Washingtonians

[broodytood]

Hurray...WE ARE ZIPPING AGAIN!!!

It's still eggciting to me to watch the babies hatch, the newness hasn't wore off for me yet!!!

 

[Ogress]

I think something is wrong with one of my BO hens, the non-broody one. She was broody a couple of weeks ago, but tired of being tossed off the nest.

She had been acting like all the other hens until this afternoon. Looking back, she was acting a little oddly yesterday too.

She is 9 month old Buff orpington. My hens free-range almost all day, every day. She was acting just like all the other hens, runs to all the people she sees thinking we may have snacks. Yesterday she was her usuall active self except she was strangely attracted to a very aromatic daphne in full bloom. She was not eating the plant, just insisted on scratching under it all day. I'd get some bread and she'd follow me to the other end of the yard, but as soon as the bread was gone, she'd be back under the Daphne. She slept on the roost over night with the other hens, all poops looked normal. This morning, she eagerly ran out with all the other hens, but has not been scratching around the yard with them nor going to the daphne plant. She is hanging around the Eglu tractor I use in the summertime, not moving much. Her eyes are bright and alert and she keeps her eyes on what is going on around her. Not much interest in food or water. She is acting like Chirp did when she was recovering from the dog injury - alert but aloof. I picked her up a little while ago to see if she was eggbound. I can't feel anything. I also picked up another hen for comparison, and they feel the same. All but one of my non broody hens laid an egg today, I'm pretty certain that she laid an egg as well, as none of the eggs appears to be from the Light Sussex who lays a larger, lighter egg. Her tail has been up most of the day, but she kept it down for 20 minutes after I picked her up. Now it is up again. Other than being really slow and not like herself, I see no signs of illness. She is not congested or breathing oddly. I see no mites or lice. She obviously spent time in the dust bath this morning as there is still loose dirt in her feathers

I am isolating her in the Eglu coop/run.

 

[broodytood]

One black out!

 

[Stumpfarmer]

Quote:
All parts of Daphne odora are toxic (as is my favorite the deciduous February Daphne Daphne mezereon and everyone's least favorite, Daphne laureola or "spurge laurel"); I haven't found any lists of symptoms nor possible antidotes but you should google until you satisfy your curiousity. She may have picked up toxic bark fragments, or eaten insects that had undigested Daphne parts in them.

 

[Ogress]

Quote:
She was standing in the eglu, tail down, near the water and sadly looking at her flock mates. I opened the door, tail popped up, she was acting like a normal hen again, then she walked to another waterer, stood there and did nothing. I got some bread and soaked it in yogurt. Hens ran to me, except fer her. She walked halfway, then noticed what I had and charged, but stopped at a 12 inch wall she needed to hop over, and ran back and forth trying to find a way through. I gave her some bread and yogurt which she aggressively devoured (hard bite). he dropped a piece, and acted like she was eating it, but she had not lowered her head enough to reach it. I gave her about 2 slices of yogurt drenched bread which she very eagerly ate, and towards the end she was eating off the ground and had hopped up on the little wall to look for more. and now I looked out the window, and her tail is down again, and it dips up and down a bit. Maybe she is eggbound? Any suggestions?

 

[broodytood]

Sure been quiet 'round here the last few hours!

Where'd everboby go?

 

[hallerlake]

I'm getting frustrated about my coops. It's been two weeks, and I still don't have a bottom line or a delivery date. I think the delivery is the problem, but when I suggested I should find someone closer to home, he said, "No, no, he could do it." He takes days to answer phone calls or emails. I haven't given him any money or anything, but I feel like he's wasting my time. I have Brabanters that need something bigger than a dog crate!

I guess it's time to go to plan B.

 

[pettec63]

Quote:
yeaaaa!!!

go chickee go chickee it's your birthday it's your birthday!!

 

[broodytood]

Quote:
I had a friend trying to get a well dug and the guy kept putting her off. So she called him one day and said, "Be here and in the ground today or I give the job to another company!" Amazingly, he came that day and got the rig in the ground. So she thought things were on the way to being done. Then, of course, he did not come back for 2 weeks! Why can't people just be straight up with ya!
I hope this guy come through for you! AND SOON!

 

[renart]

Quote:
Just finished with dinner. I need to get down and take more pictures of the brooder we set up. I added the marans yesterday, so amazing how big the buffs and ee's seem and they are only a week older.