I Built A Bridge!

[16 paws]

Teila,
I agree with Liz, I would not worry about the little punk boys. They will forget about it soon and be on to other things.

I know how you feel about giving up the roos. Two days ago a lady came out to get one of my bantam cochin roos. The more I talked with her the more I wanted to change my mind. I had put him in a cardboard box and as we were talking he escaped. I told her "oh well, I cant catch him now that he is so scared, you will have to come back some other time". I am going to make up some sort of excuse if she does call me because she seems sort of wacky. I think now when people contact me I am going to ask to see a picture of their coop. Just to make sure they have one and that they are serious about giving them a good home. I know there are no guarantees but I have to at least do that much. I wish I didnt get so attached to the little buggers!

Marie

 

[Teila]

Good thinking on the coop picture 16 Paws, I should have read this sooner!

Well, just like that, my little boys are gone

The lady who took them seemed nice and she apparently lives on acreage where the chickens get to free range all day and then penned up at night.

Cilla is keeping Crystal and KiKi close and is currently camped out under their coop and not showing any interest in going into the temporary, even bigger extension I have just made her which includes nice green lawn. Way to go in making me feel bad Cilla!

I will give her a couple of days and then let her out for real; have a meet the Aunties session etc. Hopefully soon we will have one flock again.

 

[tommysgirl]

So, I have an incredible story to share. Reggie barked me awake last night again (did I tell y'all about her scaring away the guy breaking into my car?). This time I could just barely hear a chicken distress call through her barking. We ran outside (Reggie pushed past me through the door), and while Reggie chased away the likely-culprit skunk, I entered the coop and didn't see anything at first, but then saw Rousseau, lifeless on the ground. I picked her up and saw the gash on her cheek, and then she suddenly awoke, squawking bloody murder!. I held her for awhile to calm her, and tried to think what to do. I figured out she was sleeping in the nest, and the skunk (or something else?) had grabbed her and was trying to cart her away until Reggie burst onto the scene. At that point, Reggie was distracted enough with trying to find the skunk, so I was able to carry Rou back to the house unhindered and put her in a carrier and returned to try to figure out how the skunk got in and out of the coop. No luck, so I put locks on the doors and nest box and hoped for the best. I didn't get much sleep between the worry over the hens and Reggie's not being able to contain her excitement about our having a chicken house-guest, but I am so happy to find everyone ok today and so proud of my farm dog!!


Rou's wound, treated with antibiotic ointment left over from Grace's wound and new skin.

Owie! I gasped when I read that she was lifeless in the coop. My students looked at me like I was more than a bit off. Do you use Vetricyn. It is pretty miraculous. Glad whatever you have is working so well and that she is back in the coop now. Good Girl Reggie!!!

Taffy is saying:

"Does anyone know if they make Rogaine for chickens?????

lol...Cute!

Howdy Bridge Club

TG I really only have room for two more, so I am going with the two I am pretty sure are girls.
Wow! What a save! Kudos



I am sort of kicking myself for getting involved and bringing possible repercussions but I also could not just stand by and watch this guy steal someone else’s property!

Yay for Kiki and Crystal...Dee and Gayle??? I am glad you found homes for your boys. I am not sure you can count on this group to talk you out of giving eggs to a broody but at least I can resolve to say nothing until you decide for yourself and then cheer when you go for it

As if last night's bird drama wasn't enough, I heard a ruckus this evening and there was a blue jay with a claw stuck in a piece of netting, stuck to some wire fencing covering my vegetable starts on my deck! It took some time and dodging its harmless pecking, but I managed to liberate the little claw, and send him on his way! Somehow my neighbors' killer cat didn't wake up from her napping, about 20 yards away.

Yikes....Jays are thieving vermin but I couldn't let one stay tangled up and just die or severely injure itself. Good job Liz

Teila,
I agree with Liz, I would not worry about the little punk boys. They will forget about it soon and be on to other things.

I know how you feel about giving up the roos. Two days ago a lady came out to get one of my bantam cochin roos. The more I talked with her the more I wanted to change my mind. I had put him in a cardboard box and as we were talking he escaped. I told her "oh well, I cant catch him now that he is so scared, you will have to come back some other time". I am going to make up some sort of excuse if she does call me because she seems sort of wacky. I think now when people contact me I am going to ask to see a picture of their coop. Just to make sure they have one and that they are serious about giving them a good home. I know there are no guarantees but I have to at least do that much. I wish I didnt get so attached to the little buggers!

Marie

I think the Universe was telling you something! Good for you for listening! I also like your idea about the coop pic....It's not fail safe but it is something.

Good thinking on the coop picture 16 Paws, I should have read this sooner!

Well, just like that, my little boys are gone

The lady who took them seemed nice and she apparently lives on acreage where the chickens get to free range all day and then penned up at night.

Cilla is keeping Crystal and KiKi close and is currently camped out under their coop and not showing any interest in going into the temporary, even bigger extension I have just made her which includes nice green lawn. Way to go in making me feel bad Cilla!

I will give her a couple of days and then let her out for real; have a meet the Aunties session etc. Hopefully soon we will have one flock again.

Good Luck with the meet the Auntie session!!

Norma's eggs are supposed to hatch today/tomorrow.

Also I sent some hatching eggs to a gal in Missouri and some of them even hatched for her. But it was a pain in the tookus and I have decided that shipping hatching eggs is just not for me. Going to keep it simpler and cross that off my list for now.

No call yet from the breeder which means the next possible date for shipment of my Houdan babies may not be for another two weeks. Maybe they will call later on today but i don't know. Fortunately broody fever has hit and Beakface had her eggs stolen by Sapphire. I figure BF can go another two weeks if needed and then she can get the Houdan babies and Sapphire can continue to sit on BF's eggs and hatch them.

 

[MistyMountain]

Hey hey hey!!
There is no way I can catch up on everything, but I will do my best to comment on what I can.

First of all, Marie, I am so sorry for your losses. Sending you lots of hugs

. Did the final report come in yet?

Liz, please give Reggie some extra love from me! Good dog! I hope Rou heals well and quickly!!

Teila, I have throughly enjoyed all your pictures and watching Cilla's chicks grow!! I am so happy you were able to find homes for the boys, and love that you got your two girls!!

TG, I have been hoping you would get the call for those houdans. Hang in there! You are right… broody season is upon us!

My rundown of the goings on here...

I have had a rough spring. Two little boys have certainly kept Mom on her toes. A severe concussion for one (falling off the sofa of all things) and resulted in a night in the hospital. He is all better now. Older son managed to fracture his arm on a padded indoor playground

. Boys!! So… we are coaching a sonless T-ball team. Busy busy busy. I went to WI last week to visit my sister and new baby nephew. I couldnt be more proud of how she is doing! I planned on helping her… fixing dinner and all. Turns out, they didn't even need me! I did get some good Auntie time though.

It seems we are going through the monsoon season. We got 2" of rain yesterday on already saturated ground. It sloshes and splashes when you step in it. More heavy T-storms this afternoon, too.

About a month or so ago Brownie, my fav EE got hurt by one of the roosters. She had a big gouge out of her side. I was really worried because it was not super fresh. I brought her in, cleaned it up, clipped feathers and slathered on the neosporin. I moved her to the broody coop with MJ because MJ is just so nice. I was really worried I would lose her, but she pulled through and as of yesterday has been reintegrated with the big flock. I cleaned out the broody coop and moved our latest broody hen over to get settled. Wendy the Welsummer wants to take a shot at being a momma. I am going to attempt a combined hatch by giving her 6ish guinea eggs on Wednesday, waiting 7 days, and giving her a handful of EE eggs from my flock. My plan is to keep a few guineas for tick control and extra warning for hawks. Sadly, Willie and Cielo have an eviction notice. I just can not handle Willie's aggressiveness any longer, especially with the boys and their friends. Cielo has flogged me a number of times, but is more easily scared away. My problem with Cielo is that he is not a "good" rooster to the hens. He will not share or call them for treats. He is not very skilled at the whole mating thing, and I truly believe Brownies wound is because of him. Blackbeard on the other hand, is a real sweetie. He has all of Willie's good traits. I will keep him as king of the flock until I can hatch out a BR rooster to join him.

So… wish me luck with this untried broody!!
Hope you all are well!

 

[lizgarf]

Hi everyone,
Thanks for all the good thoughts for Rousseau! She's doing great. Unfortunately, the little LED lights for the security cam got knocked of track by the rats, and so it didn't capture anything of the attack, and I don't know what happened that night. A couple nights later, I thought we were getting a repeat, because Reggie alerted, and we heard chicken noise, so we both ran out and this time I first saw some missing spots on the roost, and then saw what looked like a fight on the ground. I grabbed Frida and put her on the roost, and then went to confront the critter, but it was Marsha!! I can't know for sure what that was about, but I suspect it was a frustrated/worried Marsha trying to get Frida out of the nest! I just don't know, but I didn't see any other critters in the coop.
So, while there may be bigger fish to fry out there, I know I have two major pests at the moment: rats and Frida! Since I am having a chick-free year, I have no tolerance for Frida's broodiness anymore. She took 7 months to return to laying after the last hatch, and then only laid for about 2 weeks, and now she's a total Broodzilla. Last night when I got home late, I went to take Frida out of the nest, and Cindy was in there with her, and I saw Cindy had wounds on her feet. When I put her on the roost next to Frida, Frida pecked her hard on the ear, making her bleed. A few days earlier, someone had given Cindy a big gash on her comb while she was trying to lay (there was blood splattered all over the nest), and I suspect it was Frida. I finally had to close of the nest last night, because Frida kept getting off the roost and marching right back in there.
So, MM, can I send you Frida, so you can have a sure broody? Can anyone else use Frida? I have lost all patience for her! I know, she's a fantastic mother, but she's a royal pain as a companion hen.

In the meantime, I have to try to keep the rats out of the coop better. We've been going through feed like crazy and I worry they may start hurting the birds, if I'm not careful (and if they haven't already). I know this is one of the downsides with my unconventional coop - mainly I need to eliminate any possibility of digging under, and that won't be easy!

Teila, congrats on rehoming the boys, even though that was tough! When I did my rehoming, I often did ask for pics of the coop when I wasn't sure (some even sent me without my having to ask). A couple didn't follow-up after that, and that proved my method!
TG, I hear you on not wanting to ship eggs! Definitely doesn't seem worth the hassle to me. (Love "tookus" - did you ever see the Frisco Kid?)
Keep on keeping on, MM! Yes, it does sound like those boys aren't earning their keep. Diego is annoying enough and he's probably as ideal a rooster as they come! Never hurts anyone, always gives away treats, looking as proud as can be when they eat them up. I'm sure there's a better roo out there for you! Try a BCM!

 

[MistyMountain]

Hi everyone,
Thanks for all the good thoughts for Rousseau! She's doing great. Unfortunately, the little LED lights for the security cam got knocked of track by the rats, and so it didn't capture anything of the attack, and I don't know what happened that night. A couple nights later, I thought we were getting a repeat, because Reggie alerted, and we heard chicken noise, so we both ran out and this time I first saw some missing spots on the roost, and then saw what looked like a fight on the ground. I grabbed Frida and put her on the roost, and then went to confront the critter, but it was Marsha!! I can't know for sure what that was about, but I suspect it was a frustrated/worried Marsha trying to get Frida out of the nest! I just don't know, but I didn't see any other critters in the coop.
So, while there may be bigger fish to fry out there, I know I have two major pests at the moment: rats and Frida! Since I am having a chick-free year, I have no tolerance for Frida's broodiness anymore. She took 7 months to return to laying after the last hatch, and then only laid for about 2 weeks, and now she's a total Broodzilla. Last night when I got home late, I went to take Frida out of the nest, and Cindy was in there with her, and I saw Cindy had wounds on her feet. When I put her on the roost next to Frida, Frida pecked her hard on the ear, making her bleed. A few days earlier, someone had given Cindy a big gash on her comb while she was trying to lay (there was blood splattered all over the nest), and I suspect it was Frida. I finally had to close of the nest last night, because Frida kept getting off the roost and marching right back in there.
So, MM, can I send you Frida, so you can have a sure broody? Can anyone else use Frida? I have lost all patience for her! I know, she's a fantastic mother, but she's a royal pain as a companion hen.

In the meantime, I have to try to keep the rats out of the coop better. We've been going through feed like crazy and I worry they may start hurting the birds, if I'm not careful (and if they haven't already). I know this is one of the downsides with my unconventional coop - mainly I need to eliminate any possibility of digging under, and that won't be easy!

Teila, congrats on rehoming the boys, even though that was tough! When I did my rehoming, I often did ask for pics of the coop when I wasn't sure (some even sent me without my having to ask). A couple didn't follow-up after that, and that proved my method!
TG, I hear you on not wanting to ship eggs! Definitely doesn't seem worth the hassle to me. (Love "tookus" - did you ever see the Frisco Kid?)
Keep on keeping on, MM! Yes, it does sound like those boys aren't earning their keep. Diego is annoying enough and he's probably as ideal a rooster as they come! Never hurts anyone, always gives away treats, looking as proud as can be when they eat them up. I'm sure there's a better roo out there for you! Try a BCM!

Liz,
I hate that you were not able to see who injured Rousseau, But I am so happy that she continues to improve.

YES YES send me Frida!! BUT I am at my absolute maximum in my big coop, so she would have to brood her own nest in the broody coop next to Wendy. No worries, the school year is coming to an end, we have wonderful spring weather, and DH told me this morning that the new big coop (at least 8x10, but maybe 10 x 10) will be finished in one month! Yahoo!! I guess that week of having to do chicken chores for me while in WI has motivated him!! He saw all of the inefficiencies of the current coop set up. While we have close to 11 acres, we struggle with where to put what… since all of the things we are adding to our homestead are permanent and we want to make sure we are putting them where they need to be. I guess that's why I have 6 pawpaw trees and one fig waiting to get in the ground...

I would love to try a BCM, liz, and actually have someone local who is NPIP and has quality eggs for sale, but I have my heart set on some Barred Rocks. One day!!!

 

[16 paws]

MistyMountain,
Sorry about your boys getting hurt. As I was reading thru your post I got to the end and read your little quote about not worrying about the fall and thought maybe you should replace that quote. LOL
Just kidding, I just thought it was ironic.

Sounds like the roos arent behaving nicely. I hope you can find some good homes for them.

Good luck on your un-tried broody. I just set Layla, my blue cochin with some lavender americana eggs, some olive eggers and a few cochin eggs. Dont ask me why because I DONT KNOW WHY. I need help.....

How exciting about your coop. Take lots of pictures while he is building. I may need to expand again.

Happy chickening
Marie

 

[16 paws]

Here is some info on my second sudden death chicken from ucd.

Necropsy findings, Cochin/Polish cross hen with history of sudden death-
1. Well-fleshed carcass with plentiful internal depot fat
2. Moderately enlarged, friable mottled pink/tan liver
3. Markedly enlarged purple spleen
4. In production ovary (yolk-filled follicles)
5. Mature egg in oviduct
6. Small amount of tan semi-fluid crop content
Additional test results:
1. No parasites eggs/coccidia detected; feces
2. Negative salmonella PCR; liver and intestine
L a b o r a t o r y F i n d i n g s / D i a g n o s i s
4/20/15: The pronounced enlargement of both the liver and spleen in Faith #2 maybe an indication of an infectious process,
including virally-induced lymphoproliferative disease, rather than some form of acute toxicosis; however additional testing
including histopathologic examination of the tissues, is necessary to provide more information in this regard.
Bacteriology, routine toxicology and histopathology results are pending, and additional samples have been saved, should further
toxicology testing be necessary after the completion of other testing. Please feel free to call me, if you have any question
concerning this preliminary report.
C a s e S u m m a r y
Sudden death. This is Faith's sister. Sent in last week. No signs of illness. She went into nest box and we found her dying a few
hours later. Faith is still being tested. Possible Poisoning?

 

[Teila]

Howdy Bridge Club

Yep TG Dee and Gayle

Yeah, while I am happy to order fertile eggs, I am not sure I could be bothered going to all the effort to post them; especially for what I consider to be the small profit being made. It would, however, be nice to know that some of your babies have been born and doing well in another part of the country.

MM so nice to hear from you again!

Wow, it does sound like your boys have been keeping you on your toes! Concussion falling off the sofa is not going to rate high on the Wow scale .. maybe he could tweak it a little to say “off his bike” or “off the tractor”. Similarly the padded indoor playground could be “a tree” or “the roof” etc

Congrats on your new baby nephew!

I am sorry to read that your feathered boys have been playing up also but pleased to hear that you were able to nurse Brownie back to health and that Blackbeard is a good boy.

Wishing you lots of luck with Wendy’s brood

and the new coop is exciting!

Liz sorry to hear that Frida is giving you such a hard time … maybe a ‘time-out’ in a broody jail might give her time for an attitude rethink and it will certainly give the rest of the flock a break?

Tee hee 16 paws we do not need to ask “why” we totally understand

I am sure you have done the research yourself but I looked up lymphoproliferative disease and surprise, surprise [sarcasm intended] came up with Marek’s:

"Marek's disease (MD) is one of the most common lymphoproliferative diseases"

I have read about Marek’s extensively in the past and the varied symptoms for Marek’s can also be symptoms for many many other things. Apart from actual injury, pretty much everything I have been able to recover my chickens from or not recover them from have one or more symptoms of Marek’s disease. Symptoms that chickens display when they have worms, are egg bound, hurt their foot, dehydrated, overheated, have mites/lice etc etc etc are also possible Marek’s symptoms. Any Vet or Pathologist is going to try and either rule out or blame Marek’s. What I am trying to get at is do not worry yet and wait for the final results. I would be very surprised to hear that you have Marek’s in your flock and still think there is something else going on.

Not much news from me:

For the past week or so, at bed time, Cilla has been jumping up on the roost, nattering away to Crystal and KiKi trying to convince them to join her, when she realises that is not going to happen, she jumps back down and snuggles in the nest with them. Tonight when she jumped up I heard a lot more peeping than usual and while Crystal had managed to join her, KiKi was still on the floor and peeping up a storm. I watched her for a while and she jumped up onto the roost also.

I was so proud, my little nuggets on the roost for the first time. However, there was a technical hitch! Cilla had perched at the end of the roost up against the coop wall and Crystal was next to her, meaning KiKi could not snuggle mum, only Crystal. There was a lot of peeping and shuffling noises so I left them to it.

I went back later to see if they had worked it out and everyone was back in the nest box, nice and warm. I am not sure if the shuffling caused one or both of the nuggets to fall off or Cilla just thought to herself “I am not going to get any sleep” and jumped off herself! lol

 

[16 paws]

Teila,
I totally agree with you about your comments regarding Marek's. I think they would have had some sort of symptoms. Still waiting to hear more. The rest of my flock is doing great. Knock on wood...

That is so cute about Cilla and the nuggets. I bet they did fall off and Mom said "maybe we'll try again tomorrow night."

Cheers
Marie