Zane Made REAL Progress (New Pics Pg 99)!RIP Lorelei...

[speckledhen]

Everyone is the same today. I realized that my RIR Rosemary, also one of the original flock, hasn't laid an egg in a couple of weeks. She was sitting in a nest twice today and when she got out and no egg was there, it got me to thinking that I hadnt seen one of her weird eggs lately. I've been so caught up with losing Hawkeye and trying to nurse Zane and Lorelei that it just slipped past me.
Why on earth are they all getting these egg issues now? They are all two and a half years old, all fed high quality feeds with very few treats; even the scratch is an 11 grain scratch with almost no corn at all, more like a feed for roosters. It got them all at the same time from Ideal via the feedstore and they've been laying very regularly ever since, hardly skipping a beat even during their molts.

 

[justusnak]

Oh Cynthia, im so sorry to hear another egg issue! Jeesh. You have sure had more than your share of issues with your babies. Im so sorry. I wish there was something I could say....or do to help.

 

[gumpsgirl]

Not another one.

My word Cyn. This all just has to stop.

You tell all of those chickens I said to straighten up!

Enough's enough.

If there's anything I can do, you know where to find me.

 

[keeperofthehearth]

Ooooh, back in the old'n days one might say that they had been "witched"

No, seriously now, could the loss of Hawkeye and some of the others (where in the pecking order were they?)be causing increased stress amongst all of them in the main flock thus creating higher egg related illness? I know when we have one sick or stressed fish in a tank the stress level goes up for all the rest & the likelyhood of more of the fish getting sick even after medicating goes up for a extended period of time. I know this doesn't have an answer to your problem but if an anwer can be found to the general "cause" then hopefully a solution will come. I lost a number of girls last year all within a few months of eachother, all the same age group of 2 - 2 1/2 yrs old with problems that sound much like your girls are having. It was devestating so I do understand where you are coming from. My girls now have slowed way down, esp. the EE's in their egg laying. I am watching them closely and trusting that it's this cold damp weather that has set in here for the last two weeks. We also reintroduced our broody back in and she does not like the EE's

.... Stress! Change! Ucky Weather! SIGH! I have been keeping up with this thread and praying for Zane & will continue to do so. The Lord has been good to us all and may He have Mercy on Zane,(whom He loves also) and let him recover and stay with you and your DH a good long while. I've seen Chicken miracles before

I will shut up now. Take care and the Lords Blessings on you and yours.

 

[SpottedCrow]

back in the old'n days one might say that they had been "witched"

I swear I didn't do it!!!

I'm still hoping that they recover...It could be a combination of anything...
Heck even a butterfly breaking wind in Polynesia at this point...

If it was lack of good food, Obelisk wouldn't be here almost 5 years...LOL
She'd prefer a meatball sub to pellets by a long stretch.

I'll keep saying prayers for all of you.

 

[hcammack]

It could be them all not having a boyfriend ! HMMMMMMM

 

[speckledhen]

I just dont know what is going on. Rosemary sat on the nest again forever, then stood up and strained for a long time and got out with no egg in sight. Again, just like Ruby, cannot feel anything up in there. Lorelei isn't even trying to lay, she's just bone thin. FlightsofFancy (Kelly) was here to deliver two beautiful Ameraucana youngsters to me (thank you, Kel, they're gorgeous!) and she examined Zane a bit. Says she cant feel anything out of place, but it the hock joint seems feverish and swollen and saw that his foot is also still swollen. Between all this stuff, I just feel like giving up. First I lose Lacy, then Lorelei shows a problem, and now Ruby and Rosemary aren't right. That's half of my original flock I could lose in addition to Hawkeye and maybe even Zane. And I feel it's stuff I have no control over whatsoever. At least it isn't contagious stuff, thank goodness!

Keeperofthehearth said:

I lost a number of girls last year all within a few months of eachother, all the same age group of 2 - 2 1/2 yrs old with problems that sound much like your girls are having. It was devestating so I do understand where you are coming from.

It's interesting that you say that. I wonder why that age? I'm sorry about the ones you lost. It's awful to worry about these girls and watch them hurt and not know what exactly is wrong. Were yours hatchery birds, too?​

 

[Zookeeper9000]

Cyn keeping ya all in my prayers.

 

[ozark hen]

Cyn, do you think a hatchery bird might have a shorter life span? Wasn't Zane hatched and raised by you? Do you think it is something in the gene pool of hatchery chicks? I know we are looking at absolutely every possibility here. I haven't had mine long enough to be able to answer that for you. Mine are just over a year old and I got them from a hatchery. Could it possibly be whoever the hatchery got the chicks from? I assume the hatcheries buy from private breeders??? I have no clue here.
Maybe a type of survey of others who have lost birds like what is happening to you is a start?

 

[Farmer Kitty]

Cyn,
My SIL has various birds from the hatchery and she is finding them dead. They are only 4 years old. They are not laying very well either. So maybe it does have something to do with hatchery flocks.

My Zoe that isn't laying is hatchery-all of mine are-and I have two more that are laying wrinkled eggs on a regular basis that I'm worried about.

Mine just turned 1 year old.