Heatwave

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danfinn1

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Heatwave
« on: July 01, 2015, 22:37 »
Well I had to split them up again this morning. Sandy was in the eglu coop with the other two in all this heat :mad:

Later  I checked on Beryl and Hen and they were both standing in the coop over their eggs with their wings half out, panting. I gratefully took away the warm eggs and opened up the coop to let some cool air in. They then came out and was able to cool down. 8)

I was out most of the afternoon so the birds were were left in their run. Just this evening I checked the coop and found a large good egg. Sandy had laid a proper egg for the first time in two weeks :) :). I am hoping I have straightened her out and we can be back to 3 eggs per day again. :D

So restriction of corn and the dog bowl of water, porridge for a few mornings, poultry spice in the food and islolation of Sandy in the cool garage for the last few mornings.  I just hope she does not relapse.
rip Sandy, rip Beryl, Henrietta

Know what would be nice in your garden, a few hens lol

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compostqueen

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Re: Heatwave
« Reply #1 on: July 03, 2015, 12:05 »
You could leave off the porridge. If she gets layers then corn and porridge are just buns  :) 

This weather is quite difficult for them and they can go off lay.  Shade and plenty of fresh,cold water. They really do appreciate it being fresh and cold, same as us  :)

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danfinn1

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Re: Heatwave
« Reply #2 on: July 08, 2015, 14:28 »
Well it is nice the weather has gone cooler, and we have had some rain :) .

Collected one egg first thing this morning,  and at lunch checked the nest box to find another two :ohmy:. It seems Sandy(soft shell) has worked out the shelling process again, and by the size of it could be a double yolker.

I'm now convinced she overheats so will need to help her stay cool. The other two of course are so reliable we never run out of fresh eggs.

Mind you we ran out of grapes last week, so I popped into Sainsburys and pick some up. They had one each yesterday. Maybe it was the lack of grapes :lol: :lol:

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grinling

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Re: Heatwave
« Reply #3 on: July 08, 2015, 19:35 »
do they have access to oyster shell?
 I put debris netting over the sunny side of my run area to give dappled shade as the hens were locked in (swimming pool outside).

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danfinn1

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Re: Heatwave
« Reply #4 on: July 08, 2015, 22:09 »
Sad to say she relapsed again this pm :(. Went all quiet and sad, then laid a no shell egg. Thats two eggs in less than 6 hours. I think she has a problem :(

They free range for at least half the day, every day and have layer pellets and oyster shell in their run. I think she has probably given us her best (19 months old) and we will just have to go with the flow.

After getting rid of the soft shell she resumes her normal talkative self, sometimes sounding just like my sister in law :lol: :lol:


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grinling

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Re: Heatwave
« Reply #5 on: July 09, 2015, 11:36 »
what type is the hen?

are her eyes clear and her breathing clear?

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BabbyAnn

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Re: Heatwave
« Reply #6 on: July 09, 2015, 13:29 »
Sad to say she relapsed again this pm :(. Went all quiet and sad, then laid a no shell egg. Thats two eggs in less than 6 hours. I think she has a problem :(

I shouldn't worry about 2 eggs in 6 hours - doesn't happen often, and sometimes means the second egg is thin shelled or absent as the shell gland might not have enough calcium soon after laying the first.

EDIT:  I should mention that a double yolker is basically 2 eggs in one so something similar

I had a layer that was productive for about 19-20 months then went through a shell-less or thin-shelled egg laying session (some eggs were huge too!) over a 3 month period before thankfully she stopped altogether.  Within a few weeks she went into a full blown moult well before the others and then a few months later in late winter, started to lay perfect eggs again.

She used to be the top hen more by accident than design by beak butting others out of the way of her food LOL but the deputy hen was mean and vindictive (feather eater) and eventually wore her down and out of her prime position.  I often wonder if it was the stress as she was an easy going hen - stress can upset the natural rhythm of their cycles as well as immune system.  Heat stress would do something similar.  Also, up until then she had been a good layer so basically she needed a rest to recover as it takes a lot out of them.

Do you put apple cider vinegar in the water?  Might be worth withdrawing that especially during hot weather as acidic conditions reduce the amount of calcium that can be absorbed.  Maybe a little dose of cod liver oil (don't over do it and only now and again) in the feed such as a mash made from the layers pellets to help with calcium absorbance - if calcium levels are low, it can be taken from bones so it's not just about increasing calcium in the food which too much can be bad for their kidneys but also vitamins too.
« Last Edit: July 09, 2015, 13:30 by BabbyAnn »

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danfinn1

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Re: Heatwave
« Reply #7 on: July 09, 2015, 15:06 »
Here is Sandy a collumbian black tail with much lighter colouring than the other two and a much smaller comb in her somber mood
04072015767 (1944 x 1458).jpg

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danfinn1

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Re: Heatwave
« Reply #8 on: July 09, 2015, 15:16 »
Many thanks BabbyAnn. I usually target supplements to the particular bird as if the others see something in my hand then its like a scene from a Hitchcock film :D

So I will isolate her from the other two and put some cod liver oil on her grape. Like you say she may get over it, we did notice she was very hormonie last summer, going broody then, bad tempered etc.

Aah the joys of chicken keeping  :lol: :lol:



 

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