Birds

________________________________________________

 

 Comments

 

 

1. Jennifer Garcia says:

   January 12, 2012 at 10:14 am

   We have a hen who for the past couple months has been eating her eggs right after they are laid!? I have read maybe she is lacking in nutrition and could possibly stop this bad habit if given oyster shells. I would love to know what are your thoughts on in this? <3 Thanks!

    

2. admin says:

   January 12, 2012 at 12:45 pm

   She could be lacking nutrition but once a hen starts to break eggs it can be very difficult to get them to stop. Often when a hen breaks eggs it is because she has developed a taste for them. You might consider removing her from you others hens or she will teach them to eat the eggs too! You can try using dummy or golf balls and place them in the nest box. The hen will obviously not be able to break these so she may stop. One last thing always remove her eggs as soon as possible. If you can figure out what time of day she normally lays and take the egg right away before she has the chance to eat it this will help a lot.

    

3. Jennifer Garcia says:

   January 12, 2012 at 1:27 pm

   Thank you. We have tried the golf balls and that didn’t work and we are always trying to catch her right after she lays the egg to get it before she eats it and she was caught in action…she laid the egg and instantly stood up looked under her and started pecking it. Bad bad chicken! I will go ahead and give the oyster shells a try, praying it helps. It is the last resort I guess cause I don’t know what to do with her…we have no separate area for her that is safe against predators…she will unfortunately not be wanted by anyone for anything other than being eaten…and I cant do that . Thanks again…please pray the oyster shells work .

    

4. admin says:

   January 12, 2012 at 3:06 pm

   You could build a small cage that is slanted slightly and make it so the eggs roll out. Just leave a slit all the way on the bottom in the front of the cage so the eggs will roll out as soon as they are laid.

 

________________________________________________

 

Weekly Creature Tip 11/19/11

This week’s creature tip is on birds and is titled, “Birds and Grit”

Weekly Bible Verse: Luke 12:6 “Are not five sparrows sold for two copper coins? And not one of them is forgotten before God.

Here are the verses before and after Luke 12:6.

Luke 12:4-7

4 “And I say to you, My friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do. 5 But I will show you whom you should fear: Fear Him who, after He has killed, has power to cast into hell; yes, I say to you, fear Him! 6 “Are not five sparrows sold for two copper coins? And not one of them is forgotten before God. 7 But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.

From verses 4-5 we see that man can only do so much to us but ultimately it is God who judges us and we should fear Him more than man.  From verse 6 we see that God knows when even a tiny sparrow dies.  In verse 7 it talks about how much more valuable you are to God than a tiny sparrow.  God loves you so much that he knows all about you even how many hairs are on your head.  Serve the Lord and turn to Him that He might save you.  >>Click Here to read how to be saved<<  Now on to our creature tip.

Grit looks something like sand or fine gravel.  The purpose of the grit is to provide minerals and other nutrients that are very beneficial to birds.  In addition to this, grit also helps a bird break down its food so it is easier to digest because birds do not have teeth.  It is not always necessary to feed grit to your bird; it all depends on what is already present in your birds’ current diet.  Talk to your licensed veterinarian.

There are different kinds of grit sold by different companies but not all of them are of good quality.  Look for a grit that has oyster shells in it, as this is very good for birds. Grit also comes in different sizes; some are fine like beach sand, some are more rocky than fine, and some are bigger chunked like a fine gravel.  The breed of bird will determine what size grit should be given.  Small birds, such as finches and some canaries, would need a grit that is finer, more like beach sand.  Larger birds will need a rockier,  bigger chunked grit like fine gravel.

It is important not to over feed grit to your birds.  Some birds can free feed but other birds can not.  If a bird has never been fed grit before it could be lacking minerals and may try to consume too much in a feeding frenzy.  This could cause harm to the birds’ digestive system.  An example for Parakeets; feed them 1/8 teaspoon every 2-3 days.

________________________________________________

 

Weekly Creature Tip 9/24/11

This week’s creature tip is on birds titled “Brooding Hens”

Weekly Bible Verse: Psalm 36:7 How precious is Your lovingkindness, O God! Therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of Your wings. 

Brooding hens can be a great benefit because they can hatch new chickens for you.

 

When a hen is starting to brood they usually will NOT leave the nest box when you approach.  A broody hen will fluff up her feathers when touched and even try to bite you sometimes.  Another obvious sign of a broody hen is she will always be sitting on her nest.

If you choose to let your hen hatch out some eggs make sure your eggs are fertile (if you have a roost the eggs should be fertile).  If you do not have a rooster you can find someone that dose and buy 10-12 eggs from them.  We sell hatching eggs so you can buy them from us but we do not ship ore eggs at this time.  It is best to separate your brooding hen from the rest of your flock.  Make sure you pick a nice quiet, safe spot for the hen to raise her chicks.  Also make sure you place food and water near the hen.

Before you move a broody hen make sure she has been broody for several days.  If you move a newly broody hen often they will stop brooding.  I like to use dog kennels for my hens to brood in because it is a confining area so the hen will think more about brooding and not exploring the new area.  When you move the hen give her 3-5 eggs to practice brooding on.  Once your hen has been setting in the new cage or area for about 3 days you can take the practice eggs away and add the actual eggs you want the hen to hatch.  If you feel your hen is not always setting on the practice eggs at day 3 give her more time to settle in.  After you are sure she is setting on the eggs all the time add the new eggs you want her to hatch.  Be sure to remove the practice eggs.

 

If all goes well, in 20-21 days you will have new chicks and the hen will or should take care of the chicks.  All you need to do is supply the chick start feed and water for the chicks.  Also make sure the chicks are safe from drowning and from predators like hawks.  The momma hen should do the rest.

If you do not what your hen to brood just take away the eggs every day and she should stop in a week or two.

________________________________________________

Weekly Creature Tip 9/3/11

 

This week’s creature tip is on birds titled “Caring for a sick bird”

 

Weekly Bible Verse: Genesis 1:20 …let birds fly above the earth across the face of the firmament of the heavens.”

The healthy bird:

A healthy bird should have nice smooth looking feathers (unless it is molting). The feathers should not be rumpled up, the bird should not be under weight (breast should not be too bony).  The bird should have bright clean eyes, and have no discharge coming from the cere or nose.

 

The sick bird:

Often sick birds will have puffed up feathers all day and not move around much in the cage.

Caring for the sick bird:

The best thing you can do for your sick bird is take it to a vet that is very knowledgeable and treats birds all the time.  At home a heat lamp will help maintain the bird’s temperature.  Make sure the bird can get away from the heat if he gets too hot otherwise the bird could die.  If you use a reptile ceramic heat bulb it will not give off light so your bird can seep at night.

 

Make sure your bird has food and water right next to him.  You may need to put the food and water on the floor of the cage.  If your bird will not eat you can try hand feeding him with a baby bird formula.

If your bird is always trying to stay at the top of his cage and falls you may need to put him in a small cage.  Place a perch in the small cage a few inches from the bottom. Cages with horizontal bars are best so the bird can clime to a low perch and feel more comfortable.