Washingtonians Come Together! Washington Peeps

[Tytyvyllus]

I gave my littlest hen the contents of a calcium capsules. It helped with the contractions.

She's really going to town on the free choice oyster shell! Should I do both?

 

[Tytyvyllus]

[COLOR=0000CD]For being egg bound, I have heard some do a warm mineral oil (or EVOO) douche, or enema if you want to call it that, as far up as you can get it with a syringe(no needle of course!)[/COLOR]

[COLOR=0000CD]A warm bath (sit the hen in it ) in a shallow tub so just her vent area is nice & warm, hold her in there, keep the water warm & sometimes the relaxing helps it pass.[/COLOR]

[COLOR=0000CD]Good Luck with the egg bound hen Tytyvyllus ![/COLOR]

I was just getting ready to grab her and give your suggestions a try when I saw she laid it on the roost in her sleep last night! Poor bird!

 

[Tytyvyllus]

How does someone even begin to tell that a chicken is egg bound? Haven't been there yet and just want to know what to look out for.

They squat a lot, get feisty, make unusual noises, make a mess of the nest box.. And if you feel the vent sometimes you can feel the egg right there trying to come out. She'll probably give you a peck for your troubles but it needs to come out.

 

[Cockatrice6420]

I was just getting ready to grab her and give your suggestions a try when I saw she laid it on the roost in her sleep last night! Poor bird!

At least it's finally out and not broken inside her, phew.

 

[torrelee]

I had to run hot wire around the coop to keep the black bears out. Caught one on the game cam smelling it and it was gone in the next shot, havnt had a problem since! Just an idea if you need another layer or security.

I live in Fall City. We just moved to this house this summer and I've had attacks from a coyote, bear, hawk, and a bobcat. Never a dull moment here... A neighbor just spotted a cougar this past week so I'm sure it won't be long... That'll probably be the scariest one yet...

 

[ochochicas]

A little follow-up on why I gave my hen calcium when she was egg bound. 1st I read on this site that it sometimes works. 2nd I went into the vet with my dog, whom I suspected of eating too much chicken poop. I asked Doc what he thought of the calcium. He told me he didn't know about chickens, but when a cat or dog is having a difficult labor the first thing they try is giving them calcium. Uterus contractions deplete calcium in dogs and cats. I figure it can't hurt to try it.

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I give my egg bound hens calcium as well. I grind up a 500 mg tablet and mix it in scrambled eggs. If the hen won't eat, I just stuff the pill in her mouth and they will swallow it.

One hen was spending a lot of time in the nest box. She was straining, puffed up, and just looked sick. Before too long, she had egg running out of her because the egg was broken and just some of if was leaking out. I read that a broken egg is even worse than being egg bound, since broken egg shell will cause internal damage. She was able to get all the egg shell out after eating the calcium. She was sick for about 10 days afterwards and then got better. She laid eggs once she had recovered and lived another year before dying from some kind of allergy. She was more than 5 years old when she died so I think she had a pretty good chicken life. The farm just doesn't seem the same without her.

 

[Chickielady]

A little follow-up on why I gave my hen calcium when she was egg bound. 1st I read on this site that it sometimes works. 2nd I went into the vet with my dog, whom I suspected of eating too much chicken poop. I asked Doc what he thought of the calcium. He told me he didn't know about chickens, but when a cat or dog is having a difficult labor the first thing they try is giving them calcium. Uterus contractions deplete calcium in dogs and cats. I figure it can't hurt to try it.

Lacy is golden sex link that weights about 4 pounds. She was just starting to lay. Every other day she laid a double yoked egg. They were huge. I gave her 1/2 the contents of a calcium capsule and 1/2 hour later she had a giant egg. I put the calcium into water and squirted on her tongue. If I have to do it again, I probably use something a bit more solid. She hates cheese, but loves yogurt. Her laying has become consistent, every day one large brown egg. I have oyster shell available in the coop and have started feeding everyone yogurt in morning. This morning they got warm oatmeal also. We had a frost.

you are spoiling them !

Sometimes, weekly, in the spring, I warm a panfull of chicken scratch...cook it 2 to 1 cup of scratch as you would rice. As it cools & soaks up the water, it swells, and is far easier to break down & digest. This helps fertility & will give you bigger healthier chicks, so they say, after a long winter.
You could also lace it with plain unsweetened yogurt...bet she'd love it !

 

[Chickielady]

The authorities won't trap and relocate. They pretty much told us to kill it.

wow ! I've seen them out here trapping bears at that restaurant.
Apparently if human lives can be at risk, they trap them.
So they kinda told you to just handle it ???
That's odd....
Well, get your license !

 

[Chickielady]

I had to run hot wire around the coop to keep the black bears out. Caught one on the game cam smelling it and it was gone in the next shot, havnt had a problem since! Just an idea if you need another layer or security.

I am thinking off a wire low (about 12" from the ground) on the outside of my sheep paddock...keep cats, dogs, caoyotes & bears out !

 

[Chickielady]

You guys remember when I told you hatching chicks is hard on them in winter, especially with storms & power outages ?
I usually waite til February & then we still have March's nasty wind storms.....
But, I am falling for the Sulmtalers so hard...and so I am going to put Broody Momma #1 in the brooder pen, which has a door to the chick pen, about 20x40 feet with 1" wire all around, no dig, no climb fencing.
So, if she goes for the pile of eggs in the beautiful nest I make for her (she always has) then I'll let he handle it.
If she doesn't (I'll be very very surprised !) then I'll plug in the hatching incubator.
No way am I digging out the big cabinet & plugging it in= It can hold 400 chicken eggs, and is way way too tempting to just hatch a few eggs in !
Talk about addicting !

Anyways the hatcher (gQf) holds 30 or 40 ? Cannot remember...so that is fine.

Somewhere I have an antique Turn-X...it works great !

Belongs to my father-in-law...who had a Pheasant Farm & MONSTER (room size) incubators...and he keeps telling me to hang onto the antique Turn-X, he may want to use it...but for 6 years now, he hasn't.

Sure as I give it away, he'll ask for it.

It is really cute, like a flying saucer........

This little incubator is expensive...works excellent, and is super for children...kids can watch everything going on...still, keep an eye on the kiddos, they LOVE to turn dials !!!!!!!!!!!

Man, I am nuts ! I am breaking one of my own biggest rules...but you'll see why in my next post.