Consolidated Kansas

[sharol]

My day is off to a rocky start. When I went out to see why the chickens were going nuts at about 6 a.m. (just before their door opens) there was a tiny kitten on one of the straw bales in the run. He/she (tiger striped, pretty non-descript but very loud) let me pick him up and started yelling. I don't think it is feral since it made no attempt to scratch or bite and started purring. Hasn't stopped yelling. The poor little thing was starving and hurt (front paw -- not sure if it is broken or just scraped, there is some skin and fur missing). Now he/she is in my incubation room in a cat carrier screaming for attention. Food, water, and milk and a little litter pan seemed to help. I'll take him/her in to the vet this morning and find out what is going on. I DON"T NEED A CAT. The one I have will never accept another male.

I candled the eggs in the incubator this morning and 4 of the 6 seem to be developing normally. One is clear, and one is just different. Both are staying in the incubator for a while longer. It is REALLY hard to see inside those dark Marans eggs. I candled the ones under my broody (well 5 of the 6) last night. One appears clear and the others developing well. So, it looks like we are at 9 or 10 of the 12 at 7 days. The air cells are looking about right for 7 days.

 

[mrsdanamiller]

Hi everyone! I hope everything is going well.

I can't keep up with the speed of the thread, so I don't get on much, but thought I needed some chicken-lover solidarity today....I have had my first chicken death.

My low-totem-pole chicken, a Barnevelder, was found dead in the run today. The other chickens were out ranging. *Sigh* We have had a rough time with her. She is so docile, and the other chickens are so voracious, that she didn't stand a chance. She had a bald-spot on her back from them pecking her feathers. Was afraid of them, so stayed in the run most of the time while the others ranged. Laid eggs like a champ. Didn't mind being held. Didn't get worse for a long while, then all of a sudden, this week, they started pecking her again, and then (what the heck) pecked off parts of her comb!! It was even all bloody!! I swabbed it with peroxide and covered it(and her back. She didn't even flinch.) with Vaseline to maybe deter them, but now, two days later, the poor thing is dead. I guess I didn't catch the infection soon enough. Gosh that was fast. Now I have to deal with her before the heat of the day hits....ugh. I have never dealt with dead animals before...except mice.

Should I bury her or burn her?

 

[sharol]

My condolences for your loss. She sounds like she was a sweet hen.

We buried our first loss and then disposed of the others in less respectful ways. I just can't ask my DH to dig holes in this rocky/clay soil for every chicken we lose. It sounds heartless, but there it is. We have 2 hens that will rate a real grave when they pass, but they are favorites from the original group (who, by the way, are 3 years old today).

Hi everyone! I hope everything is going well.

I can't keep up with the speed of the thread, so I don't get on much, but thought I needed some chicken-lover solidarity today....I have had my first chicken death.

My low-totem-pole chicken, a Barnevelder, was found dead in the run today. The other chickens were out ranging. *Sigh* We have had a rough time with her. She is so docile, and the other chickens are so voracious, that she didn't stand a chance. She had a bald-spot on her back from them pecking her feathers. Was afraid of them, so stayed in the run most of the time while the others ranged. Laid eggs like a champ. Didn't mind being held. Didn't get worse for a long while, then all of a sudden, this week, they started pecking her again, and then (what the heck) pecked off parts of her comb!! It was even all bloody!! I swabbed it with peroxide and covered it(and her back. She didn't even flinch.) with Vaseline to maybe deter them, but now, two days later, the poor thing is dead. I guess I didn't catch the infection soon enough. Gosh that was fast. Now I have to deal with her before the heat of the day hits....ugh. I have never dealt with dead animals before...except mice.

Should I bury her or burn her?

 

[chicken danz]

Sorry for the losses. ChickieWickies sorry I didn't get back to you. Gatoraide will work in a pinch and help rebuild electrolites but not long term. I have and do use it when I have no pedialite. Long term use of gatoraide is hard on their system. I have no idea why.
I've been out feeding and watering for the last hour or two. I am already drenched in sweat. Actually we never got rain but there was lots north of us. Today there is no wind at all and the humidity is high. It could actually be a worse day than yesterday. Even though it is 84 here right now it feels like 104. I have people coming to get the blue slates around noon. I sure hope they have a crate and they will be inside a vehicle rather than like in the back of a truck. Turkeys don't handle the heat nearly as well as a lot of other birds.
Let me tell you, doing work before coffee is totally out of character for me. I need to do a lot more out there but I just had to come in and cool off for awhile.
I'd like to try moving some birds again later today. It's pen shuffle around here every day now. I need my days to be at least another 16 hours longer.

 

[ivyrash]

The heat yesterday was ridiculous! I really wonder about the birds sometimes. It's a million degrees in the coop and yet they stay in there and cook! All the doors and windows are open so no reason for them to be in there. I went out about once an hour when I got home and made sure they were getting outside and took any that looked like they were in trouble and put their feet in the water pans but I don't think they get it. I bought a mister at TSC but I don't think it works very well so will probably buy something different the next time I'm in town. Do the birds figure out the mister eventually or not?

For you Creme Legbar people, I have a young rooster that I got on accident (long story). He is around 4/5 months old and he has the sweetest personality I have ever seen in a rooster. When they are outside free ranging if I walk up to him and squat down he will come up and let me pet him, doesn't matter if I have food or not. Is it because of his age? Do you think that will change as he gets older? Are the Creme Legbars like that in general? I wasn't really planning on keeping him or raising any of them but if that is common I really hate to get rid of him.

 

[chicken danz]

Cream legbars are really easy going birds. I never pampered mine but I have heard several people say they are. My girls just sat in the shade most of the day and were really easy going. The boys were a little more adventurous. I figure if you have a good sweet rooster he is a treasure on his own. I've never seen the boys fight with other roosters.

 

[Ralph Moyer]

The heat yesterday was ridiculous! I really wonder about the birds sometimes. It's a million degrees in the coop and yet they stay in there and cook! All the doors and windows are open so no reason for them to be in there. I went out about once an hour when I got home and made sure they were getting outside and took any that looked like they were in trouble and put their feet in the water pans but I don't think they get it. I bought a mister at TSC but I don't think it works very well so will probably buy something different the next time I'm in town. Do the birds figure out the mister eventually or not?

For you Creme Legbar people, I have a young rooster that I got on accident (long story). He is around 4/5 months old and he has the sweetest personality I have ever seen in a rooster. When they are outside free ranging if I walk up to him and squat down he will come up and let me pet him, doesn't matter if I have food or not. Is it because of his age? Do you think that will change as he gets older? Are the Creme Legbars like that in general? I wasn't really planning on keeping him or raising any of them but if that is common I really hate to get rid of him.

Probably your birds are staying inside is to be in the shade. Mine only go inside to lay or roost, as they free-range. The go from one shady area to another to stay out of the direct sunlight.

 

[ChickieWickies]

Thanks for answering Danz. We got a little Gatorade mixed with water and watermelon juice down Shadow last night. She made it through the night. She's outside right now in their large pen drinking water on her own. Hubby said to move her out this morning so she has less stress and to then bring her in during the afternoon heat. She isn't moving real fast, and she seems to fall asleep standing up in place. Is this "normal" recovery? She even gave a few weak bak baks this morning to me. Shadow is a 10-month-old black langshan. Total we lost 3--a cochin at Gma's, my daughter's red cochin, and my son's EE.

I just went out and brought Shadow back in. She gave a weak bak bak and is chirping a little. Hopefully she'll make it.

I'm so sorry mrsdanamiller. We are feeling your pain. Our ladies mean so much to us!

 

[chicken danz]

ChickieWickies, heat is her biggest enemy right now. I would personally keep her in. I had one a while back that I nearly lost to heat and I actually just let her roam the house with no cage. She found a comfortable spot and I just put some old towels down for her and food and water right there. She did very well and I only had to clean up a couple messes. The sleeping is her body trying to recover. Make sure she has plenty of electrolites right now. I'd scramble an egg and let her have it to eat and maybe give her some yogurt mixed with her feed. You need to give her plenty to get her body back functioning again.
Once she goes outside again I would put a fan where ever she goes to keep air flowing. I have fans in most of my houses but even sometimes that isn't enough.

 

[ivyrash]

Probably your birds are staying inside is to be in the shade. Mine only go inside to lay or roost, as they free-range. The go from one shady area to another to stay out of the direct sunlight.

There is tons of shade on the east side of the coop and one of the doors opens right out into that area. We have two waterers out there also. I lost birds my first year because of exactly that. They didn't want to be outside since the sun was shining on a good part of the pen even though it was cooler out there, they just stayed in the coop and fried. I don't even try to keep them penned during the heat anymore.