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

[IamSamSam]

Sorry to hear your sick Fancy. Hope your well soon.

 

[locknest4]

I've just had my second shock of the week....
A hen just help herself to a small mole on my stomach, two peaks and she'd ripped it from my body and ate it. To all those people paying money for mole removals save yourself the cash of an operation and buy a chicken instead.

Holey Moley! Definitely grossed out but laughing too
Our chicks have been trying to peck at our freckles. Thanks for the warning, will be sure not to show them any tempting moles!

 

[locknest4]

to fancychooklady,Hope u feel better soon. We are so sick of getting sick! It's been a bit of a year for illness. We were worried that we would pass our bugs onto the chicks, but the breeder told us that they couldn't catch human viruses.

 

[locknest4]

Lost a roo to a 3.5m scrubby last night. Was too big for it to eat. Wasteful creature.

On a positive note my cuckoo project is coming along nicely. My chicks are looking stunning. One has slightly yellow feet so will have to deal with that next gen. Here are some cutie pie pics.

Sorry for your loss. Always sad when that happens. Excuse my ignorance but what type of chickens are 'cuckoos'?

 

[Anniebee]

I've just had my second shock of the week....
A hen just help herself to a small mole on my stomach, two peaks and she'd ripped it from my body and ate it. To all those people paying money for mole removals save yourself the cash of an operation and buy a chicken instead.

V1cky .... I am laughing, but also wondering how much it must have hurt to have the mole, chook-chiseled ! Grossed me out as well. I know they will have a go at anything that looks edible ...

As for tbe photo of your chicken on high - with the lineup of eggs behind her ... that is priceless.
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Fancy ... I sure hope you are feeling much better this evening, gather you were over for the Royal Show ? .... and now you are in bed, not able to enjoy all that noise and razzamatazz out there.

It's been a ghastly year for so many people in Victoria. Everyone has had something or other - I've had 5 infections - all treated with anti-biotic. Upper respiratory stuff - seems to have cleared up now that spring is ( allegedly ) here. I have a flu shot every year so I guess that helped too.

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RodneyRooster .... re THAT egg. Have to wonder if it was the beginning of a chicken - and the reason it was outside of the box, was the hen(s) knew it was no good and kicked it out, after trying to keep it warm for a while. ??

My little Araucana laid outside on the ground today - another soft shell egg. ( one 10 days or so back as well ) .... I gave her a handful of grated cheese and a sprinkle of ground up egg shells last time, and again early this evening. Thing is, she never lays a soft shell in her nesting box. --- always outside of it. And I watched the egg drop, roll and she was after it - pecked straight into the soft shell, and began to devour the yolk. Never touches the properly formed hard shell eggs.

She is a prolific layer, barely taking a day off --- and has laid now about 5 soft shells over her 2.5 years of laying life. I think she just runs out of calcium. Her normal blue eggs are pretty big, and with the hardest shells you could imagine.

Hubby had run inside to tell me "something is wrong with 'white-stuff' ( Mindy to me ) .... she's crouching and waddling funny" Took one look and recognised the 'push' - I said "she's laying an egg". His eyes were like saucers.

She also never makes a sound when laying - unlike the other two who purr their way through the process.

... but I have to wonder if somehow she just knew the development was wrong - as the speed at which she turned to get that egg to eat - well she beat me to it. !! And I was definitely not slow off the mark. !!

Not saying Mindy is Wonder-Chook - only that perhaps all hens know when there is something wrong with an egg, and will abandon it - or lay it in an unusual place ????

I think there are other bird species who tip eggs out of nests, or allow young who are weak, to not flourish etc.

Just a thought.

 

[V1cky]

V1cky  .... I am laughing, but also wondering how much it must have hurt to have the mole, chook-chiseled !   Grossed me out as well.    I know they will have a go at anything that looks edible ... 

As for tbe photo of your chicken on high - with the lineup of eggs behind her ... that is priceless.     

Truthfully.. it really hurt and still does. I've had chooks peck at it every so often but never thought until it happened that they could actually peck it off. After years owning chickens I should know by now never to underestimate them especially when they see food... or what they think is food lol.

As for my hen in that pic she had me on my toes all day trying to figure out how she kept escaping the chook cage. Found out her love for heights doesn't stop at nesting spots. A small gap in the shade cloth roof and she found it.

 

[sjturner79]

Sorry for your loss. Always sad when that happens. Excuse my ignorance but what type of chickens are 'cuckoos'?

Cuckoo is a color pattern

 

[Anniebee]

Truthfully.. it really hurt and still does. I've had chooks peck at it every so often but never thought until it happened that they could actually peck it off. After years owning chickens I should know by now never to underestimate them especially when they see food... or what they think is food lol.

As for my hen in that pic she had me on my toes all day trying to figure out how she kept escaping the chook cage. Found out her love for heights doesn't stop at nesting spots. A small gap in the shade cloth roof and she found it.

Hope you poured loads of Dettol or Iodine on the 'hole' that was left. Chooks beaks ? Ewwww.

As for your high road girl --- something else we should never underestimate with chooks ... their degree of intelligence, and at times, sheer ingenuity. Some people think they have no brains at all --- they are 'just chickens' ... but if determination is a sign of ability to think - they've got plenty of it.

I now will not be wearing bright nail polish ( toes or fingernails ) this coming summer. They attack nail polish. I wear my glasses when out 'doing' for the girls. That way they can only crack their beaks on the glass, and not remove an eye. Anything that glints and glitters is fair game, except oddly enough - they leave small bits of glass that has risen to the surface of mud, quite alone - never touch them - but I do, back breaking job bending down picking up tiny bits of glass before letting the girls out after rain. ( there was land-fill from years back underneath our back garden area ).

The things we do ........ !!

 

[V1cky]

Hope you poured loads of Dettol or Iodine on the 'hole' that was left.   Chooks beaks ?    Ewwww.    

As for your high road girl ---  something else we should never underestimate with chooks ... their degree of intelligence, and at times, sheer ingenuity.   Some people think they have no brains at all --- they are 'just chickens' ... but if determination is a sign of ability to think - they've got plenty of it.   

I now will not be wearing bright nail polish ( toes or fingernails ) this coming summer.   They attack nail polish.    I wear my glasses when out 'doing' for the girls.  That way they can only crack their beaks on the glass, and not remove an eye.   Anything that glints and glitters is fair game, except oddly enough - they leave small bits of glass that has risen to the surface of mud, quite alone - never touch them - but I do, back breaking job bending down picking up tiny bits of glass before letting the girls out after rain.   ( there was land-fill from years back underneath our back garden area ).   

The things we do ........ !!  

Only a person who's never owned chickens would consider chickens as 'just chickens'. They may not be the brightest of all creatures but they're definitely not stupid.

As for the eye peaking.. I learnt that the painful way. No longer are chickens allowed that close to my face again lol

The picking up of glass all the time must be annoying but a good work out, not that anyone with chickens needs more exercise. After feeding and cleaning and worming and chasing at times that's workout enough

 

[Fancychooklady]

to fancychooklady,Hope u feel better soon. We are so sick of getting sick! It's been a bit of a year for illness. We were worried that we would pass our bugs onto the chicks, but the breeder told us that they couldn't catch human viruses.

Yes that is correct , while there are a few bird viruses that are zoonotic ( the A strain of I bird influenza ), most viruses are species specific.
Im hoping to have turned the corner with this virus, have kept a cuppa down, hoping to get out in the glorious sunshine .