- Aug 17, 2010
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Sorry for the long post... just giving a little background to help in diagnosing chicken problems.
So, I'm somewhat new to the chicken thing... at least new to troubleshooting chickens. We currently have 9 buffs and 17 black austrolorpe. We originally started out with 18 buffs. Nine of them got out somehow when we were on vacation this spring and were eaten by coyotes (at least that's what we think). Anyway, the buffs haven't returned to normal egg production since the others were killed (partly due to the fact that we moved them out of their coop when we got replacement chicks); they, however, haven't been moved again for about two months since returning to their original coop and still we are just getting 2-3 eggs a day (the austrolorpes aren't laying yet). Some went through brooding in the summer (that seemed to last a while) and others have been going through what I assume is molt (again for a long while). So, now I go out into the coop this afternoon and most of the buffs have this weird neck jerk thing going on. They don't seem to be in pain or look like they have an enlarged crop, in fact they seem just fine... they are just twitching/flicking their heads every couple of seconds. Any clues as to what could cause this? One other comment, most of the buffs don't get spend any time in their run. I will put them down and they might stay out for a while, but they won't get out of their own accord. (The coop is large, about 80 sq. ft., but I'm just afraid they aren't out enough). Also, their water gets changed every four days, but they really mess it up bad in between changes and I'm sure they end up eating their waste!
So, whats up with my chickens: is it a vitamin deficiency, disease, parasites, sanitation issues, an exercise issue or totally normal? Last year at this time, we were getting 15-17 eggs a day, but lately its been really frustrating to raise chickens that are net consumers.
Anyway, any help you all have would be much appreciated!
So, I'm somewhat new to the chicken thing... at least new to troubleshooting chickens. We currently have 9 buffs and 17 black austrolorpe. We originally started out with 18 buffs. Nine of them got out somehow when we were on vacation this spring and were eaten by coyotes (at least that's what we think). Anyway, the buffs haven't returned to normal egg production since the others were killed (partly due to the fact that we moved them out of their coop when we got replacement chicks); they, however, haven't been moved again for about two months since returning to their original coop and still we are just getting 2-3 eggs a day (the austrolorpes aren't laying yet). Some went through brooding in the summer (that seemed to last a while) and others have been going through what I assume is molt (again for a long while). So, now I go out into the coop this afternoon and most of the buffs have this weird neck jerk thing going on. They don't seem to be in pain or look like they have an enlarged crop, in fact they seem just fine... they are just twitching/flicking their heads every couple of seconds. Any clues as to what could cause this? One other comment, most of the buffs don't get spend any time in their run. I will put them down and they might stay out for a while, but they won't get out of their own accord. (The coop is large, about 80 sq. ft., but I'm just afraid they aren't out enough). Also, their water gets changed every four days, but they really mess it up bad in between changes and I'm sure they end up eating their waste!
So, whats up with my chickens: is it a vitamin deficiency, disease, parasites, sanitation issues, an exercise issue or totally normal? Last year at this time, we were getting 15-17 eggs a day, but lately its been really frustrating to raise chickens that are net consumers.
Anyway, any help you all have would be much appreciated!