INDIANA BYC'ers HERE!

[FarkerFarms]

So we bought two black Cochins at the Lebanon show, a pullet and a cockerel. They are sure both looking like cockerels now. I am afraid one was just younger than the other, so the neck feathers weren't all cockerel-ie. They started fighting today, getting all puffed up and glaring and pecking each other in the face. They are really going at it. Is anyone versed enough in Cochins to tell me if we got scammed? The second pic is the one that we thought was a pullet - the first and third we knew was a cockerel. I am also including a pic of the pretty blue laced red wyandotte pullet!

 

[pipdzipdnreadytogo]

M2H I need your chicken health book! I noticed one if my girls on the roost on the middle of the day yesterday which was odd. Then I noticed she had watery green droppings under her. She doesn't seem to be eating either. When I let them out this morning she came out with everyone but kind of kept to herself and only pretended to eat. Any ideas?

Something I am getting etched into my brain is that taking a Poo sample to the vet is not extremely expensive. I really encourage folks to do that before treating for anything unless you're pretty sure what's up. Using any kind of meds - whether for worming, antibiotics, whatever - weakens the system and they have to recover from the meds afterwards. I've seen folks lately that are kind-of "stabbing in the dark" and end up medicating with several different things and finding out that it wasn't any of those issues. The poor birds are so weakened that recovery is often impossible. Okay..that's the disclaimer. But I did want to share this thread as an example. I had never heard of these before but can be caught from lice, mites, poultry ticks. As you'll see, folks wanted to treat for cocci (kind of the "go-to" thing to treat for) but that isn't what it was at all. Anyhow, take a look at this and see if the symptoms sound close. A cocci med or a wormer would do nothing for this.... But the proper med would. https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/...in-droppings-but-meds-dont-seem-to-be-working This chicken has recovered and is doing well!

I've seen a lot of people post about using Corid for anything. For one, Corid is just Amprolium, and Amprolium is just a thiamine blocker--not even an antibiotic! It's pretty much useless for anything but coccidiosis! Not to mention there are a few reports I've read now of native Cocci becoming immune to Amprolium because of the use of medicated feed or improper dosing. I personally believe in giving them a boost, but not medicating until either I know they need it or I become desperate to try something that might work. Medicating for every little thing is doomed to lead to weakened birds or drug-resistant strains of illnesses. Again, that's just my personal opinion.

I am a little excited here!!! Esther has been laying almost every day for about three weeks and then yesterday I got an extra dark egg also!!!! My little flock of four and I have two that are laying now!!!! Hopefully being the Delawares they are, they will continue through winter and won't go off until next fall when they molt the first time. But even if they don't I love those little crazy birds and don't really care. Just excited to have two functioning. I think I will place my order with Meyers in Feb instead of April and get a Splash Maran, a New Hampshire Red, a Dominique and a surprise. My silly mother has already named them Lulu, Dottie, Stripes, and Orange. Guess which name goes with which bird? I'll get more Delawares (10 or so) too if we can get our house sold and get moved to property. Otherwise I have to hold at 8 due to space. I am going to have to catch up on posts over the weekend cause the week has been a nightmare for me. But welcome to any newcomers (human and new chicks) and have a good weekend!!!!

Oh, I have ordered from Meyer's for two years now and plan on ordering a few chicks next year, too (although closer to the middle of May, as I'm in school until then)! I love the splash Marans I got from them in 2012! She doesn't lay terribly dark eggs, but she is such a sweetheart and she's my baby!

ETA: I just realized this is my avatar picture. Here's a couple more Frou-Frou pics:

So we bought two black Cochins at the Lebanon show, a pullet and a cockerel. They are sure both looking like cockerels now. I am afraid one was just younger than the other, so the neck feathers weren't all cockerel-ie. They started fighting today, getting all puffed up and glaring and pecking each other in the face. They are really going at it. Is anyone versed enough in Cochins to tell me if we got scammed? The second pic is the one that we thought was a pullet - the first and third we knew was a cockerel. I am also including a pic of the pretty blue laced red wyandotte pullet! [COLOR=B42000] [/COLOR]

Without knowing the age, judging by their similar comb and wattle growth and the chest bumping you're describing, I'd say you have two boys there. :/ I would think, though, that it was an honest mistake, as it is sometimes hard to sex Cochins that are slower to mature.

 

[pipdzipdnreadytogo]

Okay, well some news from my neck of the woods. I have pullets squatting left and right here, and I think my Fayoumi laid her first egg yesterday! Margie's been laying like a trooper and even got into a round of 'she-stole-my-nest-box' cackling the other day. I'm getting about 5 eggs a day at this point from the few hens that aren't molting and the pullets that have come to lay. That's 5 eggs from 31 hens of various ages and 7 pullets! I'm thinking of freezing eggs so that we have enough for Thanksgiving, although all I'm getting at the moment are tiny pullet eggs with the occasional large brown egg.

I have a broody hen. I don't know what got into her, but my ever-broody Wyandotte (who is mostly known as Miss Broody Wyandotte at this point) has decided that now was a good time to brood! The good news is that my coop addition makes a good broody buster.

In more solemn news, it looks like Chickie, my 8 1/2 year old Easter-egger, is not going to make it to see her 9th birthday. She's been slowing down a lot over the past six months and now she's losing weight. I've searched her symptoms a few times, but I honestly think that it's just her time. Now I've got to decide if I want to let her go on her own or help her to go so that she isn't lingering. It's hard to see them go after so long, but I at least know she lived in chicken paradise.


I've worked my butt off to have a homework-free weekend, so now I get to enjoy two days of chickening bliss. Yay.

 

[SallyinIndiana]

Due to the storms we have taken down our flapping owl. I did not think it would last in the high winds. Woke up this morning to a coopers hawk just perched on a post of the run looking down at the chickens eating. So thankful for the net.
It will be a little while before the chickens are out free ranging.

 

[Leahs Mom]

Due to the storms we have taken down our flapping owl. I did not think it would last in the high winds. Woke up this morning to a coopers hawk just perched on a post of the run looking down at the chickens eating. So thankful for the net.
It will be a little while before the chickens are out free ranging.

Not sure if I have cooper's but the red tails are around.
Did you see that video with the gashawk going through those tiny holes? I saw that and thought all the chickens of the world are doomed.

I've never seen a gaswhak 's here but I suppose they're around (you know..."if a gashawk is flying through the forest and there's no one there to see it, did it exist?")

Anyhow, I don't think the video was posted in this thread so I'll post it for everyone's viewing entertainment. If it was already posted, sorry...just skip it!

 

[Old Salt 1945]

Not sure if I have cooper's but the red tails are around.
Did you see that video with the gashawk going through those tiny holes? I saw that and thought all the chickens of the world are doomed.

I've never seen a gaswhak 's here but I suppose they're around (you know..."if a gashawk is flying through the forest and there's no one there to see it, did it exist?")

Anyhow, I don't think the video was posted in this thread so I'll post it for everyone's viewing entertainment. If it was already posted, sorry...just skip it!

WOW!!!
I may give up my plans to string up fishing line to confound the hawks.

John

 

[Leahs Mom]

You know, I have never seen one of that kind of hawk!

And I do think that the fish line is useful for the red tails and maybe even those goshawks. I've heard people say that they don't want to go places that they may hurt their wings. It may be that the string is confusing enough that they wouldn't risk it. Of course, I'm not sure..but I think it still is worth a try.

When I had a hawk attack a few weeks ago I had asked if they fly into the woods. That video was posted to answer my question (on the natural chicken keeping thread).

But I know that the kind of hawk I had here was the bigger, bulkier kind. When standing upright it was about the height of the chickens and has a lot of weight. I don't think they are a breed that navigates the trees like that.

In fact, I saw one chasing another into the woods last week. It was very awkward and clumsy when it got to the woods edge and ended up literally hanging upside down from a branch trying to get it's balance! I'm hoping that's a good sign that the ones around our area are a little less agile.

 

[CCCCCCCCHICKENS]

Not sure if I have cooper's but the red tails are around.
Did you see that video with the gashawk going through those tiny holes? I saw that and thought all the chickens of the world are doomed.

I've never seen a gaswhak 's here but I suppose they're around (you know..."if a gashawk is flying through the forest and there's no one there to see it, did it exist?")

Anyhow, I don't think the video was posted in this thread so I'll post it for everyone's viewing entertainment. If it was already posted, sorry...just skip it!

Just spent a lot of time typing and I didnt post my post when I tried to submit! Here it goes again.

Wow, I find hawks and other large birds fascinating. I have never seen a hawk like this just red tails and copper hawks. The red tails are really common around where I live. I know someone who has an eagle. she used to be a DNR and still is certified to care for injured wildlife. She got a call years ago about an injured eagle. When she got him he was estimatedc to eb around 5 months old, he is now 6 years old. It can not be released back into the wild because it has a broken wing. He thinks she is her mom and they have a strong bond. Hyline hathcery actually freezes chicks they dont want or cant sell and give them to her for the eagle.

 

[pbirdhaven]

Quote:

We came home to our dogs, cat, and chickens to find them mostly in good health. I am sad to report that my favorite little Appenzeller Spitzhauben girl isn't doing very well though. Something is making it hard for her to stand up. I thought maybe she hurt herself and just needed some space, so I put her in a crate in the mudroom. Her wings seem fine, her legs don't show any injury, but she is very unstable on them and one seems very weak (the toes just curl any which way). She hasn't seemed to improve much in the last week. With all the things going on this week and last I haven't been able to get her to a vet for another opinion, but I really hope I can get her healed. She is the sweetest bird. On another note, she and her brothers have grown so much that I now am sure I have a pullet and two cockerels. I really can't keep the boys, as I have two already, so I think they will be going back to Judy (if she will still have them).

I hope all of you are doing well and that you are all ready for winter. I can't wait to catch up on the goings on around here.
Cheryl


Cheryl, I would watch her very closely and also separate anyone that she was in with from the rest of the flock. Hopefully it is just a temporary setback, but the symptoms could be signs of Marek's, so you don't want anyone else to be infected if that is the case. I know that I am something of an alarmist when it comes to MD, but I always think better safe than sorry. At the shows I have been to this fall I have heard several breeders say that they have never encountered it before but have had problems with it this year, which makes me wonder if it has been more prevalent among wild birds than usual.

And I got home to every chicken in the barn, pouring down, and one stupid silkie was still out!!! They are not bright!!!

Silkies are good at that. I got home from class Thursday night and had to go out and forcibly put in silkies who were drenched when they had perfectly good beds to go to.

Not sure if I have cooper's but the red tails are around.
Did you see that video with the gashawk going through those tiny holes? I saw that and thought all the chickens of the world are doomed.

I've never seen a gaswhak 's here but I suppose they're around (you know..."if a gashawk is flying through the forest and there's no one there to see it, did it exist?")

Anyhow, I don't think the video was posted in this thread so I'll post it for everyone's viewing entertainment. If it was already posted, sorry...just skip it!

Amazing video! Thanks for posting it.

AMW, I had marked your post to reply as well, but it didn't show up. I was so sorry to hear about your losses and admire you for your tough decision.

Too many people do not do that and make it hard on the rest of us who may come into contact with their birds.

We had a lot of wind and rain Thursday but no rumbles of thunder. The line of storms skirted us. I was a bit concerned about power as the line runs through the woods and so occasionally gets hit by branches when the wind is up.

I thought that the thread had been unusually quiet as I was getting no email notifications, so logged on anyhow to find 10 pages of posts. Caught up now.

 

[Mother2Hens]

M2H I need your chicken health book!

I noticed one if my girls on the roost on the middle of the day yesterday which was odd. Then I noticed she had watery green droppings under her. She doesn't seem to be eating either. When I let them out this morning she came out with everyone but kind of kept to herself and only pretended to eat.

Any ideas?

browncow~ Sorry! I just got back in town. I've found that many pages of the book are online-- you just have to know the wording of the section. I found this one:
http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/diarrhea-in-adult-chickens.html
In addition to the site that gunchief provided, I have this one that I think LeahsMom gave me once. You can copy and paste in google:
http://chat.allotment.org/index.php?PHPSESSID=f5a02f9f75d141ca9ca0658c2d595aae;topic=17568.0