- May 19, 2014
- 61
- 10
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I am new to chicken raising 1/2014 and I am also new to the board. Current flock: Redd was supposed to be a RIR but is definitely not! Looks like a dorking or orphington cross and is finally starting to lay at 9ish months old. Next is 2 leghorns that are 5-6 months? Old and were 10 weeks old when we got them. Then came pullets Mary the Americana and Lacy the silver laced Wyandotte that we got February 26 at a couple days old so they are about 13 weeks old. Then came Dotzilla the barred Plymouth Rock and Peep the Faverolle on April 9. Next were Belle the Sussex and Chocolate the black copper Maran on April 19. Then we got Pebbles the partridge silkie who we found dead 2 days later on April 19 who was 10 days old when we got her. We then got Dusty, another partridge silkie in the beginning of May. Dusty was much more active and vocal and did great for about a week. Then she got wry neck last Wednesday. What a scary and heartbreaking experience, but we pulled her through within 3 days by dropper feeding with pedialyte (no colors or flavors added) vitamin e, poly vi sol infant vitamins and dissolved feed. Came to the realization she can never go in with the other birds because of the stress and he slightly tilted neck and vaulted exposed head! Yes, I have a special needs chicken! Lol I can't let her die though so I had to come up with a solution other than my daughters suggestion that she be an " inside chicken!" My daughter is 24 by the way!!! Lol. So back to the feed store I went to see what vitamin supplements I could find for her to give her a good chance at preventing relapse, and came home with a service chicken for my special needs chicken! Cinder is an Americana bantam that will always be smaller than her, minimizing the risk of a peck to the head and another bout of wry neck! She is 2 weeks old and is perfect for Dusty. Dusty treats her like a baby and Cinder stands in front of Dusty, barely touching her when she has an episode as I have come to call it, and she pulls out of it in a matter of a couple seconds.
I sound like a crazy person, I know but they are such amazing creatures and such personality! All different but still equally lovable.
My next issue is this...
Redd started laying about 3 weeks ago, nice tinted eggs and all was well for about a week. Then came the egg with no shell. I got oyster shell for her and we got better in about 4 days. The only others that are old enough to be starting to lay are the leghorns which should lay white eggs (?). Have found a couple more eggs without shells but this morning after researching even more to see about laying signs, ages, etc. I found a small brown egg, and 2 light brownish colored rubber eggs in the coop but not in the nest box. The egg was in the nest box, but a different one than Redd usually lays in. I was looking at the shape of the vent area on all the older girls, and Wiley still has the very straight shape to her back end, while Foghorn has the matured looking more rounded pelvic area. Redd is always damp in her back end near her vent but there is no swelling or discoloration. Is that normal? There is no dampness on the Leghorns so far. Mary still has the very straight pelvis as well but Lacy the wyandotte appears very rounded and has the same dampened by the vent that Redd does. At 13 weeks I don't know if it is possible that Lacy is laying?!? If she is, should I be concerned? Finding 3 eggs today has me stumped since they were all tinted. Can leghorns lay brown eggs? I thought the leghorns lay white eggs from all of my research. Can Redd produce 3 eggs in one day? Especially since 2 had no shells? I'm stumped! Can anyone help?
I sound like a crazy person, I know but they are such amazing creatures and such personality! All different but still equally lovable.
My next issue is this...
Redd started laying about 3 weeks ago, nice tinted eggs and all was well for about a week. Then came the egg with no shell. I got oyster shell for her and we got better in about 4 days. The only others that are old enough to be starting to lay are the leghorns which should lay white eggs (?). Have found a couple more eggs without shells but this morning after researching even more to see about laying signs, ages, etc. I found a small brown egg, and 2 light brownish colored rubber eggs in the coop but not in the nest box. The egg was in the nest box, but a different one than Redd usually lays in. I was looking at the shape of the vent area on all the older girls, and Wiley still has the very straight shape to her back end, while Foghorn has the matured looking more rounded pelvic area. Redd is always damp in her back end near her vent but there is no swelling or discoloration. Is that normal? There is no dampness on the Leghorns so far. Mary still has the very straight pelvis as well but Lacy the wyandotte appears very rounded and has the same dampened by the vent that Redd does. At 13 weeks I don't know if it is possible that Lacy is laying?!? If she is, should I be concerned? Finding 3 eggs today has me stumped since they were all tinted. Can leghorns lay brown eggs? I thought the leghorns lay white eggs from all of my research. Can Redd produce 3 eggs in one day? Especially since 2 had no shells? I'm stumped! Can anyone help?
and Welcome To BYC! TwoCrows gave you some good suggestions about dealing with your problem girl. Are your Leghorns definitely some line of Commercial White Leghorns? CWL usually lay chalk white eggs, but many colored Leghorns and the Leghorn hybrid crosses (that may pretty much look like CWL) will lay tinted or light brown eggs. The shell less eggs are pretty common when pullets start laying, even more than one in a day, so hopefully you may just have a couple more of your girls coming in line and starting to lay.
