The Natural Chicken Keeping thread - OTs welcome!

[Toast n Jelly]

I've been in the barn doing chores and watching the Silkie downstairs. My computer is upstairs.

She is now standing with her legs under her. Respiration is still fast but open beak panting is lessened. I have had her in the house for 24 hours now. She passed two feces of normal consistency and they look and smell normal. She was given another cod liver oil gel cap. I snip the end and squeeze the oil over her tongue. I will add the childrens Polyvisol to her water again. I changed it and forgot to add it. Thank you for the pm
lalaland. I appreciate the advice.

I can't afford to take chickens to the vet. A simple blood draw costs a $100 here. I will do the best I can.

The shavings I use are the white pine kind sold at my feed store. I've used them for 35 years.

Sounds like she's on the mend

Children's polyvisol are vitamins right? How much would you put in water?

 

[aoxa]

Delisha, congrats on your new batch of fuzzies

Glad you had a decent hatch this time, how many eggs did you start with for this batch? Were these shipped eggs too?

I'm not sure where you got your eggs, but since you did not get these eggs directly from Hattrick your Blue chick (or chicks) that hatched from the eggs marked as Black could have been the result of not all of the breeding stock being true Blacks. Some (or even just one) could have been very dark Blue instead. It can be very difficult to tell the difference sometimes, and some people that keep B/B/S Silkie pens just assume that all of the dark birds are Blacks, when they really aren't. Black bred to Blue produces 50% Black and 50% Blue chicks. Just some food for thought...

Thanks for adding that in there Peeps.

I have NEVER actually seen a black in the flesh (or fluff) but did see some at show marked black, but were clearly not. They were just dark blue instead. Black has to be black right down to the underfluff.


These are true blacks.


Here is a dark blue.

 

[Toast n Jelly]

Quote: Del - Can you give a good tutorial on removing spurs - or post a link with good instructions/video/ etc. that shows the way you would recommend doing it?

I've seen several different versions and I'd like to hear your - and anyone else with experience - method.

I've done one rooster with the pliers by pushing down, twisting and removing the spur then I put blood stop on the new ones.

 

[Mumsy]

It's ironic isn't it? The only thing I've had to deal with in a years time is mites. I got rid of those and had a nice smooth transition into just chickens doing their chicken-y thing until the Silkies that I bought from other farms. I don't know why Silkies are prone to eat shavings other than it's because they can't see well. Even when the dish is full of nutritious food right in front of their face. I've never seen the roos eat shavings. Just those heavily crested hens.

I am taking the advice lalaland passed on that is what del advices. Not much else I can do but wait.


No poo all night and then two like this within a half hour. Maybe the oil is beginning to work?


Yesterday morning she just passed watery poo and laid an egg very quickly.



This is an hour ago. I since removed the yogurt and crumble. She wouldn't eat it anyway. She is upright and alert.
Her pen buddy Bonney laid her first egg this morning. I cracked it open and it had an obvious blastodisc but no bulls eye.

And the best news today of all! Judy the Broody hatched out all five Johnny eggs! I put my hand under her skirts when I heard a lot of cheeping. I pulled out five broken shells but only saw four chicks. So I lifted Judy just a bit and gave her a little shake. One more chick plopped out of her fluff! So funny when that happens!


Hello baby!

Judy has not left the nest since they started hatching. I put feed and water within reach and she helped herself.

 

[lalaland]

hooray for the new chicks and Judy

 

[Leahs Mom]

Judy the Broody hatched out all five Johnny eggs!

Wonderful!

 

[Sally8]

I added hot water to sponges after first pip..worked great for me.
Sorry about your chick problems. That chick needs to be washed, and dried. If it is just that white cottage cheese looking stuff it will be OK. I am learning about shipped eggs..I think they need low humidity. Setting in a cool place for 24 hours before setting. Putting in the incubator and not turning for the first 12 hours. Check air cells and if attached, start turning. Shipped eggs need to be handled differently. It sounds like to low temps and to high humidity.
You can't beat BA RIR WR and BE. If you want a good meat bird..go Cornish. Heritage breeds!!!
Looks like a Bernie/ Mac/ Henry to me.

As far as colors go..non of my egg shells say blue..

From the time I had these shipped eggs everything went perfectly. Temps stayed around 100, humidity was low as I don't add water (dry hatch). I let the eggs sit for 2+ days in a cool room before I even put them in the incubator. At 10 days when I candled 8 looked squishy or just watery (scrambled), 2 were questionable and 4 were good. At 17 days I broke opened the 8 and they were truly scrambled and the other 6 headed for lockdown. 2 of them still looked different than the other 4. Now I know why. No it wasn't cottage cheese looking, it looked yolky and carmelly in color but it had hardened like varnish.. The part where he had pecked through was so hard, I had such a terrible time breaking the shell apart as it made me think of varnish. I ran into blood veins a couple of times and would stop and put him back into the bator. It was almost 3 days since his pip hole and I decided he wouldn't live much longer either way so I spent up to 2 hours breaking the rest of the shell away and picking the gooey, hard stuff off his feathers and I'm sorry to say that he's missing a few of those too. It's bonding moments like this that cause feathery Mom's to hang on 1 more rooster when she doesn't need them. Sorry it's so long. (These are the Super Blue Egg Layers) Edited to add that he had pooped a couple of times and that had also gotten stuck in the gooky stuff and feathers and was also hard. He finally cleaned up. This morning he was up and around. I needed to be sure he had water and food before I left. He was long over due.

After such an awful experience with my sweet Grey Silkie Binkus and the possible lead poisoning ordeal, the last thing I wanted to post about was another of my Silkies in distress. An yet....here it is again so soon.

When she pooped, did you notice any of the pine shavings in it? I can't even find a vet around here to check poop for me without going to Cornell University, an hour away. Who know's what it would cost. I'm so sorry Mumsy. Just when we don't think our heart's can take any more. My prayers have been going up for you.

Anyone know anything about "super blue egg layers"?

a woman who is going to hatch some chicks for me this spring said Super Blue Eggs layers are a cross between a pure Ameracana and a Leghorn. The result is huge, prolific robin's egg blue egg layers. They are an amazing laying hen.

eta: looks like a couple of people sell hatching eggs for the super blue egg layer. they look like a fluffy shorter leghorn with pea comb and slate legs, and white with a few black dots, like maybe 3-20 dots per hen.

Not sure if the leghorn means they would burn out after a few years?

I'm going to get some swedish flower hen chicks, and a couple of one other breed, thinking icelandics or possiblly these blue egg layers from her.

thoughts?

As a matter of fact, I do, a little. These last 6 eggs that I've had so much trouble with being shipped are the Super Blue Egg Layers. She sent 14, 8 were so scrambled, 6 went into lock down and all hatched and are alive (with a few difficulties) I'm not sure how super blue they are, I never saw a photo of the eggs. Ask me again in 25 weeks. lol I am excited though. Yesterday, I saw where someone was selling blue eggs that had a photo and the eggs were gorgeous, so we'll see. I'm not ready for shipped eggs again. Oh, when I was pm'ing the lady I think she told me that these chicks will lay the super blue eggs but I thin k she said the next generation won't. (I can't remember, I might be wrong) I'll post a pic tonight.

 

[countrygirl74]

And the best news today of all! Judy the Broody hatched out all five Johnny eggs! I put my hand under her skirts when I heard a lot of cheeping. I pulled out five broken shells but only saw four chicks. So I lifted Judy just a bit and gave her a little shake. One more chick plopped out of her fluff! So funny when that happens!


Hello baby!

Judy has not left the nest since they started hatching. I put feed and water within reach and she helped herself.

Soooo cute!!

 

[countrygirl74]

My little silkie girl laid me another egg today! Who would have thought that my silkie would lead the way....now if all the big girls would follow her example. My 13-year-old son wanted it for breakfast because it was "so cute". He said it was a "bite-sized" egg.

 

[delisha]

Delisha, congrats on your new batch of fuzzies

Glad you had a decent hatch this time, how many eggs did you start with for this batch? Were these shipped eggs too?

I'm not sure where you got your eggs, but since you did not get these eggs directly from Hattrick your Blue chick (or chicks) that hatched from the eggs marked as Black could have been the result of not all of the breeding stock being true Blacks. Some (or even just one) could have been very dark Blue instead. It can be very difficult to tell the difference sometimes, and some people that keep B/B/S Silkie pens just assume that all of the dark birds are Blacks, when they really aren't. Black bred to Blue produces 50% Black and 50% Blue chicks. Just some food for thought...

I purchased a dozen. 9 went into lock down. 7 hatched with no problems. I eggtopsed the other two. They were both fully formed and one hit a vein during interior pip and bled out. The other one, I have no idea. It had absorbed the yolk almost all the way. I think it might have drowned, it had quite a bit of fluid left.

Quote:


Originally Posted by formic

Does anyone have advise on best way to treat a rather open laceration on my hen, caused by my rooster? I'm going to get saddles to start with, but this needs cleaning out and ointment.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Leahs Mom

Quote:


Originally Posted by formic

Does anyone have advise on best way to treat a rather open laceration on my hen, caused by my rooster? I'm going to get saddles to start with, but this needs cleaning out and ointment.

I've done one rooster with the pliers by pushing down, twisting and removing the spur then I put blood stop on the new ones.

These are pretty good. I posted one that can be done by one person

It's ironic isn't it? The only thing I've had to deal with in a years time is mites. I got rid of those and had a nice smooth transition into just chickens doing their chicken-y thing until the Silkies that I bought from other farms. I don't know why Silkies are prone to eat shavings other than it's because they can't see well. Even when the dish is full of nutritious food right in front of their face. I've never seen the roos eat shavings. Just those heavily crested hens.

I am taking the advice lalaland passed on that is what del advices. Not much else I can do but wait.


No poo all night and then two like this within a half hour. Maybe the oil is beginning to work?


Yesterday morning she just passed watery poo and laid an egg very quickly.



This is an hour ago. I since removed the yogurt and crumble. She wouldn't eat it anyway. She is upright and alert.
Her pen buddy Bonney laid her first egg this morning. I cracked it open and it had an obvious blastodisc but no bulls eye.

And the best news today of all! Judy the Broody hatched out all five Johnny eggs! I put my hand under her skirts when I heard a lot of cheeping. I pulled out five broken shells but only saw four chicks. So I lifted Judy just a bit and gave her a little shake. One more chick plopped out of her fluff! So funny when that happens!


Hello baby!

Judy has not left the nest since they started hatching. I put feed and water within reach and she helped herself.

Yeah Judy!! What a great mom..