Moulting Hen!

Well, I said I thought Custard was moulting!!
WOW!
The run and the hen house currently look like Custard and Pudding have been having a massive feather pillow fight during the night!!!
I actually think I will have a bald hen shortly.  Anyone know where I can get hen accessories, like a nice woolly chicken coat?

She is looking very rough around the edges.  A little bit like she has been out on the town.  Actually, that's probably not fair as some of the states you see in town after midnight are far worse.  But you probably get the idea.

You can see the run is covered as well.  So I will keep on giving them the tonic I bought to help her get over it as soon as possible.

There was nice surprise this morning, it looks as though Pudding (the Bluebell) may have started laying again.  I'm not sure 1 egg will get us through the week.  So I have bought some local reared eggs from the Cesars Arms Farm Shop in Creigiau.  Its about 2 miles from me and they have a lovely selection of fruit, vegetables, meats and eggs.

I'm a sucker for different colour eggs, so these do the trick!! :-)

Thanks for reading!

Bit of a scare this morning!!

Custard proves the fact that here breed are
great for meat as well as eggs!  She is a monster!

I walked out this morning to a sight that worried me.  Probably what all poultry keepers dread.  No chickens in the run and feathers all over the bottom of the main run.  The feathers were white. 
Putting 2 and 2 together I jumped to the conclusion that Custard must have been attacked or taken by something.  A fox maybe?
My panic did not last long fortunately, as within 3 foot of the house and run, out popped 2 happy hens from their coop, Custard and Pudding!!!
I have no idea why Custard has decided to loose so many feathers, she does have a tendency to pull out her feathers on her underside.  She has never gone broody.  Perhaps her size means she overheats?

After that little episode I want to avoid as much excitement as possible today!

I have been asked recently how the chicks are doing.  Well, here are the latest photos.  They appear to be growing well, but I don't really have anything to compare them to as I have never raised Bantams before.

Wyandotte chicks, Pinky and Perky at 3 weeks and 4 days.

They have feathered quickly, and seem to be enjoying some freedom, running around and away from Treacle every now and then.

I bought dried meal worms the other day.  The hens go mad for them and seem to sit bolt up right like a little like a dog waiting for a treat.  I dropped a few in for the chicks and Treacle was keen to show them how to eat them.  So keen she did not eat any for herself!  The following day in the afternoon I gave them a little more, this time Treacle got stuck in but still ensured the chicks had enough.  What a mummy!

I am struggling a little at the moment with lack of eggs.  Treacle for obvious reasons is not laying, Custard my 4 year old sussex, is to be fair knocking on a little for a hen, and whilst in previous winters she has laid quite well, it appears this autumn and winter is going to be a lean one for her.  Pudding, the bluebell, appears to be in moult or just coming out of a moult.  She is looking a little "rough around the edges" and has lost some feathers around her neck.  I have been checking for mites but can not see any so I am fairly sure it is a moult.  She does lay the odd egg, but it is probably only one every 4-5 days if I'm lucky.

picture from life-guard.co.uk

To help them through the cold and darker months I have purchased Life-Guard, a poultry tonic.  I know there are others available and cheaper but I have used this before and it does seem to be helping Custard and Pudding.  I will not be giving it to Treacle and the chicks, they will have to make do with mealworms and chick crumbs.  I'm sure they will not grumble about that.

Thanks for reading!

Broody Speckledy Hen Update Day 19

Rhode Island Red chick

Its 2 days and counting until we hope to hear the sound of chirping from the broody coop. 
It could of course be sooner.  The Rhode Island Red (left) that Treacle hatched 3 to 4 months ago arrived a day early.  Fortunately I had already bought a small pack of chick crumbs just in case.

The chicks apparently survive on the last of the undigested yolk in the stomach for 24 to 48 hours so in theory you could buy the food after the chicks have hatched, but I am concerned that the chick will try and eat the layers pellets in the run that Treacle has been eating.  The high calcium content in the layers can apparently kill the chick.  So I will be off to the local shop in the next day or two and will start feeding Treacle on the chick crumbs.  It will help her get back into condition quicker as it is higher in protein.

Treacle with quite a pale comb

I have also noticed that she is getting a little smelly.  I know chickens honk at the best of times, but she seems to have really let herself go this time in order to look after the eggs.

Broody hens can look quite ill and anaemic, so anything I can do to help her get back in to shape I will start as soon as I can.  I expect I will be buying poultry spice and poultry tonic as well as the chick crumbs.

No, before you say anything poultry spice is not the chicken version of old spice!  Its a mixture of spices like ginger that is in powder form that you add to the food.  Gives them a bit of a helping hand if feeling low and is worth giving in the winter time.

day 19 - photo from backgardenchickens.com

I tried candling the eggs the other day, but as the eggs are quite pale I could not see a lot.  That said I think at least one of the eggs seems to be progressing well.

Fingers crossed in the next 3 days I will be reporting hatchings with photos if possible.

Good luck Treacle!

Thanks for reading.

Red Mite

I have suffered a great deal with this horrible little critter!  Although technically its the chickens that suffer but you know what I mean.

I have used loads of products.  I would suggest you need a variety of products and cleaning methods to keep it under control.

First of all if you are not sure what it is, here is a picture.  Skin crawling time!

Red Mite

They are tiny little things, really difficult to see. They're white until they suck blood at which point they turn red.
Yes, that is right they suck the blood of the chickens.
They live in the cracks can crevices of the hen house walls, roof, perches and nest boxes and venture out at night, feed on the hens and then return to their hiding place to lay more eggs.

Red mite has a 7 day breeding cycle so you need to treat the house at least every 6 days if you have a really bad infestation to try and beat it.

Signs to look out for:

• Grey to red coloured mites up to 0.7mm in size – looking almost like dust
• Reduced egg production
• The comb looking less red
• Spots of blood on eggs
• Your hen's not wanting to go in the coop at night

There are masses of forums you can visit and web sites you can get advice from but this is how I controlled it.

Jet washer

I have a pressure washer.  If you can take your house apart, do this and jet wash everything for a good 10 mins.  Leave for 15 mins and then return to the house - you thought you had blasted all the little critters away?  Nope, there will be loads more now "crawling out of the woodwork".  Best you jet wash everything again.
I did this in May/June time in 2012 but you may find if you have a bad infestation you have to do it twice.

Poultry Shield

This is a cleaner but it also dissolves the waxy coating on the outside of the mites causing them to dehydrate and die.
After jet washing first time I spray this in all the joints and cracks.  I then re apply during the week if I feel necessary and use it you clean the perches and droppings board/floor of the hen house.

Diatomaceous Earth

This is a great produce.  It is the fossilized remains of deceased diatoms, a type of ancient algae. It is effective at killing red mite, because it absorbs lipids from their waxy outer layer causing them to dehydrate and die. You can also add it to the feed as a wormer.
Best to note, it is no good when wet.  The coop must be dry otherwise it is not effective.
I dust this in the house.  On the perches, ends of perches, nest box, floor of the house, cracks............absolutely everywhere!  Its not instant but you will find over a day or two there are dead mites.  I would recommend you keep using this all throughout the year as a preventative.

Between April and September I have been dusting the hen box daily with Diatomaceous Earth (after cleaning it out) and weekly cleaning all bedding out and using minimal wood shavings and absolutely no hay or straw as the mites love it!!  It has worked to keep numbers down and now in October I have no active red mites, although you would not expect them to hang around this time of year.

I hope this helps.  Send me a mail if you want to discuss anything, always happy to help.

Andrew :o)