RIP Rosemary...She's Gone

[SpottedCrow]

Darn and crud, Cyn..I'm so sorry you lost Rosemary.

 

[speckledhen]

Thank you, S.C. All my original girls are special to me. I can't believe I'm losing half of them to this internal laying thing.

 

[cockadoodlemom]

So sorry Cyn. I only have one of my original flock and she means so much to me.

 

[Cetawin]

Dang it Cyn...I am sorry to hear about Rosemary.

I hope these losses end for you soon. I think you have had enough this year.

 

[EweSheep]

AWWWWW Shucks Cyn! I sure hope the ordeal would be overwith! I do enjoy the stories on your beloved hens! I sure hope one day science will be able to determined what causes internal layers, genetic or feed or living standards will come to light!

Next year have to be the better year for all of us that lost one too manythis year to internal layer or similar problems.

Hurry up Year Two Thousand and nine!

 

[speckledhen]

I've pretty much decided that this is a result of hatcheries breeding for non-stop production. Maybe some day we'll see a definitive answer, but I consulted someone very knowledgable, and barring any diseases that adversely affect the reproductive tract, he said it has to be genetic. Since I have not had any respiratory illness in this flock, I would have to go with that assessment. I also received an email from someone who has lost several of her hatchery birds(different hatchery but a big one), to the same thing at the same age. They were all non-stop layers, too. Her birds, even hatchery stock, who took breaks in laying, for molt or broodiness or just a rest, lived much longer. If it was feed, they'd all be affected and I should be seeing this issue in my younger layers, breeder stock, etc, but I'm not...at least, not at this time. Anyone who complains about their birds not laying in winter or going broody needs to think of that in a more positive light. It may save and/or extend the lives of your hens.

 

[Mrs MIA]

 

[speckledhen]

Thanks for the bear hug! Miss Victoria is laying pretty little brown eggs about every day. Her sister, Virgina, was looking at the nests today, so maybe she'll start soon. Those two are also hatchery stock-I sure hope I dont lose them to this awful condition.

 

[Mrs MIA]

Oh, I hope not, too.

I think it's wonderful that we can share this information in an effort to educate and learn from each other's trials and tribulations. There is so much we don't know about these birds...

 

[jjthink]

I'm concerned that it's breeding too, which is sad because we can't fix that in birds unlucky enough to come with that programming.

I lost BR Annie in July at not even 2 and now BS Ellie, just over 2, seems very unwell. They both came in the same "batch" of 'chicklets' from MMH in fall of 2006.

Ellie's comb is very pale (which I still hope is the molt she's going through), she's stopped laying eggs (which I again hope is because of molt and/or shorter days) but perhaps most importantly she's very inactive. The same thing happened back in early September and blood work showed results consistent with infection and/or inflammation. Antibiotic and anti-inflammatory fixed her right up and she became happy and appeared healthy, comb cherry red again. She began laying again after a quick molt. But now another molt and her current low energy state. She doesn't want to do much of anything and lays on the straw or pine bedding. Then when you least expect it she'll go out in the run and dig. But no interest in exploring like she used to enjoy. A little confounding in interpreting this is that it got dramatically colder here right around the time she became inactive and preferring indoors. And then there's her molt......

Going out to try to give her some Polyvisol drops. They will end up in my eyeball.
JJ