Australia - Six states..and that funny little island.

[appps]

Well I am devastated. My little Faverolles Charlotte passed last night. I knew she wasn't right.

What is the process of getting someone to investigate what happened?

I'm so sad

So sorry to hear that :-(. You can just take her in to your vet and ask if they can autopsie (I'd ring first as they wont all know much about chickens)

the only two birds I've lost to illness (our last also after a particularly hard moult) have both been faverolles and Carl with with her ongoing crop problems is as well. I sometimes wonder if it's a breed thing. Or our particular strain of the breed anyway. They are also nowhere near the layers you read about on here from US and UK breeders which makes me wonder about the strain too as mine were from a breeder bought his birds off one of our top faverolles breeders over here.

They are definatly a breed that you can't help but have a special place for though when you own one though so know how hard it must be to loose her :-(

 

[Coram]

Well I am devastated. My little Faverolles Charlotte passed last night. I knew she wasn't right.

What is the process of getting someone to investigate what happened?

I'm so sad

Sorry to hear Silkie. You can take her to a vet for an autopsy. The sooner the better. If it's too long they can't find much out. One of the things they can check for are the blackhead lesions present on the birds liver (if that is what has killed the bird). My vet charges me $80 for an autopsy.

 

[SunflowerTheBun]

SilkieChickStart: So sorry to hear about the passing of your Charlotte!
Yes, they're butcher birds, they're the ones! Annoying things!

 

[SilkieChickStar]

Sorry to hear Silkie. You can take her to a vet for an autopsy. The sooner the better. If it's too long they can't find much out. One of the things they can check for are the blackhead lesions present on the birds liver (if that is what has killed the bird). My vet charges me $80 for an autopsy.

What would those lesions mean?

 

[Anniebee]

Well I am devastated. My little Faverolles Charlotte passed last night. I knew she wasn't right.

What is the process of getting someone to investigate what happened?

I'm so sad

Feel so sad for your loss Silkie ... it is such a horrid shock to find one gone, or going.

RIP little Charlotte.

for you Silkie.

 

[Coram]

What would those lesions mean?

Large pale lesions on the liver indicate the bird died from Blackhead. It's an illness caused by a protozoan infection. It's unlikely though, but good to be sure. Good luck.

 

[Anniebee]

Howdy folks

Hi there Sunny welcome to BYC and the thread, lovely to meet you.

I appreciate your cat deterrent suggestions Anniebee. Unfortunately, we do not have a totally fenced yard. While the back garden has a mix of colorbond and wire fencing on three sides; access is available from the front, no gate. The house is sideways on the block so the back door is on one side and the front, the other. We actually use the front door more for accessing the back yard and the chickens than we do the back .. if that makes sense.

We are smack bang in the middle of suburbia but only minutes from a Wetland Reserve. We probably do not get any more visitors than others do, but only leaving home maybe once or twice a week and being on such a small block, I tend to notice pretty much everything that goes on here.

My neighbour out the back and one neighbour on the side both have a cat but, like me, they are responsible cat owners; Happy is an indoor cat and Tangles is an indoor cat who is lead trained and gets to go for walks etc. However, we also have Versace from across the road who wanders the neighbourhood at will, a big ginger Tom with folded ears who comes from up the road somewhere, a black and white cat who comes from down the road, a grey and white who comes from the corner neighbours' plus others who I have no idea where they come from.

This morning, while I was feeding the girls, LuLu and Blondie were standing to attention and growling so I followed their line of sight which lead to a grey cat with a red collar, watching them from the back hedge. I have not seen this one before and have no idea where it came from, but that is just another one we can add to the list.

I do not blame the cats … I blame the owners!

I got to thinking about our intruders after you mentioned “you sure do have trouble with intruders” and yep, we have way too many door to door sales people, dogs and cats. Wildlife visitors include Possums, Crows, Ibis, the occasional rat, Cane Toads, Turtle Doves, Rainbow Lorikeets, Sulphur Crested Cockatoos, Myna birds, Magpies [both large and small] and many others.

As mentioned, I am happiest at home, do not wander far and probably could be described as borderline recluse. I do not mind the wildlife that visits [except the Crows

] but I day dream about being smack bang in the middle of nowhere and where I do not have to deal with the thoughtlessness and inconsiderations that seem to be par for the course in suburbia.

Climbing down off my soap box now ….

A lot of wetland reserves are also available for visitors - boardwalks, bikeways, BBQ facilities, viewing decks etc. I don't know what yours have, but there are enough dry hidey holes in most of those areas for cats to be a) dumped by rotten owners, and b) have enough food from birds caught in the wetlands, and c) true toms being entire, would go hunting for females at around this time - through to late Spring.

We live on the edge of / in a rainforest, and are required to register all cats residing in homes - the expensive reg. fee is for entire cats, the cheaper fee for neutered cats. They must be microchipped, and wear a collar with the registration # tag on - issued by the Yarra Ranges Shire. The Shire has a 24 hour cat curfew. ( used to be just overnight ). Any cat caught wandering outside the owners property, and is identifiable, the owner is sent an infringement notice, and if any fine placed is not paid, court costs can happen. Thus, we rarely if ever, have a problem. Nobody wants to tangle with the shire. This has resulted in many cat play enclosures being installed in many homes. Next doors put up a fixed at intervals netting that leaned inwards to their property, so their cats had the entire back garden to play in - but --- they had wooden fences all around, and gates either side of the house ( similar to our side fences and gates ).

Wondering if a call to your local council might be a good idea - as you have mentioned 5 ++ cats. It is for sure there is at least one entire tomcat in that bunch. They fight each other for female attention, they viciously go at neutered males ( and females ) .... and pin down a female for mating. Don't think there is a worse noise than a cat fight.

There is little one can do about the dumping of cats, but I know our Rangers go out into the forests, look for identifiable scat / droppings, and trap the cats. However, since many embargos on pets being permitted in rental properties, have now been lifted - dumping of cats and dogs - ( all so cruel ) ... is waay less than it used to be. If a cat is trapped, ( and is microchipped and neutered ), the owners are warned, listened to - and perhaps after all, fined.

Next door neighbours were having a kitchen refit done recently ...... workers didn't care about leaving gates open. I found their small slender Siamese in our back garden, eyeing off Mindy. If she had got in with the big girls, I wouldn't have given the cat much of a chance, frankly. She was way smaller than those two. She hurriedly returned to her owners, and I advised them she was getting out. Cat confined to bed in a room. Not cruel - Vets advise cats are safer, warmer and happier as indoor cats, in suburbs. Country / farms is vastly different.

Over the road cat often escaped and crossed the road into our front garden ( like you, we have no fencing or gate right at the very front ). A lovely cat, it's owners have been spoken to often enough by several people, and we no longer see it wandering about. Might have been caught by the Rangers at some stage, but we did not report it.

Cat trapping would have to be answer if it becomes really too much.

Cheers ........

 

[Anniebee]

Have read so many many items on this thread about feed, what to feed, what is fed, and what chooks like best.

So - here goes :

The Big Pumpkin Smash Experiment !!! ​

Bearing in mind I have only 3 chickens, I decided to bake until barely softened - 1/4 of a largish Japala pumpkin. Set aside to cool. 99c per kilo - unheard of - yaaaay.

Cut it into 3 sections, and fed the girls. One for Mindy Araucana, two for the big girls. There was no real 'smashing' to be done - too small a section ...

The results had me in hysterics .... ( although I was very careful not to let them see me laughing ). !!

Mindy Araucana ......

>

>

Molly RIR ......

>

>

>

Mandy Welsummer ........

>

>

>

The

was because she grabbed a beakful of pumpkin flesh attached to the fibrous centre, and went careering around the run with it hanging off her beak, which was no mean feat, considering the possible weight of the wedge of pumpkin. She did seem to enjoy it after she shook off the wedge - even if only to defeat the darned thing.

She continued to eat some of it so all seemed well !! Molly removed herself to the opposite side of the run, and if ever I could imagine a chicken ignoring another chicken for certain behaviour - that was it.

OK ... my bad.

Because I have spoiled rotten chooks. They are not used to large of anything. They get pulverised, grated, finely chopped, cooked tucker. Even the greens are finely cut - except for cabbage which they seem to like to throw around and demolish in their own way.

Next pumpkin smash will be in my kitchen. As it has been before. Softened pumpkin with ground up pumpkin seeds.

 

[Fancychooklady]

Have read so many many items on this thread about feed, what to feed, what is fed, and what chooks like best. 

So - here goes : 

[COLOR=FF8C00]The Big Pumpkin Smash Experiment !!!   [/COLOR]​

Bearing in mind I have only 3 chickens, I decided to bake until barely softened - 1/4 of a largish Japala pumpkin.   Set aside to cool.  99c per kilo - unheard of - yaaaay.   

Cut it into 3 sections, and fed the girls.  One for Mindy Araucana, two for the big girls.  There was no real 'smashing' to be done - too small a section  ... 

The results had me in hysterics ....  ( although I was very careful not to let them see me laughing ). !!  

Mindy Araucana ......  >  > 

Molly RIR ......    >  >   > 

Mandy Welsummer ........   >   >   > 

The   was because she grabbed a beakful of pumpkin flesh attached to the fibrous centre, and went careering around the run with it hanging off her beak, which was no mean feat, considering the possible weight of the wedge of pumpkin.  She did seem to enjoy it after she shook off the wedge  - even if only to defeat the darned thing.   

She continued  to eat some of it so all seemed well  !!   Molly removed herself to the opposite side of the run, and if ever I could imagine a chicken ignoring another chicken for certain behaviour - that was it.  

OK ...  my bad.   

Because I have spoiled rotten chooks.   They are not used to large of anything.   They get pulverised, grated, finely chopped, cooked tucker.  Even the greens are finely cut - except for cabbage which they seem to like to throw around and demolish in their own way.  

Next pumpkin smash will be in my kitchen.   As it has been before.   Softened pumpkin with ground up pumpkin seeds.  

Lol, I'd be inclined to leave it in the pen for a few days and give them time to get used to the big orange thing. Might keep them entertained for a while too.

 

[Anniebee]

Yes, the foxes are calling early this year. Our Maggies are nesting too, I think an early spring may be on the cards! Hopefully not leading to a long summer. Last years was awful. Dry and hot. We had to buy water from November to the end of Febuary. The seasons certainly do seem to be shifting.

It is fairly common for magpies to nest toward the middle / end of July. Amazed me when I first realised that, years ago. Nests swaying in wild winds and freezing temps. But they come through eventually. Always believed it was a "Spring" thing.

Father Magpie develops THE most beautiful plumage to attract his permanent mate / wife - with whom he stays for as long as either or both of them live.

Not at all surprised at nesting now - it is ( thankfully ) almost normal - which makes me feel a bit better about all the 'we are doomed' messages that come from climate change advocates, and climate change deniers.

At least the maggies might have their act together. Last year there was little in the way of new babies from magpies, which I found slightly alarming. Maybe this year ( and our new male is doing his thing in building a nest with his mate - across the road ) .... will be closer to the mark for us all ?

One can only hope.

Cheers .........