Minnesota!

[The BlanchRanch]

When they are sick, they do not need a lot of room, I use 4x3 dog kennels. I am thinking of cutting that down and making 2x3 hospital rooms.

Great Idea. I will have to get something ready for the next time something like this happens. Beginners luck so far. It hasn't spread.

@The BlanchRanch I've got some thoughts that your hens reproductive pathway may be infected. It happens in high production (hatchery stock). The vent loses tonality- if you will- poo can back up- and then the Fallopian tube gets infected, scars, then no eggs... Maybe the shell maker has issues as well. This is a total shot in the dark. But you could try the duramycin if you get out of the inner city that is.

. I think Ralphie said there's a runnings up in Ramsey....

Boy I hope that isn't it. She is getting better since I cleaned her vent area. Not so lethargic. Hoping she will start laying again. I will be buying duramycin for last hope type things.

I read this and thought I should mention, you need to be careful as well with how much calcium you're giving them. Read your feed label and see what it recommends. If you are giving free choice, then you should probably back off from mixing oyster with the feed too. Too much can start causing some issue with eggs. Some feeds even say to not give additional oyster shell or calcium, so do look closely. Normally, their bodies will tell them they need things like more calcium or grit, so let them do what comes natural to them. But of course, like Bogtown said, the hatchery birds that are bred for higher laying rate tend to have more reproductive issues that say breeder stock, we may not get as many eggs, but we see far fewer breakdowns in hens ability to lay and they ours don't up and quit laying quite as soon.

The sulpha drug that Ralphie mentioned is called sulphamethoxine. It comes in a powder and needs to be mixed with water. I don't recall if the dosage for poultry is on the package or not, I don't use it for poultry, but have used it for rabbits with sneezing during hot weather. I am not a big proponent of using many antibiotics, and when I do, I want to know what the problem is for sure and that I am using the proper treatment. Just giving antibiotics can actually backfire by causing resistence and then when you do find the actual cause, you have negatively affected the ability to treat it. There are a number of reasons a hen would lay shell-less eggs, it could be illness, it could be diet, it could just be that the heat has her tossed for a loop. Providing a good diet, using probiotics and vitamins and electrolytes should only help, as well as using apple cider vinegar in the water (the natural stuff with mother). One more thing, if you change up too many things all at once, it will be harder to pin-point what the cause is. It is like a puzzle and you have to look at all the pieces and how they fit to get the whole picture.

Good luck with her, I know it is frustrating not knowing for sure what is going on when things like this happen.

Thanks for the great advice. I will keep the antibiotics for life and death. Topical ointments are fine though. Right? I have been giving them cider vinegar. Just started the vitamin and electrolytes. The rest of the chickens are looking really good. Also. I threw out the bag already. I read a lot of it and it didn't say anything where I did read. I will just keep the shells separate to be safe.

My chicken hospital, just a large wire dog crate. I have a small pet carrier in there for a nesting box, also they like to sleep in there. I'll try and get a better photo in awhile.

That is a beautiful chicken. What kind is it??

Ugh, we lost two more Apple trees. They just snapped in half. One was already producing and the other was close. Now we are down to one productive tree

. Dang storm. Hope you all fared better than we did

What a loss. Sorry.

The closest Running's is in Redwing. Couldn't find one in Ramsey county. I still have not been able to make it to Fleet Farm. When I do I will stock up on these things.

I just checked Lois's comb. Didn't seem very stiff or ballooned. Now I will check it in the morning. It was raining to hard this morning so I just jumped in the truck and ran to work.
Thanks for all the advice!! Keep it coming and I will get it soon. Signed the naive. ;-)

 

[The BlanchRanch]

And duluthralphie!! Congratulations on no swearing. Wondering how I will do.

 

[duluthralphie]

Sir, I'm more curious about what you said or did to evoke such a reaction.
You seem like auch a pleasant chap...

Well,, believe it or not, I posted a picture in the "caption" contest and used %^$&$# those kind of figures to cover a bad word....and got written up, because someone was upset I had "implied" a nasty word...

The other one I was goaded and was dumb enough to wrestle with a pig and someone I got muddy..... (now watch someone say I called another person here a pig, when that is NOT what I meant....


I understand how BYC runs and am well aware I sometimes push the limits, so I accept them gracefully as I can. I enjoy the site and just try to not cross the line too often.





The Runnings I go to is in Monticello, which is in Wright county.

 

[The BlanchRanch]

I kept thinking Ramsey. Thanks.

 

[duluthralphie]

And duluthralphie!! Congratulations on no swearing. Wondering how I will do.

OH and HOLD the congratulations. It is not like I have stopped swearing, I have just managed to not swear in front of the pastor..

 

[Cyrus83]

Ive got a ****** off wild tom cat in the trap this morning. Should I shoot it or bring it to the humane society? I consider wild cats an invasive species. And since one of my best producing hens went missing yesterday, and my tomato plants being pillaged, I feel I may go sit in the woods and shoot everything that moves for the next few hours.

 

[I Love Layers]

Ive got a ****** off wild tom cat in the trap this morning. Should I shoot it or bring it to the humane society? I consider wild cats an invasive species. And since one of my best producing hens went missing yesterday, and my tomato plants being pillaged, I feel I may go sit in the woods and shoot everything that moves for the next few hours.

I'm going with shooting it

 

[holm25]

Ive got a ****** off wild tom cat in the trap this morning. Should I shoot it or bring it to the humane society? I consider wild cats an invasive species. And since one of my best producing hens went missing yesterday, and my tomato plants being pillaged, I feel I may go sit in the woods and shoot everything that moves for the next few hours.

I would shoot it. If ur missing hen is broody he could wipe out any chicks before u even see them.

 

[scandiafowl]

Good morning, everyone

Something I have to get off my chest...

I realize that I''m a newbie here and officially out myself as a treehugger.

When we keep chickens, whether for pleasure or business there is a risk of loss, to disease or wildlife. It would bother me a great deal if a raccoon or weasel ate my chickens.

But I also recognize that we are often living in their world as they in ours. There isn't a sign on our chickens informing them they should not be harmed.

The need to protect our property is important, whether via traps or shooting.

It's any glorification of killing that bothers me, or the automatic assumption that killing is the only solution.

There, I've laid it out. Right after I'm struggling with finding a lost teenagers.

 

[The BlanchRanch]

I am at a fleet farm!!! Any other suggestions of things to buy for just in case?? These places are so off my normal driving routes I would love to get it all in one shot.