Salpingitis in Laying Hens

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1 What is a Lash Egg? Salpingitis in Laying Hens I had never even heard of a lash egg. It had been over 10 years since we first began chicken keeping. In all that time, not once did I have a lash egg laid in my chicken coop. Until one day, a strange looking thing appeared. We had occasional strange eggs, bumpy shells, extra pigment, weak egg shells and one or two rubber eggs (no shell at all). And then, there it was. What is a Lash Egg you might be asking?

2 What is a Lash Egg? The first time you see this anomaly in the nest box or somewhere in the hen house you will be shocked. They are pretty gross looking objects. The lash egg may be rubbery and hard or a bit squishy but the many layers of material inside are the true markings of a lash egg. Salpingitis The correct term for the condition causing a lash egg is Salpingitis which is an inflammation of the oviduct where the egg begins its travels. The lash egg is not a true egg but may contain bits of egg material and a lot of pus and other material. They are rather disgusting and odd. The reason they are sort of egg shaped is because they still travel through the reproductive system, as an egg does. The one I found was very green. The inside, on further inspection, did show the layers and different material inside.

3 Is a lash egg a health problem? Is it a big problem? Lash Eggs, or Salpingitis can be a big problem. The inflammation may be due to an illness or infection and often by the time the lash eggs are seen, the hen is too sick to be saved. occurrence. Or it could be a one time As with many things when dealing with chickens, we often don t see the symptoms of a problem until it is too far gone. In our case, I looked at all the hens trying to determine which one might have laid the lash egg. All of our hens seemed very healthy and happy, eating well, interacting and dust bathing. None of the hens had any lethargy, cough, drainage or discharge. Do You Need to Cull the Hen? I definitely do not believe you need to cull a hen because she laid a lash egg or if she lays any abnormal egg. Many factors can contribute to upsetting the natural egg production. In the case of a lash egg, an infection or illness may irritate the Fallopian tube and oviduct causing an abnormal secretion or presence of pus. This may be serious or transient. Hens can recover from illness on their own or they may succumb. I would not recommend letting any animal suffer pain or serious illness but I believe a wait and see approach can be taken. A vet can be called to assist and may prescribe antibiotics. (read Lash Eggs And Dangerous Advice From Bloggers) Be Wary of What You Read on the Internet A lot of the information available on the internet recommends an immediate death sentence and here is why I think some people say this. In a commercial chicken business, the bottom line is production and profit. Now I am not saying that the operators don t care for the chickens or want them to be healthy. I am saying that feeding a potentially, seriously

4 ill chicken would be counter productive to the goal. This is why I state over and over that we need to know the purpose of the information on the internet. Why was it written, and who was it written for. Information written for poultry production houses can vary greatly from a course of action a small flock owner can take with non-communicable health issues. What should a backyard chicken keeper do? In the case of backyard chicken keepers and non- contagious illness, we can usually afford to take a few days to observe the affected hen, if we can even determine who laid the lash egg. Also, seek professional veterinary help if you feel you need it. No one can diagnose anything with one hundred percent accuracy, on the internet.

5 What can be done? If a hen is acting unwell, I would certainly take all precautions and start good bio-security practices. Naturally, I would treat the hen with an antibiotic, prescribed by the veterinarian. In addition, keeping the hens healthy on a day to day basis is extremely important. Good preventative health care for chickens can include probiotics and herbs along with quality layer feed. Keep the hens healthy with natural care Building a healthy immune system by feeding fresh herbs, apple cider vinegar in the drinking water and garlic added to the feed does help boost the immune system. We do all of this. Since all of my hens seem perfectly healthy, I am going to just watch for signs of illness and hope the lash egg was an anomaly. And again, anytime you feel unsure of your chicken s health, consult an avian veterinarian.

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7 This post appeared on Backyard Poultry Magazine.com Help! My Chickens are Molting What do you do if the chickens are molting? It s the very end

8 of summer and some changes are happening on the farm. The fiber goats are about to have their fall haircuts. The rabbits are eating a lot of food during the cooler evenings. The piglets are moving on to their new homes. Leaves are showing a slight change in color and the summer garden is waning in production. But the most dramatic change occurs in the chicken coop and run, as the chickens begin to look a bit ragged. Ok, lets not sugar coat it. They look downright bad as they start to lose the glossy summer feathers and show balding spots and rough appearance. The chickens are molting! What Triggers Chickens to Molt As daylight begins to shorten, molt is triggered. The hens may even stop laying eggs during the molt, because all of the protein intake is going towards feather growth. If you have

9 extra eggs during the spring and summer seasons, you can freeze the extra eggs for the fall season when you most certainly will see a drop in egg production. You can read the instructions for freezing eggs in this earlier post. As a first time chicken owner, years ago, I was sure that something was wrong with our flock. How could my beautiful birds be OK when they looked so messy? As it turns out, and I quickly discovered, this is normal fall chicken molting and a part of the chickens normal cycle. There s even a pattern to the feather loss and regrowth. The molt will start with the head feathers and work its way to the tail and the fluffy butt.

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11 The Chickens are Molting! How Can I Help? The best thing you can do to support your chickens during molting season, is to feed adequate protein in the form of a high quality layer ration. Look for a ration that has at least 16% protein. While I have not switched feed because we feed a good layer ration all year through, you could also switch to a meat bird ration at 18% protein. Don t overdo the amount of scratch grains during molt either. The chickens will still be happy to eat the chicken candy, but it will result in lower protein intake and a slower recovery from molt.

12 Not all of your chickens will molt at the same time

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14 Treats for the Molting Chickens Some recipes are available that will add some excitement to the life of a molting chicken. My favorite molt muffin recipe was published last year in the book, Fresh Eggs Daily by Lisa Steele I contacted Lisa, and she kindly gave me permission to share the recipe with you. But don t stop there. I highly recommend this book for all who are interested in natural chicken keeping. You can purchase your own copy of Fresh Eggs Daily, here or on Amazon, Fresh Eggs Daily: Raising Happy, Healthy Chickens Naturally Molt Muffins :00:21

15 Rich nutrition for your molting chickens Write a review Save Recipe Print Ingredients /2 cup old fashioned oatmeal 1/2 cup shelled sunflower seeds 1/2 cup dried mealworms 1/4 cup wheat germ 2 tablespoons powdered milk 1/4 cup raisins 1/4 cup coconut oil, warmed to liquid 1 tablespoon blackstrap molasses 1 cup natural unsalted peanut butter to hang the muffins you will need six large buttons (over 1" diameter so the chickens can't swallow them and baker's twine) Instructions In a large bowl combine the dry ingredients. Stir in the coconut oil and molasses then add the peanut butter and mix well. Set aside Line the muffin cups with paper liners If you want to hang the muffins in the run, thread the baker's twine through two holes in the buttons. Place

16 one button in the center of each muffin cup, leaving the ends of the twine hanging over the sides of the muffin pan. Spoon the muffin mix evenly into the cups, making sure the button is centered in each cup. Refrigerate the muffins until firm. Remove them from the paper liners, hang them in the run and watch your chickens enjoy the treat! Notes 1. The only thing I did differently was to grease the muffin cups instead of using paper liners. When I made them using paper liners I had trouble removing the liner before putting the muffins in the run. By Lisa Steele Adapted from Fresh Eggs Daily Adapted from Fresh Eggs Daily Timber Creek Farm Other Helpful Treats for When the Chickens are Molting Some treats you may already have around your home or feed room are great for this time of year. Chickens will always run eagerly towards a handful or two of meal worms. These are fantastic for protein intake and rarely will you see a chicken turn them down. There is evidence that the increased protein from grubs and mealworms will help chickens recover quicker from a stressful molt. Black soldier fly larvae, often marketed as grubs, are now available from Tasty Worm Nutrition. Our flock loves these, and the ducks think they are the best thing ever! Black oil sunflower seeds are another high protein snack. The chickens will enjoy the variety of different supplements while they grow some beautiful new feathers.

17 Weigh all the Advice Carefully An old country method is to give the chickens some dry cat food. Cat food is characteristically very high in protein. I will be honest with you. I used to do this occasionally as a new chicken owner. We did not have any problems from it. Then, many times in a row, pet food recalls were occurring. Pets were even dying from toxic pet food. If the food can sicken a cat, that it is intended for, I decided to no longer treat the chickens to occasional cat food. Everything in Moderation! Even though the molting chickens will look pleadingly at you, there is no need to over do the treats during the molt. The old adage, everything in moderation, still applies.

18 The time it takes to molt varies from chicken to chicken. It is good to support chickens with good nutrition so the hen can return to egg laying as soon as possible

19 How Long Will the Molting Last? One last thought. Even though your chickens will look horrendous during the molt, do not give up hope. As long as your chickens are eating, drinking, running around and acting fairly normally, then all is well. Expect new feather growth in your chickens after 4 to 6 weeks. Some chickens molt and recover feathers quickly and some take FOREVER. Fear not, your flock will soon be fully feathered again and ready for fluffing up their feathers for chilly winter nights. Take care when handling your chickens during the molt as the new feather shafts are delicate and can be injured easily. Roosters will molt, also. Take care when handling roosters, anyway! This rooster is showing the beginnings of molt. Now go show your chickens some love. too. Ugly chickens need love You may enjoy these other recent posts on poultry

20 Hatching Eggs with Broody Duck Best Ever Chicken Advice Keeping Your Chicken Coop Smelling Fresh Second edition available soon What Causes Membranes Weak Egg Yolk

21 How do you correct weak egg yolk membranes and get perfect sunny-side up eggs? When you cook the egg does it run all over the pan? This was a question I received recently from a reader. It s fairly well known that a firm, strong egg shell requires plenty of free choice calcium for the hen to indulge in. But what about yolks that break apart as soon as the shell is cracked. The egg hits the pan and poof, there goes the yolk, spreading all across the pan. The reader who contacted me had done some experimenting of her own. It didn t seem to matter which eggs she tried. The yolks still broke easily. She tried refrigerating eggs, not refrigerating, fresh, not as fresh, new hens, old hens.. you see the picture. I was intrigued by the question of what causes a weak egg yolk and did some research of my own. The results were all across the board! Some thought the eggs being stored in the refrigerator caused this. While others swore it was from keeping the eggs at room temperature. Even the storing in the carton was brought under the microscope, as in should they be pointy end up or down, in the carton. (the correct way is pointy end down)

22 How is Egg Quality Determined? Eggs are graded for external and internal quality. The external qualities of the egg are the cleanliness, texture and shape of the egg shell. It s not uncommon to find occasional odd eggs in the nest box. The internal grading looks at the albumin s cleanliness and viscosity. The other factors of internal quality are size of the air cell, yolk shape and yolk strength.

23 Possible Causes of Weak Egg Yolk After weeding through many other research articles, forums and posts, it seems there is no definitive answer to the question of what causes a weak egg yolk. However there are some areas of possibility. Protein Low protein diet. A low protein diet can affect the egg yolk and cause weak egg yolk membranes because the membranes are formed from protein. The entire internal quality of the egg is affected by the protein available in the hen s diet. A low quality feed may appear to be the budget conscious choice, but if the protein is not of good quality, the chicken s body may not be absorbing enough of the protein. Feed with a heavy percentage of corn can have an adverse effect on protein availability in a feed.

24 Stress Stress. Both environmental and physical stress factors can cause a hen to lay an egg with a weak egg yolk. Molting can be a stress factor in weak egg yolk. Increasing protein in the diet should help eliminate the problem. Weather can also affect the hens and possibly cause stress to their system. Extreme heat would be more likely the cause than too cold. Frequency of Egg Collecting Frequent collection of fresh eggs, and proper storage in room temperature area for the short term storage is advised. This is especially important during heat waves. Longer storage times leads to decreased internal quality. When an egg is freshly laid, the yolk is round and firm. The vitelline membrane holds the yolk in place. As the egg ages, the yolk

25 absorbs water from the egg white. The yolk increases in size and causes a weakening of the vitelline membrane. The yolk becomes flatter and weaker. Any factor that hastens the aging of a fresh egg is going to have an effect on the quality of the egg. Illness in the Flock Prior illness in the flock or individual hens can cause weak egg yolk. Also, older hens tend to lay eggs with the weak egg yolk issue more than the younger hens. Handling of Eggs Rough handling during collection, can lead to a weakening of the internal membranes. Breaking refrigerated, cold eggs, into a hot pan can cause the

26 yolks to break upon contact. This is easily remedied by allowing the eggs to reach room temperature before cooking. How to Correct the Problem of Weak Egg Yolk The main reasons found for weak egg yolk issues are the age of the egg, storage temperature, water absorption, and handling practices. In addition, disease in the flock, protein in the diet, and age of the hen come into play. If you are finding weak egg yolks in your fresh eggs, assess the list given here as a starting point to determining the cause in your flock. My first thought would be to increase the good quality protein in the hen s diet. Adding meal worms is one tasty way to entice your flock to eat more protein. Black oil sunflower seeds are another tasty protein treat for chickens.

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28 Consider any external stress that may be present in the environment. If heat is a factor, consider adding a fan to the coop to increase air flow and cool the coop down. Add cooling herbs such as mint and lavender to the area so the hens can peck at the herbs. Parsley, Marjoram, Fennel, and Borage are good to add when egg problems exist. As a result, the hens will be more comfortable while providing delicious strong, high quality eggs. In any event, adding more quality ingredients to your hen s diet can only help them build stronger immunity and live healthier lives. How to Use the Whole Pumpkin Do you try to use the whole pumpkin when you cook? Pumpkins

29 are simply amazing, as a decoration and in taste, and nutritionally. A great vegetable all wrapped up in a very cute package. Since the pumpkin is such a wonder of nature we should learn how to use the whole pumpkin! I look forward to pumpkin season every year, and as soon as September gets rolling, I am looking for ways to decorate with pumpkins in my home and yard. I have been accused of rushing the fall season by getting the pumpkins out early. But, hey, some people rush the Christmas holiday, I rush the fall holidays. Its my thing! The first festival that includes pumpkins in a big way is Halloween. Not necessarily my favorite of holidays but I forgive it and put up with it because jack o lanterns are so much fun to make. Actually, my favorite holiday is Thanksgiving. The fall colors and delicious food combine to fill my senses. And pumpkins play a part both in the food, and in the decorations. November starts the annual cooking of the pumpkins at our

30 home. This year I gathered quite a collection of different pumpkins, most of which we grew here from heirloom seeds from last years pumpkins. Last year we had a gift of many organic heirloom pumpkins from a local grocery (David s Natural Market in Gambrills) and after feeding the pumpkins to the pigs, they nicely obliged by planting the seeds and tilling them into the ground for us! We had pumpkins growing everywhere! How to Use the Whole Pumpkin 1. Cook the pumpkin to make delicious pumpkin puree 2. Save the seeds from heirloom pumpkins to plant more next year. 3. Roast the seeds for a delicious snack food. 4. Treat your livestock to fresh or cooked pumpkin. The health benefits are good for them too. And pumpkin seeds contain something that is a natural de-wormer. Feeding pumpkin and pumpkin seeds to your chickens will encourage good intestinal tract health. 5. If you don t know me or someone else with farm animals, place the pumpkins near the back of your property and help the wildlife! The birds, deer, squirrels and chipmunks will all enjoy your leftover pumpkins. Really, why let any part of the pumpkin go to waste when there are so many ways to use the whole pumpkin. Cooking the Pumpkin Slice the pumpkin in half. Scoop out the innards and put them in a colander. Put the pumpkin halves face down on a foil lined baking sheet. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes at 350 degrees F or until fork tender. You can also read more about making pumpkin puree here from The Easy Homestead.

31 The pumpkin is cooked when a fork pierces the skin and flesh easily. Separating the seeds roasting. for saving and In the meantime, decide how you want to use the inside goopy part of the pumpkin. If my chickens had their way, every

32 single pumpkin and gooey seedy inside goodness would come their way. And since I cook so many pumpkins for our winter eating, the chickens receive plenty of pumpkin goodness. And so do the pigs, master gardeners that they are. But first, I grab some seeds from this line of pumpkins and roast some seeds. Start by rinsing the seeds and pumpkin guts under cold running water. The stringy gooey stuff does end up in the chicken pen and I try to leave a few seeds for the chickens too. After separating the seeds from the goo, drain the seeds on paper towels. Be careful, they are slippery little devils! I saved about three dozen seeds to save for planting next spring. These seeds were laid on a paper towel to dry for about a week. Then they were stored in an envelope, saved for future years to use the whole pumpkin in baking, and cooking. The rest of the seeds I prepared to roast. Melt a table spoon or two of butter, depending on the amount of seeds. This was a small pumpkin so I only needed one tablespoon of

33 butter. Mix the seeds and seasoning and salt in a bowl with the butter. I used a seasoned salt and regular salt this time. You may want to try some garlic salt, a spicy blend or your favorite seasoning. Olive oil can be used in place of butter if you prefer. Bake in preheated oven 350 degrees F for about 20 to 25 minutes, looking for the seeds to be a light golden brown. Be careful because towards the end, the browning can turn to burning, quickly. I also recommend this post from The FlipFlop Barnyard on roasting pumpkins seeds.

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37 What to do with the cooked pumpkin? Okay, the pumpkin is cooked. Now what? After it cools, scrape the flesh from the skin. Put it in a bowl and using a potato masher or an immersion blender, puree the pumpkin. Store the pumpkin in the refrigerator and use with in a few days, or freeze it. Do not attempt to can pumpkin puree. If you choose to pressure can the pumpkin, it must be in chunks not puree. The skin? Well that can be fed to your chickens or you can dehydrate pieces of the skin in your dehydrator for crispy pumpkin chips! Now that s a way to use the whole pumpkin! Many people bake delicious recipes while using the whole pumpkin. Mom Prepares has compiled a list of ten recipes that you can try. Pumpkin is a tasty ingredient in pancakes, cookies, breads, and desserts. I used the pumpkin puree to make a decadent Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bread. Give that recipe a try soon! I am sure you will agree, it s worth the effort to use the whole pumpkin!

38 How many of these methods do you use when you have pumpkins? For more on feeding healthy pumpkin to your chickens and livestock check out these posts> Chicken Gardening Pumpkin, Garlic and Nasturtiam Soup for Chickens

39 6 Fall Chicken Coop Preparations to Make Now The end of summer is the perfect time to think about fall chicken coop preparations. This isn t a huge job for most of us. The chickens most likely spent a lot of time outside the coop during the summer. Feathers are everywhere at this time, due to the fall molt, so it s a good time to clean up. Making sure that you are ready for the changeable fall weather, makes life much easier. Some years we have gone from beautiful fall weather to an over zealous cold front over night. Scrambling to get warm water to the flock, close up gaps and make sure we had plenty of straw and feed ready was a rush! Spending an afternoon running through my list of fall chicken coop

40 preparations will save you many headaches later on. Fall and winter, in many areas of the country, are wet and cold. There are areas of the country that don t see bare earth after the snow begins to fall in late October,or sometimes earlier! Here are a few key items to focus on while preparing your chickens for fall and winter weather. 6 Fall Chicken Coop Preparations to Make Now. 1. Start the Season with a Clean Coop Start by emptying all the nest boxes, bedding, and what ever you use to cover the coop floor. When your coop is completely swept out,check for rodent damage. Walk around the outside and look for areas where rodents might be entering the coop. If you can enter the coop, do the same thing on the inside. If you can t fit into the coop to inspect, use a flashlight to look for structure damage and holes. Look for any holes or openings and repair them. When the holes are in the floor or lower portion of the wall, I recommend using some cement to plug the holes. Roost bars should be cleaned and dusted with DE powder to remove any mites. Placing the roost bar in the sun for a few hours will help with insect control and disinfecting. healthy. Remember clean and dry surfaces are While you are in the cleaning mode, pick up debris that may have accumulated around the coop. Weeds, sticks and trash give rodents a place to hide. If the area is cleaned up, the rodents are more exposed and may not try to mooch dinner from the chickens.

41 2. Check the Coop s Ventilation Grab the broom again, but this time look up. Dust off the ceiling of the coop and make sure the roof ventilation is not blocked by debris, dust or leaves. Ventilation is just as important to the coop atmosphere in the winter. Without adequate ventilation, moisture will collect in the coop. Moisture during cold temperatures can lead to frost bite on combs, wattles and feet. It will also contribute to unhealthy accumulation of ammonia in the air, making your chickens more susceptible to respiratory illness.

42 3. Inspect the Roof Next, check the roof. Check that the shingles are in good condition, and still firmly attached to the roof. Make the repairs now while the weather is fine. It is no fun at all to be repairing the coop roof during a heavy rainstorm. This will be a fall chicken coop preparation that you will wish you paid attention to! 4. Check the Lights (for you, not the chickens!) Check the cords for any light you may depend on to brighten the coop once day light savings time is over. Sometimes extension cords stop working. They may have shorted out, or been damaged somehow. While I don t recommend extending daylight in the coop for the chickens to lay more eggs, I do appreciate being able to turn on a light when feeding in the fall. When daylight savings time ends, darkness comes so early!

43 5. Check on the Water One of our fall chicken coop preparations is to check the water system. If you use a hose to get water to the coop area, check that it is in good shape. Does it have holes in it? Right now, our hoses are a mess. The connections are bent, leaving puddles along the way to the water bins. I need to bite the bullet and buy some replacement hoses or connections. Where do you hang the hose when not in use so that water doesn t freeze inside of it? If you don t drain the hose after use, the water in the hose freezes. You won t get any water through this hose unless you find a way to thaw it out first. 6. Grab a Little More Feed Now is the time to stock a little bit more feed than you normally stock during the warm summer months. Using this method you will not run out of feed during a winter storm. Summer storms seem to be shorter in duration than winter storms. Afterward, the chickens can go back to foraging for weed, greens and insects. During the winter, the storms may

44 dump large amounts of snow. When the storm ends, your chickens will need to be fed grain and may need to be kept inside for an extended time. Be ready for this possibility by having chicken feed on hand beyond what you normally use. What do I do? We normally use 100 lbs of feed per week, give or take. During the winter I like to have 2 or 3 bags of feed in the feed room at all times. This way, if I can t get to the store, or the store does not get it s delivery of feed, I can easily wait. Of course your amount will be whatever works for your flock. I just don t recommend playing it too close to empty during the winter. This is one of the simple fall chicken coop preparations to make. Chickens are rather cold hardy beings and have built in insulation with the thick feathers that come in after molt each year. Keep the coop draft free, well ventilated, and dry, and have plenty of grain to keep them fed along with fresh water. Your chickens won t mind winter one bit.

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