No such thing as a hi-jack!I prefer a thread to go much like the conversation on a front porch, rocking in the swing...sometimes conversations just take a gravel road but they soon meander back to why we are sitting out on the porch~just for good fellowship and good conversations about favored subjects.
Those are the time of year that hen's reproductive organs are recovering from a lull, a down time in the hormones, etc. When they restart, sometimes things sputter a little. Sometimes when they are gearing down for a low egg production time, they will also do this. This goes away in time and pretty soon the eggs are all good. Yes, this is the time of year and again in March when they are gearing up for peak laying season after their natural winter slow down. You'll also see this at times from a broody who is going back to laying.
Remember after having a baby and you have that dainty little menses flow and you think, "Gee, I sure hope that having a baby has corrected something in there and I will be having these again like I used to do when I first started!" ? But, then, the next month you get to sing the usual Slaughter House Blues in your jeans and that hope quickly dies? Same thing.
Thank you. Good point.
Well, some are...But oh, so true! Homo Sapiens is just an animal with manners!
Evening update on the Raggedy Bunch: Daily I am seeing a slow return to the peace and calm that used to be a trait of this entire flock. They don't scatter like rats when I approach and they are even moving towards me a little. I think they are remembering, "Oh! The Food Bringer! I remember her....!" They seem to be taking an active interest in the things I do in the coop to make it more comfy and homey for them...now they stand outside and watch the things I do.
I miss my old timey coop and the comfortable old components it had...it also had more space. But one works with what one has and this one can be made into something nice too.
They are consuming the FF well and are very enthusiastic when it is dished out. Still only getting one egg a day, but in light of what these birds have gone through and the ongoing gleet infection they all seem to carry, it doesn't surprise me that they are not well enough to be laying properly. The egg that I am getting seems to come from one Barred Rock and the yolk has changed in the past few days into a deep orange and the yolk isn't as runny looking, with the shell getting more firm also.
I see definite changes in the feathering...more gloss, more smoothness and more feather regrowth already. Their eyes are no longer listless and the pale skin around their eyes, wattles and the pale beaks and legs are starting to change into a more healthy color. Even the combs are getting more red as the days progress. I'm amazed at the change that has happened in just one week.
With this kind of multi-directional approach to restoring good health to this flock, it is very hard to know just which component of this health regimen is doing the most good...or if it's just the combination of them all. I think the sunlight, fresh air and forage has the biggest benefit of all.
I can't stress this enough to anyone wishing to get into raising chickens....they are an outside animal and a big part of their dietary needs lie out on pasture and under the leaf cover of the forest floor. If you cannot free range, at least try to set up a paddock system, even if you have a small yard. Moving them to fresh habitat often will benefit your yard and the health of the bird...and it's really worth the effort when you consider the health of the flock and the food that they will produce from this simple maneuver. Yeah..it takes more work than a simple run system, but raising livestock is work, make no mistake. At least....doing it right is work.
