The Natural Chicken Keeping thread - OTs welcome!

[Bulldogma]

Hugs to you..so sorry hun

..was he on layer?

No - I have my older flock members on 15% protein Grower/Finisher (basically an "all-flock") and offer oyster shell free-choice for the girls.

 

[delisha]

Del, why won't he eat the Orpington eggs?

Well when I sell them I sell them for 2.50 an egg.

Quote: I sort of agree with Stony to save the money and do your own necropsy. Unless you brought new birds on your property in the last month. I would assume it is heart. If i did the autopsy and did not see the pool of blood i would assume it was bluecomb and up my potassium..However doing the professional way is great! .At least this way you might have definitive answers and not have to speculate.

 

[Bulldogma]

I sort of agree with Stony to save the money and do your own necropsy. Unless you brought new birds on your property in the last month. I would assume it is heart. If i did the autopsy and did not see the pool of blood i would assume it was bluecomb and up my potassium..However doing the professional way is great! .At least this way you might have definitive answers and not have to speculate.

I would have done my own necropsy, but I wanted to know for sure it wasn't contagious. We have a lot of Canadian Snow Geese traversing the property right now, as well as wild turkeys.

Bluecomb? I take it this is a condition caused by low potassium? I hadn't heard of it.

 

[BlueMouse]

bluemouse, now that it is dark you might want to try again. with a flashlight. she is likely trying to roost in the bushes, or she might come back to the run/shed. I've spent many a night rounding up hens who have been unsettled by moves, or are juvies and don't know the ropes. good luck!

We went out again with flashlights (bless my husband) and searched. No sign of her. <sigh> I'm hoping that she'll come running out in the morning when I let everyone else out, but I'm not holding my breath.

BM - Mine don't let me pick them up either (unless I'm fast). They come running because I represent food to them. At evening - or if I want them to come into the pen earlier - I take out sprouts for them and go into the pen. Throw them in the area farthest away from the gate and when they all come in, I shut the gate.

I'd love to think they all come running every time I go out because they love me. But really, they just see me as the source of something good to eat.

My little guys that I raised are always jumping on my shoulders and preening my hair. The older birds are convinced that I am the source of all things food and always check to see if I have any treats; I encourage this mentality by randomly carrying treats with me. Normally if I have the food bowl they all CHARGE into the hen house at full speed and line up at/jump into the trough. I have no idea why she spooked and ran into the woods. She's the one chicken always convinced that the sky is falling though, which is why we named her Mrs. Bennet (prone to fits of the vapors.)

 

[aoxa]

It was like they had shrunk into his head a bit and no longer filled out the eye sockets. He was also drinking huge amounts... this makes me wonder if he got a hold of a mouse or something that had ingested rat poison. I also learned today that the exterminator came to our neighbor's house. Gunnar was always an escape artist and would go over there. He learned not to crow at their house or I would come and get him when I could hear his crow coming from the wrong place. Hopefully the results from the vet will shed some light on all this.

I have noticed the exact same thing when an older bird is closer to death. like their eyeballs shrink.. It's how I know they are too far gone.

 

[aoxa]

a quiet morning at my place.

Stony, your roosters have really nice crows.. you don't even want to hear mine.. it's terrible..

They are still in practice mode.

 

[delisha]

Quote: I read about it..imported breeds seem to need time to develop different antibodies to the new environment and it takes generations..SFH is an import and so are my Orpingtons. Both of them are new breeds to the USA and a small amount of birds were originally imported. As you know, not many SFH were in existence. They were rare and endangered and wild. In a few short bird generations, that has all changed.
Bluecomb has been misdiagnosed and labeled New Castle sometimes, because of the clinical signs, when in fact it is not, it is genetic and environmental.

 

[Ashdoes]

Well when I sell them I sell them for 2.50 an egg.

That's what I thought. Do you sell or incubate all your Orp eggs?

 

[delisha]

Quote: yes

 

[CoopChick719]

Very excited over here: we have 5 out of 8 eggs hatched so far today!!!!!! They were popping out like crazy! SO SO SO cute.






I had to crawl inside the coop so the photos aren't wonderful. The lightest baby on the left is the 5th to hatch.

Beautiful babies!! I did the coop crawl last week and probably be doing it again this week to candle 10 eggs under my co-sitting Sizzles who are under the nesting boxes. One of the Red Stars hopped up on my back & wandered up to my shoulder while I was under the boxes. She was just scoping out the situation.