The Moonshiner's Leghorns

[KF0002]

I get seasonal depression as it is living here in KY! I would perish if our temps stayed that cold. I hate being indoors.

I am not going to be much help because every hen we have ever had that was egg bound ended up dying in the nest box. They were older hens and we merely assumed that was what caused their demise. It has been rather rare over the years, but you can do all the things (epsom salt soaks, keep her warm and treat shock if present, mineral oil enemas). You have to look at the anatomical underlying cause that is causing her to be egg bound. Is it nutritional? Is she too heavy with too much visceral fat around her reproductive tract? Is she laying double or triple yolked eggs? We had one hen we thought was egg bound one year and did all the things, but she ended up dying overnight. We did a necropsy and determined she had a massive tumor on her ovary and it was obstructing her oviduct. Too much grain in their diet and lack of calcium can contribute to being egg bound, and also too little exercise causing them to accumulate too much visceral fat and not develop the strong pelvic muscles needed to maintain healthy laying. In a perfect world, a hen should be constantly foraging and scratching, building up strong pelvic muscles and staying at a lean weight. These may not be contributing factors in your bird, and the issue may be an anatomical anomaly or something else, but just wanted to put it out there. I pray she recovers!

 

[KF0002]

Feeling pretty good now, probably at 80% and hopefully back up to 100% by the weekend!

I can just feel the pre-spawn energy in the air! Can't wait to break out the spinner baits!

 

[KF0002]

Par for the course it didn't quite hit the predicted temp here but I had 69° for about a hour.
Looking good on the 10 day though. Hope it holds.
Ya idk about that whistle pig and his predictions. I looked the other day and it seemed like way more often then not he said 6 more weeks of winter. For February 2nd I think he's playing the odds.

It was in the upper 60's here today and I took my son to the orthodontist with NO jacket or coat! I am a child of the spring/summer and this weather just nourishes my soul!

 

[Miami Leghorn]

What

Woohoo!! What varieties are you picking up?

Whatever I can get my hands on

 

[KF0002]

I think the reason we have had only rare instances of egg bound hens over the years is attributed to:
1. We do not free-feed. The birds are fed a daily ration and no more, so no overeating.
2. We try to always keep fresh straw in the pens, and the hens scratching helps them develop their pelvic muscles and keeps them active. They are not fed enough for them to get "fat," just a healthy weight.
3. We feed a grain and pellet mix that is 18% protein and we supplement with oyster shell.

I am not saying the things we do are perfect, but I have never had an egg bound hen I have successfully treated (have only treated the one hen I mentioned that had the tumor in all the years I have kept chickens). They all have either died in the nest before we found them (possibly natural causes or age related), or had an ovarian tumor like the hen I mentioned, which is a death sentence in itself. I whole heartedly believe that keeping chickens as active as possible plays a big part, as well as good balanced nutrition. Straw or corn shucks, loose dirt, sand, etc is important to keep in chicken pens/runs to keep them active and constantly foraging. Chickens that are free-fed will not have to forage because all they have to do is stand around a feeder and get too fat. So I am definitely anti free feed.

Not saying that is the case with your bird at all, just sharing my thoughts from my experience.

 

[KF0002]

What

Whatever I can get my hands on

Lord willing I can send you some eggs in the spring.

 

[KF0002]

Also another drawback to free-feeding is you are basically feeding the rats after dark, and your rodent population will EXPLODE.

 

[Kung_pao]

Thanks! I did get out for a few minutes thes afternoon when my GC informed me that one of the Am pullets had an egg sticking halfway out. Took both of us to catch her. I have her in a crate in the LR now and have given her a calcium +D3 tablet. She's standing kind of huddled. But now I can't walk, lol. After dinner I will have DH help me give her an Epsom salt bath. (Will that really help?)

Hope everything comes out ok!

 

[KF0002]

I sold a pair of turkeys and the boy asked me "how do you get your turkey hens so big?" The only thing I could think to tell him was because we feed them good quality feed. I would say better than 90% of the people in my area (I am being generous with my estimate) feed straight scratch or corn. Nothing nutritious about that. Muscle is protein, and you can't build protein without protein. A bird can get fat, yes, on a grain diet, but it will not develop a good body composition with adequate muscle without adequate dietary sources of protein from day 1. Not to mention poor egg production. Unless a bird is 100% free-ranged, you sould not feed straight scratch or corn. If a bird is free-ranged, it will supplement what you feed with natural protein sources in the warm months. But should still be given a good quality feed in the winter.

Sorry for ranting.

 

[Appalachickens]

Also another drawback to free-feeding is you are basically feeding the rats after dark, and your rodent population will EXPLODE.

I free feed, but have a treadle feeder so no sign of rats (yet). Plus the run is totally encased in hardware cloth, including an 18” apron. I let them free range at least a few hours every day and will increase that time when the daylight lengthens.