Show off your Delawares! *PIC HEAVY*

[jeremy]

I came home to find one of my Braden hens moping around the coop, she was very listless and seemed close to death. I immediately thought she was diseased. I picked her up and found out that she had prolapsed in a very, very bad way.

Her cloaca and other chicken insides were completely outside of her body and she was very bloody. I've delt with a prolapse before, one of my original hatchery Delawares prolapsed not too long after she reached POL. We were able to save that hen using Preparation H and pushing her cloaca/vent in but the hen I found today was much, much worse.

So we culled her. I do not think there would have been any way to fix her, it was a very bad prolapse. This is the first adult chicken I have ever culled and it was really hard.

I'm confused because I thought most instances of prolapse happen earlier in a birds life, typically around the time they start laying? This hen was a year old in May and has been laying without any problems until now.

 

[capayvalleychick]

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I'm so sorry, Jeremy.

I've had that happen twice and it was with mature hens, a couple years old or so.

Kim

 

[X2Farm]

Jeremy, I'm so sorry to hear that

I have an interesting observation. I'm not sure where this one come from, but I've got a little Delawegger cockerel with almost a picture perfect female color pattern, right down to the barring in the secondary tail feathers. I have NO clue who the parents are. Its possible it was my Del roo, but I don't know which hatch this boy come from, or which pen or which egg he hatched out of. I also ended up with 3 other Delawegger pullets *scratching head* I'm clueless... the cockerel does have a few small red splotches though.

Wierd, aint it?

OH! And I got to lookin more closely at 2 of the other "Delawegger" pullets and they are, in fact, pure Dels!

I feel like an idiot for not seeing this sooner, but so glad I caught it now

 

[kathyinmo]

Awww, Jeremy, I am so sorry for you.

I know it is not an easy task.

Nicole, Congratulations on your newly found Delawares!

 

[X2Farm]

Kathy, thanks! I really feel like an idiot for not seeing them sooner!

Got a bit busy round here and hadn't paid real close attention lately.

Glad to see the Del project coming along nicely

Can't wait to see what the F2's look like!

 

[kathyinmo]

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Speaking of that!............. I got my first Project egg today! TWO of them, as a matter of fact!

 

[X2Farm]

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wooohooo!!!!

Won't be long!!! I hope you have a big freezer

 

[kathyinmo]

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wooohooo!!!!

Won't be long!!! I hope you have a big freezer

By October-November I am guessing I will have at least 100 chickens in the freezer. THEN, I will have more processing to do when the F2s get here and grown.

I am gonna be sick of chicken. Good thing I have so many kids with families to feed.

 

[riverman]

Quote:
Is it a hot day or does Victor always keep his wing down. Can't really see the female well, but she looks good in the picture.

Walt

oh yeah its always a hot day here in central TX. Thanks my friend.

 

[bt2000]

Quote:
wooohooo!!!!

Won't be long!!! I hope you have a big freezer

By October-November I am guessing I will have at least 100 chickens in the freezer. THEN, I will have more processing to do when the F2s get here and grown.

I am gonna be sick of chicken. Good thing I have so many kids with families to feed.

Friends always like chicken as well.. I've found though.. Better make sure they understand the the term "stew hen/chicken"... I sent a couple home with a friend of mine. Who had said that his mother(now in her 90's) had raised chickens and that he would like a couple of "real" chickens. Needless to say, he, his wife and their dinner guests, didn't take long to figure out there was something "different" about "normal chicken".

So that concept is now understood by them first hand. They did come and get a couple of roos for his mother after that. Who proceeded to "school" them in the proper way to prepare real chicken. His mother is now waiting for me to cull more older hens so she can then teach his wife the "proper way" of using them as well..

Glad to hear the new ones are starting to lay. This heat the past week has almost shut mine down.