Disappointed !

[chrismahon]

After hatching 4 english Leghorn Bantam eggs in the hope that one of them would be the female offspring of the hen (Snowdrop) that was killed by the landlords's dogs an hour after arrival here we have been somewhat disappointed.

Three were light coloured and feathered up quickly, flying around long before the fourth which we called Chester on the assumption that he was a cockerel. Of the three flighty light coloured ones all developed feathering almost identical to the adult hens. But two grew large combs as well. Not significant I thought as leghorn hens have large combs anyway. 10 minutes ago two of the apparent hens (called Snowdrop and Littlest as 'she' is tiny) were perched on the side of the box. An attempted crow was heard and I tried to see behind them which of the TNN's it was. A crow again and I still couldn't spot the culprit. Then Littlest squeaked the highest pitched crow followed again by Snowdrop -we are gutted!

So the only difference between the hens and cockerels at the moment is the size of comb. Growing wing feathers early is not an indicator in this breed. Snowdrop is 6 weeks old and Littlest is 5. the youngest crower we ever had before this was a Wyandotte at 8 weeks.

The TNN's run true to form. The Cockerels are very poor flyers compared to the hens (they can jump higher but can't fly as such) and have large reddening combs. The cockerels were obvious at 4 weeks. We do have one larger hen -tall as the cockerels but heavier. So looking forward to seeing how she develops. The few that had little bits of fluff on their necks have lost it -the fluff fell out and feathers didn't grow to replace it. They are all very good examples of the breed but a few show signs of their mother's cuckoo colouring.

 

[ducksgeesechooks]

I feel your pain. I had an accidental white faced black spanish hen that despite her flighty nature became a favorite of mine. I always end up feeling bad for the underdogs and loners, so with my next order I ordered three more WFBS pullets as company for her - birds of a feather and all that. Two turned out to be cockerels. The third, the only pullet of the three, broke her neck falling off of a high perch. :-(

 

[chrismahon]

That's a very sad story indeed DGC. We've had a lot of favourites which got ill and died. We still want to find another 'Big Arnold' and a 'Frankie', both very impressive and lovely natured Wyandotte cockerels. Both had heart attacks within a few weeks of each other just before we moved over here.

On the bright side I've just replied to a post where the hen only likes grit and treats. Got me thinking that maybe our sick cockerel has worms and wants the grit to drag them out? He was done in early July.

 

[ducksgeesechooks]

Well I do know that chickens, like most other creatures, can handle a light wormload without trouble. The wormload has to be pretty severe before it causes the bird to start showing signs of illness.
I only worm once a year, but I know others that worm twice a year. Are you using a broad spectrum wormer or only wazine, that only kills roundworms?
There is a natural worming solution that I know some folks swear by - mix mature dried pumpkin seeds with a soupy gruel of buttermilk and oatmeal. Supposedly the curcurbit in the pumpkin seeds paralyzes the worms, allowing them to be expelled.

I've had my share of special needs birds. My favorite was Lil' Bit, a dark brahma that was blind in one eye. Such a special friend she was! Now I have Dragon, a silkie X with such a severe crossbeak that her bottom beak curls around and touches her face. I was strongly urged to cull her as a chick. She's now well past a year old and though requires extra work on my part and struggles to get her fill to eat, seems content enough with life.

 

[chrismahon]

We nurse our birds to the point that they completely rule our lives for a while DGC. Daffodil had severely swollen feet. No cure but we nursed her through it to the point that she blanked out the pain and began laying again. She was a house hen for over three months -used to come back from the Orchard and walk through the house to the dining room to put herself to bed. What a lovely nature she had and always talking!

You're right. He's had worms before and we only noticed when one was expelled. But we have Claude, who was very ill after we got him.He was wormed and made a dramatic recovery on the first of seven days.
we use Flubendazole. Sold as Flubenvet it kills all poultry worms and is the only one 'off-the-shelf' that does.

Interesting natural worming solution that. may give it a try and see if any worms come out.

 

[ducksgeesechooks]

Ah that's right. I looked up Flubendazole before. I haven't found that available here, but we do have valbazen (albendazole) and I believe the two to be chemically comparable. Here valbazen is only sold as a cattle and sheep wormer (also, prescribed for humans with worms), but works equally well in chickens. In a pinch I use ivermectin pour-on (Ivomec).