#chickens101

[hens101]

Swollen Belly Chicken Part II

In this video you can see how much fluid she has retained in her belly.  I stuck a small syringe that I got at Walgreens into her belly.

[hens101]

Katniss was getting pecked by the other hens and I didn't know what to do about it. 

First- I got a dog crate and separated her

Second- I got BluKote from Tractor Supply. It's an antibacterial spray that's supposed to help the wound and camouflage the red of the blood/skin

Third- I let the girls free range more.  The more bored they are the more they go after one another. 

In the last picture you can see (with the purple feathers) she mixed well with the group post-rehab. 

[hens101]

The yellow hens are really good mamas.  Which means that they tend to go broody easily.  Last summer in the hottest days of the year one hen passed away because she was so broody.  

Broody: when a hen thinks she is incubating her eggs

during this time they drink only enough to stay alive, don't eat, and their temperature rises as they try to hatch babies. 

To break this

-dunk them in a bucket of cold water to bring temperature down

-put a bunch of ice cubes in a plastic bag and she will try to hatch the cubes. This will bring her temp down.

- block the nesting spot by putting something in the space.  Sometimes if she can't access her favorite spot she will break her broodiness

- keep getting her up from her spot.  Put her outside, try to distract her.  

- put her in a dog crate and elevate the bottom so she can't lay down. After a few hours of this she should snap out of it. 

[hens101]

Without my overalls and boots I'd be quite a mess! 

Chicken Keeping Essentials (by Alison DaltonSmith)

[hens101]

so many eggs! i give them away to my neighbors.

when i started letting them go on walk abouts around the yard i noticed they were laying less eggs.  then i found the eggs in a little faux easter eggs nest!