***OKIES in the BYC III ***

[Matt in Okla]

Looks like the hen may have stepped on it just after laying.   Are you supplementing your layers with oyster shell for their shells?  I leave it our free choice in a hanging feeder.

I have chicks hatching...Glory Be!  the temperature spiked to 111 the day the eggs were to go into lockdown.  I candled and put all that were jiggling into the hatcher with a 75% humidity to refresh the moisture and to help cool them down.  Although 2 days late, so far one had completely hatched and five more are moving about.  Had to toss 30 eggs because there was no movement and development had obviously been arrested.  It was my last hatch and had a few test eggs for a fall breeding.  
Any chicks that hatch will go under a broody hen that is hatching her clutch this week.

I have a cute story on my hubby.  The ceiling lights in the back of the barn need to be replaced.  He came in the other day telling me that one or more of the banty hens was laying in a storage section by the chain saws.  I went out and picked up what eggs I could find.  
Then Roger told me that may be a pack rat was building a nest in that area and must be gathering up eggs because there was at least a dozen eggs accumulating in the nest.  
This time I took a flashlight.  On the floor was a huge pile of white.....
Christmas bulbs and the wiring...that had fallen from the shelf above.  
We had a good laugh.

Yup I mix oyster shell in their feed.
Funny story

 

[Tika75]

First egg we've had this small. That is a quarter next to it.

 

[NanaKat]

First egg we've had this small. That is a quarter next to it.

It can happen at the beginning or ending of an egg cycle for an older hen as with a point of lay pullets.

 

[Elbert Garrett]

This is a egg I got from one of my Modern hens, strong shell with yoke and white.....

 

[NanaKat]

That is as small as the eggs my little lovebird lays! She is the size of a parakeet.

The elderberries are ripening and competing for processing time with the blackberries and peppers. Picked a few Jonathan apples and the Moonglow pears are nicely ripe. Guess those will be next on the canning list.
Need to butcher and can up about 6 cockerels and roosters this next week....trying to save space in the freezers this time of year. I made beef jerky yesterday too.

The family of 5 coyote pups and their mother have only gotten one young cockerel so far since she is teaching them to hunt. Don't plan on them getting any more! Gun is loaded and ready.

We pulled a 5.5 month old steer off his mom yesterday because she is losing weight too quickly. We have her across the fence from her calf and and have bumped her up with feed cubes.

In another pasture, we are treating 3 month old calf that has been hit with respiratory issues. He has gotten penicillin shots, and a mixture of electrolytes, Gallimycin and calf Nutri-Drench for two days. We also gave him a booster 8:1 shot. He is up today having nursed a little on his mother and was nibbling grass. Big progress..

 

[Matt in Okla]

When your hens get to the end do you all just let hem live till they die or do you eat them or what?
Just bein curious

 

[artsyrobin]

When your hens get to the end do you all just let hem live till they die or do you eat them or what?
Just bein curious

well, i am not the norm i suppose, but mine are pets and gave me those eggs and chicks, they deserve to live out their lives, they make great bug control and broodies, just my 2 cents I have close to 50, seramas, bantams and large fowl, and some are up there in years

 

[NanaKat]

When your hens get to the end do you all just let hem live till they die or do you eat them or what?
Just bein curious

I've been fortunate to have hens that are still laying 3 to 4 eggs a week at the age of 6 and 7 years of age....still earning their keep.
If a hen becomes ill and doesn't respond quickly to treatment, I would put her down. Most of my girls that age go to sleep and simply don't wake up. So I guess they "live till they die".

 

[Ironsights]

I've been fortunate to have hens that are still laying 3 to 4 eggs a week at the age of 6 and 7 years of age....still earning their keep.
If a hen becomes ill and doesn't respond quickly to treatment, I would put her down. Most of my girls that age go to sleep and simply don't wake up. So I guess they "live till they die".

Ditto. I figure they've earned their retirement.

 

[jrjoplin]

Same here, I guess it's chicken social security. Once a hen is a good egg producer I stop looking at them as potential meat birds, I suppose there is a pet aspect to it as well by the time they reach that age you know them and their personalities.

I had a rooster buy an early ticket to the freezer this week. I warned him about flogging me every time I went out to the yard. The nine week olds are integrating and I'm sure they appreciate his absence. I was hoping to make it till I processed the other excess roosters but my patience gave out.

Integration is going well, everyone is in the yard during the day and go back to their respective coops at night. So far no problems.