The Moonshiner's Leghorns

[The Moonshiner]

We got a lot here. Idk when it started. Wasn't raining when I went to sleep but was so hard it woke me up for a bit at 3:00.
Rained until 3:00 or so this afternoon. Sure we needed it but not a real concern for me. I'm just happy it was rain and not snow. I'll take the mud over snow packed backroads.

 

[BlueBaby]

We got a lot here. Idk when it started. Wasn't raining when I went to sleep but was so hard it woke me up for a bit at 3:00.
Rained until 3:00 or so this afternoon. Sure we needed it but not a real concern for me. I'm just happy it was rain and not snow. I'll take the mud over snow packed backroads.

How are your chicken's holding up over there? Mine have started laying, and as of today have given me 60 egg's. Many are still small.

 

[KF0002]

This is a pretty common emergency remedy that the educators on byc advise. I think it’s usually one per day very short term. How much is too much for a chicken?

Once the egg bound issue is resolved I would allow the chicken to eat oyster shell at liberty. Hens instinctually know when they need calcium and will eat it accordingly. If you are putting a tablet of it down her throat every day, she can't control how much calcium she is consuming. Short-term I'm sure is fine, but multiple days in a row after the issue is resolved seems to be a bit excessive. Especially if she is getting calcium in her feed also. I guess I'm a worry wart. lol

 

[KF0002]

Nobody answered my most pressing questions: is this egg retention likely to happen again? And will she be prone to prolapse since her muscles were stretched and weakened by yesterday's episode?

I don't deal with the issue enough to know because I've never had a hen that was egg bound and recovered that I know if. Hopefully it's just a one-off issue because she was a young layer, and she won't have the problem again. Worrying about it won't change it if it is going to happen again. Chickens are really resilient and can handle a whole lot and rebound just fine. If she didn't prolapse when she was egg bound, I wouldn't imagine that she would be at an increased risk for prolapsing in the future. If she continues to have issues laying though and repetitively gets egg bound, I would consider that a physiological defect and cull her, but that is just me.

 

[KF0002]

We got a lot here. Idk when it started. Wasn't raining when I went to sleep but was so hard it woke me up for a bit at 3:00.
Rained until 3:00 or so this afternoon. Sure we needed it but not a real concern for me. I'm just happy it was rain and not snow. I'll take the mud over snow packed backroads.

The snow and ice thawed and it rained here also, so my backyard and driveway are extra muddy. But I won't complain about it. I agree that mud is much better than ice and snow.

 

[KF0002]

My RIRs and Eggers are laying like it’s Springtime.

Right now only the Leghorn and Leghorn/Legbar hybrids are laying. Hopefully the others start again soon. Tomorrow is supposed to be in the 60's and I'm off work, so I can't wait to be outside. I have been working some OT for extra money (our electric bills have been insane) and I haven't had much time to hang out with the animals.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

I don't deal with the issue enough to know because I've never had a hen that was egg bound and recovered that I know if. Hopefully it's just a one-off issue because she was a young layer, and she won't have the problem again. Worrying about it won't change it if it is going to happen again. Chickens are really resilient and can handle a whole lot and rebound just fine. If she didn't prolapse when she was egg bound, I wouldn't imagine that she would be at an increased risk for prolapsing in the future. If she continues to have issues laying though and repetitively gets egg bound, I would consider that a physiological defect and cull her, but that is just me.

Thank you. So the technical term for what happened here, is she was eggbound? Thank you. We banded her so we can keep an eye on her. I was an idiot and now have 13 black birds, oof!

 

[KF0002]

My concern about treadle feeders is that opossums and raccoons might learn to use them. What say you about that?

My friend built a feeder with some bucket feeder spouts from Temu that she installed on a big plastic tote. She can put probably an entire bag of feed in it I would say. But she is feeding a ton of rats with it also. If you go out late at night, there are tons of rats eating in the feeder.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

We bring our feeders in at dusk and lock them up in the well house. We have one very large feeder that stays in the hen house, and it gets locked up in there. An opossum does visit that one from time to time, but we see no evidence of mice or rats.

 

[KF0002]

Thank you. So the technical term for what happened here, is she was eggbound? Thank you. We banded her so we can keep an eye on her. I was an idiot and now have 13 black birds, oof!

Yes sounds like she was eggbound. I imagine it was stressful and painful, poor girl. And stressful for you also, no doubt! I hope you never have to deal with that again. If that makes you an idiot, that must make me certifiably insane at the numbers of chickens we keep. When my husband actually told me what we were spending on feed the other day I nearly perished.