Utah!

[ElkMtnCove]

so what would you all do if you were in this situation. i have a leghorn that i have caught eating eggs several times. she maybe eats one once a week or so. but i do not know if she meant to crack them or if it was a accident and she decided to eat them. its always the same girl tho. the other girls tattle on her so i find her in the nest with egg on her face. its hard because she was one of my first girls i got a few years ago and she is sweet. i do not want a egg eater but i am not sure if she means to crack them? its hard. so what would you do?

Here's my experience. Had the same problem, rehomed it (unfortunately for someone's freezercamp) and the next day I found a dang egg eaten. I even called to buy my chicken back but they "no longer understood english"...

SO.... here's what I did/do because I do think it starts with an accidental egg crack. I make changes to the coop if I can, (moving feeders/water, shutting down the favorite nest box etc.,) then I put golf balls in the nest boxes and collect 3-4 times/day for a month and give them a bunch of cottage cheese. That does the trick. ymmv but it's worth a try since she's a sweetie.

Good luck!
Elk

 

[ElkMtnCove]

Thats interesting! Im surprised myself lol. The mother was a pure black silkie, and the father was a buff silkie but had the larger comb/waddles that they arent suppose to have, but still looked nice. Im stumped why she's getting brown feathers, thats weird. I bet it'll look pretty though She was super dark as a baby, and still is apart from those brown ones coming in lol.

 

[ElkMtnCove]

I have a question... there are a couple rarer breeds (one the cream legbar) that I would love to breed. I've been reading some of the serious breeding boards and they strongly suggest you cull chicks that don't meet the SOP. I just don't think I could do that. I understand the logistics behind it.... but couldn't I sell any as "pet quality to people on this board" or would that make me a non-serious breeder?

I could not cull a healthy chick because its shape/color/etc wasn't perfect. I will not breed them if that's the case. I've been into animal rescue WAY too long to do that. Advice pls?

OT: In fact, kinda torked at one shelter right now that called my dd to bottle feed two 3 & 5 day old kittens (different litters). She's a pro at any critter newborn on. Anyhow's, she stopped by my work to show them to me and I could tell they were both extremely sick and she was fyiold they had had zero vet care. One died before she got home and the other had a uri and died less than 12 hrs later. The shelter told her to dispose of the bodies, they didn't need them back as proof she didn't keep them. It just feels they pawned off the ones they knew wouldn't make it but I could be wrong. (the kitties did get a proper burial).

Thanks for your input,
Elk

 

[La Casa de Pollo]

I am loving my new rooster. He is keeping my Golden Sex Links in line so good! They are always creating trouble, feather picking, fighting, and I have one that thinks she is a he and seriously "mates" the other girls, jumps on the back, grabs the back of their neck with her beak, the whole business. A lot of my girls have the feathers rubbed off by their tail from her doing this, it has been making me crazy.

Mr Rooster (Tornado) sees her doing this and goes after her, it is great. Chases her all over the run and lets her know that is not her business. I love it, stinker needs to be put in her place. He has been trying to chase her down and jump on her himself, I have not seen him succeed yet, but her day is coming. Haha This guy is a keeper!

 

[bitsyhorse]

Thats interesting! Im surprised myself lol. The mother was a pure black silkie, and the father was a buff silkie but had the larger comb/waddles that they arent suppose to have, but still looked nice. Im stumped why she's getting brown feathers, thats weird. I bet it'll look pretty though She was super dark as a baby, and still is apart from those brown ones coming in lol.

I have no doubt she's going to be beautiful it'll be interesting

 

[sundancenbare]

I am loving my new rooster. He is keeping my Golden Sex Links in line so good! They are always creating trouble, feather picking, fighting, and I have one that thinks she is a he and seriously "mates" the other girls, jumps on the back, grabs the back of their neck with her beak, the whole business. A lot of my girls have the feathers rubbed off by their tail from her doing this, it has been making me crazy.

Mr Rooster (Tornado) sees her doing this and goes after her, it is great. Chases her all over the run and lets her know that is not her business. I love it, stinker needs to be put in her place. He has been trying to chase her down and jump on her himself, I have not seen him succeed yet, but her day is coming. Haha

This guy is a keeper!

how is the crow collar working

 

[pfrosty]

I lost one of my 6-7 week old Ameracaunas today. Not sure what happened. Do bluejays like chickens? I've seen a couple of them around. No pile of feathers or blood around in the run. I can't figure out what happened.

I may be referencing the wrong bird. I have seen a couple of magpies, not bluejays, in the backyard. I have no proof to say that they are the reason I have lost my Ameracauna. Just curious. I guess if I come home from work today and find another chicken missing, I'll have to lock them up in the coop until I can put a cover over the top of the run.

 

[bitsyhorse]

@bitsyhorse Could it possibly be a dark partridge?

holy cow! maybe! that would be pretty awesome maybe I should change her name from Ebony to something else lol!!!!

 

[La Casa de Pollo]

Elk, I could not put the birds down just because they are DQ's....unless I was using them for meat...I think selling them as pet quality or layers is just fine. My two cents. I would cull them from the flock, but not from life entirely! Then keeping the ones with the best traits for the next generation in your own flock makes sense...

So sad about the kitties

 

[abkoldewyn]

I have a question...  there are a couple rarer breeds (one the cream legbar) that I would love to breed.  I've been reading some of the serious breeding boards and they strongly suggest you cull chicks that don't meet the SOP.  I just don't think I could do that.  I understand the logistics behind it.... but couldn't I sell any as "pet quality to people on this board" or would that make me a non-serious breeder?

I could not cull a healthy chick because its shape/color/etc wasn't perfect.  I will not breed them if that's the case.  I've been into animal rescue WAY too long to do that.   Advice pls?

OT:  In fact, kinda torked at one shelter right now that called my dd to bottle feed two 3 & 5 day old kittens (different litters).  She's a pro at any critter newborn on.  Anyhow's, she stopped by my work to show them to me and I could tell they were both extremely sick and she was fyiold they had had zero vet care.  One died before she got home and the other had a uri and died less than 12 hrs later.  The shelter told her to dispose of the bodies, they didn't need them back as proof she didn't keep them.  It just feels they pawned off the ones they knew wouldn't make it but I could be wrong.  (the kitties did get a proper burial).

Thanks for your input,
Elk

I am not a chicken breeding expert in any way, shape or form! So please don't take this as gospel truth! But the way I understand it culling doesn't necessarily mean killing. Doesn't it just mean that you remove the birds with undesirable characteristics from your breeding stock? I know a lot of people that would be perfectly happy with pet quality birds
Also, I'm very sorry about the kitties! That's heart breaking!