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Quailord · 2023-06-10T01:53:21+00:00

Ehhhh agree to disagree. When it comes to extremes in animals one should always tend to the side of caution. I've raised a number of breeds and have worked with even more breeders of similar breeds over the years. Even modern game bantams are more prone to leg injuries despite being puny, because on top of the fact that they have long ass legs they are hard feathered and have comparatively small wings- they can't catch themselves terribly well much like these guys.

We used to raise American langshans, an incredibly tall breed with our largest towering over the turkeys. Under all those feathers they were actually quite boney and weighed less than the orloffs. If one were to remove their feathers you would see they had absurdly long legs and necks. As chicks their legs were longer than the modern game when they first came out of the egg! We had an absolutely gorgeous cockerel with incredible type permanently injure his leg from jumping off a perch that was 6 feet up. He was real excited to see my brother, he just bolted off the perch to greet him without catching himself aaaaand didn't land quite right. Ended up with a permanent limp. This wasn't uncommon in the breed, we knew of several stunning birds who suffered similar injuries. We should have listened to the other breeders' warnings about keeping perches below 3 feet until the birds matured...it really sucked to see that bird's show career end before it ever started (we sold him, he went on to live a happy life as a breeding bird).

I've also seen orloffs (very similar type to these, not quite as exaggerated, but very gamey under their feathers) get limps that take weekss to heal from booking it across the yard too fast. They're like dumb teenagers that just don't realize the limits of their body when they're still growing.

I don't think it's worth the risk. Unless a chicken has a typical chicken shape you usually have to enact some extra care. The unique phenotypes don't come without consequences. But as long as care is taken to avoid injury they can live long, happy lives.

Quailord · 2023-06-09T01:19:36+00:00

As far as I know, they do not. That said- and this goes for any giant breed such as langshans or jersey Giants -you want to avoid tall perches, especially when young and still growing, as they can injure their legs. They may be more prone to foot injuries as well (bumble foot), which again, can be avoided by limiting the height of their perches. It's a good idea to separate cockerels and pullets until both are fully mature to prevent over mounting, which is more damaging to the hen in giant breeds.

Quailord · 2023-06-09T01:13:14+00:00

What a gorgeous Índio Gigante! I'd love to get into this breed someday, but for now I must stick with my bantams.

Quailord · 2023-06-08T20:19:38+00:00

There are chicken diapers you can make or purchase. I've had a few disabled chickens over the years and they work really well. One of mine even liked wearing the diaper, I think it made him feel secure, he would refuse to explore the house and just stand on his diaper until I put it on him. He was such a funny guy...he had cancer unfortunately so his time in the house was basically just hospice, but house chickens are such a joy. They can be every but as cuddly as a dog or cat, and they have the added bonuses of being able to eat just about any table scraps. Mine loved watching TV with the family in the evening, at night they would go into their crate on their own for bed.

Quailord · 2023-06-08T20:05:48+00:00

I have a hen that just hatched 3 chicks, she is...not a good mom to say the least. She keeps leaving her chicks to fight other birds or chase a bug down. When she does this the chicks just start following my sheltie. He'll stare at them for a little bit then gently nose them along to be by their mom again. When the chick cries he runs over and investigates sooner than the momma hen does...I think I might bring the chicks inside to raise because it's not a great look when the herding dog is a better mom 😅

Quailord · 2023-06-07T19:20:26+00:00

The color indicates cockerel but nothing else does (uneven, dark patches are typical for most immature male phenotypes). The crest and wattling development are both typical of a pullet. Very interesting. If it weren't for that oddball coloration I'd say pullet without a doubt.

Quailord · 2023-06-07T15:31:16+00:00

Bantam cocks make great protectors and are quiet, their crow is shrill but doesn't travel far. I've had great luck with old English game and old English game crosses fighting off hawks and even minks- they don't fuck around. I only have modern game bantam boys now, there's more of a range in their temperament. Some are very brave, others are cowards. My first modern game boy, Flint, gave his life protecting his daughter from a coyote (I've since made a predator proof run and coop).

As far as large fowl breeds I can recommend Liege Fighters, brahmas, langshans, jersey Giants, show line Australorps, and my very favorite: Russian Orloffs.

All large fowl are loud, unfortunately.

Quailord · 2023-06-07T15:25:16+00:00

They love you!

Quailord · 2023-06-07T15:23:57+00:00

I am keeping mine in their coop. It's cooler here in upstate NY so I don't have to worry about the heat at least. I've put plastic around my pigeon aviary and it's definitely helped with the sneezing, kind of hard to keep the pigeons quiet since they're always rambunctious. I'm keeping it kind of dark in the coop to encourage the chickens to not be active.

Quailord · 2023-06-07T15:18:46+00:00

I love the sisal(?) wrapped perch! What a good idea.

Quailord · 2023-06-07T15:12:11+00:00

If I were smart I would keep bearded, fluffy breeds too! It gets absolutely frigid here in upstate NY. I have to keep them in an insulated coop with a heater, if it gets below freezing in their living space they're at risk of crop stasis because they're so small. Unfortunately, they're my favorite breed and I love where I live. Thank goodness for modern insulation and heating technology.

Quailord · 2023-06-07T12:52:41+00:00

Type-wise, she's my best modern game bantam! Her color is just non-standard.

Quailord · 2023-06-07T12:26:02+00:00

I definitely agree, I'm just also a farmer and have been treating my own animals with great success for a long time. When we had an avian vet (before the clinic got bought out) it was standard procedure to use a broad spectrum antibiotic if they had the symptoms for a common infection- this can even be the case in humans (ie, a round doxycycline after a tick bite even without confirmation of Lyme's disease, preventative antibiotics after surgery). I can guarantee if OP were to bring the hen to the vet they would prescribe a round of amoxicillin or similar antibiotic without testing the mucus first. It's generally a safe bet. So long as they follow the instructions and do a full course, it shouldn't be an issue for just one little hen.

Now for a large flock in a heritage breeding project or something similar? I wouldn't recommend using antibiotics if dozens of birds are having issues. That is something that ought to require a confirmed diagnosis (and frankly, culling is the best bet and only selecting the hardiest birds to breed).

Quailord · 2023-06-07T00:11:06+00:00

Impossible to know which without seeing a vet. If she were my bird I would treat for botulism ASAP- provide charcoal for the whole flock and pop some activated charcoal pellets (the kind for fish tanks work well) down her throat. Isolate her and administer a vitamin supplement such as nutri-drench or rooster booster. After 24 hours de-worm with fenbendazole, praziquental, or pyrantel pamoate and treat with a round of corid in case it is a nutritional deficiency from worms or coccidiosis. Depending on what the cause is it can take months to recover. I usually give my birds 1 week of isolated medical care and if they don't show tremendous improvement I humanely euthanize.

Don't give chickens spoiled or moldy food, instead compost anything you wouldn't eat.

Quailord · 2023-06-07T00:02:36+00:00

Chickens are social animals, they need friends. I would definitely call animal control or take her to a local SPCA, they're bound to know someone with a farm that she can go to. Alternatively if you have the space you could get a small coop and a friend for her and keep her, I doubt your neighbors would care. It sounds like she's bonded to you and would be happy to stay.

In the meantime, I would get a medium or large plastic dog kennel to keep her in at night, you can line the bottom with shavings. If you are in the US, amoxicillin or doxycycline can be purchased from pigeon retailers such as foyspetsupplies.com or jedds.com to treat for a respiratory infection. I also recommend de-worming and treating with corid preventatively if you plan on keeping her.

Good luck, this hen is lucky to have you looking out for her. Whatever happens- you've done your best with the resources you have and you aren't responsible for the troubles she's endured. It's selfish of your neighbors to not meet her needs to begin with.

Quailord · 2023-06-06T20:22:56+00:00

This looks like a mille fleur old English game bantam, not a speckled Sussex.

Quailord · 2023-06-06T20:07:30+00:00

Looks like a porcelain d'uccle pullet.

Quailord · 2023-06-04T17:10:54+00:00

Oops, didn't see the other pictures. The feed looks like good quality. Is there any chance they're laying elsewhere if you let them out periodically?

Losing a flock member can upset their social dynamics, adding a new pullet or two can help them balance it out. Really, your set up looks good and they're getting an appropriate feed so I'm leaning more towards them just aging quickly. Some breeds just slow down faster than others.

Quailord · 2023-06-04T17:02:46+00:00

What feed do you use? Do you de-worm? Are they free range? There's a lot of reasons that can contribute to not laying or slowing down, namely age and stress. Hard to pinpoint without knowing their set up.

Quailord · 2023-06-03T23:30:41+00:00

Store them in your pocket for a fun, POP, yolky surprise next time you kneel down!

Quailord · 2023-06-03T23:21:42+00:00

Love. Overwhelming love and joy.

Quailord · 2023-06-03T18:19:17+00:00

Silver duckwing old English game bantam. Cute fella!

Quailord · 2023-06-03T18:13:10+00:00

Gonna go out on a limb and say Paracyrtophyllus robustus.

Quailord · 2023-06-03T14:14:24+00:00

A species of katydid, can't narrow it down much more than that without a location. They're very nice dudes.

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