Should I buy eggs or wait it out?

[cheeka]

yeah Peach is bantam cochin x EE. and she went broody at about 8 months of age. had only been laying for maybe 6-7 weeks. but she is not a hatchery bird... she came from a breeder... she's a year old now, so once she's weaned these chicks, the plan is to let her brood her own eggs, if she wants to...

 

[Sallysec]

Hi all, really sad news. I came home last night around 3 am after driving for fourteen hours. We didnt want to stop, missed the girls. Came home and could barely stay awake to drive, let alone get in the house with the kids. My three different sitters all said the girls did fine. They had no out time. Woke up this morning to put my son on the bus. Went out to the coop and opened the coop door to find Pop dead at the door, I dropped the block in my hand and burst into tears. I was in shock. I came home to around 4 dozen eggs on the table and happy reports from everyone. I looked right away for coop damage to see if something broke in, and I found Mary dead in the run. I screamed and my husband came outside and I just don't know what happened. Its been rainy all weekend here. They had plenty of water and food...we even added more waterers and 'toys' I just don't understand. My husband noticed its the two girls we thought were eating the eggs.

I just cant imagine them killing each other, they have been together forever, we have NEVER had any issues with loose feathers or pecking behavior. Last week was the first time I witnessed any bad behavior and that was the eggs being eaten. I filled two eggs with mustard and I actually wondered if that could have hurt them. I just feel horrible. I wish I would have went straight to the coop last night to check on them. I am so lost. My husband thinks someone else might be hurt but I don't see any other signs of weakness or issues in anyone. He thinks so because as he took the girls bodies out he noticed a fresh looking poop that looked bloody.

This was the worst thing to come home to.

Coop 2 is fine, and the 2 teens are still in the house and fine.

 

[cheeka]

various members of the mustard family are toxic, but it's more the plant, and it has to be eaten in such quantities... and you used mustard mustard...the spread... and I can't see how that is at all possible for that to be the culprit ~ whatever did happen, I am so sorry for your losses... it really is hard to cope with.

 

[BullChick]

Hi all, really sad news. I came home last night around 3 am after driving for fourteen hours. We didnt want to stop, missed the girls. Came home and could barely stay awake to drive, let alone get in the house with the kids. My three different sitters all said the girls did fine. They had no out time. Woke up this morning to put my son on the bus. Went out to the coop and opened the coop door to find Pop dead at the door, I dropped the block in my hand and burst into tears. I was in shock. I came home to around 4 dozen eggs on the table and happy reports from everyone. I looked right away for coop damage to see if something broke in, and I found Mary dead in the run. I screamed and my husband came outside and I just don't know what happened. Its been rainy all weekend here. They had plenty of water and food...we even added more waterers and 'toys' I just don't understand. My husband noticed its the two girls we thought were eating the eggs.

I just cant imagine them killing each other, they have been together forever, we have NEVER had any issues with loose feathers or pecking behavior. Last week was the first time I witnessed any bad behavior and that was the eggs being eaten. I filled two eggs with mustard and I actually wondered if that could have hurt them. I just feel horrible. I wish I would have went straight to the coop last night to check on them. I am so lost. My husband thinks someone else might be hurt but I don't see any other signs of weakness or issues in anyone. He thinks so because as he took the girls bodies out he noticed a fresh looking poop that looked bloody.

This was the worst thing to come home to.

Coop 2 is fine, and the 2 teens are still in the house and fine.

You are worried about mustard. Where are the eggs that had it in them? Are they open? I doubt they would ingest enough to cause harm (they shouldn't like straight mustard. That is the point of using it, right?). Look for signs of Coccidiosis.

 

[Wishing4Wings]

Sally, so sorry to hear about your chickens. That's a terrible way to end your trip. Chickens will sometimes die from problems out of the blue like that, but 2 at once is an odd coincidence. Do you have a resource for necropsy to find the cause of death? In Calif, the university system performs them free of charge for backyard owners, but you need to keep the bodies cool (refrigerated, not frozen). If you have a local ag extension, you could ask there. Sometimes finding the cause can bring a lot of peace of mind. I doubt it was anything you did.

 

[Sallysec]

Thank you all, I am just sick to my stomach about it. They had medicated feed as chicks, I had them vaccinated when shipped to me. I just feel so horrible. I can't even look at them. My husband removed them and put them in a garbage container with a tarp because its pouring rain outside still. You cant even walk the back yard without sinking. I am looking now for a local place for necropsy and praying something else isn't going to happen.

 

[Sallysec]

Is there a bad side to using Corid just in case they got Cocci somehow?

 

[cheeka]

if they've been exposed it's sure to help, there's a bunch of stuff here on byc about just such a thing... any further evidence of bloody poop?

 

[SullyD]

Hi All! Wow! I just finished reading this entire thread! I feel sad that the good "book" I was reading is over. Although I know it continues! I have learned so much from all of you posters, thank you! I moved to Florida 6 months ago to a community with 5 acre minimums. Along with the 5 horses, 3 dogs and 2 cats, I thought having my own farm fresh eggs was a natural progression. I researched breeds, (small, friendly, cool), and decided on 5 chickens. That would give me enough eggs for myself with some to share with family living in the area. I jumped right in a bought 3 Blue Ameraucana eggs to hatch. Realizing too late, what would happen if only 1 hatched? Off to TSC to pick up a couple of chicks to keep the new ones company. Didn't know they had a 6 chick minimum, I am up to 8. Got some NH Reds to add to the 2 Am that hatched. Liking the blue eggs layers and the heritage breeds, I ordered 6 more eggs to hatch (Cream Legbars). They sent me 10. (Is this what you mean when you say "chicken math"?) Of course all 10 hatched, although one died shortly after birth. They are sex link chicks so I had 7 roos and 3 pullets. The one that died was a roo, and one escaped and a predator got it, a pullet of course! In the meantime, before all the egg ordering (and before I read this thread), I had ordered some live chicks but they weren't coming until June. 5 Barred Rocks, 1 Delaware, 1 Buckeye. I can only hope none of Roger's lineage is in any of them, but she seems so entertaining! They arrived last week, one BR didn't make it. Since it seems one of my original Am's is a roo, I had to order some more hatching eggs and since I liked the Blue Am's I ordered more of those and threw in some Wheaten's too. They sent me 15 eggs! My family is already calling me the crazy chicken lady! Unfortunately, the eggs that seemed intact upon opening the package, were scrambled when opened at day 10 with no progress upon candling. Only 3 out of the 15 hatched and they were all Blue Am's. Until I know the sex of those three, I currently have 2 NHR Pulllets, 10 weeks, (although I suspect one may have been in the wrong bin and is a roo), 2 Blue Am 9 weeks, (1 pullet and 1 roo), 7 CL, 8 weeks, (2 pullets and 5 roos), 5 BR, 2 weeks, (pullets), 1 Delaware, 2 weeks, (pullet), and 1 Buckeye, 2 weeks, (pullet). So I have too many roos. Not sure I can kill them off since I hatched them! But I figure if they come after me or harm the hens, they are done! And at some point in the next couple of months, the oldies will begin laying! Which is how I came to this thread! So now I am waiting for eggs! Thank you again for all of your insight during the many posts! I have already started feeding them pie! And I had to build a bigger coop!

 

[SullyD]

Sorry Sally about your loss! That is a terrible thing to come home to. I hope you get answers soon.