# What do we have here :)



## Cvhook (Jun 4, 2015)

Hi everyone.. 
I think I took in 9 RIR X roosters but I'm worried I have a hen in the mix. 
Could you please look at the pics and give me your thoughts.


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## Cvhook (Jun 4, 2015)

*More pics*

I'm having a hard time posting on my phone.


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## Cvhook (Jun 4, 2015)

More pics. I'll get there eventually.


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## Cvhook (Jun 4, 2015)

More pictures ...


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## Cvhook (Jun 4, 2015)

I thought I was safe as no one has laid any eggs and they were supposed to have hatched last spring.


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

I was being so confused, I saw those feathered feet and I'm thinking those are not RIRs. Then I saw the X. Ahh, OK, got it. Just working on my first cup of coffee.

If you're not seeing saddle feathers on that first bird like on all the others then you're right, you've got yourself a female in there.


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## Cvhook (Jun 4, 2015)

robin416 said:


> I was being so confused, I saw those feathered feet and I'm thinking those are not RIRs. Then I saw the X. Ahh, OK, got it. Just working on my first cup of coffee.
> 
> If you're not seeing saddle feathers on that first bird like on all the others then you're right, you've got yourself a female in there.


Ah.. fears confirmed. Are saddle feather like the ones in pic three that hang down off the roosters back?


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## Cvhook (Jun 4, 2015)

Cvhook said:


> More pics. I'll get there eventually.


I had actually suspected this one as I've never seen him crow and he is more timid than the others.


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## Cvhook (Jun 4, 2015)

What breeds do you think they may be?

I took them in from the animal rescue league so I don't know much about them.


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

Yep. Although you could have an interesting breeding project there. From the looks of it, they are Silkie crosses. If you've got the time and inclination I'd put that hen with the white roo. See what you get. You should see more Silkie feathers, maybe darker skin.


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

That white boy might be pure Silkie although a poor quality one. How big is he?

Check the eyes on that boy in the third pic. He might have some sight issues.


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## Cvhook (Jun 4, 2015)

Thank you so much! 

I will try and get some better pictures of the one you think may be a hen. 

I'll look at the third tonight and see if maybe its the way the picture came out. I know they were part of a hoarding situation so I'm guessing they bred all over the place and I only have a small fraction of the birds. 

I really appreciate your feedback! If I do have hens my hen/rooster ratio is way off and I'm guessing even if they grew up together that will cause problems.


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## Cvhook (Jun 4, 2015)

robin416 said:


> That white boy might be pure Silkie although a poor quality one. How big is he?
> 
> Check the eyes on that boy in the third pic. He might have some sight issues.


He's actually much smaller than the other roosters but he is the boss so I think he may be older/dad of them.


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

When I was still breeding Silkies there were some rumors going around that one of the breeders was a hoarder where the birds were concerned. So, its not surprising to hear that's what your birds came from. 

Then he probably is pure Silkie. I don't see much in the way of dark skin so the others may be bred further out than one breeding. 

You'll have to pull her out of there or she is liable to suffer physically if they all try to breed her.


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## Cvhook (Jun 4, 2015)

I agree. I have only seen one bird be mounted and I thought it was on the one you mentioned that may have an eye issue. That's why I was hoping I had all roosters. Minimal mounting and zero eggs in 3 months. 

I'll get better pictures.


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

You will see mounting behavior if there are no females present. It establishes hierarchy. 

If that one bird is female she's not in the best of situations to be laying. Stress can do a lot to stop any signs of eggs.


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## Fiere (Feb 26, 2014)

There's no hens there that I can see. Which one were you concerned with? 

I must say, it's so odd to see a post worried they have a hen! Usually it's the other way round.


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## Fiere (Feb 26, 2014)

I see lots of hard feathers on that white one, not just in the tail but on the breast and back. How many cups of coffee have you had today Robin? I think not enough or too many hahaha!


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

I'll have to get a pic of King for you. He's more or less a rescue on my part but I know for a fact he's pure Silkie.


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## Fiere (Feb 26, 2014)

You'd think that a Silkie would at least have some Silkie feathers, though.


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

As King has gotten older his feathers have changed quite a bit. There was more fluff there years ago, not a lot but it was there. He's a perfect example of poor breeding.


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## Cvhook (Jun 4, 2015)

Fiere said:


> There's no hens there that I can see. Which one were you concerned with?
> 
> I must say, it's so odd to see a post worried they have a hen! Usually it's the other way round.


A couple of them I've never seen crow (That's probably normal) and look rounder and less upright than the others. I will take better pictures tonight.

Lol, I am worried just because I have many roosters and I wouldn't want to be that hen. I specifically said I would take roosters as I knew they would have a harder time finding homes. 
A neighbor has chickens so if I do have one straggler I will quarantine her and see if they will take her.


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## Fiere (Feb 26, 2014)

Only the dominant roosters will crow. Not seeing that is normal, I have birds here I've raised from eggs that are over a year old and haven't uttered a "word". As for the shape, that's just the bird. We all come in different shapes, it's also a dominance thing as well - a subordinate cock won't walk around like he's all that. Unless there are additional birds to the ones you've posted, there are no hens there.


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## Fiere (Feb 26, 2014)

I don't know if it was mentioned to you when you got them, but a lot of these guys have scaly leg mite. You'll need to treat that, preferably with a ivermectin but in lieu of that, a good soak in warm water and Epsom salts to soften the scales, scrub with a tooth brush, and coat in Vaseline or mineral oil to smother the mites. The ivermectin will kill them from the inside out and a good soak and scrub would be all that's needed until the legs are clean. The smothering method needs to be redone every few days.


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## Cvhook (Jun 4, 2015)

Fiere said:


> I don't know if it was mentioned to you when you got them, but a lot of these guys have scaly leg mite. You'll need to treat that, preferably with a ivermectin but in lieu of that, a good soak in warm water and Epsom salts to soften the scales, scrub with a tooth brush, and coat in Vaseline or mineral oil to smother the mites. The ivermectin will kill them from the inside out and a good soak and scrub would be all that's needed until the legs are clean. The smothering method needs to be redone every few days.


 Thank you! I was going to start another thread about that and worming them. I'm guessing they've never been wormed.

Where do I get appropriate ivermectin? I work at a compounding pharmacy so I can order bulk powder here for them but I don't know how to make that into something they can ingest. Or does the vet prescribe it?

Also can you recommend a wormer?


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## Fiere (Feb 26, 2014)

Ivermectin will worm them as well. You should be able to get it at your local feed store. Get the cattle injectable and give it to the birds orally at a rate of .5-1cc per bird (depending on the size of the bird). You can also get pour on for cattle, it would be the same dose but drop it on the back of the neck. Either way, redo the birds in 2 weeks.
Where you only have a few birds you may be able to post on a local livestock page about purchasing what you need from someone with a bottle.


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## Fiere (Feb 26, 2014)

Totally missed the working at a pharmacy part. Do you have a "dosage by weight" chart? Do the math on how much powder would be needed per lb, dissolve that in a cc of water (it'll likely make a paste) but anyway, put it in a syringe and dose the bird appropriately, orally of course. Ivermectin is really quite safe at many times the proper dosage so if you go a bit over don't worry about it, it's not going to hurt them if the dosage isn't absolutely exact. Just don't give them it at people strength lol


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

Ivermectin can be had as a pour on or an injectable. Its available at your feed store in the cattle aisle since its considered a cattle treatment. You would use a 1/2 cc for the birds. I wouldn't bother with the injectable because the pour on does a pretty good job of ridding them of unwanted critters.

Its up in the air on whether or not Ivermectin will also rid the birds of internal parasites. Per my vet, it does not work on dogs for internal parasites due to the biological difference between the intended species and canines. I would take a wait and see. If you see droppings with obvious worms then its time to worm them. Foamy appearing droppings are also in indicator for possible internal parasite over load. Starting with Wazine is a mild wormer and would rid them of round worms. There is a whole list of off label use wormers out there for different parasites. 

As a side note, I haven't wormed my birds in six or seven years. I read a paper about a study done with horses and regular worming programs. Turns out that horses with strong immune systems never developed an over load of internal parasites. So, I decided to to see what happens if I didn't worm the chickens. My oldest is almost ten the youngest is five or six.


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## Cvhook (Jun 4, 2015)

This is the first one that you said look at the saddle feather. Can you take a second look please.


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

Definately boy.


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