Pennsylvania!! Unite!!

[LadyBehir]

I am interested in the wood. How much is there and just how big are the logs?

 

[chippysmom327]

Sorry to butt in, but if you don't follow the albino thread, my abino orp Allie layed her first egg!

Her second was brown and speckled, around the same size and her third was drastically larger (grocery store sized) and brown.

 

[AnneInTheBurbs]

Hmm... they're in their prime. That's strange. Do you feed a lot of spinach or greens? I know mine snub any greens since they free range, don't know if yours are the same.

http://www.backyardpoultrymag.com/ducks-and-spinach/

I know the article is for ducks, but I'd assume it's the same for chickens.

ETA: Do you have a lot of plantain or lambsquarters in your yard? I think plantain has a ton of oxalic acid in it, so if they're eating a ton of it that could be the problem.

Edit again to add this link, really interesting.
http://www.eatthatweed.com/oxalic-acid/

Thanks, I hardly ever feed spinach, and I know there is plantain, but not a lot. I think I just need to give them layer feed again, they have been on chick feed for. A while because of the constant broodys.

I agree with chippysmom....add a feeder which is higher for the hens, if that isn't an option you can go with scrambling a couple of eggs and adding crushed egg shell into it and giving them the treat separately, that would be ok for short term boosts but may be hard to keep up the routine long term. I don't worry about the little ones getting into the hen food once in a while, a small amount of calcium isn't a problem, but a steady diet of it when they don't need the higher amounts can cause some long term damage which may effect them when they get older. So do what you can to avoid them constantly accessing the hen pellets but don't worry if it is just an incidental snack.

I think I will do that. Time to build a feeder!

Always so exciting! Are you getting anything done today or just standing around watching the chicks?

Haha! That never happens...

OUR FIRST EGG!!! YEAH... We just got back from vacation in South Carolina yesterday. Eggey-Eggey our easter egger layed this little green egg today. What a nice welcome home present. Excited for the other girls to start. They are all 19 weeks old now.

Congratulations!

Just lately I'm falling under the spell of the broody. It is so stinkin easy if you've got a hen working for you! Especially in the summertime. So stress free. I'm not saying I'll do it that way all the time because I don't necessarily like the way my chicks end up absolutely wild (because I don't have the time to spend out in the yard sucking up to them), but it has been so easy this summer since I switched to broody. I love not having to deal with introductions and integration.

I agree, it is so lovely t have some food broodys to do all the rearing for you.

Ann:

It is my understanding that layer feed has both grit and calcium in it.....I have a leghorn that occasionally lays thin shelled eggs....I think it just happens sometimes....my two cents....

Noted!

needed to share, just visited Hershey Gardens and saw that our very own Eweaber has metal sculptures featured there!! Soooo happy for him, and very impressed. (I sculpted the ornament in the last picture myself -well...I had a little help).

That's awesome! Your last sculpture is quite flexible!

Sorry to butt in, but if you don't follow the albino thread, my abino orp Allie layed her first egg!

Her second was brown and speckled, around the same size and her third was drastically larger (grocery store sized) and brown.

Congrats! That's awesome!

 

[dheltzel]

I've been wandering around the internet deciding what I want to add to my flock in the spring, especially since there's a little more room in the coop now. So, best place to get awesome quality Blue Splash Marans chicks. Suggestions? Bonus points if they're in Pennsylvania. Also, how do you prefer to grow your flock? Raising chicks in the brooder and then introducing them, putting hatching eggs under a broody hen?

ETA: dheltzel, I remember that you do BBS copper marans, right?

I only have black and blue, but as SS mentioned, 2 blues make some splash. I find splash the least popular (and in my opinion, the least attractive) of the 3 BBS colors, so I don't setup breeding groups that produce splash.

 

[Chaos18]

For those of you who breed turkey's and chickens, how do one avoid inbreeding? I know there's a difference between line-breeding and inbreeding. I also know that usually inbreeding takes a couple generations to present itself.

 

[BullChick]

Heating oil has come down $.25 in the last week. I just filled my tank for $1.97/gallon!!

 

[OneMountainAcres]

Heating oil has come down $.25 in the last week. I just filled my tank for $1.97/gallon!!

Dang! We really need to get moving on our oil.

 

[LisaYolkUm]

We had a hen with a nasty comb lac this spring....you have done all the right steps and if you keep her in a hospital cage for a couple of days she will probably do fine without too much more needed... if it does seem too floppy after the initial wound heals you could shorten the loose portion with very, very sharp scissors or a scalpel but you will need to be able to control the bleeding as already mentioned. I wouldn't shorten it unless it really seemed to be affecting her daily activities.

thank you all for your responses to my post!

so what do you all think about trying to wrap this with gauze or something? and how?

also i was reading last night that crazy glue might be helpful.........would you use this ?

thanks again!

 

[dheltzel]

also i was reading last night that crazy glue might be helpful.........would you use this ?

Super glue (or crazy glue) is sometimes used in human medicine to close wounds, so it would seem to be safe for chickens. It is also activated by moisture, so be sure the surface you are gluing is dry, not actively bleeding. The big benefit is it's fast time to cure, so you can hold the comb together manually for about 30 seconds and it should be good.

Let us know how it works if you try this. I've never done it, but would keep it in mind for future injuries now that we've talked about it.

 

[fisherlady]

Sorry to butt in, but if you don't follow the albino thread, my abino orp Allie layed her first egg!

Her second was brown and speckled, around the same size and her third was drastically larger (grocery store sized) and brown.

Congrats on the new egger! i still get a kick out of finding 'new' eggs, it never gets old!

thank you all for your responses to my post!

so what do you all think about trying to wrap this with gauze or something? and how?

also i was reading last night that crazy glue might be helpful.........would you use this ?

thanks again!

You could try wrapping, but i would expect her to bother it more in her attempts to remove the dressing. Super glue is certainly an option, but only use a few drops in a few places a bit apart, don't put a solid bead if it on, the wound needs to be able to drain a bit and dry out as it heals.