Author Topic: PROLAPSE IN WHEATEN/BLUE WHEATEN FEMALES  (Read 4533 times)

WMeredith

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PROLAPSE IN WHEATEN/BLUE WHEATEN FEMALES
« on: March 09, 2012, 10:22:20 AM »
I want to bring this subject up again for a client of mine.

He purchased 4 pullets from me last year, they were laying at the time of purchase.  He raised 6 pullets from the them.
He has lost 4 out of the 6 due to egg prolapse. And is asking for help on what he can do to prevent this.

I have lost about 3 out of 50 pullets I raised this year, and it is only in the wheatens.  You would think that since this culls out the problem from spreading but it does seem to continue to happen.

The wheatens are already very slow maturing, I rarely get an egg before 7 or 8 months, so size of the females is not an issue. And since all birds are on the same feed it shouldn\'t be related to the feed.

Any suggestions: I really don\'t like hearing something like this from someone that purchased birds from me, and would appreciate any suggestions on anything I could change in my breeding program to prevent this?

As always, thank for your advice.

Sharon Yorks

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PROLAPSE IN WHEATEN/BLUE WHEATEN FEMALES
« Reply #1 on: March 09, 2012, 05:45:03 PM »
A friend of mine said she had that problem once and related it back to the hens having too much artificial lighting. I am strictly speaking as someone who knows nothing about that condition, I just remember her saying that. A few months ago, I started turning on an inside light because I wanted to hatch out a couple of early birds for fair and they weren\'t laying very well. I noticed after a couple of months, one of my hens started laying a really big egg and two more started laying eggs that had a little blood on top. That\'s when my friend told me this, so I stopped turning on the additional lighting and all three hens are back to laying normal with no blood. Lighting may or may not have been the reason.

I know a lot of breeders put timers on their coops to add more light and probably don\'t have a bit of trouble. I\'m just offering a possible idea. It may be worth questioning to see how much lighting they are getting.

Sharon
Sharon Yorks
Mark 11:23

(Don't tell God how big your problem is, tell your problem how big your God is!)

John

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PROLAPSE IN WHEATEN/BLUE WHEATEN FEMALES
« Reply #2 on: March 09, 2012, 08:33:11 PM »
Quote
this culls out the problem from spreading but it does seem to continue to happen.

Maybe it is time for an out-cross to another strain or two to try to breed away from the problem.  Since your other varieties under the same conditions don\'t have the problem it appears to be an inherited condition that some new blood along with continued culling could remedy.
That\'s my best guess.

Tailfeathers

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PROLAPSE IN WHEATEN/BLUE WHEATEN FEMALES
« Reply #3 on: March 09, 2012, 10:18:38 PM »
Wayne, unfortunately I don\'t have anything I can tell you that may be helpful except to say that I only have the W & BW and I\'ve not experienced any problems with prolapse in my Ameraucanas.  

For what it\'s worth, I do keep my birds on supplemental light with a timer so they get 15 hours a day.  One more than what I understand is required.  

I agree with you, I would think that culling problem birds would eventually cure the problem.  The only thing I can think of is one I\'m sure you already have too and that it\'s a genetic thing being passed somewhere along the lines.  My guess would be from the female side?

I\'m always afraid something like this might happen which is why I keep my breeding plans and records and have since I started.  Just so I can go back and try to find who might be the culprit or identify a trend based on a certain parent(s).

God Bless,

bantamhill

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PROLAPSE IN WHEATEN/BLUE WHEATEN FEMALES
« Reply #4 on: March 10, 2012, 08:56:42 PM »
Another thought . . . While the female line might self-cull, what about the sons of these females? I suspect they are as much or more of a concern. In fact, I suggest looking to the male heads of the breeding pens; I believe you may find the culprit(s) there.

Michael

William_Sauve

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Re: PROLAPSE IN WHEATEN/BLUE WHEATEN FEMALES
« Reply #5 on: August 09, 2012, 02:00:55 AM »
I may have an answer to this mystery. In the book The Call of the Hen, written by Walter Hogan and published in 1921, the Author talks about crooked pelvic bones. Here is some of what he has to say:

Presently we hear the whole flock take up the chorus, and going to see what the trouble is, we find the
hens holding an "Old Maids' Convention" and declaring they will never lay another egg, it hurts them so much to do so. On examining them, we find the pelvic bones so crooked they come together like the horns on a Jersey cow, and when the hens lay, instead of the vent dropping down between the pelvic bones, allowing the egg to be released in an easy manner in a few minutes after the hen goes on the nest, the egg is forced to be delivered between the pelvic bones and tail bone, thus prolonging the agony of the hen sometimes for hours, when,if she was built right, as in Fig. 34, she would be relieved of the egg without pain in a few minutes. And instead of wasting vitality in getting relieved of the egg, she would be rustling
around for material to build another one, and thus add at least 20 per cent to her egg-producing value.
This matter of crooked pelvic bones is more frequent in some breeds than in others,and is a serious matter that is very easily remedied by breeding only from birds with the straightest pelvic bones; especially looking after the male birds, as one male bird with crooked pelvic bones will transmit this defect to all of his daughters.
When I came to Petaluma, I found whole flocks of thousands of hens with crooked bones; now they are very rare. The poultry-breeders soon caught on to my straight-and-thin-pelvic bone idea; and I think the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals should recognize my services in relieving millions of hens of the agony of parturition.

After reading this book, I would recommend this book to anyone interested in breeding chickens. It is a good read.
For anyone interested in reading this book you can get it from the California Digital Library for free as a PDF file at this link: http://archive.org/details/callhenscience00hogarich

Bill