Sdwd

[kathyinmo]

These little chicks are so entertaining. They even climb trees.

 

[kathyinmo]

Quote:
Ya know, I am really happy with most of my roosters in a bachelor's pad. It is just too darn hot for them boys to be chasing the girls around. My layers coop has 45 girls and one lone boy, a BCMarans. He is just a teenager and is just learning about mating.

 

[speckledhen]

I love your pics, Kathy, especially the Cochin looking longingly at that huge group of babies and the Icelandics climbing the tree.


Rex, the BR boy, just passed 15 weeks old and he isn't crowing or mating yet. Nugget is in that group and will keep him in line. He's bound to be more laid back than Isaac is; I can already see the personality difference.

 

[kathyinmo]

Funny you said that about Rex. I went out and opened the coops at 6AM and sat out there for an hour. I heard the first crow from my Paul Harter Delawares. They are 16 weeks old. Soooo funny!

Forecast is 103 today with heat index at 108. A chance of showers coming Monday. I sure hope that comes through.

Grandsons left this morning. I think they had a good time.

 

[speckledhen]

Drama, drama, drama! I can't take much more drama in this heat! One egg broke under Neela, one of Dusty's three. Had to wash yolk off all the others and change out the bedding. Hope this doesn't compromise the hatch of Suede babies.

 

[Yard full o' rocks]

Cyn

Sorry to hear about the Suede egg. I've noticed the "few" eggs we are getting right now are really thin. Girls are fed Tucker Milling Layer mini-pellets (22% stuff) and have free access to oyster shell. Seems we get 1-2 every week that are so thin that the end is already indented/cracked in the nest box

We got a TON of rain here yesterday from about 3pm to 6pm. TV said we got 2.2".....did you guys get any? It really cooled us off during the hottest time of the day

Seems my cockerels must be "challenged" in the maturity department. I have a group of 10 CR cockerels, will be 7 months old Aug 4 and not a one is crowing yet! Finally seeing a LITTLE sparring going on between a few of them, but not much. Also seem to have no interest in the girls. Oh well....

Hope everyone gets thru the ongoing heat wave. If we can make it one more month, Sept should begin to get better

 

[speckledhen]

No rain. A few drops on the truck but the ground wasn't even wet. Rain is skirting all around us, most storms bypass us. Our garden is dust. Can't compromise the new well pump trying to keep it alive for a handful of tomatoes, so it's history.


The extreme need for water in summer usually compromises shell strength so it's not unheard of. Hard to test the shell strength before you set eggs, though. A hen sitting on them and stepping on them sure tests it, though!

 

[kathyinmo]

Quote:
I have never heard that before. I had to go look it up! Interesting article here:

http://www.thepoultrysite.com/articles/1003/factors-influencing-shell-quality

Environmental Temperature: One of the factors contributing to poorer eggshell quality in hot weather is inadequate feed intake. Eggshell quality is somewhat compromised during summer months. During exposure to warm environmental temperature, the hen reacts by increasing its rate of breathing (panting) in order to cool itself. This causes the lowering of CO2 in the blood and produces a condition termed "respiratory alkalosis". The pH of the blood becomes alkaline and the availability of calcium for the eggshell is reduced. This disturbance in acid-base balance causes an increase in soft-shelled eggs during summer.

Temporary thinning of the egg shell may occur during periods of high ambient temperature (above 25ºC) since feed intake is reduced. The shells quickly regain normal thickness when temperatures are reduced and feed intake increases.

Respiratory alkalosis also causes increased carbonate loss through the kidney resulting in competition between kidney and uterus for carbonate ion, consequently resulting in poor eggshell thickness. During heat stress calcium intake is reduced as a direct consequence of reduced feed intake and this stimulate bone resorption resulting in hyperphosphatemia. This inhibits the formation of calcium carbonate in the shell gland. Also heat stress reduces carbonic anhydrase (Zinc dependent enzyme) activity in the uterus. Under heat stress more blood is shunted to the peripheral tissues with concomitant reduction in flow of blood to the oviduct resulting in poor shell quality. Lastly the ability of layers to convert vitamin D3 to its active form is reduced during heat stress.

 

[speckledhen]

Yup, I do know a couple things. I just don't put it into scientific jargon. Summer needs, molting and other things cause egg fragility. Heat stress is the worst culprit right now.

 

[kathyinmo]

Quote:
Well, I'm still learning! Thank you for mentioning it. I had no idea.