Chickens ??

[Áine]

Odd post to put here I guess, but does anyone here have more experience than me with hens ??

I've been keeping hens on and off for about 25 years.... but this time one of my hens appears to have a bad leg ?? and I think the rooster may have caused it, he is a big bird and she is still young... I wonder if he damaged her leg with his weight ??

She was afraid to come out from underneath the hen house and wouldn't eat, so now I've had to separate her in another area (cat carrier in my hallway!!) and trying to get her to heal... off course now I've separated her I doubt very much that she could go back with the flock as they won't accept her.... so has anyone else got more knowledge than me...or has come across this problem before ???

[Musky]

Sounds like it might be time for:

[Áine]

Now Musky how did I know that you would be the first to answer with that suggestion ..

[Musky]

Now Musky how did I know that you would be the first to answer with that suggestion ..

Well, Mrs. Musky would have been a close second, She suggested that since you've been sick, you should make some chicken soup!

[Áine]

Now Musky how did I know that you would be the first to answer with that suggestion ..

Well, Mrs. Musky would have been a close second, She suggested that since you've been sick, you should make some chicken soup!

I think I will get more meals in the form off eggs... instead of chicken soup from her over the next 3 years.... besides I would be no good at killing a hen ...

If she ends up as roast chicken I'll send you a chicken leg over first class post ;)

[LeslieDean]

Annie--I know nothing about chickens except how to fix them (see chicken tacos) but I have a friend who started raising them. When she moved out to her farm and built the hen houses and purchased the chickens they would not lay eggs. Different people told her different things to try and said it may just take time for them to adjust to the move. Some suggested puting a radio in the hen house and others suggested reading to them in a soothing tone. She did send me a picture of a rocking chair by the hen house with a book opened and laying in the seat of the chair. It appeared she had taken someones advice and started reading to the chickens. As the pictures got bigger and closer in range of the camara you could see what she was reading to them. It was a cookbook and she had been reading a recipe for chicken cacatorrie! The book was titled 101 ways to prepare chicken! What a laugh everyone had. It was around 2 months before they started laying eggs.

[GrumpysWife]

Now that was funny, Leslie.

[tekmantwo]

Odd post to put here I guess, but does anyone here have more experience than me with hens ??

I've been keeping hens on and off for about 25 years.... but this time one of my hens appears to have a bad leg ?? and I think the rooster may have caused it, he is a big bird and she is still young... I wonder if he damaged her leg with his weight ??

She was afraid to come out from underneath the hen house and wouldn't eat, so now I've had to separate her in another area (cat carrier in my hallway!!) and trying to get her to heal... off course now I've separated her I doubt very much that she could go back with the flock as they won't accept her.... so has anyone else got more knowledge than me...or has come across this problem before ???

ckickens are somewhat cannibalistic, if they see blood, they will attack and kill the other chicken...isolating it while she heals is good, make sure she is not bleeding and then ship her back out...she will find her place in the pecking order, and get to the business of layin eggs,,,

If not, gently remind her that Chuck has other plans for her---

[stuagu]

and following on from tim, you can get a spray (in the uk the one we get is purple) its anti-septic or antibiotic or something... anyway, it helps them heal and then covers up the red so the others dont go for the injury. puttin her back in with the others should be no problem. my chickens fight for peckin order all the time, shell find her place again. how many hens have you got? ... and chuck is being very naughty... frightening the poor chickens!

[Áine]

and following on from tim, you can get a spray (in the uk the one we get is purple) its anti-septic or antibiotic or something... anyway, it helps them heal and then covers up the red so the others dont go for the injury. puttin her back in with the others should be no problem. my chickens fight for peckin order all the time, shell find her place again. how many hens have you got? ... and chuck is being very naughty... frightening the poor chickens!

I have 8 hens and a Coed Langshan rooster he is a big bird and the hens are a mix of Columbian black tails, speckedly Marans... and Copper stars... she doesn't actually have any broken skin and no blood, its looking like she wasn't prepared for the rooster as in didn't crouch down... and his weight made her leg splay out... its no broken and doesn't seem to be dislocated, she is eating well now on her own and gaining strength... someone has just passed me a coup that I can use, so waht I may do is put her in that and take one of the quieter hens to be with her for company... she may just have to live in that instead of the big run

[Joey]

Maybe you need to fry him up and get you a nicer fella,hmmm?Plenty of roosters around.

We had a mean old rooster us kids had named him Betty,after my oldest sister.

She was mad about that,but we did it because we loved him when he was a baby chick,

like we loved her,

he just turned out to be a bad seed so mom made him for dinner.

I love baby chicks,I was often covered in peck marks from the mamma hen because I just

had to hold a baby.

Do you have any baby chicks?

[GrumpysWife]

We used to have yard chickens and our rooster's name was Fred. He was so mean and ornery. He would sneak up on you and attack you with his feet and spurs if you weren't careful. One day my mother in law had enough. She went after him with the hatchet. No more Fred.

He was named after my father.

[Mrs. Musky]

Moral of the story: Never trust a rooster named Fred! LOL

[rocket]

Speaking of chickens that seem to loose their heads over the littlest things. I always hated the job of plucking the feathers. I think it was good for us as kids though, because it made us appreciate some of the work that goes into fixing a meal.

[Joey]

Speaking of chickens that seem to loose their heads over the littlest things. I always hated the job of plucking the feathers. I think it was good for us as kids though, because it made us appreciate some of the work that goes into fixing a meal.

Ooooh and the smell of wet chicken feathers.I hated that.

[rocket]

Speaking of chickens that seem to loose their heads over the littlest things. I always hated the job of plucking the feathers. I think it was good for us as kids though, because it made us appreciate some of the work that goes into fixing a meal.

Ooooh and the smell of wet chicken feathers.I hated that.

Yea, that's what I'm talking about. The smell of wet, hot, chicken feathers. Now I am so spoiled, the chickens have to be cut up before I buy, unless I am going to rotisserie the bird.

[steeringwheel]

At least we know How to do it. I remember my mother tying several at a time by their feet, up on clothesline; then cutting necks off, so bleed out. Once in while one fell down & ran around. I don't think most of younger generation would even know how to survive. I like to tease my wife about their not being grocery stores in paradise. Back to grindstone.

[DLM]

When we lived in Colo. we raised 100- 300 chickens to butcher.It was a big job but if I do say so we got pretty fast at it. Our 3 kids were anywhere from 8-14 yo and they all had to share in the work. ( we raised 200 to sell to pay for the feed for the 100 we kept and our hens)The oldest one and the youngest one didn't complain much but the middle boy had a weak stomach and he COULD NOT bear the smell of wet feathers so we had him do other things. It didn't bother him to chop off their heads or gut them and of course he got in on the pinfeather picking. We all worked together and made short work of it. To this day he can't stand the smell of wet hot feathers and he now 55 YO. The oldest is 56 and the youngest is 54 and they all know how to work and where their food comes from.