NY chicken lover!!!!

[rancher hicks]

I have gotten darker, but this is of late. They do look nice against and blue or green egg though. I don't believe any hen consistently lays the same darkness of egg each time she lays an egg. I only have Birchens.

 

[armorfirelady]

Quote: They were all laying. Feed is not the problem. they are out in a large area full of grass, clover, mixed ground clover, the compost, etc. They have just been molting for the last month or so. I am just impatient. Last year thet PRs started laying in December so I have no doubt they will start laying as soon as their molt is over

 

[miquwid]

What are the symptoms. I usually find that if I have one sick chick, they have coccidia. Not all get it or get sick from it I should say. A friend of mine treats with milk. Something in the milk prevents the cysts from eating or something like that so they die. Try to sprinkle powdered milk on feed, or just give milk to drink. Old time dairy farmers fed their chickens milk products. Cant hurt.

Wry neck but can hold his head better eats and drinks well. but is pretty strong completely quarentined. If worse comes to worse she will cull him and we will keep the other as a pet. She thought it was other possible diseases but ruled them out. I do trust her she has far more knowledge than i working with animals and diseases. She pretty much narrowed it down to head trauma from the other silkie roo who she will rehome.

 

[Lynzi777]

I think come Spring time I'm going to look into adding 2-3 other breeds of pullets. I have one purebred lavender Orp, a Buff Orp/BSL hen, and BR and all three are not laying. Not only that, I have a lavender silkie that is 8 months old and still not laying. I wouldn't question the silkie too much, but Ke5 has the sister and she's laying so I can't help but wonder why mine isn't. Also, if all three of my bigger hens were all Orps and weren't laying then maybe I wouldn't wonder. But to have one pure, one mix and one BR, who are all done molting and barely laid this summer just makes me curious. I'm beginning to wonder if it IS the feed I'm giving them. I would try switching brands if I didn't just buy another 2 bags of layer pellets. So we'll see if putting them back on layer will help. And if still no eggs then maybe I'll switch brands when it comes time to having to buy feed again.

 

[rancher hicks]

I think come Spring time I'm going to look into adding 2-3 other breeds of pullets. I have one purebred lavender Orp, a Buff Orp/BSL hen, and BR and all three are not laying. Not only that, I have a lavender silkie that is 8 months old and still not laying. I wouldn't question the silkie too much, but Ke5 has the sister and she's laying so I can't help but wonder why mine isn't. Also, if all three of my bigger hens were all Orps and weren't laying then maybe I wouldn't wonder. But to have one pure, one mix and one BR, who are all done molting and barely laid this summer just makes me curious. I'm beginning to wonder if it IS the feed I'm giving them. I would try switching brands if I didn't just buy another 2 bags of layer pellets. So we'll see if putting them back on layer will help. And if still no eggs then maybe I'll switch brands when it comes time to having to buy feed again.

My first group of 25 was 8 different breeds. Some did okay but others were picked on. Perhaps by the rooster. I gave away the SLW, GLW and the Aussies. I wasn't up to putting aprons on them. All were hatchery.

I do have an SLW that is a good layer.

I chose 3 of each breed, to see which I would like. I'm sure with plenty of room they would have been okay. The hatchery birds were rather thin.

If all your looking for is eggs, cross breeds can be nice. Some EE's are very pretty to watch. I suppose even some Maran/maran crosses would lay some nicely dark eggs too.

I believe there is some BCM in mine, though I'm working to remove it. Keep this in mine if you'd like a maran hen and don't mind some copper when I begin to hatch in the spring.

Right now I have two chicks , one cross the other an EE, if anyone would like to come and get them. I just don't want to deal with them right now. I'll have the boxed and ready. Drop me a pm.

 

[marquisella]

Quote: I've cured wry neck but it takes time & patience. Baby poly vitamins in dropper, without iron. Plus, at least twice a day, massage the neck trying to gently massage it to its natural position. Sometimes this works right away, and sometimes the head goes right back, but if you keep it up, you might cure it. I massage the neck on both sides with my fingers working from the head down. I wish I could massage my own neck....lol
Try it & if it works, let us know. It might take 3 weeks though.

 

[Lynzi777]

My first group of 25 was 8 different breeds.  Some did okay but others were picked on. Perhaps by the rooster.  I gave away the SLW, GLW and the Aussies.  I wasn't up to putting aprons on them.  All were hatchery.  

I do have an SLW that is a good layer.  

I chose 3 of each breed, to see which I would like.  I'm sure with plenty of room they would have been okay.  The hatchery birds were rather thin.  

If all your looking for is eggs, cross breeds can be nice.  Some EE's are very pretty to watch.   I suppose even some Maran/maran crosses would lay some nicely dark eggs too. 

I believe there is some BCM in mine, though I'm working to remove it.  Keep this in mine if you'd like a maran hen and don't mind some copper when I begin to hatch in the spring.    

Right now I have two chicks , one cross the other an EE, if anyone would like to come and get them.  I just don't want to deal with them right now.   I'll have the boxed and ready.  Drop me a pm.  

My plan is to keep the BR (if she starts laying again), and Stella my Lavender Orp, and this Blue Orp pullet. If I can convince my son to let me rehome the BO mix, I'd have room to bring in at least 3 other hens of different breeds. This way, I can hatch pure eggs if I want from Stella and the Blue pullet, and have eggs to do whatever with from the rest. And if I do try hatching their eggs they'll be mixes and will hopefully lay better!

 

[marquisella]

If one is breeding a heritage breed, they were for both eggs& meat and are not prolific layers. Especially during the winter months.

If eggs are what you want, and want them all year round, then the production breeds like leghorns,, etc. are about the only chickens that were bred for the sole purpose of laying eggs consistantly. Australorps are another, but they are big, and eat more than your typical leghorn, sex link, red star, gold something, etc. and the others.

And, they need the extra light as well. If you think about it, most of your big production egg companies are in the south and use supplemental light.

I actually bought eggs last week as well because the few eggs they laid, went into my incubator. They get over this no laying hump, towards the end of November, at least for me they do.

 

[miquwid]

I've cured wry neck but it takes time & patience. Baby poly vitamins in dropper, without iron. Plus, at least twice a day, massage the neck trying to gently massage it to its natural position. Sometimes this works right away, and sometimes the head goes right back, but if you keep it up, you might cure it. I massage the neck on both sides with my fingers working from the head down. I wish I could massage my own neck....lol 
Try it & if it works, let us know. It might take 3 weeks though.

Thanks that is what im doing. We shall see fingers crossed!

 

[Lynzi777]

If one is breeding a heritage breed, they were for both eggs& meat and are not prolific layers. Especially during the winter months.

If eggs are what you want, and want them all year round, then the production breeds like leghorns,, etc. are about the only chickens that were bred for the sole purpose of laying eggs consistantly. Australorps are another, but they are big, and eat more than your typical leghorn, sex link, red star, gold something, etc. and the others.

And, they need the extra light as well. If you think about it, most of your big production egg companies are in the south and use supplemental light.

I actually bought eggs last week as well because the few eggs they laid, went into my incubator. They get over this no laying hump, towards the end of November, at least for me they do.

I realize that my posts are probably making me sound like I DO want a hen that lays all year round but that is not the case. Like I've mentioned before, I would have no problem with them not laying during the winter months IF they had laid all summer. But they didn't. I never had more than 2 dozen eggs in my fridge at a time - and we don't even eat a lot of eggs. Then I wasted a whole dozen on trying to hatch them but they were all duds. And that was pretty much the last eggs I got. And that was a WHILE ago, feels like it's been months since I've seen an egg. So I'd just like to somewhat start fresh next year with a couple of different breeds if this is how lousy these orps are going to lay each year.