Egg Bound Hens

Until the other day, I'd never done much research on hens that are egg bound, but someone asked me about it so I pulled out a bunch of my chicken books and dug in. I've been fortunate not to have experienced having this happen to any of my layers before, so had kind of glossed over all the info.

I hope none of your hens gets egg bound, because it's one of those life and death situations, many hens don't live beyond 48 hours. It'll be better, though if you know what the symptoms are so you can react quickly and avoid losing a favorite pet. But first of all, please know that this doesn't happen often in backyard flocks.

Here are the symptoms:

1. You'll find your hen 'just sitting there', on the floor or the ground.
2. Her feathers will be all fluffed out.
3. She'll behave as though she's drowsy and ill.
4. You might find that her tail is pumping up and down and she may appear to be straining to lay an egg.
5. Her stomach may appear swollen; it's best to take her to the Vet if this happens.
6. She may be struggling to breathe, another indication that a Vet visit is needed.
7. Her droppings may look abnormal, or she may be constipated.

Causes:

1. She could be infested by worms.
2. She may be genetically susceptible
3. Her diet may have been poor, lacking in sufficient nutrients.
4. An egg may have broken inside of her, caused by rough handling during the morning hours.

Treatment:

1. A trip to the Vet is always a good solution, but there is one home remedy I've seen recommended.
2. Put the hen in a wire cage (with wire floor). Boil water, then cool down to the point where it isn't hot enough to burn her, but is still steaming. Put the water in a flat, large pan and place it under the wire cage. Put a heat lamp above the cage and cover the cage with plastic or a blanket. Place a thermometer inside and keep it at between 90 and 102 degrees. After about 2 hours of this moist heat treatment, the hen may lay her first egg and be on her way to recovery. If not, but she seems better and able to eat, she probably wasn't eggbound, but still may be ill. If she still doesn't eat and appears ill, use the treatment a while longer. If you don't experience success, but she hasn't laid an egg for several days it's best to take her to the Vet. He can give her an injection that will help her to lay the egg.

Hopefully, you'll be fortunate in not experiencing this condition in your hens as I've been after many years of raising chickens..

Interested in how to process poultry?

Just noticed there's a a new video out on processing poultry. It's "How to Process Poultry" by Nels Youngberg. Will look it up to see if I can include it on my website http://www.fortheloveofchickens.com/.

This would probably be helpful for people who've ended up with more chickens than they can handle, or who want to raise meat chickens for their meat supply. It sounds like a great value for those who need help with this.

Signs of an Early Spring?

A neighbor flagged me down this morning. He wanted to warn me. Seems the bears are coming out of hibernation. He said he'd just seen a 500-600 lb. one nearly across from my little homestead. Usually, they don't come out 'til at least March. Sure don't look forward to getting too close to them. A few years ago I came home from my night shift to see one on the opposite side of a crabapple tree I'd been picking from the day before.

Later today I found my rooster, Radio Flyer, out in the yard . . . again. It was sunny and warmer than it's been. He'd dug a little hole and was taking a dust bath while soaking up some sun. Obviously, it felt like Spring was well on the way for him.

 Don't really know whether it's a sign of Spring or not, but my goose laid an egg (nope, it wasn't golden), the first in a long time. I'm leaving it in the nest so she can collect some and,hopefully, raise some little goslings. My chickens are still laying a little.

An early Spring would sure be nice, but think I'll keep the snow tires on a while longer, just in case.

Feed the Hungry--Get a Free Pet

Just starting to get catalogs from the hatcheries, and thought I'd mention something that may interest you. Meyer Hatchery in Ohio (http://www.meyerhatchery.com/) is offering one free pullet with orders. What they'd like their customers to do is give the eggs from that one hen to your local foodbank. Kind of a cool way to encourage giving, and it should work well for those who like to raise chickens as pets.

Most people who keep chickens likely hand out full egg cartons without this incentive, but it is thoughtful. I don't know about you, but I just love this time of year. I send off requests for catalogs from every hatchery I see advertised and boy is it fun to look through them.

A lot of the hatcheries are on my website (the 'links to hatcheries' page) at http://fortheloveofchickens.com/. People often ask me for a reference to my favorite hatchery, but I've ordered baby chicks from many of them and have to confess I don't really have a favorite. I haven't had a bad experience with any around the country, so far. I guess maybe a good rule of thumb would be to choose one that is closer to where you live and carries the breed(s) you like best. As long as they sell chickens they're on my good list! So, not very informative, I guess.

Oh, Murray McMurray now has a blog. It's at http://blog.mcmurrayhatchery.com/. Yeah, I know, maybe I'm not supposed to mention a "competitor", but you should have an opportunity to benefit from all sources.

Chickens Surviving the Winter Chill

Chickens are pretty well insulated, especially after growing their winter coat following their molt. They seem to love the frozen weather when I let them out for exercise during the day. It's been down to about 20 F so far, but no frozen combs to report. At night they snuggle together on the roost to stay cozy. I've been feeding them a little extra grain in the late afternoon . . . it keeps their little furnaces purring right along.

The layers have been providing an average of a dozen eggs a day, not as many as earlier in the year, but still plenty for my use and enough extra's to share.

In another month or so, the hatcheries will begin shipping baby chicks out to excited people everywhere. Making the decision about what to order is by far the biggest dilemma . . . after years of ordering I still change my mind a half dozen times. If you're planning to order baby chicks this Spring, try to let the usefullness of the breed dictate what you order. All the hatchery websites and catalogs give out a lot of facts about the breeds and it all boils down to whether you're raising chickens purely for eggs, for meat only, or as an exotic pet.

I guess the best solution is to look at the adult birds of each breed and pick the ones you like the most. After 20 years or so you'll have had an opportunity to experience raising many of the available breeds. I'm glad I'm not the only one who still looks at a hatchery catalog with the mind-set of a kid in a candy store. There's always next year for the breed you decided to pass on this time.

Have you figured out your choices for this Spring yet? If you've been bitten by this crazy addiction, bet you're at least thinking about it, if not, then you'll likely go through this entire year without experiencing "the best day ever, bar none".

Cleaning Out the Chicken Coop

Some people I used to know quite well came by the other day, saw me outside working and somehow the conversation turned to cleaning a chicken coop. These are not rural people, but they have become interested in getting a few chickens for their corner-lot suburban backyard. They've gotten to the point of checking the laws in their area and got the go-ahead to raise chickens.

They were aghast to hear about the Deep Litter System of chicken coop management. Like a lot of people who are new to raising chickens, they were shocked. They thought a chicken house would need to be completely cleaned out frequently, much like a hamster's cage inside the home. Having a pet hamster really was their only frame of reference to caring for animals. The primary reason they were prepared to jump into the chicken raising hobby was that they'd heard it was "green" and "sustainable".

The Deep Litter Method of managing chicken manure means you're actually allowing the combination of bedding and chicken poop to compost right in the chicken coop. You clean the coop out just once or twice a year. A complete cleaning includes the use of a bucket of water and bleach solution, inspection and treatment for any parasite issues, and completion of any needed repairs to the building.

After the facility is clean, it's time to spread four to six inches of bedding (shavings, straw, or hay). After you put your chickens back in the coop, their manure, which is high in nitrogen will mix with the bedding and you end up with usable compost (providing the floor of your coop is the ground, otherwise more composting will be needed before using the mixture as plant fertilizer). When you throw out scratch in the coop the chickens will scratch around and keep the mixture aerated. Maintain it for them, too, by adding extra bedding and 'turning' the mixture periodically.

This is a great method for your birds and is convenient for you, too. The compost heats up and keeps your chickens warm throughout the cold winter. Since its had time to break down, it's okay to spread it onto your garden plot. It also provides your chickens with microbes that are beneficial to their health. Nothing 'dirty' about this method, though beginners are often apprehensive about it.

Pet Chickens, Voting For Liberty

Really, how can I speak for my pet chickens and what they might vote for? I can't. But, it's not hard to figure out their favorite treat-of-the-day. They obviously love the extra lettuce I had, thanks to expected company not being able to make it for Sunday dinner.

If they did vote, the chickens might be appalled by all the people who disrespect the privilege by simply not participating. So many of them who just have no enthusiasm for taking part. Unlike people in some countries who've become liberated after years of struggle, then couldn't wait to get to the polls . . . even when doing so might put them in danger.

But enough about one of the most valuable privileges known to humankind. This blog is all about participating in another freedom . . . engaging in the hobby of raising chickens. In some cities that right doesn't exist, but when people have realized they were empowered to change that sad fact they've banded together and in many cases have managed to change the law in their favor.  That act was followed by an influx of new citizens . . . the feathered kind we all enjoy so much. The magic of a representative democracy . . . hope we don't lose ours through inaction.

You exercised your individual right to vote, though, didn't you?