Bad week for my BO

[HeyHo]

So, after painstakingly weaving paracord over the fenced-in, wooded area where I let the girls explore, a hawk still managed to cause chaos and flush the hens out. I saved my BO from a wrestling match with a young coopers hawk. She popped up and, upon inspection, had ZERO injuries. But she took a few days off from egg laying.

During this time, I noticed she was favoring one foot when jumping down from the ladder (her favorite daytime perch). Fearing she had a hawk-related injury, I examined her again. And the poor girl had bumble foot on both feet! Now I have spent two days giving her pedicures in Epsom water, loosening plugs, coating with ointment and wrapping in bandages.

Just feeling like a bad chicken mama after a difficult week. Don't get me wrong, my chickens are loved and well tended. But I'm still pretty new and am making every rookie mistake in the book. Good thing those birds are resilient.

Thanks for letting me get that off my chest...

 

[ValerieJ]

So sorry for the bad week you and your BO have had.

 

[Kiki]

 

[tripletfeb]

While bumblefoot sucks, it's better than an injury from the hawk! Easier to take care of and it sounds like you caught it in time and are taking good care of her. Hope your week gets better and the BO gets better soon!

 

[ChickNanny13]

We all go thru those days/weeks/months at times

 

[blackandtan]

I totally get it! I have definitely had a bad bird month!
Started with my poor pet turkey getting flystrike because he was moulting and the chickens picked on him, he was in such bad shape I had to send him to turkey heaven.
Then I didn’t close the door properly on the pheasant pen and a bunch of them escaped.
To top it all off, a few days ago I was taking my dog and the geese to the lake across the road for a swim...and some jerk decided to speed up so he could run over one of my geese! The only female! So now I’m tending her shattered leg and hoping she’ll make it.
I’m a terrible bird parent!

 

[HeyHo]

I’m a terrible bird parent!

Noooooo! We are both just having bad luck! It'll turn around, right??? RIGHT?

And who would speed up to run over a goose? That is crazy bad karma....

 

[Kiki]

I totally get it! I have definitely had a bad bird month!
Started with my poor pet turkey getting flystrike because he was moulting and the chickens picked on him, he was in such bad shape I had to send him to turkey heaven.
Then I didn’t close the door properly on the pheasant pen and a bunch of them escaped.
To top it all off, a few days ago I was taking my dog and the geese to the lake across the road for a swim...and some jerk decided to speed up so he could run over one of my geese! The only female! So now I’m tending her shattered leg and hoping she’ll make it.
I’m a terrible bird parent!

 

[glassdragonfly]

I have had times when everything I do seems to go sideways. It will get better!

 

[Folly's place]

Stuff tend to come in clusters, and I hope your BO is getting better! She's alive, and this will all be okay later.
Mary