Nicola H Posted March 7, 2005 Share Posted March 7, 2005 Oh dear Louise I hope you have a hen not a cockerel, the neighbours will never forgive you. My girls can be quite vocal and I sometimes cringe when Babs is at full tilt she does sound like a cockerel and she always seems to do it on a Sunday morning................ hopefully she will just be coming into lay fingers crossed........ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SarahJo Posted March 7, 2005 Share Posted March 7, 2005 Hey, Louise, another new member has joined today from Scotland - DollyG - welcome to the forum, Dolly ! Does DollyG, work for a Certain company, with a big base in Irvine .What part of Ayrshire ... I lived in Coylton, about 3miles from Ayr, for 5 years. Very pretty Ayrshire .. I would move back in a flash Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trish Posted March 7, 2005 Share Posted March 7, 2005 Louise, Maddy make a huge din when she's laying so hopefully Betty's just practising Does seem strange though, I wonder why they annouce to the world that they''ve laid, seems a daft survival trait to me Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
motherhen Posted March 7, 2005 Share Posted March 7, 2005 Hi Louise You could do a quick inspection of the shape of the neck feathers, where the neck joins the back. Easier to inspect if you put a piece of card or paper under a feather or two so you can have a good look. Hens have a rounded end to these feathers while cockerals have a pointed end. This works from just a few weeks old. Hope this will give you the reassuring result that you are about to get eggs and not an early morning alarm clock! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Louise Posted March 8, 2005 Author Share Posted March 8, 2005 Thanks motherhen, I had heard that before but completely forgot I will try and have a go one evening. I am sure they are both hens but it is just they are looking different but Wilma was the one of the group who was picked on which is why I took her she had all her tail feathers pullled out they have now grown back but she is still the subservient one of the two so hopefully that is all. Still if one turns out to be a cockerel I know someone who is trying to find homes for 5 hens so I can get another girl and well stuff the neigbours It is after all the country and the farm up the road has chickens and cockerels it is only a quarter of a mile away Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Louise Posted March 8, 2005 Author Share Posted March 8, 2005 Does DollyG, work for a Certain company, with a big base in Irvine .What part of Ayrshire ... I lived in Coylton, about 3miles from Ayr, for 5 years. Very pretty Ayrshire .. I would move back in a flash Very mysterious sarah what company Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lesley Posted March 8, 2005 Share Posted March 8, 2005 Then you can get another Eglu louise! (or two.... or three...Why not take all five chickens?) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Louise Posted March 8, 2005 Author Share Posted March 8, 2005 Er no not another five but another one maybe even though the person trying to move them on keeps trying to pursuade me Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SarahJo Posted March 8, 2005 Share Posted March 8, 2005 Does DollyG, work for a Certain company, with a big base in Irvine .What part of Ayrshire ... I lived in Coylton, about 3miles from Ayr, for 5 years. Very pretty Ayrshire .. I would move back in a flash Very mysterious sarah what company ... Louise, there is the big Penicillin G, complex on the main road from Ayr to Irvine, originally belonging to Beechams (Now Smithklikne Beecham) .. they make several Antibiotics etc there, and in DollyG's Profile, there was some info that lead me to wonder if she was employed there . Only fishing for general Scotland chat ... if she was in Macclesfield it would more likely be AstraZeneca . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Louise Posted March 8, 2005 Author Share Posted March 8, 2005 Ah makes more sense now. On the subject of pets someone is now trying to get me to take a baby rabbit and he is so cute only 7 weeks old I can hear myself giving in Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leanne Posted March 8, 2005 Share Posted March 8, 2005 Hi Louise, One of my girls is called Betty, and she is very full of her own opinion about things! she is much noisier than Ruby (Roobs) so maybe its the name? brings out the vocal chords? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Louise Posted March 8, 2005 Author Share Posted March 8, 2005 Hi Leanne, I hope so she isn't really really noisy - yet Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Louise Posted March 10, 2005 Author Share Posted March 10, 2005 I have posted a new pic of the girls as the difference in them is really noticable now. I checked their neck feathers last night Jane and they seem to be rounded on both birds so it looks as though Betty is just doing the chicken equivalent of puberty first and boy is she bolshy with it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lesley Posted March 10, 2005 Share Posted March 10, 2005 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Louise Posted March 16, 2005 Author Share Posted March 16, 2005 Clever girls mine they let themselves out this morning . I normally go out at 6.45 and encourage them to open the door themselves but I got sidetracked this morning and they were already out I don't know if it was because they heard me talking to the cat (who I had just kicked by accident) or if they were already out but it looks like the training programme is working how are yours doing Sheila Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs Frugal Posted March 16, 2005 Share Posted March 16, 2005 Well done Louise's chooks ! I can't do that with mine as the run Hubby's just built isn't fox proof and isn't likely to be where we've got it located so I have to dash out before breakfast and liberate them before they wake the neighbours! Hope you're having more luck Sheila. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lesley Posted March 16, 2005 Share Posted March 16, 2005 All five of ours have done it for two days now Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sheilaz Posted March 17, 2005 Share Posted March 17, 2005 Ah, there's hope for mine then. Thanks for asking Louise. Still practising....I just don't think they have the idea of coming out until they hear my voice... Something Jane said made me realize that perhaps if I left the door open fairly wide, then each night a bit less, that would mean it wouldn't take much of a push to start with. So, tonight , I've left it about 3rd open...really easy.....if they don't come out themselves now I'll have to record my voice & play it on a timer I've got a feeling they'll just sit there until I give them permisssion to move! By the way Louise, are yours about 24 weeks now? Eggs soon?! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Louise Posted March 17, 2005 Author Share Posted March 17, 2005 Hi Sheila, Yes there should be eggs soon someone else who got some chooks from an earlier batch of eggs than these has had 3 eggs so I think we are only weeks away from it but Betty is looking very grown up now so fingers crossed Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Louise Posted March 18, 2005 Author Share Posted March 18, 2005 I'm not sure whats going on with my girls but I think Betty may be bullying Wilma as all of her tail feathers have disappeared this week? Is it normal for them to moult like that or is it likely that Betty is pulling them The reason I took Wilma was she got bullied by the other chooks so it made sense to take her and her tail was missing but it grew back quickly and is now gone again. I never see them squabling and when I close the door at night I always check them and they are snuggled up together. I may have to install an eglu cam Does anyone have any ideas Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs Frugal Posted March 18, 2005 Share Posted March 18, 2005 Strange that you don't see any aggression during the day, Louise. I have heard that tail feather pulling happens. I think you will need to keep an eye on things in case the skin where the feathers have been plucked (or fallen out - let's give them the benefit of the doubt!) gets sore which might lead to more aggressive pecking. Hope it's just a bit of a moult but keep an eye on things just in case . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lesley Posted March 18, 2005 Share Posted March 18, 2005 Louise, on RC forum they would say spray with hairspray - the topic has just come up again in their poultry section, but that's only if you know they are doing it I suppose? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Louise Posted March 18, 2005 Author Share Posted March 18, 2005 Hi Lesley and Kate, It is odd as I watch them on the sly alot and apart from the occasional wing flap there is no aggression at all. They feed together and one doesn't try to stop the other getting treats or anything it may be her tail feather 'cuticles' are just weak after she was plucked before but I will definitely have to keep an eye on it. What exactly do you do with the hairspray (not that I own any!!) will pop to p.p and have a look at the topic Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lesley Posted March 18, 2005 Share Posted March 18, 2005 I presume from reading on P.P that you spray where they have been pecked and it doesn't taste nice to the one doing the pecking and so they stop. Also works apparently if it is their own feathers they are pecking out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nicola H Posted March 18, 2005 Share Posted March 18, 2005 Louise I have not answered before because I a have been trying to find the book that told you about feather pecking I've got it now and will just quote what it says............. It is said young birds are more prone to feather pecking with a calcium deficiency, but excess heat and stress are also implicated. Thin or soft shelled eggs is a sign in laying birds, but it is normal for the hen to use calcium from her bones for shell formation. Mash feed can result in a deficiency due to the heavier mineral particles settling out.Stress can make calcium unavailable temorarily. Calcium and phosperus supplimentation is best done in a naturally balanced form such as calcified seaweed in order to maintain the optimum ratio, plus other minerals such as iodine. Excess calcium will lead to liver failure. That was taken from Diseases of free-range Poultry by Victoria Roberts BVSc, MRCVS. It is also interesting to see the soft shelled eggs mentioned it may be an idea to swap to pellets I still can't get Ginger to eat them but Bunty and Babs will, so once they are in the new run tomorrow they are just getting pellets...............Lets hope it works and I hope this helps Louise too........... Don't forget to read the warning at the end that too much calcium is bad for the hen I think a start would be just to swap them on to pellets not sure whether yours already eat pellets or not Louise....... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
