NY chicken lover!!!!

[LuvMyChicks1491]

Is it her crop or below that? Is it squishy or hard? If her crop is blocked, she won't poop much cause food won't go down into intestines. If she has a squishy belly, that is water, and you can try to get it out with a syringe, but its been my experience that is will seem to help, but they die anyway later. If the crop is hard, you can try to massage it gently to move things around & see if it becomes unblocked. Once, someone suggested I give mine with blocked crop wine, no food, massage. The wine helps ferment the food inthe crop and breaks it up. It worked...although I was eyeing that bowl of wine, seemed extraordinary measure...if she won't drink it, you can syringe it into her mouth little at a time.

It isn't her crop at all. It is her belly. It is big and firm, but soft. Not sure if that make since or not. I read an article about the fluid and inserting a needle and draining out fluid...I don't know if I feel really comfortable doing it. I'm afraid that I'll poke something important. I'll do it if I have to. I'll do what I need to, but it doesn't mean that I feel comfortable doing it.

And based on examples of poop that looks like hers she may have cancer...not sure what I'm going to do. I may try to give her a few more days, but I don't want her to suffer to much more. For now I'm just letting her rest and see if the olive oil and the apple sauce will work...and the grit

 

[marquisella]

Quote: If its a tumor, then best it ends. Sorry..

 

[why do birds]

Are the chickens playing a trick on us? Every day I check on Beak A Poo to see how she's doing with the eggs under her and every day she has another one. I think she's stealing Chicken Nuggets eggs and putting them under her too. Is that common? She started out with about 4 and now there's 7. Yikes!! Is this normal?

 

[marquisella]

Are the chickens playing a trick on us? Every day I check on Beak A Poo to see how she's doing with the eggs under her and every day she has another one. I think she's stealing Chicken Nuggets eggs and putting them under her too. Is that common? She started out with about 4 and now there's 7. Yikes!! Is this normal?

You do not want new eggs every day because then they won't all hatch together, and she will leave the nest with the eggs that hatch first. Mark the eggs with a pencil. I draw a circle all around the fattest part of the egg, so I can see it anyway its rolled around, Take out any eggs she "gets" that aren't marked.

 

[boskelli1571]

I have a question for everyone. How often do you clean your coops? Do you clean by appearance or smell? ( you know when you start to smell ammonia.) Or, do you clean on a set schedule?

Last time I cleaned things were basically dry but I could just smell the ammonia so I cleaned of course. For me a schedule may mean cleaning a basically clean coop since the number of birds ebbs and flows.

Right now the Del coop will need cleaning before winter, since there is an increase of birds.

Thanks for the advice, I only act like I know everything.

Rancher

I clean by smell. The deep litter has never really worked for me, so once it starts to smell a bit, I remove the poop piles, add new straw and mix it in with the old straw. This way I only clean thoroughly 2x year. I use industrial baking sheet pans under the roosts, so it doesn't take long at all.

 

[rancher hicks]

I have her inside in a crate covered with blankets so that she stays calm, warm and dark. I do pull up the one side so that she has a little light and can see the chicks in the house so won't feel to alone. She has food, water and apple sauce with olive oil in their for her to eat and drink. It looks like she ate a little of the apple sauce. I did find a small amount of poop yesterday afternoon and 2 more little piles last night, but her belly is still swollen...I forgot that you had a similar thing happen with Buckwheat!!!...I'll add the grit to her food, I just hope that she will start to eat and drink. I'll try and get some of the Durmycin as soon as I can.

I always appreciate your wisdom and suggestions/advice!..

I appreciate the compliment but I've no wisdom here. I did research these types of things and it said most times nothing can be done so mine was a crap shoot.

I just figured if Buckwheat was egg bound the insoluble grit would help grind things up and move things along.

I did find the skin of an egg in the box with her but since it was hardly dirty when I put her in and someone else had been in there for a while I didn't think it was Buckwheats. It might have been.

I just did what I did out of desperation. I just didn't have the heart to put Buckwheat down and since she didn't seem to be suffering I hoped and prayed.

I'm going to be sure that the girls have lots and lots of granite grit from now on. I'd suggest you cover the top of her food with grit so she HAS to eat it.

Take care and I hope things work out well,

Rancher

 

[rancher hicks]

You do not want new eggs every day because then they won't all hatch together, and she will leave the nest with the eggs that hatch first. Mark the eggs with a pencil. I draw a circle all around the fattest part of the egg, so I can see it anyway its rolled around, Take out any eggs she "gets" that aren't marked.

This sounds like something I've run into. That's why I keep birds that lay different colors separate.

Case in point. I know if I give a maran hen green/blue eggs any that are NOT green/blue are new eggs.

If I give an EE the Maran eggs I know any that are green/blue are new eggs.

Dels lay lght brwn and so it goes.

I've tried the pencil thing but it rubs off and then I can't tell old from new. Candling every night is a pain for both hen and me.

Still nothing beats quarantine a hen so she doesn't have to be bothered.

 

[NavyIT85]

Hiya All! I am new to chicken raising, and in the process of building my coop. I am located in Ellery, NY, near jamestown. I am looking to get my hands on 5 or so females cheap, and want to start at egg laying age, and perhaps get a rooster for my kids to use in 4H, and to fertilize me a few eggs to get me a good meat supply too. Any thoughts/advice is appreciated... and anyone near here that has a few to part with cheap, please let me know!

Thanks,

Kenny

 

[why do birds]

You do not want new eggs every day because then they won't all hatch together, and she will leave the nest with the eggs that hatch first. Mark the eggs with a pencil. I draw a circle all around the fattest part of the egg, so I can see it anyway its rolled around, Take out any eggs she "gets" that aren't marked.

Oh, thank you so much! If she does leave, she's up to 7 eggs now, would it be reasonable to continue to incubate the other few since they'd be part of the way along? I will mark these 7 with a pencil before she collects anymore. She has them spread out a bit and is putting wood shavings on the "new" eggs. Thanks for the advice!

 

[marquisella]

Quote: I also use a sharpie pen. works longer.