Michigan

[M.sue]

Well my little Polish didn't make it. I'm really not sure what happened. I will be keeping an eye on everyone else and hopefully they will be ok.

Sorry to hear this

I had it happen to one also...puzzling when everyone else is fine. She was too, just keeled over while free ranging....I'm thinking chicken heart attack.

 

[teeville5]

Nova, Taprock or anyone with broody hen experience, I need some advise, please!

Ok, here's the story. My lone surviving sebright hen went missing about 2 weeks ago. We thought we had lost her, but DS said he saw her a few times in our pole barn. I wondered if maybe she was sitting on some eggs, but we never found her. Today, DD saw her in the yard. She was a bit poofy and kept spreading out her wings and walking around doing an airplane type thing and DD said her bumm looked kind of big, too. We 'followed' her around a bit and she lead us into the back corner of the pole barn. Sure enough, she has a nest behind a huge stack of foam boards. So I need to ask, what do I do? Can I move her and the nest to a crate til the eggs hatch? If so, do I move the nest the next time I see her off it or do I go in and do it with her on them still? I'm afraid to just leave her there because we have barn cats that go in there all the time not to mention the other chickens are always poking around which would put any new chicks in danger. If the eggs are viable, then they are at least 14 days old which means they will hatch within the next week so I really need some advise on what to do. Thanks!

 

[Olive Hill]

Raz - You have two cockerels. Like many breeds, the plummage patterns on SLW differ quite a lot between male and female.

 

[M.sue]

Taprock, can you do a bit of a necropsy (bird autopsy)??

Somehow I keep ending up at the top of the page!

CG....you suggested that I perform one of these also on my deceased chicken and to be totally honest with you, I wouldn't know what I was looking for! DH just buried her out back.

 

[taprock]

Nova, Taprock or anyone with broody hen experience, I need some advise, please!

I've had mixed results with broodies. So what I know is I did move mine twice - once to move her to the eggs I wanted hatched and second three days before hatch. Both times after dark with just a headlamp. Both times I moved her to a caged area where she couldn't leave. I actually put her in a cardboard box the first time so I could just carry it to where I wanted her to hatch. The broody that left her chicks and eggs was not caged and it wasn't completely dark. I guess if I were to do it I would take the cage to her, after dark and settle her in, then move her were you want her. Maybe throw a old blanket over it so it's darker and she can't see whats going on.

I love the airplane broody walk! Bird with attitude.

 

[RaZ]

Raz - how old are your rooster/hens? I missed it.

Even though he had been with everyone I decided to bury him right away in case it was something contagious. If it happens again I will have to consider it. I had wondered if the heat from yesterday could have done something. Seems unlikely but it was sudden onset and death with no specific symptoms. I went back and read all diseases and symptoms to see if I missed something and found nothing new.

My new batch of chicks are about 13 weeks now. Hatch was around the end of February.
Sorry to hear that you lost one. I had that happen a while back. No apparent reason. I'm told that it sometimes happens. Not a good response, I know.

 

[taprock]

to be totally honest with you, I wouldn't know what I was looking for!

Same here, however there is a really good, kinda gross free ebook you can download. It's called "Picture Book of Infectious Poultry Diseases" It has color necropsy pictures and what certain diseases look like.

 

[RaZ]

Raz - You have two cockerels. Like many breeds, the plummage patterns on SLW differ quite a lot between male and female.

Oh crap! Not what I need here in the city.
On the other hand, these are beautiful birds.

 

[Olive Hill]

The good news is that they'll be big enough to make a nice soup when they start crowing.

 

[RaZ]

The good news is that they'll be big enough to make a nice soup when they start crowing.

Only soup?
Can't I bake them?