Oregon

[sassyhens]

Help please! I'm new to this rooster thing. We have four three yr old RIRs that we didn't introduce to our new flock. Our new flock is a six month mixed breed rooster, two half silkies about six months too, and ten about three month old pullets. My problem is he won't let the little ones out of the coop only the halfies. Is he protecting them from the very cold or is he not whiting anything to do with them? When they are in the coop he chases them in corners and away from where he is eating so I have two feeding stations because of this. I tried letting them free range today and carried one of the pullets out and he danced around me not liking what I did, and chased it back in. The littles are getting cabin fever and pecking each other, please help! Thanks

 

[Suzierd]

Help please! I'm new to this rooster thing. We have four three yr old RIRs that we didn't introduce to our new flock. Our new flock is a six month mixed breed rooster, two half silkies about six months too, and ten about three month old pullets. My problem is he won't let the little ones out of the coop only the halfies. Is he protecting them from the very cold or is he not whiting anything to do with them? When they are in the coop he chases them in corners and away from where he is eating so I have two feeding stations because of this. I tried letting them free range today and carried one of the pullets out and he danced around me not liking what I did, and chased it back in. The littles are getting cabin fever and pecking each other, please help! Thanks

I would separate him for awhile let everyone else establish a pecking order then reintroduce him.

 

[sassyhens]

It's worth a shot. Thanks

 

[Zanna]

Heat wave today

Two days ago I lost a very nice Black Copper Marans Cock, 3 years old. 9AM he was completely normal, 2 PM dead. No blood, visible anything, in a large breeder pen all by himself. Decided to take him to OSU for a necropsy, DH was heading that way the next morning so it was easy to do. I have lost very few birds over the years and have never taken one in before but this guy was special so I wanted to know. With this frigid weather I have been feeding lots of extra protein (venison scraps, fish meal, etc.) and fats (oil in feed) and was worried being an older bird that I had overdone it and his kidneys had given out.

OSU just called and he had simply inhaled a pea into his trachea. Random fluky thing. I am still bummed but very relieved. He was healthy, parasite free, good condition. Really helps to hear all of that. So glad I sent him in.

Sometimes they just die, all kinds of things can "glitch" as well as disease. Glad to know why this boy did! In this case the necropsy was conclusive which they sometimes are not.

 

[Tammy N]

Heat wave today

Two days ago I lost a very nice Black Copper Marans Cock, 3 years old. 9AM he was completely normal, 2 PM dead. No blood, visible anything, in a large breeder pen all by himself. Decided to take him to OSU for a necropsy, DH was heading that way the next morning so it was easy to do. I have lost very few birds over the years and have never taken one in before but this guy was special so I wanted to know. With this frigid weather I have been feeding lots of extra protein (venison scraps, fish meal, etc.) and fats (oil in feed) and was worried being an older bird that I had overdone it and his kidneys had given out.

OSU just called and he had simply inhaled a pea into his trachea. Random fluky thing. I am still bummed but very relieved. He was healthy, parasite free, good condition. Really helps to hear all of that. So glad I sent him in.

Sometimes they just die, all kinds of things can "glitch" as well as disease. Glad to know why this boy did! In this case the necropsy was conclusive which they sometimes are not.

Zanna , your birds and eggs are Beautiful there has never been a worry here about anything we got from you Nothing from you had issues and non of the eggs where dirty clean as if they came from agolden hen Infact some thought they had been washed LOL . have to admit i was one of them but i felt the hens protective covering I just wanna know how they got so clean. especially the time of yr it was even if i goout every day and add new hay wehad a speck or 2 of dirt will have 2 more cleanings then ready for egs again and you are one person i do wannaget more eggs from . Tammy

 

[Zanna]

Zanna , your birds and eggs are Beautiful there has never been a worry here about anything we got from you Nothing from you had issues and non of the eggs where dirty clean as if they came from agolden hen Infact some thought they had been washed LOL . have to admit i was one of them but i felt the hens protective covering I just wanna know how they got so clean. especially the time of yr it was even if i goout every day and add new hay wehad a speck or 2 of dirt will have 2 more cleanings then ready for egs again and you are one person i do wannaget more eggs from . Tammy

You are the sweetest, thanks! I never wash hatching eggs, if they have a little poop on them I sand it off, too much and I just don't set them, they go to the personal eating eggs. I always trim my breeder hens hiney feathers if they get poopy and use fresh shavings, DE, and sulfur powder (to prevent mites) in my nest boxes. I am also way too ocd about cleaning up poop in the pens, don't ask DH

I am starting to save eggs Monday to set for an order of 10 BCM and 10 NH chicks for a friend. Laying is pretty slow right now, but before we know it we will have eggs coming out of our ears!!!!

 

[LeslieDJoyce]

OSU just called and he had simply inhaled a pea into his trachea. Random fluky thing. I am still bummed but very relieved. He was healthy, parasite free, good condition. Really helps to hear all of that. So glad I sent him in.

Oh, man! What an unfortunate incident! I've been thinking ahead to adding some of your BCMs to my flock (dark eggs, yay!), so feel invested in those birds doing very well for you. I feel your pain.

But the good news that goes with it is VERY good news indeed!

Did you read over in the Dels from Kathy thread ... one of your pullets gave me an egg!

 

[LeslieDJoyce]

Zanna , your birds and eggs are Beautiful there has never been a worry here about anything we got from you Nothing from you had issues and non of the eggs where dirty clean as if they came from agolden hen Infact some thought they had been washed LOL . have to admit i was one of them but i felt the hens protective covering I just wanna know how they got so clean. especially the time of yr it was even if i goout every day and add new hay wehad a speck or 2 of dirt will have 2 more cleanings then ready for egs again and you are one person i do wannaget more eggs from . Tammy

This clean egg thing can be a challenge here in Oregon, huh?

I'd love to sell unwashed eggs, but that's hard to arrange on a rain day. We've really been concentrating on producing clean eggs recently. It's tough sometimes to keep the younger birds out of the nesting boxes, so that's another big challenge for us. I'm happy to say that some days I only have a few eggs that actually need washing. Other days ...

This winter we're improving/expanding our pasture, so that should make for a little less mud up near the coop. I'm thinking that by next summer, at least, we'll have "unwashed eggs" in the "catalog."

I've finally gotten TPTB to agree to put a bigger variety of bedding materials in the deep litter ... that also seems to help a lot.

 

[LeslieDJoyce]

You are the sweetest, thanks! I never wash hatching eggs, if they have a little poop on them I sand it off, too much and I just don't set them, they go to the personal eating eggs. I always trim my breeder hens hiney feathers if they get poopy and use fresh shavings, DE, and sulfur powder (to prevent mites) in my nest boxes. I am also way too ocd about cleaning up poop in the pens, don't ask DH

I am starting to save eggs Monday to set for an order of 10 BCM and 10 NH chicks for a friend. Laying is pretty slow right now, but before we know it we will have eggs coming out of our ears!!!!

Good tip.

I always try to select the "nicest" eggs to set, but this year I want to hatch as many of the Dels as possible, and with only two Delaware pullets ...

As I have only hatched under broodies the eggs are pretty foul looking at the end ... I'm always amazed anything hatches at all.

Right now I'm pondering the idea of using a mechanical incubator. I really would prefer not to, but I don't want to miss the opportunity to hatch as many of the Delawares as possible this year.

Decisions, decisions.

 

[AmyWho]

I'm not sure what I thought would happen free ranging this bird. I got her from the shelter, after all.

http://portland.craigslist.org/mlt/laf/4242455669.html


My biggest concern is actually that she might be broody in the bushes somewhere. We've got racoons out in our blackberries.
They should be just about out of molt and starting to lay again, but we haven't seen ANY eggs since late september.
Thoughts?