Ask the Expert — June/July 2019

Rock-Hard Pieces in Eggs

While blending my silkies’ hard-boiled eggs to feed them back to them, these rock-hard pieces were inside. It has happened on two separate occasions. Do you have any idea what they are and what causes it? 

— Marcia L.

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Hi Marcia,

While those hard pieces may be alarming to find, they are simply crystals of excess calcium or protein. Maybe you wouldn’t have seen them in a fresh egg but the cooking process could have hardened them. You can choose to throw them out, but it doesn’t mean anything is wrong with your hens. Humans and other animals also find healthy ways to expel excess calcium, protein, or salts. You may even find crystals in a piece of hard, aged cheese, which can make the food quite tasty!

— Marissa Ames

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Handsome Rooster Troubles

I am a subscriber to your delightful Backyard Poultry magazine for some years now. We have a wonderful rooster — unfortunately, its former bright and upright comb has, during the past two years, developed spots of serious-looking discoloration, almost fungus-like, and is drooping to one side. The bird does not seem to be troubled, it is lively and eating well. The chicken house is kept clean, well ventilated and, during the cold season, we install an oil-filled radiator — on thermostat. The cold weather cannot be a reason since the chickens are kept inside the house should the thermometer reach 30 degrees F. They still can move onto a small, hay-covered terrace, enclosed by storm-windows. The chickens enjoy a large fenced-in yard around their house with overhead netting against birds of prey … in other words, our birds are well-cared for. I am attaching 4 photos … can you shed some light on the rooster’s malady? Kindly respond, many thanks!

Sincerely,

— Ilse Dickerhof, New York

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Hi Ilse,

At first glance, I would have said this is frostbite. Since that doesn’t seem to be possible, it must be something else. Pecking damage could also be a possibility, but I don’t think it looks like that.

There are reports of fungal infections, specifically candidiasis, on combs, and some of the pictures I’ve seen look fairly similar. Since it’s on the comb like this, I think you might try a topical antifungal ointment (for humans), and spread it right on the affected areas. These aren’t labeled for use in chickens, so they’re not meant to be used on food animals. I’m guessing this is a pet, so that may not be an issue.

I’m not a veterinarian, so this is not a firm diagnosis, and certainly not a prescription. It might be something for you to try on your own. I imagine there could be bacterial infections that might cause similar symptoms, too.

Good luck with him!

— Ron Kean

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Spreading Poultry Diseases

I’ve been meaning to write about this for a while, but your excellent Defend the Flock article put it in my head to do it today.

All the talk about diseases goes to protect the birds, and that’s important, but we also need to talk about protecting ourselves, and especially our kids. Backyard Poultry is the best place I can think of to reach the families who need to know.

Right off the bat, please tell parents to teach their kids NOT TO KISS THE BIRDS! It’s the quickest way to catch salmonella — or worse. We talk all the time about washing hands after handling pets of any kind, but no one thinks of this one. I’m asking you, the editor, to not show pictures of kids — or grownup kids — kissing their birds. My friend who keeps chickens tells his kids that they could make the chickens sick. That may or may not be true, but the kids got the message because they’re so concerned about their birds.

It is not a good idea to have poultry as house pets. In countries where humans contracted avian influenza — and died — their poultry shared their living quarters more often than not.

Backyard Poultry does the best job of any magazine out there teaching folks how to keep their birds clean and healthy. Thank you so much for years and years of great service. Keep it up.

Sincerely,

— Maggie Nelson, Huge Fan

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Hi Maggie,

Thanks so much for writing in! I laugh every time I hear advice not to kiss your poultry … then I turn around and see it happening. We all love our birds but need to remember they’re just that: birds.

Thank you for your support!

— Marissa Ames

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Aggressive Roosters

Hi! We have chickens at our barn where we also board horses. Two of our chickens are aggressive roosters and while our family has trained them not to be aggressive to us, our public boarders are being attacked and we cannot train every new barn visitor to establish their dominance. Our roosters can’t keep attacking our boarders and we DO NOT want to get rid of them. Please help!

— Aviana McDaniel

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Hi Aviana,

I think one solution would be to keep the roosters in an enclosed pen, at least during times of the day when you are open to the public. Aggressive roosters could be a real safety and liability problem, especially if there are children around. Other than that, I’m not sure.

Good luck with them!

— Ron Kean

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Weird Egg

Here are the pictures of my abnormal egg. I don’t think it is a lash egg and that’s all people are suggesting on my facebook groups. 

Egg was otherwise normal aside from slightly misshapen. 

Thank you!

— Catherine Drahota

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Hi Catherine,

In the past six months, have you noticed any wheezing, runny noses, or lethargy in your flock? The fact that your egg was slightly misshapen indicates a possible history of infections bronchitis — which is highly contagious and not all birds show symptoms. I once had it sweep through my flock in a matter of two weeks, and it seemed only two-thirds of the birds got sick … but one Welsummer who never showed symptoms had fragile and misshapen eggs for about six months afterward.

A study done way back in the 1950s recorded the effects of IB on hens’ reproductive tracts. Scientists watched one flock with IB to pay attention to water intake, lack of appetite, egg quality, and health of the reproductive tract. Some of the infected birds were euthanized so the scientists could study effects on the tracts. The epithelial layers on the innermost surface appeared plumper and presented a darker color when dyed, signaling inflammation. (Avian Diseases, Vol. 1, No. 2 pp. 136-164 by M. Sevoian and P.P. Levine)

If your bird survived IB (and it is highly survivable), it’s possible that after she healed, her body sloughed off the damaged epithelial layer and carried it out in an egg, which explains the tubular structure.

But if your hen is still energetic, eating and drinking normally, and all you can see now are misshapen shells, I wouldn’t worry. She recovered just fine.

Good luck with your flock!

— Marissa Ames

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Hi Catherine,

Thanks for sending the pictures.  I think this is probably similar to a “lash egg.” It looks like a mass of sloughed tissue and/or bits of egg. My guess is that this got in the oviduct along with a normal yolk, and then the egg formed around both. Hopefully, it was a one-time occurrence.  If you see more of these, it might be good to try to determine which hen is laying them. If you have a large flock, it might be worth it to contact your state veterinary diagnostic lab and submit her for testing. You’d likely have to sacrifice the one hen, so if you have a small flock, you may not want to do that.

This might make people want to think about candling eggs, or breaking the eggs into a separate bowl, so you don’t find one of these in whatever it is you’re making! It looks like you may have already been doing that!

Good luck with your flock!

— Ron Kean

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I did just rescue them about two to three months ago and there was some sneezing for the first month. They are all energetic and eating fine, begging for snacks, etc. I will just keep an eye out but I am very relieved she is okay!

Thank you so much for your help!

— Catherine Drahota

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Chickens Pecking Rust?

It’s quite cold up here in New Hampshire, and my chickens have been hanging around in my garage where I have an old car. The other day I heard some pecking noise coming from under the car, and when I looked there were pieces of rust on the floor where they had picked them off from the rusting chassis.

It doesn’t seem that they ingested any, but why would they be doing that?  Doesn’t sound as if it’s good for them.

— Bob Patenaude, New Hampshire

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Hi Bob,

I knew a chicken expert that said, “My belief that chickens would only eat what was good for them stopped when I saw them pecking out bits of my Styrofoam insulation.” Your chickens could be doing this for several reasons, and most have nothing to do with the iron content in the metal.

First off, I’m going to guess boredom, because they’re in an environment where they can’t roam and scratch in the dirt. Second, that rust is kind of reddish and red is a chicken’s favorite color. A great way to alleviate this, until it warms up enough to put them back outside, is to purchase or make toys. The old “cabbage on a string” trick works great and provides nutrition. You can buy chick treats that hang from strings, but mature birds will consume those fast and it can get expensive. For sheer boredom, you can buy red beads large enough that they won’t fit in a hen’s beak and attach to a thick string or a thin metal chain, hanging in a place where chickens can see and reach them. Other fun ideas are mirrors and kids’ xylophones.

Good luck, and I hope it warms up soon!

— Marissa Ames

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Unidentified Bird

Here are some photos of a bird that I have raised on my property. I have raised four of these birds in the past 25 years. This bird hatched out of a guinea egg. It has some characteristics of a guinea. At the time this bird was hatched I had a Blue Andalusian rooster running with my guineas. It has blue feet similar to my Blue rooster. I would like to know exactly what I have if you know.

— Dennis Holden, Tennessee

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Hi Dennis,

Though chicken/guinea fowl hybrids are rare, they do happen. A quick Google search shows some interesting crosses! And they can have shorter lifespans, as well, though most reports from guin-hen owners say that, the more the hybrid resembles the guinea fowl parent, the longer it tends to live. The appearance has been described as “atavistic,” or possessing characteristics of ancestors, and your hybrid looks a lot like a wild, buzzard-like creature.

Thanks for sharing with us!

— Marissa Ames

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Frozen Eggs

Northern Illinois had a powerful snow and ice storm on the first of February. About three-quarters of a mile away, three utility poles came down with the wires. We were without water, light, and heat. The rime was so thick on the windows that we had to use a flashlight in the house in the daytime. The poultry building door froze shut. My son who had power came to help start a generator. He could not get up the lane with his vehicle.

When we got the poultry door open we had some very hungry and thirsty birds. We also gathered the eggs. The water was frozen so I kept the eggs separate. None were cracked. I fried two and they appeared normal. I thought one that I hardboiled had a rubbery white. I used some in jam cake and all was well.

What do we know about frozen eggs? This was not a good example for I do not know if they really froze.

Thank you,

— Barbara Keriglo

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Hi Barbara,

My first indication that my eggs have frozen is that telltale crack. I don’t even give those to the dogs, because I have no idea just what bacteria have entered.

The USDA says this about frozen eggs in the Food Safety Portion of their site fsis.usda.gov: “Shell eggs should not be frozen. If an egg accidentally freezes and the shell cracked during freezing, discard the egg. Keep any uncracked eggs frozen until needed; then thaw in the refrigerator. These can be hard cooked successfully but other uses may be limited. That’s because freezing causes the yolk to become thick and syrupy so it will not flow like an unfrozen yolk or blend very well with the egg white or other ingredients.”

As far as intentionally freezing eggs, many people beat the egg then mix in a stabilizer such as sugar, so the egg doesn’t thaw out so rubbery. They freeze in ice cube containers then store in freezer bags, using one cube in place of one egg in a baked recipe.

This is what I would recommend: Collect eggs early, while it is still cold. Then “spin” the egg; place it on your counter and spin it to see how it moves. Frozen or hard-boiled eggs spin fast while fresh, unfrozen eggs just kind of wobble. If the egg spins freely, keep it frozen as the USDA recommends then be sure to fully cook it.

Thankfully frozen eggs probably won’t be an issue for a few seasons!

— Marissa Ames

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Black/Bloody Duck

We have two scovies. We have a house for them inside a large run that they share with four chickens. One of our scovies‘ caruncle and the top of its head has turned black and her one eye seems affected by this. Can you help us out with what it is?

— Byron Frescatore

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Hi Byron,

My first thought is that this looks like pecking damage. Are the hens pecking at the duck? You might try to separate the duck until the area can scab over, if that is possible. You might also try to give the chickens something to peck at instead. A bale of hay, or vegetables, or something similar can work well. I’ve seen people hang a head of cabbage, as an example. I’d suggest something fairly low in energy (calories) and high in fiber, if possible.

Since you mentioned that it turned black, is it possible that the duck had a bit of frostbite? That could have caused the black coloration. I still suspect that the others are pecking at it, but that might have been the start of it.

Hopefully, they won’t continue to peck. That can be a bad habit to break, once it has started.

Good luck with them!

— Ron Kean

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I want to thank you very much for responding and the info. The area is cleaning up now and she seems to be better. 

I appreciate, more than I can express, you taking the time to reply.

Thank you,

— Byron Frescatore

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Chicken Coop That Contained Fowl Pox

What is the best way to disinfect a coop that contained fowl pox? How long does it need to sit before new birds can be introduced? The rooster and his two hens were kept quarantined as soon as the sickness appeared. The last bird passed very recently.

— Tex Byars

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Hi Tex,

From my references, the pox virus can last for a very long time in a dry form. So, cleaning all the dust from the coop will be very important. Because the virus can last a long time in dried scabs from the chickens, it may be difficult to completely remove it from the coop. It is also spread from one bird to another bird by mosquitoes, and possibly by mites. Measures to prevent these pests will be important.

There are some fairly readily available vaccines for pox virus that you might consider, especially if this continues to be a problem for your flock. It’s kind of an interesting vaccination since it is administered by using what’s called a wing-stick. A two-pronged “needle” is dipped in the vaccine and then poked through the wing web of a chicken. You can check to make sure the vaccine worked in a week, since there will be a small scab and swollen spot at this location.

This disease is also somewhat interesting in its slow development. When you notice a bird showing symptoms, you can sometimes vaccinate the rest of the flock, and prevent them from getting it.

Good luck with your flock!

— Ron Kean

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Hi Tex,

You will find many suggestions regarding how to clean a coop, but I went straight to the scientists that study this virus and my best suggestion isn’t to treat the coop. It’s to treat the flock. As Ron said, it can persist for a long time in dried scabs, which would be difficult to clear out, and sanitizing agents such as bleach often cannot fully penetrate wood grain. I researched just how long it can persist, and even the Merck Veterinary Manual and the Journal of Virology didn’t give specific answers. They all suggested vaccinating the flock to avoid re-infection. If you know your chickens didn’t pick this up at a show or sale, that means it’s endemic in your area and mosquitoes could infect your birds again. The American Society for Microbiology says immunity is conferred 10-14 days after vaccination. Obtaining the vaccine does not require veterinarian authorization and a bottle of the wing-stick type can treat 1,000 birds for less than $20. This particular vaccine should be used within an hour after mixing and opening, so perhaps you can team up with other poultry owners in your area to share a bottle.

Good luck!

— Marissa Ames

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Electric Water Heaters for Poultry

Can you tell me what you recommend as the best electric water heater for chickens?

— Dale

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I always prefer the nipple bucket method, but unless you have the headroom in your coop and your birds are all about the same height, it likely won’t work for you. The next best alternative is the metal double-wall water dispenser. They don’t last as long as they used to, but they last longer than the thin plastic water dispensers I’ve used in the past. It’s far from an ideal system, but it does work. Be sure to set the height of the lip of the dispenser to the match the level of your bird’s back. This will reduce the likelihood of your birds fouling the water trough as easily. And the brand is largely irrelevant; they’re all made about the same and to the same mass-produced quality.

— Jeremy Chartier

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Rooster Spurs

I would like to know: how do we trim a rooster’s spurs?  Are they like finger- or toenails, or hooves? Or is there a blood source that runs down through the center of them? I don’t want to injure my Barred Plymouth Rock rooster, Emmett, but his spurs are getting so big that he has injured a couple of the girls! Thank you for any information, or sources, that you can provide me with!

— Ardella Hanes

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Hi Ardella,

If you clip the spurs too closely, there is a chance you could hit the bone and cause bleeding. So it’s good to have a styptic pencil on hand when you trim. In a pinch, cornstarch works great. 

Clipping, filing, and uncapping are three ways to deal with spurs. Filing involves wearing down that keratin sheath with a metal file or a Dremel tool. Uncapping simply removes that hard, sharp portion to expose the bony core inside. The downsides of uncapping are that it can cause pain/bleeding. And, with all methods, the spurs will grow back so you will need to do it again in the future. 

We have a great writeup on spurs on our website. It’s very comprehensive and details all three trimming methods very well. https://backyardpoultry.iamcountryside.com/chickens-101/a-guide-to-rooster-spurs/

Good luck!

— Marissa Ames

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Rooster Tail Feathers

My polish rooster lost his tail feathers at the same time my hens molted. The hens look great but the rooster (RodStuart) has not grown his tail feathers… What’s up? Will RodStuart grow them back?

— Lisa Nyquist

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Hi Lisa,

By chance, does your rooster have nubs of feathers on his rump, or maybe bloody spots? If so, you have a problem with feather picking. New feathers are very rich in blood, and chickens tend to peck them before they can grow into full, protective plumage. It gets especially bad at the tail and it often happens even when their diet is perfect because blood is tasty to them. I’ve found two ways to avoid this: First, you can isolate your rooster until he grows his tail back, but that could cause problems with loneliness and re-establishing pecking order when he is introduced back into the flock. Two, you can coat his rump with something that camouflages the red. Many poultry owners swear by Blue Kote and Pick-No-More. But I’ve found that simple, clean cornstarch works to clot the blood and hide color. I used it often when the other chicks in a brooder wouldn’t let my white Leghorns grow in their tails.

I hope RodStuart has his tail again soon!

— Marissa Ames

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Sore Chicken Leg

One of my Rhode Island Reds (approximately one year old) has a sore leg. She had some bleeding on the upper part of her left leg (foot) which cleared up about a week ago, and seemed okay; however, today we noticed that she was limping and hopping around. (Not putting any weight on her leg, and there is no bleeding going on). The upper part of her leg seems warmer than the rest of her foot. We soaked her leg in Epsom salts for about 5 minutes, then applied honey on the injured leg, and put her in a box (with straw and pine shavings, keeping her inside our house. A lot of snow and ice this winter.

Not sure what else to do. There aren’t any “chicken vets” in our area here in central NH.

Do you have any suggestions as to what we could do?

— Bob Patenaude, New Hampshire

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Hi Bob,

I’m not sure I have a great answer for the hen with the gimpy leg. It sounds like there was an injury — it’s hard to know what internal damage may have occurred. In general, chickens have a pretty remarkable ability to heal, so she may get better. Keeping her comfortable, with feed and water, as you are doing, is probably the best. Mississippi State Extension used to have a bulletin (no longer available) that suggested an aspirin solution for pain. You could try that. I believe they suggested dissolving five aspirin tablets in a gallon of water and then giving that to drink. They suggested this for three days. I don’t think it would hurt, and it might help if she has strained something. Other than that, I guess I’d suggest giving it some time.

I’m not sure these are real technical answers, but that’s what I’d suggest.

Good luck with the flock!

— Ron Kean

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