle of the scattered treats. I guess she couldn't hold it and rather had treats than to go back in the box and finish up first.

I've had them lay eggs in their sleep too. Find one under the roost in the morning....

We've had strange eggs galore. HUGE ones with double yolks. A tiny one without a yolk. One with just a membrane instead of a shell. Funny colored one. Sandpaper textures ones. Speckled ones. Yet to find an egg within and egg, though.

They'll be 1 year old in a few weeks... I hope they never stop being so silly. They crack me up.