Eggy Bread Posted April 26, 2007 Share Posted April 26, 2007 Ok, Margo and Delia have settled in pretty well and are just starting to enjoy free ranging around the garden. Had a few problems with their poo's when they first arrived and they have got better but one of them is still doing an occasional orange, watery one which really stinks! Already had to scrub the eglu out several times and I've only had it a week! The other thing is Margo (the smaller one) has taken to sleeping at night in the nest which is fine, but she poos and then just lies in it which has resulted in a pretty messy undercarriage. I have taken the straw out which did help last night but she still has matted feathers around her vent. Do I just leave her to sort it out or should I intervene with some soapy water! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Egluntyne Posted April 26, 2007 Share Posted April 26, 2007 About every tenth poo comes from a part of their bowel called the caecum. They have two (caeca) which are blind pouches a bit like our appendix. The contents are quite different to the normal white topped specimen...and they pong! They are quite normal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dogmother Posted April 26, 2007 Share Posted April 26, 2007 Beat me to it Egluntine If she's sleeping and pooing in the nest, then try a plant pot in the nest overnight - that'll stop them. Straw isn't brilliant in the nest as it tends to get damp, so the top layer looks fine, but it's soggy underneath. maybe you should switch to Aubiose or Hemcore as it's miles dryer Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
feemcg Posted April 26, 2007 Share Posted April 26, 2007 You could put a brick or flowerpot in the nest at night, and remove it in the morning when you let them out. Either that, or wait till shes sleeping and lift her out onto the bars - she'll be too sleepy to be bothered climbing back in again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popcorn Posted April 26, 2007 Share Posted April 26, 2007 One of mine sleeps and poo's in the nest every night Steph She gets poo in her feathers and the eggs have a lovely pebble dash look to their shells - yucky!! I've never intervened at all and everything has been ok. The poo tends to dry up and fall off, or it gets washed away in the dust bath. I make sure the Eglu is cleaned out regularly to prevent flies from gathering on the poos in there. If she did have a lot of poo on her feathers and it was there for a while, I might think about getting a bit of soap on it though. See how she goes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eggy Bread Posted April 26, 2007 Author Share Posted April 26, 2007 I never knew that about their bowles, suppose it would also explain the orange frothy ones we sometimes get too! I have got hemp in the droppings tray but didn't really think about putting it in the nest, I just assumed straw would be the best thing. I'll have to experiment. I also thought that they would eat a lot more than they do. They tuck in to the grass and happily eat their pellets, but I have given them a small amount of corn and grapes and they just are not interested! I thought they would be ganets! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chelsea Posted April 26, 2007 Share Posted April 26, 2007 I found mine ate more when they started laying. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Egluntyne Posted April 26, 2007 Share Posted April 26, 2007 I found mine ate more when they started laying. Yes, mine definitely did....about twice as much! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dogmother Posted April 26, 2007 Share Posted April 26, 2007 It's a sure sign that they're coming into lay when they start to eat loads. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Minky Posted April 27, 2007 Share Posted April 27, 2007 Humm, just wondering if you did decide to intervene Eggy as one of mine had a nasty wet poo on arrival (Wed) which she then sat it and very little seems to have dropped off so far. I'm not worried about said poo as subsequent poos have been fine and I'm guessing it was a 'that's for shutting me in a van for ages' protest, but I don't wanna traumatise Maude or make her think I'm some kind of molester of chickens by sponging down her bum within week one!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eggy Bread Posted May 1, 2007 Author Share Posted May 1, 2007 Hi Minky, I have decided to leave her for the time being, she tends to come out in the mornings looking a state but by the afternoon she has cleaned herself up a bit. If it starts to get worse I will have to get the washing up bowl out but I don't want to scare her off for ever! I have been using the upturned flower pot idea which works although the roosting bars seem to suffer more now. I feel a bit mean pushing them out of the nesting box, at least it wipes clean easier than the roosting bars! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Minky Posted May 1, 2007 Share Posted May 1, 2007 she tends to come out in the mornings looking a state but by the afternoon she has cleaned herself up a bit. Aw, I can identify with that Thanks Mrs, I decided to do the same and I'm glad I did cus she's sorted herself. I blame me mum for scrubbing my hands raw with vim if I so much as glanced at a felt tip when I was wee. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris.E Posted May 1, 2007 Share Posted May 1, 2007 i used brown fern leaves as nesting material to begin with but they were not too keen on that so i tried machine shredded 'times newspaper' which they loved, when that ran out i shredded the local freebie rag, and they disliked it so much they laid their eggs on the wooden slats, very discerning birds! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
