MJ's little flock

[Shadrach]

I keep wondering whether I made her food too watery, whether I should have fed her more often than recommended, was the bread bad for her, why did all those pellets cause weight loss the other night... on and on.

If they won't, or can't eat they're going to die. In the vast majority of cases there is nothing that one can do. A necropsy is a good idea.

 

[Shadrach]

I have a question; do chickens urinate as well as defacate, or does it mix in together? I have towels on the roosts and where Snowy was sleeping, there’s a wet patch along with a couple of poos. I’m absolutely paranoid at the moment about health concerns and you don’t see chickens just doing a wee.

Chickens do not urinate as such. It comes out premixed. They don't have the biology for it.
Poop inspection is an excellent habit to cultivate but it isn't a panic button.
Chickens pass all sorts of concoctions and combinations. They get the runs just like us. They take on different amounts of feed and water in different circumstances. There are very few poops that give warnings of serious problems and ime they are pretty obvious once you've looked at enough. Bright greens and yellows always concern me because in the past they meant organ failure in most I can recall.

 

[Shadrach]

I was amazed.

From her preoccupation to the extreme squatting stance to the pushing noises she made, the whole thing was fascinating.

It's something to watch isn't it. This was a really great thing about my house nest box. I got to see stuff I would never have otherwise.
Snoring hens! Who would believe it.

 

[Shadrach]

I hope you are ok MJ .
I think if it's only that, having learned to to crop feed is a very useful skill, and should the need arise again, it will certainly give you confidence to have done it before.
Would you mind sharing what the tube you used looks like ? It turns out Kaytee is easily available here, with other brands.

My experience with sick or wounded hens is limited, but I've found this to be true. However I also encountered an exception with Caramel. She absolutely dreaded being handled when she was sick the first time and she had taken to roosting in places we couldn't reach her to avoid been taken off the roost at night. She was scared just seeing us walk by her. It was very sad and in the few months of life she had left she never really trusted us again.

I believe MJ uses a solid stainless steel tube with a ball end. They can make crop feeding easier for the keeper but I think softer fexible tubing is more comfortable for the hen.

 

[BY Bob]

It's a 10cm stainless steel tube with a bulbous blunt end to go into the bird and the other end goes onto the syringe. I cleaned it in boiling water fresh from the kettle after each feed.

View attachment 3365634

I'm glad you asked when you did, because I can't wait to get rid of it. It triggers too many sad memories.

 

[BY Bob]

Chickens do not urinate as such. It comes out premixed. They don't have the biology for it.
Poop inspection is an excellent habit to cultivate but it isn't a panic button.
Chickens pass all sorts of concoctions and combinations. They get the runs just like us. They take on different amounts of feed and water in different circumstances. There are very few poops that give warnings of serious problems and ime they are pretty obvious once you've looked at enough. Bright greens and yellows always concern me because in the past they meant organ failure in most I can recall.

Lime green poop is also a sign of chickens haven eaten purple cabbage. The dye in some vegetables can change poop color in ways different from the color of the vegetable itself. .

 

[MaryJanet]

Pegsy is still feeling broody but she only spent 5 minutes on the nest today.

 

[rjohns39]

Good evening folks

 

[MaryJanet]

Tomorrow there's a tradie coming to put the roof on the roost I've been struggling to build for way too long. Exciting!

Hopefully it will give me the impetus to drop my other projects and get the walls and floor of the roost finished, then all eight chickens can be migrated to the new roost. The Big Four can have it to themselves for a week first. Then the Littles can join them and take a week to get used to it. Then the Red Marauders can join in.

By which stage I'll have both a sleepout and a laundry again! I'm looking forward to extracting my clean but still wet clothes from the washing machine without collecting stray bits of straw on them.

 

[BY Bob]

Tomorrow there's a tradie coming to put the roof on the roost I've been struggling to build for way too long. Exciting!

Hopefully it will give me the impetus to drop my other projects and get the walls and floor of the roost finished, then all eight chickens can be migrated to the new roost. The Big Four can have it to themselves for a week first. Then the Littles can join them and take a week to get used to it. Then the Red Marauders can join in.

By which stage I'll have both a sleepout and a laundry again! I'm looking forward to extracting my clean but still wet clothes from the washing machine without collecting stray bits of straw on them.

This is exciting news. Were you always planning to have some one else put the roof on?