Gotta show off my prize Showgirls. The pullet is sitting on eggs right now, due to hatch Monday. Her name is Mirage and her mate is Mandalay, yes after the Vegas hotels. 
Posted on 11/19/2011 5:21:15 AM PST by simplesimon
We just recently purchased 6 Buff Orpington hens that are getting ready to turn 8 months old and were already laying.
Yesterday I noticed one of the girls has a black diarrhea.
Not sure if it's a "stress" or if it's food or illness causing it.
We currently give them layer crumble and have recently given them stale bread ( OMG They're like my labs with food , when it comes to stale bread lol ) and some cabbage leaves.
Just was wondering if anyone has had experience with black diarrhea in your hens and could offer some tips.
According to Nietzsche, if the black diarrhea doesn’t kill her, it will make her stronger.
According to Darwin, if she dies, your flock will evolve towards a stronger variety.
According to Laz, it she recovers and cleans up a bit, he might jump on it.
If you do decide to let them range, you will have to fence off your flower beds, veggie garden, and any other area of the yard you don’t want decimated.
An alternative that could work for you might be what is known as a chicken tractor. It is a coop that is designed to contain the chickens as well as giving them access to the ground underneath. The coop is designed to be moved to a fresh patch of ground every day, preventing them from destroying the turf as well as leaving behind the fertilizer they have scratched into your yard.
This would help solve your dog problem as well. Good luck with your “Orpies”, I’ve had them before and they are a great chicken. Good layers, good brooders, and a great meat bird. I’m strictly Barred Rock now however.
I would just watch them for the next few days. The stress of the move & the change in food(including the cabbage)may be to blame.
If they look otherwise healthy & active, I don’t think you should be concerned. If they’re seriously ill, they definitely won’t look like happy chickens.
I’ve never raised Orpingtons, just Barred Rocks, R.I.Reds, & the standard brown-egg hybrid layers. I’ve heard good things about the Orpingtons’ personalities.Friends who raise them say they’re one of the friendliest breeds & I hope that everything works out well for you. Please let us know how it turns out. Good Luck!!!!
Our backyard opens up to the desert (see pics on my page)...all I have to do is open the sliding door and up to thirty Gambel's Quail come scampering in for the seed they expect me to toss their way.
By the way, the black poop is probably the cabbage. My chickens don’t like it, won’t eat it. It might also be the water, is it chlorinated? They will most likely adjust to it in a few days. Kind of like whenever you travel to another town and your body needs a day or two to adjust to the local water.
Gotta show off my prize Showgirls. The pullet is sitting on eggs right now, due to hatch Monday. Her name is Mirage and her mate is Mandalay, yes after the Vegas hotels.
As someone else mentioned, Backyardchickens.com is also a good resource.
I currently have 9 Production Reds, a commercial variety of Rhode Island Red, all hens, and they've just started laying. My brother in law has Buffs and is very pleased with them, though sometimes they go "broody". You should do well with them.
I have a Beagle and he won’t bother chickens either.
I had a Cambodian chicken named Pot Pie
Ha ha ha, really good one.
I got some cornish game hens but they really sucked at Scrabble. They did better with Risk.
Say, Gamecock should know a thing or two about hens....
Handsome pair in post #10.
Ignore the FReepmail redundancy.
Some bonehead clicked the wrong button.
Damn, I meant post #33.
I can’t get nothin’ right today.
What a great picture of Greta and the orange kitty!
Yes on the chicken tractor.
I did tell dh that we’ll build or buy one for them in the spring.
May I ask why you went from Orpies to Barred Rocks ? Are there a lot of difference in the breeds as far as friendliness and laying capabilities ?
My grandkids tell me that chickens poop eggs.
Thank you.
When dh got home from work I talked to him and I said just to watch them all for a couple days “like a hawk” and see if it doesnt clear up by then and we’ll withhold all “treats”.
They’re all acting wonderfully and friendly as usual but we’ve only had them 6 days now.
Yup, I do actually know that about this part of the anatomy LOLOL....
The stuff I saw has absolutely no form to it at all , no substance other than a glob. Definitely not normal poops for the girls.
EWWWW
Thank you.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.