This morning's update: the food he had in his crop yesterday, which I now think was from the day before, since I didn't see him eating at all yesterday, is as hard as a rock this morning! So it seems his digestive system has shut down, with no acid or enzymes to break the food down..?!? I...
I haven't seen any bullying between them at all. And they go through feed so fast, and it is put into my unplugged freezer at night (due to rats), so it rarely has a chance to get moldy. We did have quite a lot of rain over the past month, but their food still doesn't stay out long enough to...
Well water, very good (though a tad high in iron). I have used rat poison before, but only where rats can get it, and none used in the past few months. Again, no hens are dying. Rooster's are free-range with the hens.
Is there anything from the egg development period that could do this 8 months after hatching? They've all been 100% normal and healthy up until this starts, then dead in 2 days.
All hatched last fall. They've all been buried, except this one. Hens have no issues, no comb spots, so it can't be contagious. I'll snap pics, maybe they'll upload.
It's a huge shed (16x20) attached to the barn, with a dirt floor. It is very dusty when they're scratching around, but the sliding door is always open during the day, with several screened windows high and low for circulation. Is dust bad for them? Don't they love rolling in dirt?
Just got a couple of videos, but he's active in them, trying to get away from me. You can't really tell in these that he isn't acting or looking right. But he is otherwise showing signs of inactivity, hunching down, tail feathers down, and doesn't seem to be eating. Same behavior as the previous...
No hens, just my rooster's! So this calcium issue seems to be a problem for me this past month.. This is my 8th year having chickens, and plenty of rooster's, and never has this happened before until this spring! I have lost 4 rooster's in the past month, and another one seems to be falling...
So this calcium issue seems to be a problem for me this past month.. This is my 8th year havbing chickens, and plenty of rooster's, and never has this happened until this spring! I have lost 4 rooster's in the past month, and another one seems to be falling ill with the same problem. They die...
Hi! Glad you have 40 yrs of experience! I just read your comments on an old post about 2 goats being too skinny. I just took in 2 young females, one pregnant, one milking, and after getting the chart on body condition I realize they are both too skinny! They must eat a pound or so of grain...
The first night of her illness, I was happy that next morning that she was still up on the roost and had not fallen. Below her in the litter was a soft egg, but she roosted next to another older girl who I have suspected was the one dropping the soft eggs, so I can't say even now that I was...
If I had some way of euthanizing her on my own, I'd do that to help end her suffering. But, chopping off heads is something that disturbs me deeply... for any living thing. It feels so very, very wrong in my heart and soul... heads are so personal, in fact, really they are the location of our...
I am very sad to say that my older rescue hen is succumbing to death right now for some reason similar to this. 3 days ago I was digging in the garden, and 3 of my hens were by my side ready to grab any bug they could find while I dug. She is always one of those 3, loves to get the easy meal...