Rescued chick from cat (*Update* Coop page 26!) - Page 19

Just got back in from the latest chick adventure, I live in central CA, not much here, an hour and a half from the beach and the mountains and 3 from LA and SF.  We get weather mood swings here, cold winter hot summer and little in between.  We have about a month of fall, then bam, cold and fog.

Yaaay Floyd!!!!!!!

hip hip hurray! Go Floyd!

Yeah Floyd!! WooHoo!!
Actually Gout is caused by too high protein/calcium feed when they're little. That's one reason why NOT to start layer rations until the hens actually start laying.

Although in my case, I did it the right way. She started with what we thought was just crop impaction, that's why we took her to the vet for surgery, but it turned out that it was just FOOD that was impacted. After that we did bloodwork and found that her kidneys weren't getting rid of the uric acid (gout). So that was why her food wasn't going through her system, it wasn't an impaction at all.  I do  think though, there is a pre-disposition to having a problem. Just like humans, some are more prone to heart disease, diabetes... if you have an underlying issue, and don't eat right, it can kill you.  Now that I know this is a contributor to gout, I've started my new babies on Organic soy free (fish protein) starter food. And I don't think I'll even use layer feed, I'm just going to offer them oyster shell and let them do what they please. I'm hoping that these guys will be fine. Clara was a hatchery chick that was hatched in a classroom. She was SUPPOSED to be a duck egg, but nope. I had taken her back to her hatch classroom for the past 2 years to show the kiddies what a full grown chicken looks like. She would sit in her tub of dirt and dig for bugs, and let them pet her comb and feel her legs and soft feathers. It was always a hit with the kiddies. Now I'm hoping little Penny and Peaches will be sweet enough to carry on her legacy. I don't have a million chickens, Clara was my first, these two new ones are living in the house in her cage, so I KNOW how attached we can become to these little birdies. I'm so glad that Floyd is doing better.

Yeaaaaa!!!!! So glad Floyd is feeling better!!!!!

Awww he/she is adorable!! She/he was so lucky you were there. I worry about the same thing with my cats and my chicks, my one cat is a natural born hunter so I have been extra careful with him in the house. But I've been trying to introduce him to them and let me know they are NOT FOOD. I've let him sniff the big ones when they are on my lap and he likes to sit in front of their pen and watch them, so I hope one day he'll get the point, PETS NOT FOOD.

Yes, they were supposed to be duck eggs. The sad part about it is that it was about 3 days before the TEACHER realized it was a chicken NOT a duck. AFTER HATCH !!
HELLO, no webbed feet, no flat floppy bill. It's a good thing she didn't put it in water! lol

goodness and she is teaching our children