lesson learned (graphic!)...

[mommy9994]

So, every morning, I go out, and am met at the gate by a flock of quacking, gobbleing, bawking, cockadoodling, hungry birds. I do the "barnyard shuffle" (yk, the way you scoot your feet so that you don't step on anyone) over to the brooder, and feed the babies first. Then I go over and feed the biggies, gather up all the waterers and fill them. No problem, until today....

I opened the brooder door to get the feeder and waterer out, and 2 babies jumped out 1 is immediately grabbed up by a turkey, and the other runs and hides under a tarp. Turkey runs across the yard with baby, followed by everyone else. I was dumbfounded for a minute, and decided I would save the one being pecked to death first. By this time, the hens and dog had figured out what was going on, and chased the turkeys away. Baby was staggering about, kinda dizzy like. I scooped him up, and held him against my chest, and went and got the other, who was still hiding under the tarp. I checked him over real good, and there was no blood, a bit of pulled fluff. When I put him back in, he was walking around ok, I've not gone back out to check-- but I'm thinking he'll be ok, if he didn't get pecked in the head too hard.

Lesson of the day: feed the big hungrys first!

 

[mylilchix]

I learned that lesson yesterday, but with llamas. I decided to feed and water the chickens instead of the llamas first. Being out of rountine I left the chicken run gate open when I went to open the pop door. 5, 7-9 w/o chicks got out. I managed to get 4 back in the run, and one decided to squeeze under the fencing to the llama pasture. In my haste to get the chick back, I neglected to feed the llamas their pellets before I walked into their area. One llama spit at me because she was so mad that they hadn't been fed first. Lesson learned, feed llamas first and always remember to shut the chicken run gate!!

Sonja