The road less traveled...back to good health! They have lice, mites, scale mites, worms, anemia, gl

[Leahs Mom]

Now...the question is, what to make of it?

• Either I am feeding too many carbs and proteins, which is a possibility because both culls had WAY too much fat around their vents~ OR~
• These two birds were prone to overeat and accumulate fat, which is also a possibility due to their fat stores and the placement of them~ OR~
• It's the time of year when they are supposed to be accumulating fat of this nature and I don't get to see this level of fat because I never cull at this time of the year~ OR~
• A combination of all these factors~which I'm inclined to believe is the logical answer.
  

Well finally....but I missed it yesterday cuz I left the grocery store.

Anyway, I'm not all the way though to the end so please excuse if someone has already suggested this idea regarding the fat...here's my thought on this.

Think about how our bodies are designed to operate under normal circumstances (read: before there were grocery stores on every corner). In the old days you would eat all summer long, store what you could for the winter, but the winter would be more lean. You'd put on weight in the summer, and live off the fat when things got lean - throughout the winter.

Along those same lines, when a person diets and loses weight then begins to eat normally, it seems that the first weight they put on is fat rather than lean muscle. It is a carry-over from the way our bodies were designed to handle normal, seasonal cycles. (Now we can regulate this if we're careful and keep things in balance as well.)

Now fast-forward to the gnarly bunch. When you found them they were on the "starved" end of things. Their bodies were depleted - much like coming out of lean winter. Then they began to eat... and good picken's too...

I'm thinking that their bodies are on the rebound and they'll balance out given time. I think its likely their bodies attempts to store up for lean times and once they adjust to having year-round, ample food, things will balance out and they'll return to a normal appetite and fat levels.

Whatdaya think?


ETA: This isn't to say that you shouldn't reduce feed a bit for the winter...that would make sense in the "real" cycles of life.

 

[Melabella]

No...I was asking if, after she's been on them for awhile, I should candle.

Hi Leahs Mom,

Was wondering what kind of eggs you have under your broody,, what did you end up ordering? Did you get the BA's, or RIR?

Good Luck with her, and hopefully if three weeks, we will all have some cute little neices and nephews running around?

MB

 

[Leahs Mom]

I have some Black Copper Marans AND some Swedish Flower Hens eggs. They are shipping from 2 different places; the BCMs arrive today and the SFH tomorrow. I'll set them all under her tomorrow after dark.

Okay...I got 2 differing posts regarding on which way to set them in the carton before putting them under the hen.

One of you said point down; the other said point up.

Which one should it be?

 

[aoxa]

I have some Black Copper Marans AND some Swedish Flower Hens eggs.  They are shipping from 2 different places; the BCMs arrive today and the SFH tomorrow.  I'll set them all under her tomorrow after dark.

[COLOR=FF0000]Okay...I got 2 differing posts regarding on which way to set them in the carton before putting them under the hen. [/COLOR]

[COLOR=FF0000]One of you said point down;[/COLOR] [COLOR=006400]the other said point up.[/COLOR]

Which one should it be?

 

Point down.

 

[Leahs Mom]

The hen will kick out all the ones that are bad. You might want to set the eggs pointy end down for at least 12 hours before giving them to her. Eggs that are shipped can have detached cells and she might not like that and kick them all out. Chickens are pretty smart and they can tell a bad egg better than we can.

Interesting...they can really tell? So do most of y'all that incubate eggs candle or not candle?

 

[aoxa]

The hen will kick out all the ones that are bad. You might want to set the eggs pointy end down for at least 12 hours before giving them to her. Eggs that are shipped can have detached cells and she might not like that and kick them all out. Chickens are pretty smart and they can tell a bad egg better than we can.

Interesting...they can really tell?  So do most of y'all that incubate eggs candle or not candle? 

I candle. Not every hen will kick them out unless they are dead and rotting.

Don't even bother candling Marans eggs though. You'd need a super flashlight for that!

With broodies I'll candle once around day 15. I candle weekly when incubating in the incubator.

 

[Sally8]

Interesting...they can really tell? So do most of y'all that incubate eggs candle or not candle?

I've candled one incubation. I just used a box, made a hole in it stuck my expensive quilting light in the box and got beautiful pictures. I might do it again after 8 - 10 days just to get rid of any that might not be fertile. My eggs/chickens are for my use only, not for resale so I don't feel it's that important for me. JUST DON'T WANT THOSE EGGS TO EXPLODE!!!! I had 1 leak once and it's a smell you don't soon forget.

I do have Marans and they are all but impossible to candle. I've also had trouble with darker EE eggs.

 

[aoxa]

Interesting...they can really tell?  So do most of y'all that incubate eggs candle or not candle? 

I've candled one incubation.  I just used a box, made a hole in it stuck my expensive quilting light in the box and got beautiful pictures.  I might do it again after 8 - 10 days just to get rid of any that might not be fertile.  My eggs/chickens are for my use only, not for resale so I don't feel it's that important for me.  JUST DON'T WANT THOSE EGGS TO EXPLODE!!!!  I had 1 leak once and it's a smell you don't soon forget.

I do have Marans and they are all but impossible to candle.  I've also had trouble with darker EE eggs.

I had a few rotten eggs that were hidden behind an engine and were broken somehow. It smelled like rotting fish, not sulphur like I expected a rotten egg to smell like. It was so gross!

 

[Leahs Mom]

Well? Get with it! I'm at the grocery store using wifi cuz our phone line is out and I don't have all day you know!

Quote: Beekissed

That's EXACTLY what happens when you're addicted and deprived of your "drug of choice"

...this phone line being out is killing me...

 

[Pullet Surprise]

Well finally....but I missed it yesterday cuz I left the grocery store.

Anyway, I'm not all the way though to the end so please excuse if someone has already suggested this idea regarding the fat...here's my thought on this.

Think about how our bodies are designed to operate under normal circumstances (read: before there were grocery stores on every corner). In the old days you would eat all summer long, store what you could for the winter, but the winter would be more lean. You'd put on weight in the summer, and live off the fat when things got lean - throughout the winter.

Along those same lines, when a person diets and loses weight then begins to eat normally, it seems that the first weight they put on is fat rather than lean muscle. It is a carry-over from the way our bodies were designed to handle normal, seasonal cycles. (Now we can regulate this if we're careful and keep things in balance as well.)

Now fast-forward to the gnarly bunch. When you found them they were on the "starved" end of things. Their bodies were depleted - much like coming out of lean winter. Then they began to eat... and good picken's too...

I'm thinking that their bodies are on the rebound and they'll balance out given time. I think its likely their bodies attempts to store up for lean times and once they adjust to having year-round, ample food, things will balance out and they'll return to a normal appetite and fat levels.

Whatdaya think?


ETA: This isn't to say that you shouldn't reduce feed a bit for the winter...that would make sense in the "real" cycles of life.

I think you may be on to something there. It makes sense to me.The other thing is that I was always told that when you gain fat cells, they are like little suitcases...and when you lose the fat in them, the empty suitcases are still there waiting to be easily filled again...and the only way to get rid of/control the suitcases is through exercise (burn them off in muscles). (does that make any sense?) So if the GB didn't get exercise during their time at "the bad place" the suitcases didn't get gone, just emptied due to near starvation. So along comes good food and the suitcases are all filled up again, granted they are getting exercise now, but due to age etc., maybe not enough for the good food. I guess we are saying the same thing. So now it looks to me like cutting back on rations and maybe more vegies (at least for mine) to help empty out the suitcases. Am I way off base? My rooster has one of those feather/fat pads too. I really think I have been overfeeding, but the chooks, like corgis, seem to always be starving! (con artists for sure). With a mixed flock, it's hard to know who needs what and to find that balance that is good for all. I don't even know how they are all supposed to look and how much they are supposed to weigh.I think I need to go out there with the camera again and watch closely what is going on. I also think I need to measure rations out carefully and keep track for awhile, like all through the winter and into the spring.