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Return of the new chicken mum
18 Answers
Hello fellow chicken lovers.
This is a bit long but please bear with me.
Well, we're 3 weeks down the line in the story of our hens.
They almost completely stopped laying for about 2 weeks but seem to be back on track again with 3 eggs Saturday & yesterday and an amazing 4 today :-)) They are starting to regrow feathers as well so they look quite funny at the moment.
I am so ashamed to say that I think we'd been starving the poor darlings. The rescue told us to buy layers pellets for them which we did and they weren't eating much. I thought that perhaps they were enjoying the garden so much and getting lots of worms and seedlings etc that they weren't fussed about the pellets.
Whwn we went to the suppliers at the weekend to look at some houses for them as we've been given some exterior grade plywood and we want to move them out of the summer house as it's too big to be warm enough in winter. Anyway, he showed me some layer's mash and I have to admit it looked much more apetizing, golden corn and maize etc. Anyway, we bought a sack of that and they attacked it like a plague of locusts. They haven't stopped eating since.
I feel so guilty that I thought I was doing the right thing, and the poor little hens were starving.
Anyway, more questions.
I need a lesson in the birds and the bees, well the hens and the cockerels actually. I'm confused. As I said our ladies have been with us 3 weeks yet I'm getting the odd eg that looks as if it's been fertilized I think yet they have no contact with any gentlemen chickens.
I'm assuming they're fertilized - they have red specks in them and sometimes a thick membrane joining two sides of the yolk. Is this fertilized or am I assuming wrongly. If it is fertilized, how on earth are they managing it????
Love
Jaquelyn and her brood
This is a bit long but please bear with me.
Well, we're 3 weeks down the line in the story of our hens.
They almost completely stopped laying for about 2 weeks but seem to be back on track again with 3 eggs Saturday & yesterday and an amazing 4 today :-)) They are starting to regrow feathers as well so they look quite funny at the moment.
I am so ashamed to say that I think we'd been starving the poor darlings. The rescue told us to buy layers pellets for them which we did and they weren't eating much. I thought that perhaps they were enjoying the garden so much and getting lots of worms and seedlings etc that they weren't fussed about the pellets.
Whwn we went to the suppliers at the weekend to look at some houses for them as we've been given some exterior grade plywood and we want to move them out of the summer house as it's too big to be warm enough in winter. Anyway, he showed me some layer's mash and I have to admit it looked much more apetizing, golden corn and maize etc. Anyway, we bought a sack of that and they attacked it like a plague of locusts. They haven't stopped eating since.
I feel so guilty that I thought I was doing the right thing, and the poor little hens were starving.
Anyway, more questions.
I need a lesson in the birds and the bees, well the hens and the cockerels actually. I'm confused. As I said our ladies have been with us 3 weeks yet I'm getting the odd eg that looks as if it's been fertilized I think yet they have no contact with any gentlemen chickens.
I'm assuming they're fertilized - they have red specks in them and sometimes a thick membrane joining two sides of the yolk. Is this fertilized or am I assuming wrongly. If it is fertilized, how on earth are they managing it????
Love
Jaquelyn and her brood
Answers
1 to 18 of 18
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The blood spot or other discolorations are not evidence of fertilization. If there's no contact with the rooster there's no fertilization... period. The spots are the results of a tissue irregularity in the hen which caused a small amount of blood to be deposited in the egg.
Many eggs will have the blood spot hence the concentrated efforts of commercial egg producers to candle the eggs to eliminate them so as to keep the customers happy.
I think your perceived problem with the hens not eating was the conjunction of two seperate events. You say they quit laying and "... they are starting to regrow feathers..." Obviously the hens went through a moult. This is common and the chickens don't eat as well and usually quit laying. Moulting consumes a large amount of energy and therefore moulting birds need access to good quality food. They will often go off the lay during a moult, putting their energies instead into replacing their feathers and maintaining body temperature rather than into egg production.
So, just as they came out of moult the egg laying resumed and their appetite came back, just as you changed their feed... voila your guilt as a bad chicken mom is justified in your view. I appreciate your concern but they are, in reality, just chickens...
Many eggs will have the blood spot hence the concentrated efforts of commercial egg producers to candle the eggs to eliminate them so as to keep the customers happy.
I think your perceived problem with the hens not eating was the conjunction of two seperate events. You say they quit laying and "... they are starting to regrow feathers..." Obviously the hens went through a moult. This is common and the chickens don't eat as well and usually quit laying. Moulting consumes a large amount of energy and therefore moulting birds need access to good quality food. They will often go off the lay during a moult, putting their energies instead into replacing their feathers and maintaining body temperature rather than into egg production.
So, just as they came out of moult the egg laying resumed and their appetite came back, just as you changed their feed... voila your guilt as a bad chicken mom is justified in your view. I appreciate your concern but they are, in reality, just chickens...
Can't help with your question,sorry, though Clanad's reply has that more or less covered anyway as per usual (smart cookie that Clanad!)
I just wanted to ask if your chickens were the ex battery chickens that I vaguely remember reading about a few weeks ago on here?
I'd love to see pics too, if possible :-)
I just wanted to ask if your chickens were the ex battery chickens that I vaguely remember reading about a few weeks ago on here?
I'd love to see pics too, if possible :-)
B00, it think she said they were ex battery, I would love to see pics too, and I find this all really interesting as one of my dreams is to have a small holding to grow vegetables and have a few animals, oh dear I must be getting old, I remember when one of my dreams was travel the world and marry Tom Cruise (Top Gun era), how sad!
Glad they have started to lay again.I thought that they could be moulting.
Also clannad is right about the blood spots.Also we where led to believe that hens have been known to retain sperm inside themselves for upto three weeks.
When we seperated our chickens into breeds we didn't incubate any eggs for 4 weeks to make sure that they had bred with the relivant cockerel,and no wayward sperm from the other cockerels had fertilised their eggs.
Also clannad is right about the blood spots.Also we where led to believe that hens have been known to retain sperm inside themselves for upto three weeks.
When we seperated our chickens into breeds we didn't incubate any eggs for 4 weeks to make sure that they had bred with the relivant cockerel,and no wayward sperm from the other cockerels had fertilised their eggs.
Great pics feebee, lol how weird, I have been thinking about this for the last few years on and off but now it seems more important somehow, also I will be 40 in Oct, maybe it is an age thing. It just seems a more pleasureable and fulfilling way of life and I don't mind the thought of hard work as am confident the rewards and satisfaction are second to none.
Great pics feebee :-)
I'd love to do something along those lines too, a small freeholding with rescued animals in it. I'd have to draw the line at geese though, they scare me silly.
Fancy pooling our resources warpig and getting one off the ground? I believe if I rummage down the sofa I might be able to rustle up a couple of quid.
I'd love to do something along those lines too, a small freeholding with rescued animals in it. I'd have to draw the line at geese though, they scare me silly.
Fancy pooling our resources warpig and getting one off the ground? I believe if I rummage down the sofa I might be able to rustle up a couple of quid.
Had our geese from 3 days old so not a problem to me.The girls follow me around.Ozzy the male was vile to every other living thing,so much so he ended up as Christmas dinner last year,but got his own back as he was tough as old boots.
that is the only draw back of having a small holding making the decision of when a animal gets ill having to despatch it.OH always does this.
You can get that when youlook at a chicken(older one) in the morning if it will be dead by the next day.
I had a lovely Stag turkey called Ugly,he use to walk around the garden like a little old man.He went off his feet the one day and OH had to dispatch him.When we weighed him he was 44lb .One big boy,who I still miss.
that is the only draw back of having a small holding making the decision of when a animal gets ill having to despatch it.OH always does this.
You can get that when youlook at a chicken(older one) in the morning if it will be dead by the next day.
I had a lovely Stag turkey called Ugly,he use to walk around the garden like a little old man.He went off his feet the one day and OH had to dispatch him.When we weighed him he was 44lb .One big boy,who I still miss.
I've sort of got a (very) small holding. The garden is a good size and we've got rescued cats and dogs plus the chickens and a wildlife pond. We had Gertie the goose for years and she died of old age in the end. There are veg beds and a few moth-eaten flowers, plenty of shrubs and perennials. I'd love to do some photo's but I'm not sure how to get them to you to see.
I would find it hard to eat our animals (don't believe dog tastes too good anyway) and carefully tell myself that the birds down the garden are "hens" the stuff of sunday dinnner is "chicken" . Daft I know but I am, I suppose an almost veggie. I believe that we are part of a food chain, but we don't have to be cruel to survive.
Incidentally, are there any common garden weeds that will hurt my chickens? They seem to love cleavers (sticky weed) and grounsel. Also, the plum tree in in their area, will any fallen plums upset them?
Again please forgive my ignorance. Perhaps one day I'll have some advice to offer.
Love
Jaquelyn
x
I would find it hard to eat our animals (don't believe dog tastes too good anyway) and carefully tell myself that the birds down the garden are "hens" the stuff of sunday dinnner is "chicken" . Daft I know but I am, I suppose an almost veggie. I believe that we are part of a food chain, but we don't have to be cruel to survive.
Incidentally, are there any common garden weeds that will hurt my chickens? They seem to love cleavers (sticky weed) and grounsel. Also, the plum tree in in their area, will any fallen plums upset them?
Again please forgive my ignorance. Perhaps one day I'll have some advice to offer.
Love
Jaquelyn
x
Chickens (or hens, for that matter) rarely eat anything that will harm them since their intestinal tract (cloaca) is considerably different than mammals. You could notice,Jackie (May i call you Jackie? Seems we know each other so well by now) however, some strange reaction by the birds if they eat much of the fallen plums that may have fermented and begin producing alcohol. I've seen some drunk chickens... err, hens on our place over the years...
The membrane thingy at each side of the yolk is the chalaza - a twisted strand of protein that holds the yolk in the middle of the egg. All eggs have it and is easier to see with fresh eggs than with older eggs.
It is virtually impossible for the layman to see whether an unincubated egg is fertile.
If you stick to weeds that you know not to be poisonous you'll be ok. Contrary to popular belief, animals including birds will eat toxic plant material, especially domestic chickens.
It is virtually impossible for the layman to see whether an unincubated egg is fertile.
If you stick to weeds that you know not to be poisonous you'll be ok. Contrary to popular belief, animals including birds will eat toxic plant material, especially domestic chickens.
Oh Heck, the plot thickens. One of the hens seems to have been a bit chesty since she moved in, but people have said as long as she's eating and drinking well she'll get over it. She's the food-bully of the bunch so there's no doubt there about her eating.
I've just been to check them before I go to bed (11pm) and she's definitely off colour. She's been eating well all day and acting normally, but tonight she's not interested in her bedtime corn treat and her breathing sounds like she needs a really good cough to clear her throat.
I can't do anything till morning now when I can ring the vet, but do hens recover from this sort of thing? I've got really attached to them in the short time they've been with us.
Worried,
Jaquelyn
I've just been to check them before I go to bed (11pm) and she's definitely off colour. She's been eating well all day and acting normally, but tonight she's not interested in her bedtime corn treat and her breathing sounds like she needs a really good cough to clear her throat.
I can't do anything till morning now when I can ring the vet, but do hens recover from this sort of thing? I've got really attached to them in the short time they've been with us.
Worried,
Jaquelyn
Hello all,
Blondie went to the vet and caused rather a lot of amusement. Elenor our vet asked "Aww Blondie have you got a cough?" to which she answered "Bwaaark!!" very loudly. It was hard not to laugh.
Anyway she has an infection which is being treated with Baytril, as are all the rest just to be on the safe side as two others were sneezing occasionally this afternoon.
Blondie started her antibiotics with a jab, the others are having them orally. She's sittimg in a box to keep the draghts off her lookimg sorry for hersel, but she did go and get herself a drink of water.
I know they're just chickens, but I feel that every life is valuable and deserves the best chance.
Thank you all again so much, Clanad you are so knowledgable, what is your profession if you don't mind me asking? (I'm expecting something really high-brow here!)
I'm snowed under a bit at the moment as I've got two very elderly cats poorly, a spaniel on her last legs with heart failure but still happy, and a chesty chicken. It's like anmal hospital here!
Blessings all,
Jaquelyn and the mob
xx
Blondie went to the vet and caused rather a lot of amusement. Elenor our vet asked "Aww Blondie have you got a cough?" to which she answered "Bwaaark!!" very loudly. It was hard not to laugh.
Anyway she has an infection which is being treated with Baytril, as are all the rest just to be on the safe side as two others were sneezing occasionally this afternoon.
Blondie started her antibiotics with a jab, the others are having them orally. She's sittimg in a box to keep the draghts off her lookimg sorry for hersel, but she did go and get herself a drink of water.
I know they're just chickens, but I feel that every life is valuable and deserves the best chance.
Thank you all again so much, Clanad you are so knowledgable, what is your profession if you don't mind me asking? (I'm expecting something really high-brow here!)
I'm snowed under a bit at the moment as I've got two very elderly cats poorly, a spaniel on her last legs with heart failure but still happy, and a chesty chicken. It's like anmal hospital here!
Blessings all,
Jaquelyn and the mob
xx
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