Possible Necrotic Foot ? (GRAPHIC PHOTO!) RIP, Vada

[speckledhen]

Could very well be. This just didn't work out like classic bumblefoot at all and now, I see there was really nothing we could have done. From sad past experience, the hens usually dont act ill till they are very far gone and it's just nothing you can see coming. Her soft egg the other day I chalked up to the heat, but after she expelled egg yolk today, I see that it's a deeper issue than we knew.

 

[nnbreeder]

Could the cowvine have covered the area the pen is built over? Your bumblefoot problem could be the thorns off of old dead vines that were there long before the birds were and working their way back to the top.

 

[speckledhen]

That darn cowvine just sticks up out of the ground and it has these huge root balls and spreads underground and comes up somewhere else. Their pen is completely bare ground now and I've used the shovel to try to kill as many of the vines as possible. I also freerange them a couple times a week and even if their pen was free of those sticky vines, the rest of the property has them everywhere.

The only way to really rid the pen of them is to till it (very hard on the steep slope) and pull them up and toss them out and there are so many tree roots that the tiller gets bogged down anyway. It's an impossible task for my DH with his back issues, I'm afraid.

 

[Judy]

We have a couple of grasses here that spread underground and tend to choke out gardens. The cure is herbicide and black plastic for a few months. I wonder if that would work for you.

 

[speckledhen]

I'd have to use it on at least 2 acres of woods. My problem is that I dont just have a small pen of birds, but a huge pen that they are in when they aren't freeranging. It's just not even possible to kill the stuff. Guess I need to borrow a goat, huh?

Vada isn't eating. We can get her to drink when we bring it over to her, but she won't eat or stand up. Tomorrow, as far as I'm concerned, unless there's been a miracle, we'll put her down. DH augered a hole to bury her in awhile ago.

 

[Judy]

I've been following this to see how it came out for Vada; so sorry for you two having to go through this. I have 3 hatchery SLW's and am not impressed; processed one as we thought she was a he because she was so mean to everyone. Would not have kept her even if we'd known he was a she.

Maybe a goat or two would not be so silly, after all.... I'd be tempted to find an old cheap billy and turn him loose....

 

[speckledhen]

My original flock had three SLWs. Only one is alive, and I think she's still with me at three and a half years old only because she was the first to have recurring bumblefoot and we tried so many antibiotics, I think she ought to glow in the dark! Since they didn't seem to do more than just treating it topically, we quit, but she had months of them in her system. Then a year ago, I got two more SLWs to keep a single broody hatched chick company. Sold them this year when I was paring down my laying flock and one of them later started with the soft eggs consistently, I'm told. Then I got Vada, my only GLW, as a companion to Panda and Shadow. She's not even a year and a half yet.



***For those who don't know what cowvine/greenbrier is, here are some links. It's a nasty thorny vine that climbs trees, plants, fences, etc.
http://www.fcps.edu/islandcreekes/ecology/greenbrier.htm
http://pubs.caes.uga.edu/caespubs/pubcd/C867-2.htm

 

[Judy]

My layers are an Australorp, two Danish Brown Leghorns, and a Kraienkopppe, who is my pet/mama/broody, currently raising 3 BO hatchery chicks. The rest are now 19 weeks; originally had about 50, about 30 of whom were roos. I don't eat them, but my son and rather large his-and-hers family do, and I do help process. We bought a bunch of straight run Ideal RIR roos for the freezer this year. We processed the last one yesterday, and it had one half-developed egg and one testicle inside! He/she was a runt, had started crowing (a pitiful crow,) and had gotten mean to people.

The plan this year was to breed our own, in time (I share 11 acres with son/family.) Haven't decided whether to separate out the breeds (one SS roo and two hens, for example) or just see what they make; will probably do some combination. Either way, I really don't want any more hatchery birds, like you. Guess I should have started this spring with a real breeder, but the only one around here only has bantams. Tried shipped eggs once, under my broody; they were packed well and fertile, but all died. Don't want a bator.

I'm hoping if I cross some of these, I will eventually get something reasonably healthy. The SS are friendly and look good; the NHR pair also are looking good, and I like my one BO and one BR roo. We shall see.

A bit off topic, but thought you might be interested.

 

[speckledhen]

Yes, I'm interested in your flock, sure. I adore my Barred Rocks in particular, but have almost decided that I'd be fine with more mixed breeds than I currently have. I may even keep a Barred EE rooster from the chicks my broody is hatching for fun. I can have breeding flock of Delawares and my crazy fun laying flock, too. When may big Suede is gone to the Great Roost in the Sky, Ill not be breeding the BBS Orps any longer, but whatever my plans are, I will not be getting more hatchery stock. I do have two Brahmas who are hatchery girls, two and a half years old, and I'm almost holding my breath to see if either of them become internal layers over the next year.

 

[Judy]

I know you love your BR's, I've read the story about Zane. He is a bit famous! I don't have any female BR's, though, just one roo. Been thinking about who I might want to breed him with; he's pretty laid back, but not a good specimen for the breed. I have a big yard, 75x75 or so, and a big coop with two pop doors, but haven't divided any of it up yet. Plan was to have one separate area to put a breed in and breed them, which we'll still probably do, there's probably enough material around here already to do it. (My layers range over what they want of the 11 acres, and go into a separate coop.)

I don't care for my EE's, they are flighty like the leghorns, but I bought pullets for the colored eggs for the grandkids and got one roo, so it might be hard NOT to breed them. If I could get my hands on some decent Delawares, don't think I could pass them up. Surprised you don't want the BBS Orps any more, orps seem to be a good breed, why is that?

Don't think I could get interested in feathered leg chickens, but people do seem to have less problems with hatchery Brahmas than some other breeds.

I keep thinking, hybrid vigor, mix them and see who turns out well.

Glad I didn't keep that RIR "roo" for breeding....