Hector's World: Adventures and Mayhem at Mountain View Poultry (or Sequel to The Evolution of Atlas

[speckledhen]

Also my bf's sisters name, I like it

Good! She is already learning her name.

When I went to the barn to get Lizzie out to poop, she was up clamoring at the door to get out, had already unloaded a pile into her food bowl and one of the three eggs was missing. I eventually found the crushed shell in the shavings, but it surprised me a lot. Jill's eggs are quite hard-shelled. So, she has only two eggs now. I can wait for Jill's egg today and give her that or give her a Brahma egg or just let her go with the two she has.

 

[speckledhen]

Since this is Hector's World, here is the Hector and Crew (and the dreaded Blue Bottle-will explain later).

 

[kitkat5505]

Haha my little 3 year old girl came in while I was looking at the pictures and said, "the chickens are going to sleep!" because ours are only on their roosts at night so she knows that's where chickens sleep.

I'm guessing the blue spray bottle is to "cool off' Hector if he's acting feisty?

 

[speckledhen]

Haha my little 3 year old girl came in while I was looking at the pictures and said, "the chickens are going to sleep!" because ours are only on their roosts at night so she knows that's where chickens sleep.

I'm guessing the blue spray bottle is to "cool off' Hector if he's acting feisty?

Actually, no. Hector is a big-mouth. He goes off and won't shutup, gets everyone in the barn all riled up, first to alarm and cackle his head off, never stops. He'll go on and on and on and on.....and on! So, I've started squirting him with the bottle on "stream", while telling him to be quiet. Now, all I have to do is pick it up. He sees the blue bottle, stops cackling, turns away from me and starts grumbling under his breath, LOL.

 

[kitkat5505]

I wonder if that would work for noisy children? Lol

 

[Nora714]

I'm hoping to get your opinion about my 1 year old White Rock hen. She is in these pics, day two of her foot injury. I put her in this kennel yesterday before the other 7 hens went to roost. I noticed her limping in the run yesterday morning.
I have a small coop with the roosts not more than three feet from the floor. I have no idea how she did this. There are no cuts or bumps on her foot. It's not really even swollen just bruised. She is eating and drinking and laid her egg yesterday.
My question is how long should I keep her separate? I let the other chickens around her, but keep her in the kennel in the run. My goal was to limit her activity and keep her from trying to roost.
I've learned so much from your threads about Atlas and now Hector. There seem to be a lot of others with years of "chicken knowledge" here too. I hope I haven't posted out of turn with my first chicken problem.

 

[speckledhen]

She could have a small fracture. I have ladder type roosts in my coops so no jumping is required. For large birds, just 3' is fairly high. Any jump can cause a compression fracture, especially if the bone is not solid in the first place or she lands badly. All you can do is keep her separated and provide supportive care, maybe a baby aspirin every couple of days. Chicken leg injuries are a long time healing.

 

[Nora714]

Thanks. I was concerned of the length of time for recovery/separation. She is one of two hens that peck on the others anyway.
I'll see about putting the ladder I used when they were little chicks back in there. I thought they had stopped using it, but she might when I can put her back.
Do you use 81mg aspirin or regular?

 

[speckledhen]

Thanks. I was concerned of the length of time for recovery/separation. She is one of two hens that peck on the others anyway.
I'll see about putting the ladder I used when they were little chicks back in there. I thought they had stopped using it, but she might when I can put her back.
Do you use 81mg aspirin or regular?

Baby aspirin/low dose/81 mg, same thing, pretty much. Unless she's a huge hen like some of the 8-10 lb ones I have, that will be enough. If it's fractured, it will take a good while to heal up. Give her some extra protein while she's incarcerated.

 

[speckledhen]

Lizzie is on Day 7 with the eggs from Hector and Jill. Well, actually, one is a day behind since she broke one and I replaced it. I candled them and all three are developing, not a suprise, of course. I still have the older BR group, which has three of Jill's chicks in it and turned 9 weeks old yesterday. I need to sell a pair, plus an extra cockerel out of that group.

I'm keeping one pullet for Hector, MaryJo, and the other chick needs to decide if it wants to be a Drea or a Drew, LOL. It sits with the pullets, has more of a pullet size comb, has a black top beak just like the two other pullets, body shaped like the girls, too, but it has cockerel-like coloring/barring. Crazy. I've never been unsure at this stage, but since I do not want to let a pullet of that caliber go, I'm going to keep it until I'm completely sure.