Langshan Thread!!!

[PetRock]

Debi is right. Keeping her in quarantine is the best thing you can do for her and your flock. Her immune system will be suppressed while she is acclimating and she "could" have an underlying condition that was kept at bay while she was healthy.

Congrats on your new pullet!

Debi, those are some good looking pullets! Happy you got some good stock from Sherry! She has some good birds!

Thanks, Ropo! They are looking bigger and better than the 2 mama hens that they came from so I'm pleased. Now to get some good looking blues and splashes!

 

[informative]

My three Langshans have all been going through a painfully slow molt which is still not completed, and now have all decided to sit in the nest the day long on other hen's eggs. One did not grow back her main tail feathers. It is evident that the Langshan was used in the development of the Jersey Giant. She looks like a feather legged Giant with her deep body and shorter tail. I'll have to post a picture this weekend. (Yea I know, you'll all have a hard time sleeping until then.)

Yes I see that as well so much in common body-shape-wise with the main diff being the Giants have huge thick featherless "tree trunk" legs and the Langshans have much taller stork legs.

 

[PetRock]

I am so sad. It looks like 2 of my beautiful,black cockerels have leg blow out. Is that what it is really called? Mikaela, do you have more information about it? Is there anything that can be done for them or is a processing day in my very near future?

 

[Dirt Farmer]

I am so sad. It looks like 2 of my beautiful,black cockerels have leg blow out. Is that what it is really called? Mikaela, do you have more information about it? Is there anything that can be done for them or is a processing day in my very near futu

How old are they? Any other signs of illness? Are they particularly stilty birds?

 

[PetRock]

How old are they? Any other signs of illness? Are they particularly stilty birds?

They are 28-32 weeks and do have long legs. I at first thought that 1 of them had Mereks but my oldest cockerel out of Shang has one leg bent in like rickets. Now I think that they both have leg problems. The first 1 rests on his hocks while eating and drinking. He is very unsteady when he walks. Kung Po just has the 1 leg bent in so he is limping around. I raised them on starter crumbles plus sprouted BOSS/oats/barley/wheat until 4 weeks ago when they went to the farm and started eating layer pellets and grain. Kung Po did spend 6-8 weeks in the yard eating some layer pellets along with starter crumbles and sprouted grain. I remember Mikaela saying that she had birds with leg problems that she attributed to low calcium and high protein.

 

[GrammiChelle]

I'm heartbroken. It's been 9 days since two of my Langshans disappeared. My beautiful rooster, Billy Flynn, and one of my pullets, Velma just suddenly weren't with the other birds when I went outside to check on them. They had been there an hour or so before. They were free ranging in the yard, but they always stay in the area between the coop and the house. I'm afraid something got them. I had some hope, because one of my red pullets disappeared at the same time, and three days later, she walked into the yard from the empty overgrown lot next door, so I hoped maybe the Langshans would also reappear, but I've given up hope now. It's causing problems too because Billy was my big rooster, ( he was a size larger than my other roo from the same batch, couple of inches taller and bigger around),the one in charge and even though they were the same age, his "brother, Razzle is just NOT taking over and doing as good a job taking care of the girls. He doesn't even seem to be trying. The girls walk away from him, and he never calls them over to him or try to tell them what to do.

Does anyone have any idea how I can give Razzle the confidence he needs? Or is he ruined forever because he was under Billy? If so, I may have to get another rooster when I move. My chickens are all about 21 weeks old now. Is it possible Razzle just needs to mature some more?
The problem is I have other chickens that were abandoned on the property by the homeowner. ( we are renting right now)They are American Game Fowl, I have been told on BYC. The rooster, Bruno, is an experienced rooster who takes his job very seriously. When I had Billy, Bruno never interfered with my coop chickens, but now he is hanging around with them quite a lot. So far, they always go back into the coop at night, and Bruno goes off into the trees to roost.

I like that Bruno is such a good rooster. He is always looking out for predators and watches over the Game Fowl and my coop chickens very well. But I wanted to kind of keep my coop chickens separate from the Game Fowl and that isn't working out now that Billy is gone. It has also occurred to me that maybe Bruno had something to do with Billy's disappearance, but I don't think he would have run him off the property totally, it over 5 acres, and I don't think he'd have killed a hen too...
I had no idea chicken relationships were so complicated til I got some of my own;/

 

[Dirt Farmer]

They are 28-32 weeks and do have long legs. I at first thought that 1 of them had Mereks but my oldest cockerel out of Shang has one leg bent in like rickets. Now I think that they both have leg problems. The first 1 rests on his hocks while eating and drinking. He is very unsteady when he walks. Kung Po just has the 1 leg bent in so he is limping around. I raised them on starter crumbles plus sprouted BOSS/oats/barley/wheat until 4 weeks ago when they went to the farm and started eating layer pellets and grain. Kung Po did spend 6-8 weeks in the yard eating some layer pellets along with starter crumbles and sprouted grain. I remember Mikaela saying that she had birds with leg problems that she attributed to low calcium and high protein.

That is disappointing when you have plans. Hopefully it's a slipped tendon; at least that doesn't spread. If you start to think otherwise I've taken birds to UCD for diagnosis in the past. It used to be free to backyard flock owners. You can call them to make sure that it still is (530‐752‐8700) as I haven't used them in some time. You don't get your bird back. I was looking at their 2013 report of diagnoses found in backyard flocks, interesting reading for chicken geeks like me. http://www.cahfs.ucdavis.edu/local-assets/pdfs/CAHFS_BYF_2013_Diagnoses.pdf

Keep us updated.

 

[PetRock]

I'm heartbroken. It's been 9 days since two of my Langshans disappeared. My beautiful rooster, Billy Flynn, and one of my pullets, Velma just suddenly weren't with the other birds when I went outside to check on them. They had been there an hour or so before. They were free ranging in the yard, but they always stay in the area between the coop and the house. I'm afraid something got them. I had some hope, because one of my red pullets disappeared at the same time, and three days later, she walked into the yard from the empty overgrown lot next door, so I hoped maybe the Langshans would also reappear, but I've given up hope now. It's causing problems too because Billy was my big rooster, ( he was a size larger than my other roo from the same batch, couple of inches taller and bigger around),the one in charge and even though they were the same age, his "brother, Razzle is just NOT taking over and doing as good a job taking care of the girls. He doesn't even seem to be trying. The girls walk away from him, and he never calls them over to him or try to tell them what to do.

Does anyone have any idea how I can give Razzle the confidence he needs? Or is he ruined forever because he was under Billy? If so, I may have to get another rooster when I move. My chickens are all about 21 weeks old now. Is it possible Razzle just needs to mature some more?
The problem is I have other chickens that were abandoned on the property by the homeowner. ( we are renting right now)They are American Game Fowl, I have been told on BYC. The rooster, Bruno, is an experienced rooster who takes his job very seriously. When I had Billy, Bruno never interfered with my coop chickens, but now he is hanging around with them quite a lot. So far, they always go back into the coop at night, and Bruno goes off into the trees to roost.

I like that Bruno is such a good rooster. He is always looking out for predators and watches over the Game Fowl and my coop chickens very well. But I wanted to kind of keep my coop chickens separate from the Game Fowl and that isn't working out now that Billy is gone. It has also occurred to me that maybe Bruno had something to do with Billy's disappearance, but I don't think he would have run him off the property totally, it over 5 acres, and I don't think he'd have killed a hen too...
I had no idea chicken relationships were so complicated til I got some of my own;/

So sorry that you lost 2 of your birds! I wish that I had an answer for you. Maybe Razzle just needs a little more time? The last time I kept a cockerel here in town, the hens refused to let him mate them and actually chased him away. He began with the lowest ones in the pecking order and moved his way up. By the time he had to be moved to the farm due to excess crowing, he was mating all of them and preferred the biggest ones.

 

[PetRock]

That is disappointing when you have plans. Hopefully it's a slipped tendon; at least that doesn't spread. If you start to think otherwise I've taken birds to UCD for diagnosis in the past. It used to be free to backyard flock owners. You can call them to make sure that it still is (530‐752‐8700) as I haven't used them in some time. You don't get your bird back. I was looking at their 2013 report of diagnoses found in backyard flocks, interesting reading for chicken geeks like me. http://www.cahfs.ucdavis.edu/local-assets/pdfs/CAHFS_BYF_2013_Diagnoses.pdf

Keep us updated.

That is a cool report! Thank you for sharing it! I might take in the one that has the more serious case. I would like to make sure it isn't Mereks especially after seeing in the Davis report that Mereks was the number 1 killer in 2013.

 

[Quailfluf]

I found out what was wrong with my Langshan cock's legs! Nothing at all! The redness was just age, so I was able to take him to fair! Thank you to the barn super attendants for helping me! I got to bring home a first and Best Asiatic!