Not sure what is going on.....very worried!

[casportpony]

If she was egg bound she would of died within a day, but this might be an extraordinary case.

Not true, I've had them go longer than that.

 

[cowcreekgeek]

Yes they sure are! I am not saying DONT get Araucana they are WONDERFUL pets and a good breed....just be VERY careful WHO you get them from. Get them from someone who knows what they are doing!

You're gettin' better at this stuff all the time, and I'd imagine you could develop an extremely good understanding of what this breed should ideally be, based upon the standards primarily, but adjusted to either produce the smaller egg or be more capable of easily laying the larger ones ... and, then, somewhere down the road? We'll all order our Araucana from you ~'-)

 

[NovaAman]

I have had horrid problems with a batch of wyandottes I got this past spring with repro issues. Every darn one of them has died because of EYP with in weeks of them starting to lay. Very disappointing. Sorry for your loses.

 

[cowcreekgeek]

I have had horrid problems with a batch of wyandottes I got this past spring with repro issues. Every darn one of them has died because of EYP with in weeks of them starting to lay. Very disappointing. Sorry for your loses.

For those of us that don't recognize the acronym (myself included ~'-)

Egg Yolk Peritonitis (EYP) can often be confused w/ the symptoms of egg binding. It can also be another cause for finding ascites w/in the body cavity upon necropsy (did not know that, 'til now).

However, there are a number of things that can cause EYP ... rather than merely being the problem, it can often be the final dominoe w/in a row that's been aimed directly at your flock:

Egg Production​

Symptom Possible Cause
Sudden severe drop Newcastle disease; infectious bronchitis; laryngotracheitis;
influenza-A, mycotoxin,
mismanagement (no lights, feed, or water)
Unsatisfactory Infectious coryza; fowl cholera; chronic respiratory diseases; diet
deficiencies; gizzard impaction; fowl pox; hepatitis; lice; mites;
ascarids; capillaria; lymphoid leukosis; coccidiosis; enteritis;
pullorum; fowl typhoid; aflatoxicosis; adenovirus infection; toxins
Egg wrinkled, depigmented Necrotic enteritis; infectious bronchitis
Production pause Epidemic tremor
Poor shell quality Newcastle disease; infectious bronchitis; adenovirus infection; diet
deficiency; T-2 fusariotoxin​

 

[NovaAman]

Very true.. That is all good info to have. Unfortunetly, all three hens are confirmed EYP for me... Only the dottes of all the chicks that I got this year. I have only 1 left, and she's got a internal laying and binding problem. Keeping her in darkened garage with a few other birds for company, including one that continually goes broody! Trying to keep her from laying for a while. I was sure she was going to die too... but she's perking up. Passed a normal egg yesterday after a round of antibiotics...

 

[gg706]

I had never thought Wyandottes would have that problem! Mine are "wide load" in back end...so much so they should have to wear a sign!

My Araucana are so narrow and then chopped off at the back end, as they are tailless that I was concerned they may have problems even before the problems began.
CowCreekGeek you mention in one of your lists, a lack of light.....I do not have a light in my coop I was just letting them lay naturally. Do you think I should add a light to possibly help the situation...I only have 1 Araucana hen left and she has not laid yet...I am afraid she will be next.

 

[gg706]

You're gettin' better at this stuff all the time, and I'd imagine you could develop an extremely good understanding of what this breed should ideally be, based upon the standards primarily, but adjusted to either produce the smaller egg or be more capable of easily laying the larger ones ... and, then, somewhere down the road? We'll all order our Araucana from you ~'-)

I have thought about it.....after my experience I have considered getting into the breeding of Araucana. They are fascinating, very well mannered birds and it was very upsetting to raise them from babies to only end their short life because of an egg. It would take an incredible investment to build breeding pens, acquire birds of different genetics to begin the process and then ALOT of culling, I am not certain that I could carry out the culling necessary to build up a good breeding pool. Thank You for your confidence.....I am going to give it some thought!

 

[NovaAman]

The dottes I got from a breeder, not a single one of those had this problem. That's why I got more, only from a hatchery. Their quality definitly was not near as nice as they should be. Lacing was fair, wrong combs, wrong color legs, some of the lacing wasn't even the right type, or little to non existent.

As for culling, you don't have to "KILL" the ones that do not work for your breeding program. You can sell them off as pet quality. There are plenty of people who do not care about the right feather color, pumpless, tufts, feathered legs... You just separate out those from that you don't want in your breeding pool and sell them off.

 

[cowcreekgeek]

Very true.. That is all good info to have. Unfortunetly, all three hens are confirmed EYP for me... Only the dottes of all the chicks that I got this year. I have only 1 left, and she's got a internal laying and binding problem. Keeping her in darkened garage with a few other birds for company, including one that continually goes broody! Trying to keep her from laying for a while. I was sure she was going to die too... but she's perking up. Passed a normal egg yesterday after a round of antibiotics...

Feel for ya ... beginning to question my intelligence for havin' started keepin' chickens again after all I've been through in the past, and all folks like you have to endure, not that I'm likely to ever quit again. Sorta wish I could recover the coop Dad 'n built when I was a kid, but ... that wouldn't be fair to the folks my parents gave it to (reckon the same goes for that onl Ford tractor that used to be in the barn ~'-)

Wouldn't it be nice if they'd just grow up 'n do what they were supposed to, w/o givin' us so much trouble to deal w/ along the way?

 

[cowcreekgeek]

I have thought about it.....after my experience I have considered getting into the breeding of Araucana. They are fascinating, very well mannered birds and it was very upsetting to raise them from babies to only end their short life because of an egg. It would take an incredible investment to build breeding pens, acquire birds of different genetics to begin the process and then ALOT of culling, I am not certain that I could carry out the culling necessary to build up a good breeding pool. Thank You for your confidence.....I am going to give it some thought!

Like NovaAman said? You'd not have to always cull those that don't meet your standards, and starting w/ stock of the finest quality would help eliminate that as a concern. And, subdividing areas most efficiently shouldn't require quite so much, so long as you keep your operation small.