Shadrach's Ex Battery and Rescued chickens thread.

[ManueB]

Sorry about Caramel... Patucha has never laid a wrinkled egg. All of her eggs, come to think of it, have been near perfect. I'll be keeping an eye on her for sure.

I think Caramel was a different case. She came out of a battery and was a production hen. I did wonder 3 months ago, so much later, if she had been a carrier of mycoplasma as I got sign of respiratory disease. But the four chickens that showed it seemed to recover. It remains a mystery to me. When she died the vet still opened her though not performing a real necropsy as she didn't take the organs out, and she did not mention signs of a disease other than several internally laid eggs.

I'm sorry to hear you had this scare, but glad to also read about it in the past tense. All good now yes?

Yes, this was in 2011. It was solved easily once diagnosed, as my physiotherapist who was also a friend happened to be certified for this.

Tax : 4 december 2020. Vanille and Caramel enjoying the snow ...not realising yet we would have too much for too long.

 

[Shadrach]

Well, just as I was feeling great about my tribes' overall health and the hens laying good eggs, this happened. These are Patucha's eggs over the past four days.

View attachment 3600319
View attachment 3600320
The two on the right have wrinkles on top and the one she laid this morning is massive.

She seems fine. I checked her out. Clean bum, vent is not swollen, red upright comb. She's walking around, foraging etc.

There are no signs of Infectious Bronchitis in these chickens. I've seen wrinkled eggs before from the hens I had before, but this was over three years ago. All of those hens have died -- and they had other symptoms like diarrhea, rales, sneezing, and very weak eggshells.

Patucha didn't live here until after the affected hens had died. I suppose it's possible that the two survivors (Cleo and Cheri) were still carriers, but unlikely -- I've read obsessively about IB and the the viral load drops to almost nil over one (minimum) and two (maximum) years after infection. I had a tiny closed flock for over two years. And I'm not even 100% they even had IBV. No necropsy. Just the symptoms matched up, so I kept just three hens until it *seemed* safe to bring in some new blood.


Patucha has none of the IBV symptoms, nor does anyone else, and these irregular eggs feel quite strong. I really don't think there's IB at work. But the wrinkles and sheer size of the last one ...sheesh.

I'd appreciate some input from anyone who may have seen this -- could it have something to do with the end of her current laying cycle?

I'm hoping she is at the end and will go broody, or perhaps she is going into a molt soon. She's not losing feathers, though. Patucha always goes broody about a week after Tina, and Tina went broody on July 27, so she's a bit overdue for a brood. She's laid a lot of eggs since weaning Solo (24 in the past 35 days) and I'd like to see her body get a break. She's about about 2.5 years old.

@Perris @Shadrach @MaryJanet @MrsNorthie @TheFatBlueCat or anyone else who's seen something like this -- thank you

Cleo's last eggs before she fell sick and died were also enormous and wrinkled -- but also thin-shelled , so I'm a bit worried.

(Edited to mention that IBV is often cited as a reason for wrinkles in eggs -- but I suppose it could be many factors)

I think I've had hens lay wrinkled eggs in the past but I can't remember who and I can't remember the long term outcome. If they had been caused by Infectious bronchitis, given how it spreads through the chickens, I would expect to have had others die from it and I haven't.

 

[Shadrach]

perhaps when she's due you could stay at your eldest's nearby, just for the first couple of days, so you're on hand as often and as long as you like, for your own peace of mind as well as Fret and the chicks' wellbeing?

I'll probably end up doing something like that.

 

[Shadrach]

About this who eats what...
If one starts with a chicken knows what to eat to balance it's diet to a degree to support life, and one allows for taste preferences, then availability must be a feature in their choice.
The allotment chickens eat a lot of grass given the opportunity. They will also eat spinach, chopped cabage, most salad crops, most fruits, some flowers; the list is almost endless.
What they do have is a preference, but if one type of foodstuff isn't available then they'll eat the next best option.
It also seems that their state of health has an influence as does their knowledge of what is available and where to find it.
Lima was a major bug eater but she rarely ate worms. Carbon will eat worms all day long. Henry it seems is quite keen on minerals and eats what looks like soil.
Carbon is reluctant to eat walnuts, while Fret who is broody will eat them when I hand feed her.
When it comes to eating vegitation what seems to make the difference is the state of that vegitations growth. Young tender shoots are prefered in general. I've cut such shoots and then tried giving them to the chickens; no takers.

 

[Shadrach]

Two and a half hours yesterday. It rained most of the morning and was windy with 40mph gusts. The chickens do not like the wind and were not interested in going anywhere where they didn't get some protection from the wind.
I got Fret up and she ate a little of the mash and headed back to her nest.
Henry came out for a while but Carbon was not at all interested and stayed in the extension most of the afternoon.

 

[fuzzi]

I have to throw a bunch of tomatoes in different directions. Still a bunch of pushing and shoving.... it's like the TV shows when the doors open on black Friday

It's like a stampede when I approach the door.

 

[fuzzi]

Gotta share:

Joel, chief roo is crowing, Samuel is sitting next to him. I love how Joel looks at me after he crows, as if he wants some approval.

 

[TropicalChickies]

What they do have is a preference, but if one type of foodstuff isn't available then they'll eat the next best option.

Well, sure, that's a more precise and nuanced way of putting it. I suppose if I put my group on a barren planet with only a salad bar, they'd eat it. Just like when when a person who follows a "Paleo" or "Keto" or "vegan" or "macrobiotic" or whatever diet would eat things they claim they never would not to stave. What most of us refer to as "diets" or "eating regimens" or whatever are also in reality preferences.

I've had visitors who come to the farm who won't eat bananas only because they are "not eating carbs." (Who the heck comes to South America and won't eat bananas ?? In the meantime, I watch them scarf down packaged "energy bars" that are full of glorified sugars like "date syrup" and "brown rice syrup." Believe me, when the energy bars are gone, they eat bananas. It's enough to drive me bananas I swear.

 

[RoyalChick]

Gotta share:

Joel, chief roo is crowing, Samuel is sitting next to him. I love how Joel looks at me after he crows, as if he wants some approval.

That’s a good crow. I hope you told him you approve!

 

[TropicalChickies]

A few notes on young rooster behavior and the logic of the tribe -- just based on a few personal observations of events happening now. Current keeping circumstances:

• Free range (no fenced areas or closed runs). 8 acres of forest, garden, grass areas and outbuildings available to chickens.
• Ranging area utilized by chickens: 1 to 1.5 acres
• Two coops.
• 11 chickens. 1 10 month cockerel acting as boss rooster. 2 senior hens. 3 junior hens/laying pullet. 4 juveniles (3 cockerels, 1 pullet). 1 special needs house hen.
• 2 hens are brooding eggs

1. Since 3 of the juveniles (the family group of Prima, Tobias, and Segundo) moved to their own coop, they are quite independent of what is now the "senior tribe." They are establishing their own ranging area on an area of the land not utilized much before. They bump into their "neighbors" in overlapping zones throughout the day, but keep mainly to themselves.

2. The total ranging area used by chickens in general has increased. Previously to the junior tribe beginning to establish, they all stayed in a small area relative to the space available to them, roughly 3000sqm (not even one acre) -- and quite close to our kitchen building of course. Now both groups range out further. Although the juniors have their own space, the seniors are ranging further out too in the opposite direction. From this I would venture to conclude that chickens in general prefer to have quite a bit more space than many feel acceptable.

3. Based on observations of Lucio, a young rooster just getting experience can effectively herd, guard, answer escort calls, and feel calm and confident with 3 hens. Since Dusty and Tina went broody, and Lucio only has Patucha and Rusty to take care of, he is significantly calmer. Additionally, by moving the family group of juveniles to their own space where they eat and sleep, feeding is much easier for everyone. Lucio obviously feels less anxious herding a smaller group out to feed. He is most concerned that his favorite hens get all the food they want. Then he eats. Keeping away fewer competitors away from his favorites eases his task.

4. The personality of the senior hen seems to play a big role in the whole dynamic. Tina is, to put it nicely, something of a manipulative harpie shrew. When she's around, she wants all of Lucio's attention, until she doesn't. With Tina broody, Patucha as second in command is much more mellow, and is more content to share Lucio's attentions with Rusty.

5. A broody hen, even if she is a senior hen and favorite, does not get the same treatment from Lucio when she is brooding. When Tina (senior and favorite) comes off her nest to eat, Lucio does not give her any tidbits and even chases her away if Rusty and Patucha want more food. Apparently, since a broody doesn't make herself available to mate, she temporarily sacrifices her favorite status (?)
Has anyone else observed this? Or is it more due to Lucio's immaturity?

6. A junior pullet coming into lay is "ripe" for a junior rooster/maturing cockerel to get a mating opportunity. In the past five days, Frida (the youngest laying pullet) has laid her first three eggs. Lucio has not responded to her escort call after laying her egg (in a known safe place) -- not even once. But who is quietly waiting in the wings? Young Captain Solo...

I suppose these observations are par for the course and nothing new for the folks on this thread who already have an appreciation and understanding of rooster and tribe dynamics. But given they fly in the face of most conventional "chicken wisdom" -- one rooster to a big flock, everyone living in one space for example -- I thought I would share for anyone who stumbles on this thread with an open mind and different feeling about keeping circumstances. The more stories and observations presented about alternatives to the conventional view, the more choices people have regarding their own keeping arrangements, given adequate space.

A calmer scenario.

Good fella.