The Natural Chicken Keeping thread - OTs welcome!

[Sally8]

Mumsy, I'm probably way off base here but would giving her a harder food along with the oil help it go down? If I thought one of mine had a piece of wood chip or the like stuck that's what I would do. By accident my chickens got to the soft cat food before the cat's could and wolfed it down. I'd add anything hard that she'd like with the oil or soft food and let her eat it. I don't know how long it takes for wood fibers to break down. (Just my thoughts) sue

 

[Sally8]

Wow, Sally, incredible that they were all pullets! Thank you for the photos. I notice there is a lot of blue in the black feathers.

I'm only in the BCM and all different colored egg layers for the colored eggs but it's in the back of my mind to get a SOP and try conform to their standards in case my grand kids would like to show at the county fair. I actually do have a good line of birds. After getting that SOP, I need to cull out everything and focus. The problem is, here where I live, kids that come from farms or are interested in farm animals (all but horses) are made fun of. Kid's are deliberately shunned, no playing basketball, football. We have an East and West High School. West was for farmers. I don't want to show, it's a lot of "fun" work, I'd rather just enjoy looking. Kid's can be cruel.

 

[TurtlePowerTrav]

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.

The Catdance pullet 'Dumpling' with crippled feet is in big trouble. She started laying six days ago. She passes eggs easily and quickly. Just drops them out where ever she is sitting. She had good appetite, and she could scoot around anywhere she wanted to be. I posted here a few days ago that I set her and her buddy Bonney with the Catdance roo in a breeding pen of their own. I notice both pullets scratching the shavings and eating it. I mean, they were really gobbling the small bits up like it was the yummiest thing they had ever seen. This is so wrong! Catdance uses pine shavings in all pens. I was there. I saw it. All my Silkie pens have shavings.
Yesterday morning Dumpling was choking, wheezing, gurgling, and making hoarse cawing sounds with each breath. I immediately brought her into the house and palpated her crop and abdomen. I could feel an egg in the oviduct close to lay and her crop was flaccid and squishy. The more stressed she became, the louder her breathing noises. I administered the oil in one Cod liver gel cap, offered water and watched. She passed her egg within the hour and drank. She passed a lot of watery poo with stain and little substance. No real normal firm stool that I could tell. I massaged her squishy crop and I could actually hear liquid sloshing in it. There was no foul or sour smell. Every couple hours I massaged her crop. The loud breathing and vocalizations got less and less as the crop shrank. By 3 pm yesterday she seemed normal enough to offer plain yogurt sprinkled with Game Bird chow. (what I normally have been feeding mixed with slops from the FF bucket. I offered it dry on the yogurt. No ACV in the water. Just plain water. She ate and drank. By evening she seemed comfortable and quiet.

This morning. She is struggling to keep up right on her crippled legs. No poo over night. Not eating or drinking. Beak open and panting heavily with quick respiration. This is not looking good. I suspect impaction of the gizzard. The crop is empty but still a little flaccid. I can feel a teaspoon of what feels like grit in the bottom of the crop. Palpation of her abdomen feels normal. I can feel no distention or hardness.

Am I going to have to perform another necropsy on a beloved Silkie? Any suggestions? I've never had a chicken with impacted gizzard before. I've never had a chicken that ate shavings willingly either. This is just bad bad bad.

I would keep up the oil and add in molasses to completely flush out her system. No food for 24hrs. This is what I did with Peep(EE) when she had impacted gizzard/digestive tract

 

[rrrmamma]

Guys, totally off topic, but I took a bad fall two nights ago and have a huge black eye. I am traveling to CA on Friday. Does anyone have a good remedy that will take some of the bruising away quickly. I look like I have been in a bar fight. Instead I just picked a fight with a plow blade! lol. Never combine crocks, pitch black night and the need to go behind the truck to relieve oneself. I tripped on something and hit my forehead on the blade on the front of the truck. Ouch!!!!

 

[SallyinIndiana]

Guys, totally off topic, but I took a bad fall two nights ago and have a huge black eye. I am traveling to CA on Friday. Does anyone have a good remedy that will take some of the bruising away quickly. I look like I have been in a bar fight. Instead I just picked a fight with a plow blade! lol. Never combine crocks, pitch black night and the need to go behind the truck to relieve oneself. I tripped on something and hit my forehead on the blade on the front of the truck. Ouch!!!!

perhaps concealer or some other make up? I'm sure a local mary kay rep would love to give you a makeover. lots of fluids will help the bruise heal faster and of course ice packs.

 

[armorfirelady]

Guys, totally off topic, but I took a bad fall two nights ago and have a huge black eye. I am traveling to CA on Friday. Does anyone have a good remedy that will take some of the bruising away quickly. I look like I have been in a bar fight. Instead I just picked a fight with a plow blade! lol. Never combine crocks, pitch black night and the need to go behind the truck to relieve oneself. I tripped on something and hit my forehead on the blade on the front of the truck. Ouch!!!! 

 

My grandma used to put wintergreen rubbing alcohol on bruises. She swore it healed them faster.

 

[countrygirl74]

Guys, totally off topic, but I took a bad fall two nights ago and have a huge black eye. I am traveling to CA on Friday. Does anyone have a good remedy that will take some of the bruising away quickly. I look like I have been in a bar fight. Instead I just picked a fight with a plow blade! lol. Never combine crocks, pitch black night and the need to go behind the truck to relieve oneself. I tripped on something and hit my forehead on the blade on the front of the truck. Ouch!!!!

Traumeel - works wonders!! But, I think you have to go to a health food store to find it.

 

[Loghousemom]

I love all your pic, snow to birds to whatever. Keep them coming and thank you for sharing. They are all so beautiful! The SFH are so gorgeous but I'll be honest the brightly plumaged Buff Orpington's are my favorite and not a one on the property. lol

I didn't really think that Thor was a boy due to his stance, just a tiny joke on my part. I do think he's male from all the learning comments I've been reading from you all.

I'm sticking to my BCM as I seem pretty good with them so far, I'm trying to darken my eggs. I know there is another site for this but am afraid to go there.

Already been there.

I like the poop boards with the PDZ. Every time hubby builds me something more, he says it's the last time. I think I can almost do it on my own.

I like the idea of the 5 gal waterer that unscrews from the top but since being diagnosed with fibromyalgia I can't open a small water bottle anymore. In the winter months I've been using the heated dog bowl. I'm looking for something like it,, plastic and doesn't have a plug.

Thank you all for welcoming myself and all the other newbies that pop along with us and ask the very same questions from the beginning. You all are so gracious and I continue to learn from them and from you. sue

I have lots of reading to catch up on since I had no Power yesterday thanks to a neighbor hauling hay that was stacked to high (took out our power lines and fried my router) BUT..... The SFH are so pretty. Are they related to the Mille fleur D'uccles? (Sorry if it is spelled wrong)

I also wanted to say thanks to you all for being so welcoming, and also what an awesome idea! I never would have thought to staple the feed bags to the walls to stop drafts'. Heck! I have piles of those between chickens, dogs and cats, I bet I could to at least one whole section of my coop!

Now, back to reading!

 

[chikenscratch]

Mumsy- keep us posted

 

[mrsamplias]

Has anyone ever heard of the feed store incubating eggs? Our feed store has a few big incubators and will incubate for $8/doz. Any thoughts or feedback appreciated!