Texas

[texsuze]

Blanche, my oliver egger, is wrapping up her molt--just a couple fluff feathers dropping each night. Had her every-six-week beak trim today, she being a crossbeak. What a good chicken!

Penny, my BA, looks like the remains of a feather duster that some animal chewed up. Pin feathers showing on her neck(one side only) and bum fluff pin feathers coming in "crop row" formation on her backside. All primary larger feathers are gone, floating around the barn and pasture. Her comb and wattles are half their normal plumpness and she spends the day under the purple sage (cenizo) bush hiding. Same scenario last year at this time. She doesn't want to eat much, which has me worried. Always something to fret about, though.....

 

[RUNuts]

I’ve had a terrible time with hatches this year.
Hatch 1 are all 3 cockerels out of 19 eggs started. Fertility issues.
Hatch 2 9 out of 18 hatched & lost 4 due to dogs.
Hatch 3 9/18 hatched & lost all 9 due to gnats & dogs & rats. I didn’t see that happening but the rats moved in suddenly.
Hatch 4 broody abandoned & 5/6 weren’t fertile & last little guy didn’t make it.

I’ve had different problems this year. I’m thankful for the chicks that i do have. Remember to keep a positive attitude & learn from the mistakes.

Molting has interrupted the laying here too. 1 egg a day for the last month from 6 hens. This too shall pass.

 

[Hensintexas]

Scruffy cranky hens and apparently determined to drag it out as long as possible with staggered starts. Really girls, you're all the same age why is this one just now starting when that one started a month ago?! Nobody is getting sweaters when the cold front blows in!

I would think they'd be better off moulting in August when it's hotter than blazes, who needs feathers then?

Oh, no kidding!!

 

[Hensintexas]

Blanche, my oliver egger, is wrapping up her molt--just a couple fluff feathers dropping each night. Had her every-six-week beak trim today, she being a crossbeak. What a good chicken!

Penny, my BA, looks like the remains of a feather duster that some animal chewed up. Pin feathers showing on her neck(one side only) and bum fluff pin feathers coming in "crop row" formation on her backside. All primary larger feathers are gone, floating around the barn and pasture. Her comb and wattles are half their normal plumpness and she spends the day under the purple sage (cenizo) bush hiding. Same scenario last year at this time. She doesn't want to eat much, which has me worried. Always something to fret about, though.....

I hope Penny feels better. Bless her heart, that’s got to be miserable!

 

[Hensintexas]

I’ve had a terrible time with hatches this year.
Hatch 1 are all 3 cockerels out of 19 eggs started. Fertility issues.
Hatch 2 9 out of 18 hatched & lost 4 due to dogs.
Hatch 3 9/18 hatched & lost all 9 due to gnats & dogs & rats. I didn’t see that happening but the rats moved in suddenly.
Hatch 4 broody abandoned & 5/6 weren’t fertile & last little guy didn’t make it.

I’ve had different problems this year. I’m thankful for the chicks that i do have. Remember to keep a positive attitude & learn from the mistakes.

Molting has interrupted the laying here too. 1 egg a day for the last month from 6 hens. This too shall pass.

I’m sorry about the hatches. So far, rats haven’t bothered us, but the hawks and coyotes are always around. Our girls are staying in the chicken yard for the time being. They usually go in and out if they want, just not right now. The up side is they get lots of kitchen scraps.
Like you, our 13 aren’t laying much, either. One can hope, right?