Consolidated Kansas

[ashncarson]

. Today I let them out in the yard for a while while the girls were out, and my dominant hen strutted right between them without any problems. Tomorrow I'll try it earlier in the day. If I can get them to sleep in the coop my life will be easier, and theirs will be better.

Being that young and free ranging, do you have tips on getting to come back to you to go back in? I let me new 5 week olds out today (they are used to the outdoors, since they where raised by their mom) but I had so much trouble and has to end up chasing them to catch them!

 

[sharol]

I couldn't get the "quote" function to work for some reason.
Yeah, I was worried about that too. For the last couple of weeks, I have been handling them quite a bit. AT first it freaked them out, but they are to the point I can pick them up in the brooder early in the morning and they don't fuss at all. Then I transport them to the outdoor pen in a dog carrier. I make a point of petting and cuddling them early and then again as I am putting them back in the brooder, and they aren't afraid of me any more (Chook's Chick's idea).
****** This afternoon when I let them out of their pen, I left a section of the wiring back out of the way so they could go in and come out at ease. When it was time for them to go in, I herded them in by holding my arms out to the sides with a tree branch to extend them even further. I just quietly walked behind them and "encouraged" them to move toward the opening. They didn't give me a bit of trouble. They even went in the dog carrier to go back to the brooder without problems. They are both sound asleep right now. Their day wore them out. It is key not to make sudden motions and move quietly and speak quietly to them as you herd them.
****** I made sure all the other animals (4 dogs and 2 cats) were shut in the house, too, so there wouldn't be any other distractions. Frankly, it went better than I could have ever hoped.
******
With the first girls, there was just the one coop and pen, so I would walk over to the pen calling chick chick in a sing-song voice. They will walk across coals for BOSS and scratch because they don't get much except at times that they are to go in their protected run. I learned early that one of the chicks (back when they were first out in the yard) had a mind of her own, and if she didn't go in as part of a group, she wouldn't go in. Once she bought into the bribery, though, it got easier.
****** I swear, I can't get the paragraphing on this. It looks fine in the edit box, but there aren't any PP in the post. I've been fighting these paragraphs for 15 minutes. I give up.

 

[22qZoo]

Hi, everyone . I've missed a lot of posts and I'm going to go back and read a few days worth . But I need some advice . We have a D'uccle that has a swelled-up eye. I've tried vetericyn and some VetRx but not really sure what or how to do it. I do have some erythromycin opth oint.
and some vigamox drops that I could maybe use . Here's some pics.

[/IMG]

. It's been going on for a couple of weeks , she had been eating and acting pretty normal but now it seems to be dragging on.

 

[HEChicken]

22qZoo, do you know if it is caused by injury or illness? Is it just the one eye? If so, it is probably injury and I would continue with the Vetericyn.

Well, I am just sick. My turkey hen brooded for 5 weeks in my hoop coop before I had to kick her out because her eggs were all contaminated. We had had a big rainstorm and the whole chicken yard flooded, including her nest, and although I cleaned her up the very next day and gave her fresh straw bedding, the damage was done. So after I discarded the last of her eggs, she accepted that it was over, and returned to the main coop and after a few weeks, started laying again. This time she decided she'd tried it my way and she was ready to do it her way so she made herself a nice little hidden nest back in my pasture and collected a clutch. I decided she had a point - my way hadn't worked out so well - so I let her do it her way this time. Since we blocked off the pasture and haven't had any more visits from coyotes, I hoped she'd be safe enough brooding there, but have been checking on her daily.

Ned died a couple of weeks ago and had been ailing prior to that so I worried that none of the eggs she is sitting on are even fertile, so tonight I decided to go out and candle them. Walking out to her nest, I smelled....fox. And when I reached her nest, she was gone. Her eggs were gone. I found a lot of feathers and one of her wings...and that is all. I am so sick for her that she tried so hard and this is all she got out of life. She was a sweet, sweet hen. RIP Madge.

So - I have lost both of my turkey pair, within a short time of each other. Fortunately I do still have 12 of their offspring, so I will keep a trio for next year. Life goes on but Madge will always be missed.

 

[22qZoo]

HECHICKEN- sorry about your hen,darn it!
I think it is an illness in her left eye. when it started there were tiny bubbles in the corner of her eye . I trimmed the little poofs under her eye in case they were touching the eyeball and causing some irritation. How long and how often do you think I should do the vetericyn ?

 

[cherwill]

So - I have lost both of my turkey pair, within a short time of each other. Fortunately I do still have 12 of their offspring, so I will keep a trio for next year. Life goes on but Madge will always be missed.

That really sucks. I'm glad you have the babies, but it's still sad to have lost the parents.

Danz, I hope you're feeling better. My prescription for recovery is not to do housework for at least a week.

Sharol, congratulations on getting the little roo you wanted.

 

[Trish44]

This is the chick formerly known as LemonDrop. Now HIS name is Limon. He's one of Butch's babies.

Sharol, limon is a cutie, I'm glad you got some of butch's babies.

22qZoo, do you know if it is caused by injury or illness? Is it just the one eye? If so, it is probably injury and I would continue with the Vetericyn.

Well, I am just sick. My turkey hen brooded for 5 weeks in my hoop coop before I had to kick her out because her eggs were all contaminated. We had had a big rainstorm and the whole chicken yard flooded, including her nest, and although I cleaned her up the very next day and gave her fresh straw bedding, the damage was done. So after I discarded the last of her eggs, she accepted that it was over, and returned to the main coop and after a few weeks, started laying again. This time she decided she'd tried it my way and she was ready to do it her way so she made herself a nice little hidden nest back in my pasture and collected a clutch. I decided she had a point - my way hadn't worked out so well - so I let her do it her way this time. Since we blocked off the pasture and haven't had any more visits from coyotes, I hoped she'd be safe enough brooding there, but have been checking on her daily.

Ned died a couple of weeks ago and had been ailing prior to that so I worried that none of the eggs she is sitting on are even fertile, so tonight I decided to go out and candle them. Walking out to her nest, I smelled....fox. And when I reached her nest, she was gone. Her eggs were gone. I found a lot of feathers and one of her wings...and that is all. I am so sick for her that she tried so hard and this is all she got out of life. She was a sweet, sweet hen. RIP Madge.

So - I have lost both of my turkey pair, within a short time of each other. Fortunately I do still have 12 of their offspring, so I will keep a trio for next year. Life goes on but Madge will always be missed.

HEChicken I'm so sorry about Madge, that's awful. I'm glad you do have some replacements, but I know you will miss her. That is my fear with my turkey hen that keeps disappearing. I have kept them in their new hoop coop for awhile now, so I'm going to try to let them out tomorrow & see how it goes. I'm hoping she has forgotten all about whatever was keeping her from coming back at night at this point, but we'll see. They all have been pretty upset with me about not letting them out to free-range.

Today only the laying flock got let out because I had to get up early again today to go with my DH to his Dr. appt since he was wanting me to go. It was just his yearly physical, but he had some lab work & he wanted me there I guess in case there was something he didn't understand. I also needed to see if I could get in because my Dr's office totally closed down so I'm without a family Dr. now. They gave me a bunch of paperwork to fill out, this office screens people before they will let you make an appt. It's the first place I've ever been interviewed to see a Dr. before. He is taking in a woman Dr. in a month so I'm going to wait & see her if they will accept me. I think that's pretty picky to have to screen you before they will even make an appt. Today just wasn't a very good day here there was just a string of things that went wrong & it was one of those days I would rather forget. Our water softener is broken down right now because it's leaking & my DH has to order parts to fix it. He's upset that the expensive thermostat he paid $250 just isn't going to work with our heating & cooling system & he probably won't get the money back at this point. It's just been not a great few days at all here, one thing after another.

 

[chicken danz]

Being that young and free ranging, do you have tips on getting to come back to you to go back in? I let me new 5 week olds out today (they are used to the outdoors, since they where raised by their mom) but I had so much trouble and has to end up chasing them to catch them!

If they were broody raised, they are going to be a lot harder to tame. You will probably have to hold them and bribe them with meal worms or something to get them to trust you. It won't be a fast venture. Broody chicks are a lot like feral kittens. They are fast and wild. I've tamed some broodies but it required penning them, feeding them, and slowly gaining their trust. Maybe having them in the house for now so you can work on their trust issues.

Hi, everyone . I've missed a lot of posts and I'm going to go back and read a few days worth . But I need some advice . We have a D'uccle that has a swelled-up eye. I've tried vetericyn and some VetRx but not really sure what or how to do it. I do have some erythromycin opth oint.
and some vigamox drops that I could maybe use . Here's some pics.

[/URL] . It's been going on for a couple of weeks , she had been eating and acting pretty normal but now it seems to be dragging on.

I think it is an illness. I have had several people write me since the rain started about illness and swollen sinuses and eyes.I think it may be a fungus issue because it started becoming more prominent when the rain started . Either that or it is a virus that becomes more prominent in high humidity. Is there any sneezing or anything associated with it. Is she acting tired or lethargic at all? You might try giving her some probiotics or some yogurt. Or make her a tea of echinacea and golden root in place of her water.

Sharol, limon is a cutie, I'm glad you got some of butch's babies.
HEChicken I'm so sorry about Madge, that's awful. I'm glad you do have some replacements, but I know you will miss her. That is my fear with my turkey hen that keeps disappearing. I have kept them in their new hoop coop for awhile now, so I'm going to try to let them out tomorrow & see how it goes. I'm hoping she has forgotten all about whatever was keeping her from coming back at night at this point, but we'll see. They all have been pretty upset with me about not letting them out to free-range.
I am still worried about my broody turkey who is sitting in the duck house. I'm glad she is there rather than out in the pasture someplace though. Just the same if something would sneak in quietly I could loose her. She usually only comes off her nest the first thing in the morning when I go out and put some feed down for the geese and ducks. Then she's back on the nest for the rest of the day and night.
Today only the laying flock got let out because I had to get up early again today to go with my DH to his Dr. appt since he was wanting me to go. It was just his yearly physical, but he had some lab work & he wanted me there I guess in case there was something he didn't understand. I also needed to see if I could get in because my Dr's office totally closed down so I'm without a family Dr. now. They gave me a bunch of paperwork to fill out, this office screens people before they will let you make an appt. It's the first place I've ever been interviewed to see a Dr. before. He is taking in a woman Dr. in a month so I'm going to wait & see her if they will accept me. I think that's pretty picky to have to screen you before they will even make an appt. Today just wasn't a very good day here there was just a string of things that went wrong & it was one of those days I would rather forget. Our water softener is broken down right now because it's leaking & my DH has to order parts to fix it. He's upset that the expensive thermostat he paid $250 just isn't going to work with our heating & cooling system & he probably won't get the money back at this point. It's just been not a great few days at all here, one thing after another.
That's crazy. What would you do in an emergency? I do know some doctors that don't take new patients but never have heard of having to fill out an application. Maybe they are screening to make sure they'll get paid. Another problem with the U.S. health care system.

I've got to get moving. I have someone due to show up soon to buy a couple peachicks. I need to get in the shower and then find something to put them in temporarily. I have them in a bin in the house but DH is just going to bed after working all night and I don't like people I don't know in my house any way. It's a little cool to take them outside but I hope we won't be out there that long. People always want to take a tour of the birds when they are here. Early in the day I like it when they come and go quickly. I don't do people early!!!

 

[ashncarson]

If they were broody raised, they are going to be a lot harder to tame. You will probably have to hold them and bribe them with meal worms or something to get them to trust you. It won't be a fast venture. Broody chicks are a lot like feral kittens. They are fast and wild. I've tamed some broodies but it required penning them, feeding them, and slowly gaining their trust. Maybe having them in the house for now so you can work on their trust issues.

Can they eat a whole mealworm at this age? I saw some at the local feed store, freeze dried!
They where kept in a smaller pen with mom, inside their large run, becuase it is only chain link fence and they fit through it.
The barred rock has feathers on his legs, so he must have cochin in him, as there was no barred rock rooster?

They loved being outside so much! They where eating bugs, tryinig to grab the mosquitos and making dust baths!

I am not sure what my dogs are thinking. They are a beagle mix and a yorkie mix. The beagle mix Shiloh was laying above them on the couch looking in and everytime Douglas walked by he would growl at him. I'm not sure if he is thinking they are food or what!

I am already in love and hate the thought of having to part with some if they are roosters!

outside last night. My kids named them Twlight Sparkle (the the black comb) and Kick.


Shiloh checking out the chicks this morning.

 

[chicken danz]

Sure they can eat the mealworms. Dried ones are fine. They tend to crumble a little anyway.
Well I sold three peachicks and a water lily this morning. Actually I just gave her the water lily for buying the peachicks. If that silly hen hatches most of the those eggs I'll have a ton more peachicks to sell anyway.
I still have a bunch I kept that are older and three more young ones here in the house.
Ash if you were closer I would give you some chicks for free to replace your roosters. I have several broody raised chicks and several barred rock babies I could part with.
I'm hoping to have a quiet day the rest of the day. I have plenty to do but no real energy. Tomorrow I'll be gone all afternoon so I guess I'd better catch up at home this morning.
I got a crock full of dill pickles started for fermenting yesterday. The only thing I worry about is it said to leave a quarter inch of stem on the cucumbers. When I pick them the stem comes off. I hoep that isn't super important. If it is I guess they will fail. I'm not sure what the stem would have to do with pickling???
Now I'm going to have to locate my pressure canner. I think I will need to replace the seal on it before I can anything. I am still hoping to have some beans to can a little later. The plants seem to be doing really well. I am guessing it is in our storage building cause I haven't seen it in the house.