Calling all chicken experts! ANOTHER Question...

[ranchhand]

Is this on the backside or frontside? If backside, perhaps it is from mating, where the roo hangs on...

No roosters, supposedly. Though I have a 10 month old who has just come out of his rooster closet......

For applying BluKote I highly recommend rubber gloves and a plastic rain poncho! Watch out for the shaking after applying. Spray and haul butt outta there!

 

[i_am2bz]

For applying BluKote I highly recommend rubber gloves and a plastic rain poncho! Watch out for the shaking after applying. Spray and haul butt outta there!

Thanks, ranchhand, too bad I didn't read your post sooner!! :/

I had DH spray while I held Miss Hen on an old table...his first spray got me full in the face!! I yelled, "You &*^%$!!! Well, keep spraying but watch your aim!" When he was done he had this stricken look, & said "Oh man, you're gonna kill me!"

I ran to the bathroom to look in the mirror...I looked like I had purple measles all over my face & neck!! Thank God I was wearing glasses or I'd have had it in my eyes as well! (It seems to have blended into my hair & dark green sweatshirt.)

Thanks to FarmerJamie, I had on latex gloves (not a spot on those, of course) & knew to clean up with nail polish remover...but next time I'm wearing a raincoat & plastic bag over my head!!!

 

[Denim Deb]

I have a BETTER idea! Next time, let HIM hold the chicken, and YOU do the spraying!

 

[i_am2bz]

I have a BETTER idea! Next time, let HIM hold the chicken, and YOU do the spraying!

That would be preferable, but DH had a stroke many years ago & is impaired on his left side, meaning he can't hold her with both hands. :/ I thought he could at least spray decently with his good hand....

 

[i_am2bz]

Okay, another question for the experts, cuz I've never seen this before...

When I was gathering eggs about an hour ago, I noticed they were very messy...not just with poop or mud from the hens' feet, but kinda...slimy, I guess. One egg in particular seemed to have what looked like egg yolk smeared on it. None of the eggs were broken.

Any idea what this is or what caused it? And should I be concerned?

 

[miss_thenorth]

Maybe one laid a rubber egg--an egg with no shell and it broke on the others? i've had that happen before.

 

[freemotion]

There was a broken egg in there that someone ate. Look at beaks next time you see that to determine who the culprit is. Rats will also do this, though, so hopefully all your beaks are clean!

 

[i_am2bz]

Hmm. Would the chicken have eaten every scrap of shell? I didn't find any shell whatsoever, just "goop." I guess a shell-less egg would make sense, because the shavings in the nest were very wet.

Interestingly, one of the other intact eggs had purple all over it - obviously from my Blue Koted hen! :/

 

[Beekissed]

They will eat every scrap of the shell...they will fight over and run after each other for a bit of shell. It's hilarious!

When this happens in my nests, I can just assume someone has broken an egg and someone else had a treat. At times a bird will lay an egg that has a fragile or thin shell and is easily broken, thus the mess.

 

[i_am2bz]

At times a bird will lay an egg that has a fragile or thin shell and is easily broken, thus the mess.

That may have been what happened. I have seen 2-3 very thin-shelled eggs this year. Like, tissue-paper-thin, where I could barely pick them up from the nest box without breaking them. Maybe the next hen stepped on it, it broke, & she had a little snack.

Thanks for your good responses, ya'll!