Recent content by normanack

Today Miriam was very quiet and not walking without encouragement. I fed her sunflower seeds, her favorite treats, and held her a long time. Tomorrow I will have her euthanized. She was a good friend.

Well, she's really pretty! Some thoughts: my Cream Legbar crosses have retained the full Cream Legbar coloring, but take after the other parent more for body shape. YMMV, of course, and absolutely I am not a genetics expert at all. Here is a Cream Legbar/Easter Egger cross (note the puffy...

Not a recent picture, but she looks about the same. :-)

Several days later, Miriam is no worse, and maybe, possibly, the tiniest bit less affected by the balance issue -- or more likely she is learning to cope with it. She has no problem walking, running, pecking at the ground, eating, or drinking. She can climb the chicken staircase (my husband...

Thank you! I am making a list of what to bring to the coop in the morning and what to check. I have checked her crop and it was normal today. I ill check it again while I'm looking at the rest of her.

Thank you for your thoughts about the process of death and mourning. It does help to be able to think about it in a larger context. I watched my brother's last journey which took a year from his first diagnosis with a malignant brain tumor. The hospice workers were angels and we couldn't have...

I figured it had to be something pretty bad. :-(. I'm going over the coop and yard with a fine-toothed comb. Thank you for suggesting examining the area. I sure don't want another chicken getting affected

1, Chicken: Miriam: Rhode Island Red hen, about 4 years old, normal weight, in backyard flock of 16 chickens, walk-in coop and (guessing) 30 x 40 foot fenced and netted chicken yard 2. Behavior: Yesterday, slightly wobbly on her legs, otherwise fine: eating, drinking, doing normal chicken...

I love the patterning of a Barred Plymouth Rock -- the barring is what first caught my eye. But it's the shape of the Rock that has my mind and heart. The more I learn about type, the more I see, and my interest just keeps multiplying.

Unless it's just chance, they stand like cockerels already. edited to add: the bottom photo. Please don't tell me those are girls.

Oh, for clarity here, I'm not planning on breeding her. I've got one exhibition breed already and that's more than enough -- big ol' Plymouth Barred Rocks.

Yup. Just got back from Feathersite. Gorgeous little birds! I'm going to assume that as she's from hatchery stock, that she's nowhere near exhibition quality, but that's okay with me. She is a beautiful little bird. :-)

Really? porcelain d'Uccles? How cool! (Although I wouldn't mind a standard Faverolle some day!) Thanks!

Thanks! She's from the feed store (which I believe orders from Townline Hatchery) from their bantam bin. It's certainly possible she's a cross of something, or possibly one of their breeding pools got muddled over time and no longer really fits one particular breed.

She's a bantam, smooth-feathered, white with soft grey spotting, and has feathered legs and feet. Also cheek puffs. She has stayed quite small -- smaller than my Silkies, about the size of the Golden Sebright cockerel I picked up at the same time. He was thinner and taller -- at least he held...