YO GEORGIANS! :)

Pics
Date sort Score sort
Sent you a reply there -I've not dealt with that before, but I'd offer her supportive care with some oyster shell for calcium.
 
mrsdszoo said:
I'm game for carpooling in the husband's Prius; gas money wouldn't be such a big deal that way. It's just a matter of spending the time -is the class just one day? I'm not holding my breath for Henry County to have a class. Our extension office is only concerned with vegetable gardens. They offset nothing else besides a small plant sale and gardening classes.
Click to expand...

Ooohhh. If I can get my mom to watch the kids I'll split gas! Or we can wait til they do one in Newnan.
 
kattitude45 said:
Hey guys!! I need help! I posted in another thread and no responses! Please go take a look and help me!

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/862611/need-help-asap-egg-bound
Click to expand...

Best thing I can tell you is actually to look for other threads about egg-bound chickens. Like this one:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/862555/sick-chicken-eggbound

The second post tells you how to help get the egg out. HOWEVER, you've already done that. Or at least that is what it seems. According to that post, you should be able to feel around on the abdomen to see if she has another egg in there. I would suggest feeling the abdomen of a HEALTHY hen, and then comparing it to her. It's the best way to tell if something is off.

But even without the eggbound issue, you're looking at two other problems here. First, the rotten egg INSIDE of her. That screams "infection" somewhere. Second, the thin or soft shells. That says volumes about lack of calcium in their diet.

I just found out recently that "barn lime" is the same exact type of calcium that is in the shell of an egg. The bag I bought happens to be right from Tractor Supply. So go there and look for a compact little white bag of "barn lime" with green lettering and start adding it to your chicken's feed - they keep it inside. It's a powder, so shake it up with the feed to get it on each piece. Hopefully the feed itself has enough other nutrients to help her absorb the calcium.

And put her on antibiotics. Somehow, bad bacteria got into that egg and made it rotten before she passed it, so something in her body has a lot of bad bacteria. And whatever that infection is, it could be the real reason she is listless and not even passing the egg. She may be so sick, she just hasn't got the energy to push an egg out right now. With her state, I would STRONGLY suggest injectable antibiotics. like a vial of Duramycin (oxytetracycline) or Penicillin. Both would only need a dose of about .2 mL (cc) per day, and both are available at Tractor Supply (along with syringes and needles).

Keep her on the antibiotics until she seems to be back to normal PLUS FOUR MORE DAYS. But since it seems like the issue isn't REALLY being egg-bound, you've got a very good chance at saving her. But of course, you have to act on it soon.
 
LTygress said:
I haven't actually gone outside this morning, beyond the front steps, but I checked on everyone through the back window.


The screen arbor that I got for the EE's actually held up to last night's winds! BIG points scored there! That was one of the biggest problems I had read with it, and we don't ACTUALLY have it anchored down with 8 stakes. We only have four at the moment. But I'll probably be attaching nails to the bottom plastic flap just to keep the chickens from finding a way out (only one has done so, and only the first day, but just in case). So if anyone else was considering this as a cheap chicken coop, it's starting to look REALLY good! Remember, something did get TO it on the outside, because I noticed a "trail" of imperfections in the screen. But still nothing inside of it yet, and it's spring so all of the animals should be waking up looking for food. Chicken must not be on their menu yet...


The tarp on top of the Sumatra pen also held up. But the front and back of that are equal with the top of the pen, and only the sides hang down, so the wind probably just found a different path of less resistance, and left that tarp alone.


Also, the clear corrugated plastic on the silkie coop stayed put. The first day it was there, the wind blew the top off. But I only had those thin finishing nails without heads to them, and the plastic just went right up off the nails. This time I left a good bit of the nail sticking up and then hammered it sideways to bend OVER the plastic so it couldn't just lift straight up and off. Apparently it worked, and the corrugated plastic stayed put!

The plywood on top of the frizzle pen, however (and the heaviest "lid" by far) got lifted up a bit and slid over. Not completely off of it, but enough to leave an opening they could get out of. Thankfully, they've never been out of it, and all of them were still in there this morning.


Haven't checked the others, including the outside brooder, because I can't see them from inside. But I'll check soon.


Still got the three goose eggs developing, and still no sign YET from the other five. But it's too early.


Lola is sleeping right now, because the 18-year-old has been faking illness the past two days to stay home, and doesn't wake up before noon. So the entire room is darkened and even if I took the cover off of her cage it's too dark for her to really wake up. I'll get her anyway in about an hour.


Nothing else to really report here. Payday is today and I've got to make my car payment and go grocery shopping. That means lots of fresh veggies for Lola and the chickens, my usual big pile of tuna cans for the chickens, lots of nuts and fruit for Lola, lots of fruit for the turtles, apples and potatoes for the mealworms and crickets, more apple cider vinegar for the vinegar eels to feed baby fish with... um did I miss anyone?


Oh and maybe something for myself too. Maybe. My animals eat SO much better than I do! LOL!
Click to expand...

I only got one out of 6 panels to stay up last night. LOL! Luckily the new pen didn't blow away!
 
abmaddox1981 said:
Ooohhh. If I can get my mom to watch the kids I'll split gas! Or we can wait til they do one in Newnan.
Click to expand...


I justthere checked the calendar for Henry and Spalding counties; nothing this year :(. Can you come to the rabbit show Saturday? I'm trying not to spend what cash I have in case I find something nice!
 
The show starts early, at 8:30 and will run most of the day because there are double open and double youth classes. I'll have to get home to the laptop before I can post a link to the show catalog (program).
 
Okay, I know trapped air makes a good insulator (such as double-pane windows) but what about trapped water? Anyone know?

Although it WOULD be exposed to the sun, I'm wondering if it could absorb the heat before it gets to the air below it. Or maybe "shaded" water...

Here's the deal: the silkie coop has clear corrugated plastic as a "roof". Think corrugated cardboard, but with plastic. So it has "channels" inside of it that could hold water. The plastic is transparent, so it lets the sun through, although it is very distorted from the plastic channels. The rain from yesterday morning got into some of those little channels though.

I wonder if I did that on purpose if it would help the silkies stay cool this summer. But I'm also thinking the water would just try to absorb most of the heat all around it, and pass it on to the air below, instead of shielding it. So for that I could shield the water from the sun, so the only heat it could techniclly absorb would be FROM the air below it. Think: damp cave.

I probably need to research this more. I know water cooling can be more effective than air cooling, but I'm not sure how that comes into play with full sunlight.
 
Last edited:
FYI: for those of you that actually want to turn a refrigerator into an incubator... there are some in the "free" section on Craigslist right now.

One was just posted today in Marietta, and one posted today in Dallas. Both say they just "don't cool" as much or anymore. Not that it matters, if you're going to be using it to WARM eggs, though :)

I just live too far away for either one.
 

New posts New threads Active threads

Back
Top Bottom