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Keeping hens and ducks chat.

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  • Dizzy_Ditzy
    Dizzy_Ditzy Posts: 17,462
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    Edwink how are your new ladies settling in?

    My girls are doing ok - three days this week we've had 5/5 eggs and last two days we've had 3/5.

    Two of them now are showing baldie bottoms :rotfl: the one whose bum went bald first has a lovely fluffy bottom now :rotfl: one has a bald head and bottom and the other has just half a baldie bum

    Sorry for those who've lost little ladies :(

    How is everyone doing?

    I posted this comment four days ago. FOUR DAYS

    My original moulter has a bald bum again :eek::eek: only this time it goes more under her belly. It's almost like she's moulting in stages. I picked her up to have a good look and you can see where the new quills are going to come from but I'm amazed she lost that many feather in such a short space of time
    I’m a Forum Ambassador and I support the Forum Team on the Health & Beauty, Greenfingered Moneysaving and How Much Have You Saved boards. If you need any help on these boards, please do let me know. Please note that Ambassadors are not moderators. Any posts you spot in breach of the Forum Rules should be reported via the report button, or by emailing forumteam@moneysavingexpert.com

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  • Happygreen
    Happygreen Posts: 2,948
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    I posted this comment four days ago. FOUR DAYS

    My original moulter has a bald bum again :eek::eek: only this time it goes more under her belly. It's almost like she's moulting in stages. I picked her up to have a good look and you can see where the new quills are going to come from but I'm amazed she lost that many feather in such a short space of time

    Do check your hen house for red mite. They start pecking at themselves when they attack - red mites usually come from underneath, so could be that! Sounds strange that she's moulting in stages....I'd also give the perches and her belly a good rub down with diatomaceous earth to stop any beasties getting there. Just in case.
    First they ignore you, then they ridicule you, then they fight you, and then you win - Gandhi
  • edwink
    edwink Posts: 2,959
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    edited 10 February 2016 at 11:54AM
    Hi everyone

    This blooming wind is blowing my poor little loves everywhere. If they are not soaked through to the skin they are getting blown about.

    Queen of Cheap please as Happygreen says do check your hen for Red Mite. Sounds really odd that the baldy bits keeps happening to your little hen. Please let us know how you get on with her.

    Sorry I have been missing for a bit just been so busy trying to get the new rescue girls to settle in with the others plus dealing with health issues that I have. Luckily hubbie has been on hand to help with them too. There have been a few boxing matches but only a few feathers missing, thankfully. Two nipped combs showing blood which were treated straight away. I wish they wouldn't bite each other and go for their combs. Their combs are so fleshy and when they bleed they really bleed. The injury looks worse than what it really is though so did not panic and just cleaned the two girls up that got pecked. So all in all they are settling in nicely and the pecking order has been dealt with.

    Hubbie has made 2 more perches in their hotel for them and made a new ladder twice as wide as the other one he made. Now they can climb up to their perches 2 at a time. Always reminds me of Noah's Ark when I see them going to bed 2 at a time up the ladder. Bless them.

    Out of the 26 hens we are getting around 10 eggs per day so the neighbours are really happy because they love our eggs. Normally we don't have enough to go round.

    I have a question for those that have ducks. Have yours started laying yet? Our Aylesbury's normally start laying again in January and a few weeks later our Indian Runner and our Cayuga's start to lay. But, not a single egg from any of them yet!!

    Happy hen and duck keeping everyone. Thank you so much for posting on the thread. I love reading the stories of your feathered friends.

    Edwink x
    **3.36 kWp solar panel system, 10 x Ultima & 4 x Panasonic solar panels, Solaredge Inverter **Biomass boiler stove for cooking, hot water & heating **2000ltr Rainwater harvesting system for loo flushing - **Hybrid Toyota Auris car **1 ex-battery hen - RIP Pingu, Hoppy & Ginger ****Hens & Ducks**** chat thread. http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.php?t=5282209
  • skipton wrote: »
    We have one big dust bath (also known as a sand school that my daughter rides in). She frequently complains that there are mini craters everywhere where the chickens bury themselves up to their necks.


    :) Don't you just love seeing them have a bath! My first chickens used to purr while they bathed.
    I have mini craters in the covered pen which are fine in daylight but if I go to shut the girls up in the pitch dark it's a bit of a nightmare.

    I get a lot of pleasure sitting down with a cup of coffee and just watching them. They do have quite a vocabulary for sure. I always know when the neighbours dog has jumped over the gate as they kick up quite a fuss. I love the sound the cockerels make when they've found a nice bit of grub and are calling the hens over. They are so chivalrous and I've observed them repeatedly picking up a morsel and then dropping it until the hen notices and gobbles it up.
  • I posted this comment four days ago. FOUR DAYS

    My original moulter has a bald bum again :eek::eek: only this time it goes more under her belly. It's almost like she's moulting in stages. I picked her up to have a good look and you can see where the new quills are going to come from but I'm amazed she lost that many feather in such a short space of time

    I was really alarmed when I found large amounts of black feathers in the coop on several occasions. Like yours she has a bald bum and is also scraggy around the neck. She had what looked like white paint around her neck. I had to go and Google (I'm still learning folks:)) and after looking at a few images I finally decided upon pin feathers (I'd never heard of them!)

    What I'm puzzled about though is that none of the chickens have moulted before - the eldest girls being 3 and this one is her first winter and she's the only one moulting.

    She seems well in herself and there's no sign of lice or red mite. I'll keep an eye on her of course.

    Now seeing an increase in eggs. Got 8 today from 11 hens. Had 4 for pancakes. I used to give quite a few away but me and the daughters are trying the low carb diet and are having up to three eggs each a day depending on the girls of course.
  • Dizzy_Ditzy
    Dizzy_Ditzy Posts: 17,462
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    Well folks, we are completely red mite, lice and flea free :T

    A lot of googling hasn't brought up anything specific but it seems like it's s common problem but nothing telling me what the problem actually is!

    I picked her up again for a good look and there is no redness or inflammation so for now, I don't know anything more than I did yesterday. One of life's unsolved mysteries I guess.

    She's still laying and her behaviour hasn't changed at all, she was always the greediest and nothing is different there either
    I’m a Forum Ambassador and I support the Forum Team on the Health & Beauty, Greenfingered Moneysaving and How Much Have You Saved boards. If you need any help on these boards, please do let me know. Please note that Ambassadors are not moderators. Any posts you spot in breach of the Forum Rules should be reported via the report button, or by emailing forumteam@moneysavingexpert.com

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  • Happygreen
    Happygreen Posts: 2,948
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    Edwink, no duck eggs here yet! Mine usually start around February, so won't be long now...
    First they ignore you, then they ridicule you, then they fight you, and then you win - Gandhi
  • edwink
    edwink Posts: 2,959
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    edited 10 February 2016 at 9:01PM
    Happygreen wrote: »
    Edwink, no duck eggs here yet! Mine usually start around February, so won't be long now...

    Thanks for that info about your ducks not laying yet and they normally start in Feb. Mine normally start in January but as you know nothing so far.

    I'll let you know when mine start laying and it would be good if you do the same and let me know.

    Edwink x
    **3.36 kWp solar panel system, 10 x Ultima & 4 x Panasonic solar panels, Solaredge Inverter **Biomass boiler stove for cooking, hot water & heating **2000ltr Rainwater harvesting system for loo flushing - **Hybrid Toyota Auris car **1 ex-battery hen - RIP Pingu, Hoppy & Ginger ****Hens & Ducks**** chat thread. http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.php?t=5282209
  • edwink
    edwink Posts: 2,959
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    Just a little tip for anyone that suspects red mite. Best thing to do to find out if you have them is to go up to your hens house in the dark with a piece of white kitchen towel. Rub the kitchen towel along the underneath of the hens perches. If it is red with blood you have a mite problem.

    The horrible little things live in the hens hut and feed on the hens at night drawing blood to feed. When they are full they often can be found right under the perches. So the white paper towel does the trick in seeing if you have them or not.

    Hope that is some help.

    Edwink x
    **3.36 kWp solar panel system, 10 x Ultima & 4 x Panasonic solar panels, Solaredge Inverter **Biomass boiler stove for cooking, hot water & heating **2000ltr Rainwater harvesting system for loo flushing - **Hybrid Toyota Auris car **1 ex-battery hen - RIP Pingu, Hoppy & Ginger ****Hens & Ducks**** chat thread. http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.php?t=5282209
  • Happygreen
    Happygreen Posts: 2,948
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    edwink wrote: »
    Thanks for that info about your ducks not laying yet and they normally start in Feb. Mine normally start in January but as you know nothing so far.

    I'll let you know when mine start laying and it would be good if you do the same and let me know.

    Edwink x
    Will do :) we might be a bit more northerly than you are - it just started snowing! And it might depend on breed and age of duck when they get going. :D
    First they ignore you, then they ridicule you, then they fight you, and then you win - Gandhi
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