|
|
Post by debidoos on Mar 11, 2008 18:21:27 GMT 1
3 eggs today!!!
1 of the hens has developed a limp, it might have been there all the while but today was the first day we've really noticed them pottering about. She's bearing some weight on it and she's eating and drinking fine. She's quite taken with jumping out of the hen house rather than walking down the ramp, so i suppose she could've sprained it. Any suggestions?
|
|
|
|
Post by 4pygmies on Mar 11, 2008 21:10:58 GMT 1
I should try and stop her from jumping for a while if that's possible. These hens aren't used to being adventurous and haven't built up a body of knowledge about the world. Not street wise yet, poor things  |
|
|
|
Post by debidoos on Mar 11, 2008 21:28:24 GMT 1
Might not be streetwise, but they sure have attitude!
|
|
|
|
Post by debidoos on Mar 12, 2008 10:02:54 GMT 1
Lola's still limping, and she's sitting on the floor of the run, she's pecking at the food, and she seems bright enough, is it normal for them to sit a lot?
|
|
|
|
Post by 4pygmies on Mar 12, 2008 10:14:35 GMT 1
Lola's still limping, and she's sitting on the floor of the run, she's pecking at the food, and she seems bright enough, is it normal for them to sit a lot? Hmm...she might be resting her leg. I'd have thought she would be using it if she could. I should keep a close eye, if you can Debi - she might have lamed herself.....which is not good news at all.  Chickens need calcium to help the shells form, The witch - a free range bird would find it all naturally but confined hens need extra in the form of oyster shells and/or grit to get what they need. |
|
|
|
Post by debidoos on Mar 12, 2008 10:23:58 GMT 1
I've got oyster shell mixed in the feed and poultry grit in a little container in the run. She got down the ramp so she can't be that bad!
What's the prognosis if she has lamed herself?
|
|
|
|
Post by 4pygmies on Mar 12, 2008 10:33:20 GMT 1
If she was one of mine - if she is able to get about then I would wait and hope she'd be fine, if she was unable to support her own weight or walk properly - then I'm afraid I would ask someone to dispatch her as quickly as possible. I don't believe in stressing hens by taking them to a vet and I think a badly crippled hen has no quality of life so it's kinder to put an end to her. I'm sure it won't come to that with your new chook though - she has probably just been over enthusiastic in her unaccustomed new freedom. |
|
|
|
Post by emseypop on Mar 12, 2008 10:39:02 GMT 1
Lola's still limping, and she's sitting on the floor of the run, she's pecking at the food, and she seems bright enough, is it normal for them to sit a lot? I was reading somewhere yesterday that ex-bats do sit a lot at first. |
|
|
|
Post by 4pygmies on Mar 12, 2008 10:53:42 GMT 1
They aren't used to doing a lot else are they? Poor souls...it must take a while for natural behaviour to kick in. And have you seen the size of a hen's brain? ;D
|
|
|
|
Post by debbiem on Mar 12, 2008 17:41:30 GMT 1
Ditto all the above but I wouldn't start worrying too much right now Debi, since I've had a couple of mine landing in an undignified manner who always recover by themselves. It's probably all down to the overexuberance of it all for them. Give the injured one a couple of days before you even think of worrrying. |
|
|
|
Post by debidoos on Mar 12, 2008 20:37:08 GMT 1
Limping Lola seems to have improved a lot, we even saw her jump into the hen house to make a nest and lay an egg! She also seems to have claimed her thrown as Top Dog!
We had a total of 2 eggs today, and the one I cooked Hannah for dinner (one of yesterdays) had a MASSIVE orange yolk!
They're all getting there own little personalities. Daisy is the quietest, although she manages to make sure she gets her share of whatevers going! They love toast (dry brown toast!). They also seem to enjoy the leftover spaghetti and a few grapes, not to mention their mixed corn, they seem to be getting used to the corn tin rattle meaning something nice is coming!
|
|
|
|
Post by debbiem on Mar 13, 2008 11:49:58 GMT 1
Good to hear that Lola's on the mend. It sounds like they're all settling in nicely. If Pearl or Tiny get the opportunity they'll dash into the kitchen straight over to the cat's food which they'll down in seconds! Once I thought I'd shut all the chickens out but those two had sneaked in and were silently putting away all the cats' food, as if it was completely right that they should be allowed indoors. You have to watch them sometimes! ;D |
|
|
|
Post by debidoos on Mar 13, 2008 17:40:39 GMT 1
Lola's definatley a lot better today.
We have had no eggs today, but if we never get anymore I don't really care, they have come here to retire afterall!!
They are all getting braver although not quite ready to eat out of our hands yet. I think they'll be ready at the weekend to have a wonder around the garden.
|
|
|
|
Post by 4pygmies on Mar 13, 2008 17:47:07 GMT 1
Oh you will definitely get eggs! They are egg factories after all - but they do have the occasional day off. My two old girls last year, who I think must have been over 9 years old at that point, were still laying 3/4 eggs a week all summer. Glad Lola is better. I still haven't decided whether to get any more or not.......I can't decide whether it would upset Hilda or give her a new lease of life.. : Any sign of the rodent hordes yet? ;D |
|
|
|
Post by debidoos on Mar 13, 2008 17:49:52 GMT 1
No the Rodent hordes haven't shown up yet ;D. I sweep up the run every night and take their feeders in in the hope to help keep them at bay.
|
|
|
|
Post by emseypop on Mar 13, 2008 18:08:40 GMT 1
No the Rodent hordes haven't shown up yet ;D. I sweep up the run every night and take their feeders in in the hope to help keep them at bay. I on the other hand are expecting them any day now! My girls are a messy lot! They keep knocking the feeders over and don't eat the scraps I put in! They are on grass at the Mo and its impossible to get every grain up. I cant wait to get the skip over easter and move the old shed etc then we can push the run onto concrete. |
|
|
|
Post by debidoos on Mar 14, 2008 10:22:20 GMT 1
;D1 egg so far today, that's a total of 10 since saturday!!
|
|
|
|
Post by Sleepy on Mar 14, 2008 10:23:50 GMT 1
;D1 egg so far today, that's a total of 10 since saturday!! Good grief, and I thought they were hard to get to lay! Is is good for they to be laying so many? Doesn't it exhaust them? |
|
|
|
Post by debidoos on Mar 14, 2008 11:19:43 GMT 1
They're laying machines. they have been bred to lay!
The reason the farmers kick them out at 16 months is they consider them past there prime, where they layed on average 1 egg per day, an ex-batt they recon will lay about 3-4 per week. So 10 so far since sat is kind of on target, but as I said earlier, I don't care if we don't get anymore.
The Hens are injected against Salmonella and various other diseases so we have our very own "Lion Mark" eggs!
|
|
|
|
Post by karenwl on Mar 14, 2008 20:32:36 GMT 1
Hi i get Grow Your Own Magazine and they have lots of tips on keeping chickens thought this may be usefull to you all that are keeping them.
Karen X
|
|
|
|
Post by debidoos on Mar 15, 2008 9:47:46 GMT 1
Hi i get Grow Your Own Magazine and they have lots of tips on keeping chickens thought this may be usefull to you all that are keeping them. Karen X That's the Magazine that I first read about the Battery Chickens in and what prompted me into finding out more on them! |
|
|
|
Post by 4pygmies on Mar 15, 2008 21:50:30 GMT 1
I almost, nearly decided to get some more hens in the Spring...so I googled for some old breed ones like Brahmas, Buff Orpington and Cochins......£35 each at one place! Good grief! Fancy not being able to afford to buy 4 chickens! You need a LOT of money to be a peasant these days.......
|
|
|
|
Post by emseypop on Mar 16, 2008 7:55:56 GMT 1
I almost, nearly decided to get some more hens in the Spring...so I googled for some old breed ones like Brahmas, Buff Orpington and Cochins......£35 each at one place! Good grief! Fancy not being able to afford to buy 4 chickens! You need a LOT of money to be a peasant these days.......  Well you can get the ex-batts for 50p each 4P! |
|
|
|
Post by 4pygmies on Mar 16, 2008 8:54:14 GMT 1
No I can't...it's all been vetoed by OH - a flat 'no' to a kitten (to give smallest something else to think about besides how much she hates school), a puppy (ditto - although I don't really want one either...it would upset Tobydog too much) or any new chickens....  Sometimes I wonder why OH married me - he doesn't seem to like my chosen lifestyle much..... |
|
|
|
Post by emseypop on Mar 16, 2008 11:16:18 GMT 1
No I can't...it's all been vetoed by OH - a flat 'no' to a kitten (to give smallest something else to think about besides how much she hates school), a puppy (ditto - although I don't really want one either...it would upset Tobydog too much) or any new chickens.... Sometimes I wonder why OH married me - he doesn't seem to like my chosen lifestyle much..... Ohh dear  I think a kitten would be a good comprmise for him to make and I bet smallest would love it. Cats look after themselves mainly dont they. Didn't you loose a cat recently too? I know hens and dags take more looking after, maybe he'll give in-keep dropping the hints |
|
Sometimes I wonder why OH married me - he doesn't seem to like my chosen lifestyle much..... 
I think a kitten would be a good comprmise for him to make and I bet smallest would love it. Cats look after themselves mainly dont they. Didn't you loose a cat recently too? I know hens and dags take more looking after, maybe he'll give in-keep dropping the hints