Keeping hens and ducks chat.

vjm63 · 8 October 2017 at 10:40PM

I am so pleased, CAFCGirl, that your girl got herself sorted. As Edwink said, it is all a learning thing with these [STRIKE]obsessions[/STRIKE] hens of ours!

I have nursed all my girls except the new Rhodies at one time or another, sometimes several times, and for some it works so I did what was needed, other times they left me - but at least I have known I tried, and each time I learn a little more. One I have now is called Dodo because she was the first to get poorly - not eating, drinking, very floppy - but I coaxed her back with lots of attention and warm watery mash - hence the name!

Just last week one of the 2 1/2 year olds was just sitting, very listless, comb darkening at edges, she did not perk up overnight, so I made up warm watery mash of their food with added poultry zest, and then caught her and was coaxing her to eat, sitting on my lap. This three times a day, thinking at least with some warmth, food and water in her she can have a chance at fighting it off. She did - she is now back to trotting across the lawn towards me and the treats tub when I call them, right as rain! I think she quite enjoyed the personal restaurant, frankly.

Someone mentioned egg size earlier, which I meant to comment on. My Rhodies lay eggs in the mid 40s gramme wise, whilst the Bresse lay 50- 69g typically, when they can be bothered. The biggest egg we have had so far is 93g - it barely fitted in the egg carton where I store them! I think I started weighing them just to see the difference, not sure - but it is fun to have a record of the girls in so many ways! Today they re-discovered the grapes on the grapevine, soon after followed by the old still standing sweetcorn - after that was a lie down in the sun - they probably needed it!

vjm63 · 9 October 2017 at 10:00AM

Just me again, because I appear to have a hen that crows!- anyone else had one?

I know that she is a girl, because she is one of my original four from 2015, and we had plenty of days with four eggs from them, plus I know I saw her actually laying several times. She has been moulting / with quite a bare bum for months - I think the others could have pecked out the pin feathers - but has seemed fine otherwise. I know she was laying off and on in July, despite lack of feathers, and she is probably top of the pecking order.
Recently she was droopy, and was the one I was hand feeding last week. Now she goes very upright, flaps her wings and starts crowing! Maybe she is taking the concept of boss-hen to heart

edwink · 9 October 2017 at 11:07AM

vjm63 wrote: »

Just me again, because I appear to have a hen that crows!- anyone else had one?

I know that she is a girl, because she is one of my original four from 2015, and we had plenty of days with four eggs from them, plus I know I saw her actually laying several times. She has been moulting / with quite a bare bum for months - I think the others could have pecked out the pin feathers - but has seemed fine otherwise. I know she was laying off and on in July, despite lack of feathers, and she is probably top of the pecking order.
Recently she was droopy, and was the one I was hand feeding last week. Now she goes very upright, flaps her wings and starts crowing! Maybe she is taking the concept of boss-hen to heart

Hi vjm63

You are right she is taking the concept of boss hen to heart. We have had a couple of hens like that over the years. They do look so funny when they stretch to be the tallest, flap their wings about like mad and try to let out this funny crowing sound. She will settle down after a while when she becomes top hen as mine have done.

Funny little things these hens are don't you think?

HTH

Edwink

edwink · 13 October 2017 at 5:03PM

Its gone all quiet on our hen thread so I hope everyone is ok plus your feathered friends too of course.

My girls and boys are plodding on ok thankfully. I have a couple of slower ex batt hens, bless them. All eating well which is great.

Our poor Cockerel has lost some weight as he is such a polite generous boy and keeps giving his food especially the treat food to his girls. Anyway went up to let them out the other morning and as usual the hens come flying out literately and the poor Cockerel turned round to also come out and as he did he slid through the perching bars. Poor little thing was dangling with his wings spread out on to the bars. Hubby raced in to their hotel and lifted him out of the gap no problem and put him on the floor. Bless him he was flapping about and lost a couple of his pretty feathers in the process. He has been with us for 2 years now and lost weight last summer too but nothing like this happened to him then, thankfully. Maybe he just lost his footing whilst turning round in there.:eek:

Last cut of the lawn this week so my girls will miss their pile of cut grass over the Winter

But neighbour is cutting hers too so they will get a much bigger pile this time

That should keep them happy for a while.

Hope all is good everyone. Take care.

Edwink

CAFCGirl · 15 October 2017 at 8:18AM

Chicken Stew is now fully recovered thankfully!

You wouldn't know a thing had happened to her!

edwink · 15 October 2017 at 12:32PM

CAFCGirl wrote: »

Chicken Stew is now fully recovered thankfully! You wouldn't know a thing had happened to her!

Aww that's really good news bless her. It must be all that tlc you gave her.:D Didn't know her name was chicken stew

Have had another ex batt loss during the night. She didn't go up on to the perches in their hotel at bed time last night but climbed in to the nesting box instead. Hubby found her this morning still in the nesting box so She must have gone in her sleep. Bless her.

Off too change my signature yet again.:(

Edwink

orangecrush · 15 October 2017 at 3:55PM

Oh Edwink I’m so sorry to hear about your loss! It sounds like she went peacefully though.

CAFCgirl I’m glad your lady recovered! I love her name

orangecrush · 15 October 2017 at 4:07PM

We had one of our newbies at the vet this week. Integrating the two newbies to our chunky chicken has not gone well! Chunk has taken a particular dislike to the older newbie, and gave her such a pecking on the head that the poor thing ended up with an enormous abscess that the vet had to drain. She’s in solitary for the moment while she is on antibiotics. We got some bumpa bits for Chunk but she just pulls them off... We don’t have the room to permanently segregate them until we get a new run built later this year.

In other news, what do you make of this odd behaviour: one of the newbies is very young, was still cheeping when we got her. When the others go for dust baths, she tries to climb on top of whoever is bathing. She’s also tried to get under the wing sometimes too. Is this what chicks would do with their mothers? It’s really funny to watch!!

edwink · 16 October 2017 at 12:28PM

orangecrush wrote: »

We had one of our newbies at the vet this week. Integrating the two newbies to our chunky chicken has not gone well! Chunk has taken a particular dislike to the older newbie, and gave her such a pecking on the head that the poor thing ended up with an enormous abscess that the vet had to drain.

In other news, what do you make of this odd behaviour: one of the newbies is very young, was still cheeping when we got her. When the others go for dust baths, she tries to climb on top of whoever is bathing. She’s also tried to get under the wing sometimes too. Is this what chicks would do with their mothers? It’s really funny to watch!!

Such a shame you have encountered problems introducing 2 new hens to Chunk (naughty Chunk). It looks as though Chunk wants too have the very tiny hen to herself and doesn't want the other hen that she came with around her. So she is pecking her to keep her away from the very tiny one hence the constant bullying/pecking at her head. Poor little hen how is she now? Are the antibiotics kicking in well/abscess healing ok?. I'm sure this will settle over time as it normally does when they learn to tolerate each other. Thankfully I have not had this happen with introducing new hens. I'm wondering if it was because as you say one of the introduced hens was so very tiny, who knows? Difficult to pin point why really this has happen to the degree it has.

With regards to the very tiny hen sitting on and under the wing of others. I think because she is very tiny she is maybe looking at them as her mother or something. Mother hens always tuck their young underneath them or under their wings for warmth. She should stop doing this as she gets older.

Try not to worry too much. Easier said than done I know. It should all settle down with them.

HTH

Edwink

Beckyy · 16 October 2017 at 9:36PM

Orangecrush, I hope your newbie is doing okay now. Speaking of newbies, how do others quarantine new hens for introducing to the flock?

If I'm honest I never have previously, however one was an emergency rescue and the others came from a trusted supplier. I've been looking at taking on more hens and have found some locally but from a person rather than supplier and I'm cautious as I don't have a 2nd coop to quarantine in.

Keeping hens and ducks chat.

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