Michigan Thread - all are welcome!

[preciouskitty]

Thanks! I personally find soapmaing a very funny hobby! And I have sensitive skin, so it means I can control exactly what goes into the soap!


Hah, I have heard a lot of people express the need/want for those two little kids! Thankfully for the family who is taking them (amazing folks who take great care of their animals, and friends of the family), they had dibs on any kids before they were even born! I am sure going to miss Ron and Luna when they leave here, but at least I can visit, yay!

Oh..there is no way I could even entertain getting goats...but they are just so darn cute

. Been so glad that you have been sharing pics!!

 

[ladyrsanti]

"Hey there!"


SLW that never leaves the barn. Dunno why but she doesn't.

 

[SillyChicken]

If the dog's owner pays the replacement cost of the birds not one dime is lost and you are back to where you were before the attack. Also charging for the costs for the destroyed birds is, using simple math, PROFIT.

Dang it Sam. you want me to use actual math.........

LOL!

 

[Scifisarah]

Has anyone ever dealt with an impacted crop before? I've thought my one adult serama hen has looked funny for a while so I looked her over more closely and did some research and found out she has an impacted crop. I had been under the impression that she just had a tumor of some sort, since I knew the lump (now tennis ball sized) was bigger than a normal crop. She has been this way, if not this huge, for probably a few months. The other day I saw her eating a HUGE (in comparison to her) cochin wing feather so I caught her and pulled it out of her mouth before she could finish it. That kind of made me put things together in my mind, and realize it wasn't just a growth/tumor. Any advice on how to clear her huge crop out, and if I can do that, how to get her to stop eating more feathers which I imagine is what caused the blockage? I feed them 17% layer feed, either Blue Seal or soon Purina Layena + Omega. She is a sweet gal, but I can't afford a $300+ vet visit. I am about to swear off Seramas, I am having such horrible luck with them.

I put my finger on the other front size of her chest, so you can see how much she is sticking out from the lump.

 

[preciouskitty]

Dang it Sam. you want me to use actual math.........    LOL!

I know, really !?

I actually was looking at it as recouping the costs lost for the destroyed birds + new chicks--not replacement birds at same stage as other birds or charging for the feed, etc. to get new chicks to same age.

I agree. Lost birds full cost to date + replacement birds (& all costs to get them to stage of lost) = double dipping (or basically getting your final "product" for free)

 

[ladyrsanti]

Ew. I don't know anything about impacted crop. One of my SLW had a crop that looked like that though, for two days. She looked REALLY bizarre and off-balance. But then it disappeared. So... no idea. Hopefully someone here can offer some advice.

I put a handful of eggs under my broody, Honey (EE), a couple of weeks ago. They were from Farmerboy's sussex hens he sold me that were still possibly fertile. I wasn't very hopeful for them since it had been two weeks since I bought the hens but that's when Honey went broody all of the sudden so I tried anyway. What the heck, right? Well, Honey turned out to be a lousy broody. She was so temperamental and would leave the nest for an hour at a time and come back only to sit on the wrong nest. Luckily other hens would come and sit on them for a bit so I think they stayed warm enough. I decided to put her in her own pen to cut the distractions and competition from hens wanting to lay eggs with her, thinking that would help and she freaked out. So that didn't work. But Custard, my BO hen, so conveniently went broody too and so I gave the eggs to her instead. Custard is a great broody, almost too good. She doesn't budge so that I often wonder if she's dead. I have no idea if she's eaten or had anything to drink but she's still alive and has both food and water within reach so... I checked the eggs today and two of the five are alive, one from each of the two sussex hens. One more week to go and we'll see what happens.

 

[Opa]

Crop impaction is a serious issue. It's caused by the chicken eating something that will not pass into the digestive tract. Often it is feathers or long strands of grass. Normally when a chicken eats greens they break of small pieces from the plant. If long grass is cut they will ingest the entire strand whole, something akin to us sucking down a long piece of spaghetti.

If crop doesn't empty daily the bird has a digestive issue that can lead to a severely impacted crop that will result in the bird's death. Try with holding food for one day to see if the crop empties. Next feed bread soaked in wheat germ oil or fish oil. Add ACV to the water. A few hours after the bird has eaten the bread massage the crop and possibly this will loosen the impaction.

Many old time farmers would tube the bird, pouring water down its throat to over fill the crop and then holding the bird upside down they would press on the crop to force the impaction out to where they could reach it with forceps inserted in the birds throat. Occasionally this worked but more birds died then were saved.

If it doesn't clear it requires opening the bird's crop, removing the impaction, then sewing the bird back together. Not something to be attempted by anyone without a thorough understanding of a chicken's anatomy, of the surgical procedure, and the after care. Also it should not be attempted by the faint hearted.

However, you stated that this enlarged crop condition has existed for quite some time. As long as the bird appears healthy I would just ignore it.

 

[Scifisarah]

Crop impaction is a serious issue. It's caused by the chicken eating something that will not pass into the digestive tract. Often it is feathers or long strands of grass. Normally when a chicken eats greens they break of small pieces from the plant. If long grass is cut they will ingest the entire strand whole, something akin to us sucking down a long piece of spaghetti.

If crop doesn't empty daily the bird has a digestive issue that can lead to a severely impacted crop that will result in the bird's death. Try with holding food for one day to see if the crop empties. Next feed bread soaked in wheat germ oil or fish oil. Add ACV to the water. A few hours after the bird has eaten the bread massage the crop and possibly this will loosen the impaction.

Many old time farmers would tube the bird, pouring water down its throat to over fill the crop and then holding the bird upside down they would press on the crop to force the impaction out to where they could reach it with forceps inserted in the birds throat. Occasionally this worked but more birds died then were saved.

If it doesn't clear it requires opening the bird's crop, removing the impaction, then sewing the bird back together. Not something to be attempted by anyone without a thorough understanding of a chicken's anatomy, of the surgical procedure, and the after care. Also it should not be attempted by the faint hearted.

However, you stated that this enlarged crop condition has existed for quite some time. As long as the bird appears healthy I would just ignore it.

I will give her a day in my extra parakeet cage tomorrow and try the bread with oil. It is so hard now that I would certainly not try to move it. One of my cochins is molting, so it is almost impossible to keep all the feathers picked from so they won't be eaten by the neurotic little serema. It seems to be larger this past week, perhaps from the increase of feathers and she doesn't act like she is feeling as well as normal, although she certainly still has an appetite so some food must be getting around the mass of feathers. She is in a sandy run, so I can't imagine it being anything else. I was pre-vet for a year in college before switching to Wildlife Biology so I have seen my share of surgeries, but I would rather avoid something so drastic, especially on such a small pigeon sized bird. Thanks so much for the advice.

 

[alex8565]

Ew.  I don't know anything about impacted crop.  One of my SLW had a crop that looked like that though, for two days.  She looked REALLY bizarre and off-balance.  But then it disappeared.  So... no idea.  Hopefully someone here can offer some advice.

I put a handful of eggs under my broody, Honey (EE), a couple of weeks ago.  They were from Farmerboy's sussex hens he sold me that were still possibly fertile.  I wasn't very hopeful for them since it had been two weeks since I bought the hens but that's when Honey went broody all of the sudden so I tried anyway.  What the heck, right?  Well, Honey turned out to be a lousy broody.  She was so temperamental and would leave the nest for an hour at a time and come back only to sit on the wrong nest.  Luckily other hens would come and sit on them for a bit so I think they stayed warm enough.  I decided to put her in her own pen to cut the distractions and competition from hens wanting to lay eggs with her, thinking that would help and she freaked out.   So that didn't work.  But Custard, my BO hen, so conveniently went broody too and so I gave the eggs to her instead.  Custard is a great broody, almost too good.  She doesn't budge so that I often wonder if she's dead.  I have no idea if she's eaten or had anything to drink but she's still alive and has both food and water within reach so...  I checked the eggs today and two of the five are alive, one from each of the two sussex hens.  One more week to go and we'll see what happens. 

I have a goofy Rhode island red who won't budge when broody and she pecks anyone who gets too close lol.

 

[Nigellas]

Saw this listing on Craigslist if anyone near Milan wants some bees: http://annarbor.craigslist.org/zip/3926449631.html