She said/He said Who's right? Who's wrong? No one!

[meganhundley]

DUCT TAPE? O mercy, if it is true it must have been a red neck, lol

. Anything can be fixed with a hammer and duct tape!!

 

[meganhundley]

Ravyn is the best, I love her!! She's helped me alot in the last 2 months or so. She's got alot of good advice and I listen to everything she tells me to do, lol. She may have also saved my @$$ with this bantam rooster issue I'm having. I'm not saying no one else has good advice, everyone here is great, but they all seem to specialize in certain things. But Ravyn is awesome!

 

[Ravynscroft]

Good to know, thank you.

Sucks big time.  Thank you. It happens to be one of only a few Jubilee Orpingtons.  I searched BYC and found others had success and their cracks were much bigger

Cracks in the shell really aren't a problem, it's if the membrane gets a hole in it that it oozes... I got a cracked shipped egg once and it didn't ooze, developed and hatched a healthy chick... so keep your

K. Yeah, they were really nasty when I got them. I'm really anxious to see how the chicks are health wise when they hatch, I hope they'll be ok.

Hope so... some mucky eggs hatch out just fine and healthy, but just wanted you to be aware...

Ravyn is the best, I love her!! She's helped me alot in the last 2 months or so. She's got alot of good advice and I listen to everything she tells me to do, lol. She may have also saved my @$$ with this bantam rooster issue I'm having. I'm not saying no one else has good advice, everyone here is great, but they all seem to specialize in certain things. But Ravyn is awesome!

Well... shucks...

*sunburn reddens more*

 

[meganhundley]

Cracks in the shell really aren't a problem, it's if the membrane gets a hole in it that it oozes... I got a cracked shipped egg once and it didn't ooze, developed and hatched a healthy chick... so keep your
Hope so... some mucky eggs hatch out just fine and healthy, but just wanted you to be aware...
Well... shucks...

*sunburn reddens more*

Lol

 

[meganhundley]

Well, I hate to run fellas but I'm pooped, time to crawl in a nice warm bed and let the sounds from inside the brooder lull me to sleep see y'all tomorrow

 

[kwhites634]

. Anything can be fixed with a hammer and duct tape!!

If your hammer don't fix it, get a bigger hammer!

 

[kwhites634]

Ravyn is the best, I love her!! She's helped me alot in the last 2 months or so. She's got alot of good advice and I listen to everything she tells me to do, lol. She may have also saved my @$$ with this bantam rooster issue I'm having. I'm not saying no one else has good advice, everyone here is great, but they all seem to specialize in certain things. But Ravyn is awesome!

Specialist: Someone who learns more & more about less & less, 'til they finally know everything there is to know about nothing.

 

[kwhites634]

How long is this mega-molt likely to last, if it IS molt?

I've kept chickens for several years, so have gone through my share of molts, but never one like this. Normally, I get 5-6 eggs a day from 6 hens, oldest hen getting some age on her. She went broody in June, so I was down an egg/day. no biggie. Then the molt started in September & egg production spiraled downward to where I'd get only 1 or 2 a day. About 10 days ago, I actually got 6 eggs again; figured the molt was finally over. I haven't seen an egg now for 5-6 days straight. I've never seen a molt where every hen in the flock shuts down completely.

These birds, like all the others I've ever kept, are on a steady diet of free-choice layer crumbles, plus kitchen waste (veggies, egg shells, etc.). I don't turn them out to forage every day, but frequently, and they always have access to an exercise yard off the run. The run itself is in the shade of a large Maple, and is covered with a tarp, but the exercise yard gets full sun.

I've been seeing on here where several flocks are molting hard for longer than normal, so I keep telling myself that there's nothing to be concerned about, but I'm rapidly getting to the point where I'm not so sure anymore.

Any insights?

Ken

 

[FridayYet]

Some say it's a sign of a long, cold winter.

 

[ronott1]

How long is this mega-molt likely to last, if it IS molt?

I've kept chickens for several years, so have gone through my share of molts, but never one like this. Normally, I get 5-6 eggs a day from 6 hens, oldest hen getting some age on her. She went broody in June, so I was down an egg/day. no biggie. Then the molt started in September & egg production spiraled downward to where I'd get only 1 or 2 a day. About 10 days ago, I actually got 6 eggs again; figured the molt was finally over. I haven't seen an egg now for 5-6 days straight. I've never seen a molt where every hen in the flock shuts down completely.

These birds, like all the others I've ever kept, are on a steady diet of free-choice layer crumbles, plus kitchen waste (veggies, egg shells, etc.). I don't turn them out to forage every day, but frequently, and they always have access to an exercise yard off the run. The run itself is in the shade of a large Maple, and is covered with a tarp, but the exercise yard gets full sun.

I've been seeing on here where several flocks are molting hard for longer than normal, so I keep telling myself that there's nothing to be concerned about, but I'm rapidly getting to the point where I'm not so sure anymore.

Any insights?

Ken

It is actually quite normal. Molts get longer and more frequent as chickens age. If chicks hatch at the correct time, they do not molt until they are 1.5 years old and then they molt hard. Some will not lay eggs for the rest of the winter then and will pick up in the Spring.

Since they are molting though, it is time to treat for parasites! and consider lowering the calcium level.