Floating Eggs Not a Factor in Determining Viability

I am very curious about one of my Pilgrim goose hen's behavior. She laid 13 eggs in a nest then abandoned it, and has now laid five more eggs in a

Muscovy nest with about 18 eggs. She sets on the eggs for a period of time with the Muscovy waiting nearby. When the goose leaves the duck returns.

As a result of the abandonment I removed the goose eggs from both nests with the intention of using them for Pysanky (eastern European egg decoration) but when they were put in a bucket for cleaning only two floated. The remainder were quickly removed and dried. Are the "sinkers" still viable? They were all put on an incubator just yesterday.

Richard R. via email

Floating the eggs doesn't really determine whether or not they are viable. If they float, it just means that they have lost enough moisture so they have a large air cell. These are probably the oldest eggs, or had a crack, thin shell, etc., so they lost more moisture.

If the duck and/or goose have not been sitting on them consistently, they are likely not developing. They tend to be able to just sit on them a little bit during the day, without actually incubating.

Dunking the eggs shouldn't have hurt them either. I would suggest leaving them in the incubator, then trying to candle them after a week or so. In a dark room, shine a bright light through the eggs, and you should see a spider web of blood vessels if they are developing. If they have already been incubated for a while, you may see a larger dark area, which would be a developing gosling.

Medicated Feed for Chicks

I've been told that I should feed medicated feed to chicks. Why should I use medicated feed?

Donald Jones, Florida

The term "medicated" probably needs some explanation. Nearly all "medicated" chicken feeds contain a coccidiostat. Coccidiosis is a disease chickens get that causes paleness, lethargy, ruffled feathers, decreased appetite, and diarrhea, which is sometimes bloody. It is caused by various species of protozoa called Eimeria. The medication is usually specific for coccidiosis and won't help treat or prevent other diseases. If chicks are exposed to low levels of these disease-causing protozoa, most will develop immunity to coccidiosis as they get older. If they are hit with too large a number at once, they can die from it. The idea of a coccidiostat in the feed is to limit the numbers of protozoa so they slowly develop immunity. Another aspect of Eimeria is that its oocysts (sort of like spores or fertilized eggs) can remain in the ground or litter for a long time. In warm, moist conditions, they become infective and can be passed to other chickens. It should also be noted that chickens can have some coccidiosis and not show outward signs. They will have slower growth or poorer feed conversion, but you might not notice these things if you don't have other flocks for comparison.

So, if you can keep the chicks' litter dry and fairly clean, this will help a great deal toward preventing an outbreak. Some people would rather limit the chance of a problem, and choose to use medicated feed. Most birds will become immune to coccidiosis after a couple of months, and then medicated feed is no longer required. If you haven't had a problem in the past, and you are able to keep the litter dry, you can probably get by without the coccidiostat. Medicated feed makes management a little easier, since it helps limit the risk of your chickens getting sick.

I should also point out that there are treatments available for coccidiosis, if you take the chance and then find out they have it. These are usually applied in the birds' water.

Are Native Plants Toxic to Poultry?

Our poultry yard is topped with bird netting because of all the wild birds in the area; song and raptor. There is a covered run from the yard up a slope to a larger covered pen that is periodically moved to better pasture. Our chickens and a pair of guineas take turns being out because they don't get along.

We are concerned about some of the native plants, weeds, etc. which our birds may come in contact with. Specifically wild butterfly bush, red elderberries and creeping buttercup. We know buttercup is toxic to livestock and it is quite invasive here. Will any of these plants harm poultry? Our guineas have very recently molted and have not yet recovered. Suddenly they will not leave the yard even though they used to love to run up to the pen and eat grass and clover. Is this due to the molt? Any suggestions?

Sylvia & Don, via e-mail

While I can find very little documented evidence that any of these three are specifically toxic to birds, they definitely can cause problems in other species. It is probably best to be safe and avoid them. In a free-range situation, I don't think they'd be a problem, as the birds would typically avoid them on their own. In a penned environment, if there is a shortage of other plants, they might choose to eat these plants. If your penned area is large enough to have plenty of other plants, it likely won't cause a problem.

There is very little research on guinea behavior (though it would make for some very interesting reading, I'm sure). While it may be possible that they are somehow inhibited by the molt, my guess is that something in or near the pen has either scared them or is scaring them. It could be something as simple as a ribbon or something flapping in the wind. Maybe a piece of glass is reflecting sunlight. Possibly some dogs or something were outside the pen. I think these are more likely to keep the guineas from venturing out. Of course, with guineas, it's always difficult to guess what is going on in their brains!

Scaly Leg Mites

This bird has scaly leg mites. Mites get under the scales of the feet and legs. Ron's suggested treatment is petroleum jelly. It is thicker than vegetable oil so it stays on the leg longer. A couple of treatments of this (a week or so apart) will usually take care of the mites on the chicken's legs. To eliminate recurrence, treat the coop and roosts, too.

My rooster's legs are all scaly, bumpy and infected. Could you please tell me what this is and how I can help my chicken?

Dora via e-mail

Scaly leg mites (Knemidocoptes mutanss) burrow under the scales of the legs and feet on poultry. Lice and mites are a recurring problem for many poultry growers and are likely brought in by wild birds, or are brought home as an unwanted souvenir from a fair, poultry show, etc.

The waste they produce (and probably some scab material from the bird) cause the scales to push up and give a rough tree bark appearance. Fortunately, this is pretty easy to treat, assuming you can catch the birds. Just apply some petroleum jelly on the affected areas and rub it in well. This will suffocate the mites. You may need to retreat after 10 days or so. It will take a while for the scales to go back down, but they should eventually return to normal.

It is interesting that the some chickens seem to have more resistance to them than others do. There is also evidence of varying resistance among genetic strains.

Additional toxic plant charts can be found at:

• www.ChickenKeepingSecrets.com (This website also offers a very useful weekly e-newsletter filled with poultry questions and responses.

• www.backyardchickens.com/web/viewblog.php?id=2593-Treats_Chart (This website is a popular forum for chicken raisers, offering many good poultry tips.)

• www.poultryhelp.com/toxic1.html (PoultryHelp.com is another website with many valuable articles.) — Ed.