INDIANA BYC'ers HERE!

[weezerfish]

What does "similar" mean in this case? Blu-kote is both a dye and an antiseptic agent. The dye is exceptionally important in the case of poultry, who are kind of like sharks and piranha when it comes to blood. From the sounds of it, you're doing all the best things you can do. You might want to smear some bacitracin ointment (without the -caine pain killer) on the wound. She should be fine to reintroduce once she has a good scab on her comb. If at all possible, allow her to see the flock and the flock to see her. She'll get lonely and may lose her place in the pecking order if she's completely isolated.

Also, you may want to keep an eye on the offensive party or parties because they may just be problem individuals. Some birds are just plain jerks, so watch out for them (and eat or rehome them if they can't get along with your other birds).

The bluish purple stains on my hands tell me I got the right stuff. LOL! Clearly I should have worn gloves while applying.

There seem to be two of our six birds that do most of the pecking but I've seen nearly everyone get into it a little. Pretty sure Cadbury is already at the bottom of the pecking order but I'll keep her close and visible to be safe. Despite being our favorite, she's always been a bit of an outcast in our flock. Makes me wonder if they're just picking on her because she's an easy target.

 

[weezerfish]

After getting our first egg on Tuesday, we got our second egg today...and our third...and our fourth! Whoo hoo! The last two were even in the nest box. Only problem is that I believe two of them got pecked and the shells were broken. Not through the membrane though so they didn't get a taste the wholesome goodness inside. Will this stop once they get used to them or is this likely to turn into an egg eating issue?

One more quick question...the pecked egg was laid within the last two hours. Again the shell was cracked but no fluids leaking. How long would you consider this egg okay to eat, if at all?

 

[Leahs Mom]

When mine are cracked I put them in the fridge and cook them withing a day or so.

All my other eggs reside on the counter until used.


If you're concerned you could cook it and give it back to the birds. Or just crack it open and give it to them. They'd love it raw.

 

[Lengerich Farms]

Had our first unwelcome guest just now.... Thank goodness for the ducks. Raccoon got in the coop. Reba (RIR) lost some feathers but is in injured. Would've been a sight to see: me running outside in my underwear and slippers with a tomahawk and machete. Ran him off, but next time I'll be able to make
Myself a nice hat.

 

[pipdzipdnreadytogo]

After getting our first egg on Tuesday, we got our second egg today...and our third...and our fourth! Whoo hoo! The last two were even in the nest box. Only problem is that I believe two of them got pecked and the shells were broken. Not through the membrane though so they didn't get a taste the wholesome goodness inside. Will this stop once they get used to them or is this likely to turn into an egg eating issue?

One more quick question...the pecked egg was laid within the last two hours. Again the shell was cracked but no fluids leaking. How long would you consider this egg okay to eat, if at all?

A few of my girls have started off with slightly weaker egg shells and they crack like that when they hit the ground after being laid. I've found that if they are pecked, they don't stop at just a crack--they break them open all the way and make a mess of them trying to eat them! So you might just have a couple girls still getting the formula right and not a pecking problem.

Oh, and in regards to your other post, I've found that hand sanitizer takes Blu-Kote off pretty well. I've also been told that nail polish remover and rubbing alcohol both work, too, but haven't had the chance to test those for myself yet.

Had our first unwelcome guest just now.... Thank goodness for the ducks. Raccoon got in the coop. Reba (RIR) lost some feathers but is in injured. Would've been a sight to see: me running outside in my underwear and slippers with a tomahawk and machete. Ran him off, but next time I'll be able to make
Myself a nice hat.

Phew, glad Reba's okay! Do you know how it got into your coop so you can fix it up and prevent it from happening again?

 

[Lengerich Farms]

@pipdzipdnreadytogo

Yes I know what I need to do. Luckily our bedroom is about ten feet from the coop, so I can hear when they get riled up. I will get that coon.

 

[pipdzipdnreadytogo]

I finally decided on names for my silkied Cochins! Introducing...

August, AKA Gus:

Donna:

Roscoe:

And Cordelia:

Guys, I love these little birds so much already! I hope it's okay to bombard y'all with pictures of them!

Donna, Roscoe, and Cordelia perched together

Donna, not at all amused

Cordelia, perched:

Cordelia again. Such a sweet face

Gussy-Gus flapping his wings out!

They love to pile up still and are pretty much joined hip to hip to hip to.. well, you get the idea. This is Cordelia coming up for air out of a silkied Cochin pile:

 

[pipdzipdnreadytogo]

@pipdzipdnreadytogo

Yes I know what I need to do. Luckily our bedroom is about ten feet from the coop, so I can hear when they get riled up. I will get that coon.

Glad to hear it! It's so frustrating when predators are getting in and you can't figure out how! Good luck with your raccoon hunt--gotta do what you gotta do.

My coop isn't quite that close, but I have a baby monitor in mine for the same purpose. The down side to the monitor is that, come morning, they're so loud out there that it sounds like there's a flock of impatient, hungry chickens in my bedroom with me!

 

[weezerfish]

A few of my girls have started off with slightly weaker egg shells and they crack like that when they hit the ground after being laid. I've found that if they are pecked, they don't stop at just a crack--they break them open all the way and make a mess of them trying to eat them! So you might just have a couple girls still getting the formula right and not a pecking problem.

Oh, and in regards to your other post, I've found that hand sanitizer takes Blu-Kote off pretty well.

I've also been told that nail polish remover and rubbing alcohol both work, too, but haven't had the chance to test those for myself yet.
Phew, glad Reba's okay! Do you know how it got into your coop so you can fix it up and prevent it from happening again?

Thanks, Pipd. Thinking you may be right on the shell thickness thing. Cracked open one of the intact eggs for breakfast this morning and the shell just shattered in my hand pretty thin shell. Also found a broken egg in the coop this morning with a paper thin shell. I'll get some oyster shells into their grit mix to help them out a bit.

 

[Leahs Mom]

@pipdzipdnreadytogo

Those little birds are so cute that I'm getting "chick envy". (You shall not envy your neighbor's chicks.....)

Seriously, they look so cuddly! Are you going to keep 2 boys?