NY chicken lover!!!!

Congratulations on the new job!
The cake recipe is weighing on my mind. I may have to try it, but since I'm feeling fat, now is probably not a good time, but then, who knows!
My egg count varies, yesterday six, the day before four. Ten hens. Today I spent some time in the coop, it was above freezing, so a great day to sift the sand etc, and since it was low, I finally got the new bags of sand out of my car where they had been riding with me. But as I scooped and sifted and made it nice, there was a lot of complaining. Fawn, who had been caught in the act of egg eating, but had been returned to the coop since I was at a loss of what to do with her, started an egg song. For a while she had been peering into the nest boxes, even climbing in, then jumping out. Finally two hens got in the boxes. They chose to leave again, and wasn't Fawn right back in their boxes. I think that she was instigating egg laying behavior in the others in anticipation of eating their eggs. She may need to have a permanent solution to her problem.
I agree with Rancher. Try some wooden eggs first. She isn't going to be rewarded by breaking the shell and get something good to eat. I got my wooden eggs at Michael's. Good luck.
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6/6 EE eggs are developing (one week in)!!! Chickprincess, Buddy is doing his job!
Yay! I get excited when I see my eggs developing as well!!!!

My sholder hurts so much I can hardly type. Afraid I have gotten old enough to have bursitis or something evil like that in the joint. Feels better if I cross the arm across my body and pull it up toward my heart--whatever that means. No coop cleaning for me for a while. I hope I can find the clothes pins for my nose when I collect eggs, cuz when it warms up it's gonna stink stink stink down there.

Gonna rest my arm. I'll keep reading tho.
Cass, I am sorry to hear about your pain. Holding it that way probably eases the pressure on the joint. Makes the arm useless, however.
 
Well now keep in mind TSC and others don't always have the best breeds to keep. Certain breeds can lay colored egg, and in some cases as many eggs as chickens lay per year. So try to find the breed that is right for you.

If you don't hatch perhaps you can find someone nearby to hatch for you. I know I would. I just like to hatch and I've got another hen, Buckwheat, that I think is broody.

Hi all,

I know many of you are hatching your own chicks. I love to know if anyone is planning to hatch ducklings. I wanted to add a couple of ducks to my flock. I know tractor supply will have some but I don't want to get 6 and I didn't want to add more chickens this year. If anyone has any suggestions I'd love it.

Thanks,
Jay

Oh man, thats right! Chick/duckling "season" is approaching at TS! I better stay away from that place otherwise I might end up bringing home a few ducklings myself!

IF** I were to get ducks, do they have to be kept in a seperate area away from chickens as far as the "coop" goes? Or can they be housed together??
 
Oh man, thats right! Chick/duckling "season" is approaching at TS! I better stay away from that place otherwise I might end up bringing home a few ducklings myself!

IF** I were to get ducks, do they have to be kept in a seperate area away from chickens as far as the "coop" goes? Or can they be housed together??
either way. Mine are housed seperate but many people I know house them together. Many of my Sumatra's fly into the duck coop to hang with the ducks every day. They all get along great
 
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6/6 EE eggs are developing (one week in)!!! Chickprincess, Buddy is doing his job!
That's my boy! lol Every egg I crack open is also fertilized. Good traits in these BA's! I'm happy!
Can someone tell me if this is frostbite? I believe it is..but want to be 100% sure
I would lean toward frostbite. The ends of the two middle toes also look paler than the rest. Maybe that's just the pic? If it were me, I would clean it well with peroxide, slather on Neosporin (without pain relief) and cover both feet with Vetrap (wrapped between the toes... you can find youtube vids of how to wrap it searching for bumblefoot). Poor thing. Is she holding her feet up at all or walking like it hurts?
 
Quote: I suffered from bursitis for a long time, finally got shots. Took 3 sets and now I only occasionally have pain. Also, if you havne't already, have Dr. prescribe lidocaine patches...they are a miracle.
I also use them for shoulder pain from Fibromyalgia...Sometimes I think I should just put them all over my body! LOL
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But can only use 5 at one time...couldn't cover it all!
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Of course, I passed my 40's long time ago..
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No areas on either foot are raw..the one toe is swollen with a red lump on the tip. Both pads are blackish colored but it isnt hard..does really look like bumble foot.
Here are some other ones..sorry im taking the pics with my cell so its hard to see.
I could try and get better ones tomorrow in better lighting.
But his feet have blackish coloring on the pads and some toes...there is a red lump on the tip of the one toe which is swolle and the middle toe is swollen and his nail is turning black.
Bumble foot occurs on the large pad of the foot. Usually doesn't change color. Anything turning black this time of year is probably frostbite. The toes get it usually, if the roost isn't wide enough so the toes hang down, and aren't covered up by the birds feathers/body. or, if they are in a cage with a wire floor, not solid. I had a couple of 6 week old chicks in a cage with a wire floor, and inn January when it got below zero, their toes got frostbite. The tips turned black, and eventually sloughed off. They had a heat source, but I guess it wasn't enough. Anyway, then I put them in an area with solid floor & shavinngs. They are fine now. Lost the toenails on the toes that were affected. They will not be show birds withou toes but are still functional as breeders.
 
That's my boy!  lol   Every egg I crack open is also fertilized.  Good traits in these BA's!  I'm happy!
I would lean toward frostbite.  The ends of the two middle toes also look paler than the rest.  Maybe that's just the pic?  If it were me, I would clean it well with peroxide, slather on Neosporin (without pain relief) and cover both feet with Vetrap (wrapped between the toes... you can find youtube vids of how to wrap it searching for bumblefoot).  Poor thing.  Is she holding her feet up at all or walking like it hurts?

When i noticed it he was limping, but iv had him inside for 2 days now . Giving him epsom salt soaks twice a day and he is seems to be walking fine now. Altho he dosnt like me touching his feet.
I think i caught it early enough to save his toes..but i believe 2 toenails might fall off.
 
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Oh man, thats right! Chick/duckling "season" is approaching at TS! I better stay away from that place otherwise I might end up bringing home a few ducklings myself!

IF** I were to get ducks, do they have to be kept in a seperate area away from chickens as far as the "coop" goes? Or can they be housed together??
The only good thing about TS is that they're close and always have a selection of chicks and ducklings. But I've heard horror stories about hatchery birds. I'd rather buy ducklings from someone local but I only want 2 or 3 to go with my 6 red sexlinks. They would be more as pets so I'm just looking for friendly and non-flighty. Runners seem like to good choice but I'm not picky. I had 6 Runners when I was a child and have such great memories of spending all day going for a walk with them following right behind me. My chickens do that a little bit but not like my ducks used to. I think TS only had Peking ducklings last year and I don't want to have to buy 6 because I'd have to cull half of them or re-home them. If someone has a suggestion of the best place to buy them other than finding local please let me know.

Cheers,
Jay
 
When i noticed it he was limping, but iv had him inside for 2 days now . Giving him epsom salt soaks twice a day and he is seems to be walking fine now. Altho he dosnt like me touching his feet.
I think i caught it early enough to save his toes..but i believe 2 toenails might fall off.
When I was younger I had a hen with frostbite on the whole toe. It eventually fell off and scarred over but she seemed to do just fine after that. I'm sure it most have been very painful and I wouldn't want to see that now with any of my girls. I think the problem back then was that their perch wasn't 100% dry and clean so their toes froze to their droppings. Now I make sure their perch stays clean especially when it goes into the 20's or below at night. If it's frostbite I thought the area frostbitten would turn black. your pics look like the area has turned more red which tells me that there is still good circulation there.

Jay
 
No areas on either foot are raw..the one toe is swollen with a red lump on the tip. Both pads are blackish colored but it isnt hard..does really look like bumble foot.
Here are some other ones..sorry im taking the pics with my cell so its hard to see.
I could try and get better ones tomorrow in better lighting.
But his feet have blackish coloring on the pads and some toes...there is a red lump on the tip of the one toe which is swolle and the middle toe is swollen and his nail is turning black.


If you have this problem on more than one bird, I'd say it's frost bite. I'd put some straw or hay down just outside the coop for them to walk on. Reapply as necessary.

If you have a run, that they are in I'd try to cover at least part of it to prevent snow and ice. You can see some wood shavings on the ground in front of the second pic coop. The door is closed so I could show the fleece on the front but it's always open when they are out. I also use straw. Then in the spring I'll just rake it up and toss it on the compost. The first pic is inside a covered run.



 
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