Pipd's Peeps!

[Crazy Maizie]

That's good that she got herself to her feet, and that she's still laying normally and talking! Hopefully her pain meds will get her moving like normal, too!





Slight update on Dandelion, the poor thing can't catch a break. We're past the 3-week mark with no prolapse now, but now she's acting like she might be egg bound. I haven't felt in her vent to be sure (I'm a little afraid to mess with that end of her and end up causing prolapses again), but she's got her vent feathers spread open with her vent looking kind of puffy, and she's hunched and standing like they do just before they lay. I'm going to push extra calcium and see if that helps, but I'm not sure if there's anything else I can do beyond that if she can't pass this egg on her own.

Oh man. Poor girl. Do you ever try the suggested Epsom salt soaks?

 

[pipdzipdnreadytogo]

Not the best pic it's from my ring camera, but all the older ladies are hanging together this morning.View attachment 3133497

Aww, resting their old bones

Oh man. Poor girl. Do you ever try the suggested Epsom salt soaks?

I've done warm water soaks in the past on other birds with egg laying issues, but I don't think I've used Epsom salts for them before. I likely would have tried with Dandy later today if nothing had progressed. She did manage to pass the egg a couple hours ago, though! It wasn't overly large or rough or anything, it just didn't have a shell, which can make it difficult for them to pass them as well. Gotta make sure she's getting plenty of calcium from here on and hope that helps with that.

 

[pipdzipdnreadytogo]

Last night was the day 14 candling for the eggs! All of the silkied BBS Cochin bantams that were alive last time are still going (that's 10 eggs!), and the two eggs from Gus's group are still going, too! Unfortunately, the other three from Gus's pen were clear. Not sure what to think of that. Anyway, two more of the Chocolate Cochins also quit, but that still leaves seven of them going strong! As long as just one of those hatches and is male, I can progress as I'd planned to when I bought them, so I like my odds there at least.

Anyway, you might notice that those numbers on the shipped eggs are a little higher than last time--that's because most of the eggs I considered 'iffy' were fine and are looking strong now! Yay! So, my current count is 19 babies still developing and growing!

The two babies from the Easter hatchalong are spending more and more time outside now to prepare for their full move out before hatch day next week, since I've only got the one brooder that's safe from Casper. I've got to wash the brooder towels and clean off the EcoGlow and get it ready, but once that's done, we're all ready for the next wave of babies!

 

[Crazy Maizie]

That's a lot of potential!

 

[pipdzipdnreadytogo]

Sure is! Here's hoping for many healthy babies! I can't wait to see them!

 

[pipdzipdnreadytogo]

So, I went over to craigslist to renew the listing for the English Orpington boys, and in an interesting turn of events... the guy who bought Russell has him relisted for $30 saying he 'doesn't have the room for him anymore'. No details about his breed or that he's a rare silkie-feathered Cochin, just that he 'doesn't have the room for him'. Wow.

At first I had a notion to get angry or upset about that, but honestly... The pictures show him on green grass in a secure pen with a few hens, and if anyone does buy him for $30 then they'd certainly want to keep him and take good care of him, I would think. So, you know, fine. Let the guy make a few bucks off of him. The coop space and reduction in feed is well worth that extra money that I guess I could have listed him for to me.

 

[Crazy Maizie]

So, I went over to craigslist to renew the listing for the English Orpington boys, and in an interesting turn of events... the guy who bought Russell has him relisted for $30 saying he 'doesn't have the room for him anymore'. No details about his breed or that he's a rare silkie-feathered Cochin, just that he 'doesn't have the room for him'. Wow.

At first I had a notion to get angry or upset about that, but honestly... The pictures show him on green grass in a secure pen with a few hens, and if anyone does buy him for $30 then they'd certainly want to keep him and take good care of him, I would think. So, you know, fine. Let the guy make a few bucks off of him. The coop space and reduction in feed is well worth that extra money that I guess I could have listed him for to me.

Oh wow. That's bold of him. I have heard that people do this though.

Maizie is still laying around a lot, but she seems to be making improvements. I went to put her back in the run after letting her out for about an hour and she tried to run from me. I told her she'd be an easy lunch for the fox if she didn't get her rear back in the run.
I've been doing some reading about arthritis in chickens. It seems it can be brought on by stress. I bet the rooster stressed her out as that's when these episodes started. He really didn't fertilize much at all that I've seen. Technically he was still a cockerel since his hatch date was last week. Just an ornery cockerel and not even completing the job.

 

[pipdzipdnreadytogo]

I'd heard of people doing that, too. I guess I just wasn't expecting it to happen to me. But, oh well.


Yay, Maizie! I hope she listened and went back to the run like she needed to!

That's interesting on the arthritis! Sounds like you've got it figured out!


On the topic of ornery cockerels, I felt Rayburn ram into the backs of my legs this morning as I was leaving their pen. That's a first from those big guys. Luckily for him he didn't hit me as hard as he probably could have, as big as he is. I get the distinct feeling that Dawson was the brains of that operation because the two Chocolate Mottled boys were confused for a few days after he left, staying out later and not perching the same way as if it was Dawson that was showing them what to do. Rayburn must be trying to secure the top slot now that Dawson is gone. He's got another thing coming if he thinks I'm gonna put up with that.

 

[pipdzipdnreadytogo]

We are locked down! First picture is the shipped in silkied BBS Cochin eggs. Second is the smooth Chocolate / Chocolate Cuckoo Cochins and the two eggs from Gus's pen (the two slightly lighter-colored ones at the lower left). Since the shipped in silkied Cochin eggs have a small chance of being Black as well, and the eggs from Gus's pen will be silkied Black, I separated them to be sure I knew which was from where.

I saw what looked to be draw down in some of the Chocolate / Chocolate Cuckoo eggs, too, so hatching could start as early as tonight! I've got a brooder to clean!!

 

[Crazy Maizie]

Yikes. Rayburn better cool his jets.

What are the jars for?

As for Maizie, she is doing much better! She is still laying down more than the other chickens, but she was out pecking around the grass and scratching at dirt - which is a vast improvement from before as she was just laying down under a Bush as soon as she came out.
I cut back to giving her the supplements once per day instead of twice and have some extra vitamins sprinkled on feed plus probiotics in water.

This evening, I found a tick on one of my muscovy girls. The ticks have been really bad this year. I've found a few on myself even plus some on the dogs.