The Natural Chicken Keeping thread - OTs welcome!
- Thread starter Bulldogma
- Start date
- Sep 3, 2012
- 692
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More questions. My chicks seem to be doing really well. Everyone's eating and drinking. I couldn't find any orange juicers, so I got some small, shallow, stainless steel cat bowls. Now it's like a feeding frenzy in a shark tank. They love those shiny bowls! I noticed dark brown, loose stools from some today. Normal? No one's fluffed up or looking droopy. Only quiet peeping. All are sleeping now.
I still have them on paper towels over pine pellets and shavings. How do you keep the brooder clean!? I change paper towels several times a day, but it's still a mess. 24 chicks=a lot of poop. How do you keep it clean after the paper towels come up? Do I take out any wet spots and stir up the rest? Change litter completely everyday?
I couldn't find any pumpkin seeds except at the Green Market for $5/lb. None in the wild bird section of several stores. Might have to search online. Maybe I'll ask at the feed store first.
I buy eggs from a friend. Today I cracked open an egg to find a small, perfectly formed egg inside. How's that happen?
I still have them on paper towels over pine pellets and shavings. How do you keep the brooder clean!? I change paper towels several times a day, but it's still a mess. 24 chicks=a lot of poop. How do you keep it clean after the paper towels come up? Do I take out any wet spots and stir up the rest? Change litter completely everyday?
I couldn't find any pumpkin seeds except at the Green Market for $5/lb. None in the wild bird section of several stores. Might have to search online. Maybe I'll ask at the feed store first.
I buy eggs from a friend. Today I cracked open an egg to find a small, perfectly formed egg inside. How's that happen?
I think it is a SFH.
It is your only male?
It is your only male?
I've decided that what I was seeing from my Rouen girl was Broodyness-- her 1st time. Been busy dealing with a super stressful adoption after having a super successful one 2 weeks ago. I have so much to learn.
I have to say I read Beekissed's thread here last year with great interest. I cried the first time I read it.
I have to say I read Beekissed's thread here last year with great interest. I cried the first time I read it.
Just use strips of old pantyhose or "tying tape" (a stretchy green plastic tape found at nurseries and such) to tie the vines loosely to the wooden posts. The bottom of the vines will eventually become thick trunks (I've seen grape vines with trunk diameters of +10 inches). You will need something for the actual vines at the top to grow on and cling to. If you're in it for fruit production, as opposed to just wanting leafy green vines, consider the 4-arm Kniffen system of training as pictured.
If you don't like that method, there are others that may suit you better, just google "grape vine pruning training".
This one that is laying on his side is giving me grief. 2 weeks ago I saw a poult doing the same thing and took his picture, showed it to DH and said, look how cute he is. Turns out he was dead. Now they are trying to sleep and I keep coming along and poke them.
How can a blue Sizzle and a BCM have a yellow chick?
How can a blue Sizzle and a BCM have a yellow chick?
Last edited:
Well...it still MAY be a sfh...I won't know until the the very end but...everyone that has experience w/the sfh thinks it is not.Leah's mom, I am horrible at chick breed ID, so I am throwing this out there for what it is worth. The chick down and early coloring pattern isn't that a pattern for mottled??? The SFH pic you showed is that a version of mottled (the correct adult patterning)???? If so could blackie have extra melanizers w/ the mottling?? Could she express the mottling more after the first molt??? Sorry that is more questions then answers isn't it.
Del - I'm thinking black is a female especially compared to her/his flock mate's development. I think I have 3 females and 1 male. Here's rooster boy:
Yesterday at 14 weeks
11 Weeks
11 weeks
A few bits of information bout double shelled eggs
The second major part of the female chicken’s reproductive system is the oviduct. The
oviduct is a long convoluted tube (25-27 inches long when fully developed) which is
divided into five major sections. They are the infundibulum or funnel, magnum, isthmus,
shell gland, and vagina.
The first part of the oviduct, the infundibulum or funnel, is 3-4 inches long, and it
engulfs the ovum released from the ovary. The ovum or yolk remains in the infundibulum
15-18 minutes. The infundibulum also serves as a reservoir for spermatozoa so that
fertilization can take place.
The next section of the oviduct is the magnum which is 13 inches long and is the largest
section of the oviduct as its name implies (from the Latin word for ‘large’). The ovum or
yolk remains here 3 hours during which time the thick white or albumen is added.
The third section of the oviduct is the isthmus which is 4 inches long. The ‘egg’ remains
here for 75 minutes. The isthmus, as its name implies, is slightly constricted (The term
3.15
‘isthmus’ refers to a narrow band of tissue connecting two larger parts of an anatomical
structure). The isthmus is where the inner and outer shell membranes are added.
The next section of the oviduct is the shell gland or uterus. The shell gland is 4-5 inches
long, and the ‘egg’ remains here for 20 plus hours. As its name implies, the shell is
placed on the egg here. The shell is largely made up of calcium carbonate. The hen
mobilizes 47% of her body calcium from her bones to make the egg shell, with the diet
providing the remainder of the required calcium. Pigment deposition is also done in the
shell gland.
The last part of the oviduct is the vagina which is about 4-5 inches long and does not
really play a part in egg formation. The vagina is made of muscle which helps push the
egg out of the hen’s body. There are also glands located in the vagina where
spermatozoa are stored. The bloom or cuticle is also added to the egg in the vagina
prior to oviposition (the laying of the fully formed egg).
Near the junction of the vagina and the shell gland, there are deep glands lined with
simple columnar epithelium. These are the sperm host glands, so called because they
can store sperm for long periods of time (10 days to 2 weeks!). When an egg is laid,
some of these sperm can be squeezed out of the glands into the lumen of the tract, so
that they can migrate farther up the oviduct to fertilize another egg. This is one of the
really remarkable things about birds; the sperm remain viable at body temperature.
Birds lay eggs in clutches. A clutch consists of one or more eggs, followed by a rest
period of about a day, then another egg or set of eggs. Clutch size is species-specific
and is held within fairly tight limits. Clutch size, as well as the numbers of clutches laid in
a breeding season, will vary with species, but the principle is the same.
In hens, ovulation usually occurs in the morning and under normal daylight conditions,
almost never after 3:00 PM. The total time to form a new egg is about 25-26 hours. This
includes about 3½ hours to make the albumen, 1½ hours for the shell membranes, and
about 20 hours for the shell itself.
Ovulation for the next egg of a clutch occurs within an hour of laying the previous egg,
and so that each day the hen gets later and later in her timing; she "runs behind," like a
clock that is improperly adjusted. Eventually she gets so far behind schedule that she
would have to ovulate later than 3:00 PM. Since hens do not typically ovulate after 3:00
PM, the next ovulation is delayed and egg laying is interrupted. This delay results in the
break between clutches and the cycle repeats itself a day or so later.
Occasionally, a hen will produce double-yolked eggs. This phenomenon occurs
primarily due to the age of the hen, but can also be related to genetics. Young hens
sometimes release two follicles from the ovary in quick succession. The highly active
ovary due to high activity of reproductive hormones in peak egg production can also be a
factor. Double-yolked eggs are larger in size than single yolk eggs. Double-yolked eggs
are not suitable for hatching. There is typically not enough nutrients and space available
for two chicks to develop to hatch. It has happened, but it is rare.
It is rare, but not unusual, for a young hen to produce an egg with no yolk at all.
Yolkless eggs are usually formed when a bit of tissue is sloughed off the ovary or
oviduct. This tissue stimulates the secreting glands of the different parts of the oviduct
and a yolkless egg results.
Things occasionally go wrong when an egg shell is being developed. The most obvious
relates to shell texture (Figure 3.14). Occasionally the shell becomes damaged while still
in the shell gland and is repaired prior to being laid. This results in what is known as a
‘body check.’ Occasionally there will be ‘thin spots’ in the shell or ‘ridges’ will form.
The shells of such eggs, though not cracked, are weaker than ‘normal’ eggs and should
not be used as hatching eggs. A second category of problems is abnormal shape
(Figure 3.15). To be considered a hatching egg, the egg should be the typical ‘egg
shape.’ Abnormally shaped eggs should not be used as hatching eggs. In many cases it
is not clear which is the large end (and eggs should be incubated large end up) or they
may not properly fit in the egg trays.
Occasionally an egg will be laid without a shell. It feels like a water balloon. The
membrane was placed on the yolk and white, but it somehow slipped past the "shell
mechanism" and the shell wasn't deposited. The occurrence of the occasional shell-less
egg is not necessarily an indication of any disease problem. If the incidence increases,
however, a veterinarian should be consulted.
Even rarer is an egg within an egg. This occurs when an egg that is nearly ready to be
laid reverses direction and gets a new layer of albumen covered by a second shell.
Sometimes the reversed egg joins up with the next egg and the two are encased
together within a new shell. Double shelled eggs are so rare that no one knows exactly
why it happens.
The second major part of the female chicken’s reproductive system is the oviduct. The
oviduct is a long convoluted tube (25-27 inches long when fully developed) which is
divided into five major sections. They are the infundibulum or funnel, magnum, isthmus,
shell gland, and vagina.
The first part of the oviduct, the infundibulum or funnel, is 3-4 inches long, and it
engulfs the ovum released from the ovary. The ovum or yolk remains in the infundibulum
15-18 minutes. The infundibulum also serves as a reservoir for spermatozoa so that
fertilization can take place.
The next section of the oviduct is the magnum which is 13 inches long and is the largest
section of the oviduct as its name implies (from the Latin word for ‘large’). The ovum or
yolk remains here 3 hours during which time the thick white or albumen is added.
The third section of the oviduct is the isthmus which is 4 inches long. The ‘egg’ remains
here for 75 minutes. The isthmus, as its name implies, is slightly constricted (The term
3.15
‘isthmus’ refers to a narrow band of tissue connecting two larger parts of an anatomical
structure). The isthmus is where the inner and outer shell membranes are added.
The next section of the oviduct is the shell gland or uterus. The shell gland is 4-5 inches
long, and the ‘egg’ remains here for 20 plus hours. As its name implies, the shell is
placed on the egg here. The shell is largely made up of calcium carbonate. The hen
mobilizes 47% of her body calcium from her bones to make the egg shell, with the diet
providing the remainder of the required calcium. Pigment deposition is also done in the
shell gland.
The last part of the oviduct is the vagina which is about 4-5 inches long and does not
really play a part in egg formation. The vagina is made of muscle which helps push the
egg out of the hen’s body. There are also glands located in the vagina where
spermatozoa are stored. The bloom or cuticle is also added to the egg in the vagina
prior to oviposition (the laying of the fully formed egg).
Near the junction of the vagina and the shell gland, there are deep glands lined with
simple columnar epithelium. These are the sperm host glands, so called because they
can store sperm for long periods of time (10 days to 2 weeks!). When an egg is laid,
some of these sperm can be squeezed out of the glands into the lumen of the tract, so
that they can migrate farther up the oviduct to fertilize another egg. This is one of the
really remarkable things about birds; the sperm remain viable at body temperature.
Birds lay eggs in clutches. A clutch consists of one or more eggs, followed by a rest
period of about a day, then another egg or set of eggs. Clutch size is species-specific
and is held within fairly tight limits. Clutch size, as well as the numbers of clutches laid in
a breeding season, will vary with species, but the principle is the same.
In hens, ovulation usually occurs in the morning and under normal daylight conditions,
almost never after 3:00 PM. The total time to form a new egg is about 25-26 hours. This
includes about 3½ hours to make the albumen, 1½ hours for the shell membranes, and
about 20 hours for the shell itself.
Ovulation for the next egg of a clutch occurs within an hour of laying the previous egg,
and so that each day the hen gets later and later in her timing; she "runs behind," like a
clock that is improperly adjusted. Eventually she gets so far behind schedule that she
would have to ovulate later than 3:00 PM. Since hens do not typically ovulate after 3:00
PM, the next ovulation is delayed and egg laying is interrupted. This delay results in the
break between clutches and the cycle repeats itself a day or so later.
Occasionally, a hen will produce double-yolked eggs. This phenomenon occurs
primarily due to the age of the hen, but can also be related to genetics. Young hens
sometimes release two follicles from the ovary in quick succession. The highly active
ovary due to high activity of reproductive hormones in peak egg production can also be a
factor. Double-yolked eggs are larger in size than single yolk eggs. Double-yolked eggs
are not suitable for hatching. There is typically not enough nutrients and space available
for two chicks to develop to hatch. It has happened, but it is rare.
It is rare, but not unusual, for a young hen to produce an egg with no yolk at all.
Yolkless eggs are usually formed when a bit of tissue is sloughed off the ovary or
oviduct. This tissue stimulates the secreting glands of the different parts of the oviduct
and a yolkless egg results.
Things occasionally go wrong when an egg shell is being developed. The most obvious
relates to shell texture (Figure 3.14). Occasionally the shell becomes damaged while still
in the shell gland and is repaired prior to being laid. This results in what is known as a
‘body check.’ Occasionally there will be ‘thin spots’ in the shell or ‘ridges’ will form.
The shells of such eggs, though not cracked, are weaker than ‘normal’ eggs and should
not be used as hatching eggs. A second category of problems is abnormal shape
(Figure 3.15). To be considered a hatching egg, the egg should be the typical ‘egg
shape.’ Abnormally shaped eggs should not be used as hatching eggs. In many cases it
is not clear which is the large end (and eggs should be incubated large end up) or they
may not properly fit in the egg trays.
Occasionally an egg will be laid without a shell. It feels like a water balloon. The
membrane was placed on the yolk and white, but it somehow slipped past the "shell
mechanism" and the shell wasn't deposited. The occurrence of the occasional shell-less
egg is not necessarily an indication of any disease problem. If the incidence increases,
however, a veterinarian should be consulted.
Even rarer is an egg within an egg. This occurs when an egg that is nearly ready to be
laid reverses direction and gets a new layer of albumen covered by a second shell.
Sometimes the reversed egg joins up with the next egg and the two are encased
together within a new shell. Double shelled eggs are so rare that no one knows exactly
why it happens.
I put new savings on top each day, not a thick layer but enough to cover the old. Then every 4-5 days we took all of the old shavings out to the compost area. Once the chicks were old enough for the big coop we started doing the deep litter method. I just did not want the litter in my house for the first 4 weeks. I'm sure if you lined the box with plastic you could do the deep litter from the start. Well maybe not the chicks tend to get water everywhere, it might get too wet.
I posted a ton of information about double eggs..but it never showed up
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