Hi everyone,
It's been incredibly busy (summertime in the ole B&B), but I've been trying to keep up with all of you. I'm sorry for all the various losses. My own FiFi, the Black Copper Marans I've had since she was a chicklet, died last Thursday in a really bizarre way. She had no panting, agitation, or obvious lethargy, but her comb, wattles, and eye areas suddenly appeared very pale pink. At one point she looked at me as if she were telling me something important. She didn't go into the coop that night and I didn't notice that she hadn't. In the morning she was head down between my raised flower bed and my back fence, as if she had gotten stuck there; but I can't imagine what she could have been doing to get stuck that way. I feel badly that I missed her when I closed up the coop, but I also realize that she was not well that day.
Now I have only one hen that I've had since she was a chick - Merrie - and she's been kind of looking around, as if seeking FiFi, who was her brooder mate.
On another note, I found a really interesting article today on my Flipboard or whatever it's called, regarding possible increased virulence of Mareks for unvaccinated birds. I hope this link will work for those interested:
http://phenomena.nationalgeographic...deadlier-chicken-viruses/#.Vba45Ak-nKM.mailto
Meanwhile, my three "newbies," that I got way back at the beginning of June, are doing fine. @COChix and @corancher, they're all doing well. Nutmeg, the Welsummer from COChix has finally gotten back into laying, although she will not go in the big coop at night. She continues going into the smaller coop, where I had the newbies quarantined, to roost by herself; but she is healthy and seems to be very comfortable with my other birds. She's actually sort of the queen hen, since Merrie and FiFi never claimed that honor, but has stopped pecking at my Schocki, which tells me they're all getting used to each other.
My Lemon Cuckoo Orpington from Ann has gone through a number of name changes, and I'm still not sure if what she has now is permanent. I call her Lemony Snick, because she looks like a snickerdoodle. She has just begun laying in the last week, and she's starting to get her big Orpington skirts. She loves to sleep on top of or side by side in the nest box with my Schocki, the Bantam Chocolate Orpington also from Ann. I don't have the heart to kick them out, since they are the only ones to be laying in that nest box any way. Goofy girls!
Finally, my Cream Legbar, from Ann as well, has been named Butte - pronounced Beauty - because she's Crested and because I've heard people trying to pronounce Crested Butte as Crested "Beauty." Silly, I know, but she seems to love her name, and looks at me with her piercing stare whenever I call her. She is almost ready to lay. She was in the nest box today, and actually bristled and made noise at me when I looked in on her. I thought only broodies did that, but I don't know how she could be broody, since she has yet to lay an egg. When she was done, having done nothing, she cut loose with the best egg song I've ever heard from any of my hens. It was classic - with nothing to show for it! Oh well, maybe tomorrow.
Anyway, here's my long, every 6 week post. Hope you're all well and that your chicklets, hens, pullets, roos, and cockerels (not to mention your ducks, geese, guineas, turkeys, quail, etc.) are surviving the summer and being a source of delight and wonder for you all.
All Good to you,
Alebuela/Alexandra
I wish! My absolute favorite time of year. Was 100 even when I left work for home. First part of the drive was like being in a sauna, even with all the windows down. Yes, I have AC in the truck, but kills my already dismal gas mileage, and would only just be getting the interior cooled down by the time I got home. Besides, I sweat all day pounding concrete floors in the warehouse with no AC, so at least there's air movement with the windows down.
