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6:42 pm
January 14, 2010
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I am so excited!!! I have been getting one brown egg a day from my hens for about 6 weeks now. Well today I got one brown egg, & one blue egg!! Yay!!! I want to go get more chickens right now!
7:20 pm
February 10, 2009
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Hooray for you Mandy!!! YIPEEEEE! I love chickens so much!
8:30 pm
December 28, 2008
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Let's hear it for Mandy's chickens!! Good job, girls!!! 
And congratulations, Mandy! 
8:44 pm
January 14, 2010
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Thank You, Thank You, Thank You. It was getting to the point that hubby wanted to put them all in the stew pot.. Maybe they heard him. Now I have 2 out of 3 laying. Little black hen better get busy.
10:16 pm
February 8, 2009
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I have chickens (again) now for almost 2 years.
Started with5…now I have 33…we will get more in spring.
I have between 25 and 30 eggs a day…and I'm still excited by every egg.
you gotta love chickens.
7:01 pm
January 14, 2010
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I can't wait til I have that many. I love my birds. They are all tame as dogs, even the roosters. When Hubby was hanging the nest boxes in the coop, Lola, the hen turned rooster, kept lighting on his shoulder, then he got on top of the nest box & had his little face down right where Hubs was drilling the screws in, watching everything so intently. It was SO CUTE.
9:42 pm
November 8, 2009
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Mandy, what kind of chickens do you have?
Sandra
9:50 pm
January 14, 2010
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I have 1 Golden Laced Wyandotte, a small black game hen,1 speckled white hen that is an Auracauna (sp?), SexLink mix, a Buff Orpington rooster & a strange grey rooster that I bought as a hen a few months ago when it was too young for me to tell what he was. I had a Buff Orpington hen, but she got egg bound & died before I knew what was wrong with her. I still feel real bad about that. She was the nicest one of the bunch.
9:56 pm
November 8, 2009
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What is the treatment for an egg-bound hen? I am not exactly sure what that is but I have a pretty good hunch.
10:00 pm
January 14, 2010
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I have no idea. I think you have to try to work the egg out. I've heard warm baths & rumors of lubricants & putting your fingers where the sun don't shine. She was sick when I got her & I had no idea what I was doing.
10:02 pm
February 10, 2009
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best thing is a quite warm bath actually… well not a full on bath, but a fill a sink or tub parway with good warm water and set her in it. They usually fuss for a few seconds, then sort of settle into it and even preen a bit.
The water should be up above her vent… maybe 4 inches deep or so. She'll need to be kept in out of the cold afterward of course, but it's actually the best thing.
reaching in with a lubricated finger isn't as gross as it sounds, but it's not the best thing if there's any other choice. It's fairly risky and a broken egg up there is very bad for them.
10:09 pm
January 14, 2010
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Thank goodness it's that easy. I knew that crosseyed girl down the road didn't sound like she was all there when she told me that I had to "go after" that egg. 
10:14 pm
February 10, 2009
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Oh, she's not wrong, you still might have to, but I'd definately try the bath first.
10:15 pm
January 14, 2010
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Ick… good thing I work for a Vet that was raised on a chicken farm… He can go egg diving for me.
10:24 pm
January 14, 2010
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At least til I see him do it first. Not something I'm comfortable with flying blind. What if it breaks inside the hen?
11:58 pm
February 10, 2009
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Here are some links, I know there is a thread that's supposed to be for just links, but since this is for something specific, I'll leave them here. Honestly, if the bath relaxes her enough that she stops straining, (they basically have contractions to lay an egg after all) then she has a good chance of handling it herself.
This forum has some good diagrams of chicken anatomy that should help. Word of warning, never turn a chicken upside down while working with them, they can drown on their stomach fluids, there's nothing to keep things seperate.
ok, here's the anatomy links – fourth one down is pretty clear:
http://dlhunicorn.conforums.co…..1158071735
Here is a lecture by an Avian vet to a class of veterinary students. It's about pet birds like parrots and cockatiels, but the same basics apply …now, I've never tried this, never had to, but if your vet is a good sort who might appreciate watching it, it might be helpful. Most vets do not specialize in birds, so other than basic nutrition and communicable diseases, it's difficult to keep up on everything.
http://www.5min.com/Video/How-……
She actually covers how to 'safely' break the egg so the bird can deal with matters herself.
I hesitated to post all this, not wanting to freak you our worse. Had to decide though that it was best to help you with info if I could and let you handle the 'freak out' part yourself. It's always scary when an animal in our care is in trouble.
The bath thing really does usually work though. Beyond that, it's really good you work for a vet. 
12:09 am
January 14, 2010
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Thanks so much.. I hope I never need it, but I am going to save these links. My boss was raised on a chicken farm, & the other vet has a bachelors in poultry science. She was the one that got me started on the chickens. She wants chickens, but her Hubby made her move to a snotty subdivision that won't allow anything but dogs & cats. I know she's be interested in them, she's a real learning nerd, and I plan to watch them too.
Again, Thank you!
1:57 pm
More chicken talk –
My buff orpington hens, 4, and domineck hens, 4, each are laying an egg a day! Large to extra large hard shelled pecan brown gorgeous eggs! Such good girls. Some of the banty girls are also laying! We get from 20 to 24 total a day. The banty egg color ranges from pure white to pale brown, and someone is laying blue-green eggs every now and then… sort of an olive green.
Luckily we have a friend with a chicken incubator who wants the big brown eggs to add to his flock, since we have way too many.
There are two nest boxes in each chicken house, and 3 houses. Have you ever seen 3 large reddish-gold hens trying to sit on two nests? Funny girls. The doms are mean to each other and to the banty girls, but the buffs are gentle and almost pet each other.
The banty girls bury their eggs deep down in the hay. Nesting boxes are modified plastic milk jug containers, the kind that hold 4 gallons of milk. Easy to clean that way. No one is broody yet.
Starz
9:31 pm
May 14, 2005
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I'm sooooo looking forward to spring and new chicks! We're getting about four eggs a day. And we have a light and we feed them layer pellets. With crushed oyster shells. (Everyone is always telling me to get a light!!!! We have one!) My chickens are lazy…….
3:52 pm
February 10, 2009
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Mandy, I hope you'll keep us updated about your little hen!
As far as your hens go Suzanne, I'm still convinced that either they are hiding their eggs on you, or you have some egg eaters. There is no way you could have that many chickens and they're only laying that number of eggs!
I had to chuckle when I saw that people are still telling you to get a light in todays farm photo area. You've told them so often that they have a light and you are feeding them proper layer feed. I think I did it to you too at one point. (it's funny but not funny I know.)
I want more hens too, wanna get my Buckeys this spring!
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