Shadrach's Ex Battery and Rescued chickens thread.

[MrsNorthie]

I believe it's called Rubbing Alcohol in America.

LOL because we have to be contrary. ;-)

 

[MrsNorthie]

She’s been like clockwork ever since, laying once daily (which concerns me.)

I am always grateful, that our little fluffy angels do not lay every day. They did when they first started laying though.. like a kid with a new toy. We had a few fairy eggs, but no other odd egg anomalies.

I have 2 that seem to be seriously broody.. Gracie in with Spud and Al who is in with Goldie. I am letting them do their thing. If they are successful, then Spud and Goldie will be proud Dads, parading around their respective areas being chased by the littles.

 

[Shadrach]

I just took this; I think it explains why I have been finding membrane-less eggs every now and then recently
View attachment 4176479

There were also 3 small lash eggs in the coop she occupied last night, but I am beginning to think it's Quincy who's got salpingitis, and she was roosting by Llandeilo's side. They both look fine at the head end, red comb and wattles etc., but they're self-isolating together this morning. They've both got a good appetite for mealworms too Two to monitor.

How old are they/she?
I'm pretty sure Lima died of salpingitis; similar stuff to that you are seeing. You may remember me posting about it and posting a picture of one of the lash eggs I cut open.
I'm pretty sure most of the Ex Battery hens died of salpingitis or complications arising from reproductive tract infection. The good news is, or was with Lima and the others who died at the field, it's pretty quick when it takes hold. Lima went from active, foraging and eating normally to dead within a few days, fast decline in the last twenty four hours.

I've read a few recovery stories, never being quite sure that the diagnosis was correct in the first place. My view, for the vast majority of hens if the problem is identified correctly quickly enough antibiotics may extend the hens life for a while but they don't seem to cure the problem.

It may not matter that much to the hens but I can tell you from my recent experience with Fret that it makes an enormous difference. I hated watching Fret's long and gradual decline. It is one of the few deaths that have left a scar. Most leave some sadness, but they don't scar. Henry, who I miss a great deal will leave memories, sadness that he died, but there is an acceptance of the inevitable there and no scar.

 

[Shadrach]

the membrane goes on before the white is complete (though I can't imagine how that reported 'pumping in' of

I don't think this can be quite right. A translation problem? The membrane is built. It doesn't encase the egg in an instant as I understand it.

so an egg without a membrane couldn't be laid, yet that is exactly what I've found a couple of times recently.

Gloria, my lovely vet in Catalonia told me that membrane sometimes gets stuck in the last bend and new eggs can squeeze by.
The topic came up with a hen called Mora. She didn't have Salpingitis but she was running around for a few hours with a length of membrane hanging from her vent which of course meant the other hens were pecking at her arse which made her even harder to catch than usual.
Thing is, she was in the coop nest box laying an egg earlier that day and it was a day earlier than that I found what I took to be a broken egg which I assumed came from Mora once I had fitted the story together.

I pulled the membrane out once she had gone to roost. Two days later she laid a whole egg but very pale white (she was a Marans who laid very dark brown slightly speckled eggs) and after that she went back to normal egg laying.

 

[Shadrach]

Ack, "weeds." Seems like a missed opportunity to at least identify species for later analysis. Though 147 pages indicates they already had their hands full with the vetch/peas/lupin/quinoa/etc.

It's a massive task to calculate the available nutrition for a species from a square metre of ground. For a start it changes with the weather and the seasons and new seeds and bugs arrive from lots of sources. Then of course the chickens preference changes as other options become available so while a plant may be an option for the chicken they don't take it and go for something higher on their preference list.

I dug a couple of graves recently 600mm to 700mm deep. It was just dust and stones. Back in March I planted a sapling a couple of metres away from the grave sites and the soil came out moist and in spade fulls and there were worms and other bugs in there. I know so because I couldn't get Tull off the spade!

 

[Mother of Chaos]

It's a massive task to calculate the available nutrition for a species from a square metre of ground. For a start it changes with the weather and the seasons and new seeds and bugs arrive from lots of sources. Then of course the chickens preference changes as other options become available so while a plant may be an option for the chicken they don't take it and go for something higher on their preference list.

I dug a couple of graves recently 600mm to 700mm deep. It was just dust and stones. Back in March I planted a sapling a couple of metres away from the grave sites and the soil came out moist and in spade fulls and there were worms and other bugs in there. I know so because I couldn't get Tull off the spade!

Any thoughts why the soil was so poor, so close to the rich soil around the sapling?

 

[Shadrach]

Any thoughts why the soil was so poor, so close to the rich soil around the sapling?

Time. The sapling was planted in March. The graves dug in July.

 

[Mother of Chaos]

Time. The sapling was planted in March. The graves dug in July.

Oh, right. I thought that they were both native soil.

 

[Shadrach]

Oh, right. I thought that they were both native soil.

They are/were both native soil. I can't have explained myself well.
In March in this one area I planted a sapling. The soil was moist and soft down to the stones and was an easy dig. In July, after below average rainfall for the past three months the soil had turned to dust; not a solid spade full in the entire dig just under three feet down.

 

[Mother of Chaos]

They are/were both native soil. I can't have explained myself well.
In March in this one area I planted a sapling. The soil was moist and soft down to the stones and was an easy dig. In July, after below average rainfall for the past three months the soil had turned to dust; not a solid spade full in the entire dig just under three feet down.

Ooohhhh. Got it.