What did you do with your flock today?

[kurby22]

Today, Penelope continued her egg laying misadventures. She'd seemed a bit off-colour all day, seemed quite sleepy and hadn't eaten much by 6.30 pm. Not like Penelope at all! She is usually buzzing around everywhere, sticking her beak in everyone's business and stuffing her face. I actually think she has chicken FOMO.
Anyway, when I picked her up to check her over, she had a bit of mucus and poop dripping from her vent. So I gave her a good soak in àn Epsom salt bath and fed her yoghurt with calcium powder mixed in, followed by an internal. I could feel a rather large egg so I put a good amount of lube in.
Ten minutes after a blow dry (which she loves), she dropped a huge egg for a little bantam cochin. It was about the size of a large standard size hen's egg! It must have been like giving birth to a 20lb baby. No wonder she felt rough!
Unfortunately, she was in my arms when she laid it and it shattered on the kitchen tiles. It might have been a double as there was a lot of yolk.

Interesting, Stanley anxiously followed us to the bathroom, making his worried noises. When I put Penelope in the bath, he jumped in alongside her and stayed with her the entire time. He's clearly learning from Dad and taking this rooster business seriously!

In the morning, I'm looking for a vet who can do a contraceptive implant.

Ahhh poor Penelope! Good thing you have a keen eye for changes in their activity! I love that Stanley had to follow and oversee! That’s so sweet

 

[ChicksnMore]

Today, Penelope continued her egg laying misadventures. She'd seemed a bit off-colour all day, seemed quite sleepy and hadn't eaten much by 6.30 pm. Not like Penelope at all! She is usually buzzing around everywhere, sticking her beak in everyone's business and stuffing her face. I actually think she has chicken FOMO.
Anyway, when I picked her up to check her over, she had a bit of mucus and poop dripping from her vent. So I gave her a good soak in àn Epsom salt bath and fed her yoghurt with calcium powder mixed in, followed by an internal. I could feel a rather large egg so I put a good amount of lube in.
Ten minutes after a blow dry (which she loves), she dropped a huge egg for a little bantam cochin. It was about the size of a large standard size hen's egg! It must have been like giving birth to a 20lb baby. No wonder she felt rough!
Unfortunately, she was in my arms when she laid it and it shattered on the kitchen tiles. It might have been a double as there was a lot of yolk.

Interesting, Stanley anxiously followed us to the bathroom, making his worried noises. When I put Penelope in the bath, he jumped in alongside her and stayed with her the entire time. He's clearly learning from Dad and taking this rooster business seriously!

In the morning, I'm looking for a vet who can do a contraceptive implant.

Poor Penelope! I'm so glad you noticed and could help. Love the image of a chicken loving a blow dry . I used to have a parakeet that did, but I'm afraid all of my chickens would panic at the first sound. What a good boy Stanley is!

 

[Nomadicus]

I don't know if the new roost helped, but I didn't see any soft shell eggs under the roost this morning, and got 5 nice eggs in the boxes. Time will tell, I guess.

As they age some they will learn to make better use of the oyster shell. Mine sure did.

 

[Smokerbill]

As they age some they will learn to make better use of the oyster shell. Mine sure did.

Good to know. Thanks! I mixed some oyster shells and scratch for them earlier today and they ate most of the oyster shells with the grain.

 

[Nomadicus]

Good to know. Thanks! I mixed some oyster shells and scratch for them earlier today and they ate most of the oyster shells with the grain.

Just make sure they don't OD on the OS. Young pullets may think OS is food if mixed in food. I remember one member had problems when they mixed oyster shell in the layer crumbles. At least that is what I think was the case.

 

[Smokerbill]

Just make sure they don't OD on the OS. Young pullets may think OS is food if mixed in food. I remember one member had problems when they mixed oyster shell in the layer crumbles. At least that is what I think was the case.

I will do that.

 

[Nomadicus]

It's time to go and make sure they are shut in tight and are ready with food and water until late morning tomorrow. Ma has got a specialist appointment early tomorrow out of town. They will be glad to see us when we get home.

 

[ChicksnMore]

It's time to go and make sure they are shut in tight and are ready with food and water until late morning tomorrow. Ma has got a specialist appointment early tomorrow out of town. They will be glad to see us when we get home.

Hope the appointment goes well.

 

[TropicalBabies]

Put an add out for 2 cockerels. Also, put an add out for a 6mo cockerel that someone dropped up Koke'e, and that my son is fostering for me. Sweet boy, wish him luck.

Filled waters, filled feeders, treated the gang to chopped papaya & put out sprinklers.

It is warm for us, but we do have some breeze.
Was on kitty colony feed duty at 2:30am this morning. Im tired, though I have stayed busy. Back to sewing feed bags. Got 16 started and 3 finished. Feels good to be back at it, been away too long. Need to get a good stash so I can move on and tile my roo coop and continue with its conversion for a bit.

 

[Smokerbill]

I let out the birds for an hour of eating bugs and weeds, and while they were distracted I made an improvement to their roosting situation.

I added a 44 inch long 2x4 to the end of the existing one, attached at a right angle. This is on the end they all want to be on, so it should provide more "prime" roosting locations. Maybe there'll be less bickering when they're finding their spots for the night.