Consolidated Kansas

[HEChicken]

Back in April or so, Hawkeye and I did bumblefoot surgery on one of my hens. The hen was tolerant and let us poke around in her foot for a very long time and we felt satisfied in the end that we got all of the infection out. We wrapped the foot and turned her loose. Over the next few days, I changed the dressing every other day until it was healed enough not to need one any more. I kept waiting to see the swelling go down but....it didn't. Still, the hen seemed happy, always the first to run to me for treats, laying eggs regularly etc. Over the last few months, the swelling remained - and her limp did not resolve. If anything, the limp grew worse and I hated seeing her run to me on what was clearly a very painful foot.

A few weeks ago I noticed that she isn't limping any more. A quick glance showed that the swelling remains, so I was at first confused as to why she isn't limping any more, but on closer examination, I realized why. The infection - we must not have got all of it after all - is now coming out through the top of the foot. I've kept a close eye on her over the past few weeks and today decided it was time to take action. I was hopeful I could get the infection to come out the top of the foot and when it heals we might be done with this at last.

So, I pulled her in yet again - she doesn't even complain any more but seems to have some kind of understanding that I am doing all this in an attempt to help her - and soaked her foot in epsom salts and very hot water. She seems to enjoy this part and will stand unmoving in the sink while I go downstairs to get towels and get set up for the step two. Here is a pic of her foot showing the infection, as she is standing in the hot water/epsom salts:

You can see the swelling in the foot, and the infection breaking through the hole it has made in the top of the foot.

With the foot clean and soft, the infection peeled away easily from this site. Here is a pic of it once I had removed it all:

I took the picture with a penny because it seems huge to me to have come out of that little foot.

With a now-empty hole in her foot, I squirted Betadine in, and wrapped her in vet wrap. She lay calmly on her side on my kitchen counter "operating table" throughout the treatment, and when I picked her up, was still calm in my arms. I walked out the back door and set her down on the grass gently. She immediately started making her contented clucking sound, preened a few feathers that got wet during the bath, and then wandered off looking for treats in the grass. She is so used to wearing a "shoe" now, that she didn't even bother pecking at the vet wrap. I bet it feels good to have it on there, actually.

Unfortunately, on examining the bottom of her foot, she has a large black disk there as well. And the same on the other foot, which did NOT have any infection in April. I decided I'm not going to put her through any more cutting, so I left those alone. As long as she remains happy and while she continues to lay regularly, I figure she can't be feeling too bad, but I plan to cull when the time comes that it seems the right decision, rather than put her through anything more invasive than what I did today.

 

[chicken danz]

Good job HeChicken. I haven't had a lot of bumble foot but I had one that ate completely through the foot. I actually just push the plug out without cutting and it just left a hole. She did just fine and never showed any further adverse effects from it. I have worked on a couple with some good results and some that didn't help.
ZigZag, I've not seen any non-GMO feed around here any where. Most of the options I have heard of are some that people produce on their own and you end up with basic bird seed stuff. I wish I could get by with 50 pounds a month instead of 50+ pounds a day!!!
Lizzy your life is crazy. Add one baby and you will really start having fun!!!
I went out and watered and moved some more birds around in the brooder. One of my smaller brooders had gotten the door opened some how and I had babies in with big birds. I wish they'd all stay where I put them. It's amazing how young chicks can fly.
I still need to feed them all but I had to come in and coffee up for a few minutes. It seems like I am moving in slow motion. It's only about 5:20 and I am ready to lay down for the night. It must be the gloomy weather.

 

[SpooncreekJenn]

I have the same issue. The birds just love to kick them out of the box and lay eggs on the bare box. Silly birds. I'm to the point of just grabbing whatever is left on the floor and put them in the box.

Aphids... I hate them. They are all over my precious Adeniums! I use Dawn dish soap and water then spray on the plants. Leave them for an hour or 2 (or over night if cool) then spray the plants down with water. They killed most of the aphids this Spring. I'm not sure if this will work on other bugs or not though but worth a try.



The long green squash looks like the Vietnamese Luffa, aka Muop Huong. The white flesh inside is very sweet, great for stir fry or soup. Peel the outside green leathery skin off then cut it into a couple of inches long, thinly sliced. Then use minced pork or chicken and stir fry them together. Season it with soy sauce, salt, and pepper to taste. But the most popular use of it is for soup cooking. Brown some minced garlic with salt till brown then add water and boil it on high heat. Cut the squash into edible sizes, normally about 3" long x 1" thick. After the water is boiling, reduce to medium heat and add the squash pieces into the boiling water. Cover and let simmer for at least 10 to 15 minutes or until the squash is soft. Then add some beatened eggs to the boiling water and it is ready to eat. You can season it with fish sauce/soy sauce and white pepper (powder). The soup will look like egg drop soup because of the added eggs. We eat it with steamed rice.

The yellow mellon looks like Oriental Melon. We don't have a specific name for it, just that it is oriental melon. We just eat it the same way as cantelope. They are very sweet and juicy.


Ohh... I will have to try this.

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I did my first round of Dawn soap+water spray down with the outside plants that need to be brought in for winter. I will repeat it this coming weekend and they will be ready to be brought inside. I hope this kills off any bugs that may hitch hike into house on the plants.

DH set traps and caugh 3 gray mice in the pantry. I think they came in from the garage when we left the door open to carry some stuff in. I hope this is it or we may have to consider putting a good mouser in the garage. Our neighbor is nursiing 4 little barn kitties right now and I'm sure she is more than happy to give us one if we need it. This cat will have to be an outdoor cat though but will have access to the garage.

Well... I think the dogs are gone for good this time. Because they were out the other day, we talked about making sure the dogs are safe with us and that we need to be walking them around the property on leash so they know this is home. So yesterday morning, my son got up bright and early and tried to walk the dogs on leash. No sooner than him opening the door to the garage, the dogs ran past him with lightning speed (his words...) and they were gone. By the time he came back to the house to tell me and for me to get up and put my light jacket on and switched my slippers into a pair of boots, the dogs were no where to be found. He was soooo mad at himself. I knew he meant good and thought he could do it by himself to "train" the dogs but he just didn't know they would just bolt and run. DH and I drove in separate cars looking for them all day to no avail. I hope they would come back by themselves or they will be out there all alone. I left the dog food in the bowls so if they know to come back, they will have food to eat. Sigh... may be it is just not meant to be. I'm exhausted at this point.

Once of my Cayuga ducks has been limping. I picked him up and looked at his feet, no bumblefoot that I could see. So I let him walk around by himself and just keep an eye on him. Hopefully he is getting better. He looks healthy otherwise, eating well and swimming well.

I better get busy. Have a great day.

It's definitely worth a try. I hope I'll remember it by next year.


It looks great!


Same here. With the three lilacs in our chicken yard, it would be very hard for a predator bird to swoop in.

Gee I just cant figure out the multi quotes I don't post that often so sorry read if you want lol...
Ok Yes Dawn dish soap water wetter YES the terrible aphids have a "protective sac" around them soap breaks it down and dehydrateds them = Death good bye aphids cheap and easy woot woot! (Don't waste your $$$ on anything else)
Ok Squash bugs and NEEM OIL it works but buyer beware do NOT buy extract of neem. Dyna Gro 100% Cold pressed neem oil ONLY and I mean ONLY treat your plants before they bloom or not at all but It works like a charm!

Sorry if that was a little much I have fought some battles

Wow do you guys really think 30 days for seperation of the new flock? Also have some girls molting and rooster damage so lots of protein needed for feather growth and laying any suggestions other than egg shells and sunflower seeds to kinda give them a boost of protein for a week or two (also they are currently free ranging in the garden plots)?

And Danz I am really tick tocking about those guineas......I think I will be able to make room for them in the next week or so to give them there own little pen unless you think I can let them run around with the chicks? I am scared they will run away and not sure if they said it was male or female that will run away? I do have two seperate fences they would have to overcome but of lately I have some bad neighbor dogs that got one of my blue ameracauna chicks GGGRRRRR>.....I can not even go into that right now (deeep breeath sigh)

 

[SpooncreekJenn]

OOO I hope this goes to the right place.... ZigZag I am trying to reply to you.. 50lbs a month right? Where are you located? I do all organic and
am undergoing my certification with the USDA currently If you are not to far from me I can hook you up with feed that is certified(usda) at a very good price we all kinda work together for our cause you can Pm me if you like but I don't check this everyday so don't think I am ignoring just not a lot of computer time but I will get it and respond in a couple days..

 

[chicken danz]

Spooncreek, You would need to pen the guineas for a couple weeks so they know where to go. They still get confused. They aren't the brightest lights in the string. I have been letting the young ones free range in the day and have to herd them back to their pen almost everynight. They can't seem to find the door. They do better with age but they really do go in for me pretty well. It's not like I have to chase them around. The younger they are the better they seem to adapt to new circumstances. I've had 2 of my 4 adults guineas disappear this week. They had always slept in a pen with certain chickens but got to roosting in the tree. It doesn't take an owl long to discover them like that. So I may have to start over next spring with some of this years stock. I have plenty.
Seriously there's a lot to be considered on how long to separate new members to a flock. I guess that is why I prefer to start with eggs I treat and incubate than buy other's practically grown birds. Either way it's a waiting game and an investment. Knowing your seller and their practices goes a long ways.

 

[sharol]

Unfortunately, on examining the bottom of her foot, she has a large black disk there as well. And the same on the other foot, which did NOT have any infection in April. I decided I'm not going to put her through any more cutting, so I left those alone. As long as she remains happy and while she continues to lay regularly, I figure she can't be feeling too bad, but I plan to cull when the time comes that it seems the right decision, rather than put her through anything more invasive than what I did today.

 

[SpooncreekJenn]

Danz -- I really want those guineas I just havn't decieded which ones I guess and I chase all my birds around I think my neighbors must laugh at me but I am a Mother hen about them really lol and yea hatching yourself is so much easier with the guidelines I have to deal with...

 

[Trish44]

I have an EE hen that I've had for 3 years at least that I had to do bumblefoot surgery on. She seemed to get better & hasn't had any further problems as far as I know. However she always has had a little limp every since before I did her surgery. She has a funny little hop & jump when she runs. She is a happy hen & I'm not going to do any more surgery on her either. Sometimes I think there is just so much you should do & then just let nature take it's course. She is one of my very favorite hens & I will definitely miss her when she's gone.

 

[chicken danz]

Well a busy day ahead and I'm already feeling tired.
Glad to announce the red stars are hatching. Four of them so far...2 girls and 2 boys as much as I can tell... a couple of them are still wet. I also have ducks hatching.
I really prefer not to cull birds. I'd rather nature take it's course if they aren't in obvious pain. Even then I can't do it. I have to get my DH to do it. The one exception is butchering. I guess when I think it is for food it becomes more doable. I don't like it but I can do it. It helps if it is a mean rooster or something.

I need to find some time to get back out in the garden soon. I am so far behind. I think I move slower every day.

 

[cherwill]

Well... I think the dogs are gone for good this time. Because they were out the other day, we talked about making sure the dogs are safe with us and that we need to be walking them around the property on leash so they know this is home. So yesterday morning, my son got up bright and early and tried to walk the dogs on leash. No sooner than him opening the door to the garage, the dogs ran past him with lightning speed (his words...) and they were gone. By the time he came back to the house to tell me and for me to get up and put my light jacket on and switched my slippers into a pair of boots, the dogs were no where to be found. He was soooo mad at himself. I knew he meant good and thought he could do it by himself to "train" the dogs but he just didn't know they would just bolt and run. DH and I drove in separate cars looking for them all day to no avail. I hope they would come back by themselves or they will be out there all alone. I left the dog food in the bowls so if they know to come back, they will have food to eat. Sigh... may be it is just not meant to be. I'm exhausted at this point.

I'm so sorry about the dogs. If they'd never been allowed out before you got them, they probably never learned how to find their way back from anywhere. They probably bolted and went wild for a bit, then by the time they'd calmed down, they were lost. I hope they find a way to get home.

Cherwill, I like the idea of having lilacs or other bushes in the chicken yards. I plan to order several shrubs this coming spring but how do you get them established with the birds around? I have tried that a few times and the birds end up digging them up or eating all the leaves off. Even with wire around them they managed to wreck new plantings.

I hate to disappoint you, but the bushes were there and very well established before we ever got the chickens. They quickly stripped the leaves off any branch they could reach, but the lilacs were so big, it didn't hurt them. I was going to suggest wire until I got to the end of your paragraph. Plus, you'd have to wire in the whole thing, I think. I don't know about yours, but my chickens can jump pretty high, especially when they want a leaf.

On that subject, Let me brag for a moment. My son's Jeep broke down and had to go to the shop. He lives in Manhattan. Anyway once a year my two oldest sons get together with another friend and compete in a bar-b-q contest. My son is a certified barbecue contest judge so most of the time he judges instead of getting to compete. Anyway we took him the truck so he and his brother could compete in a contest together this weekend. It's been planned for a year. It was somewhere in the KC area. The boys did great. They entered all of the categories, including the ribs, loin, brisket, chicken, etc etc. They managed to place 2nd in almost every category and ended up as 2nd over all winners in the contest. They compete against professional teams that do this all year long and these guys only do this once a year. I'm really proud of them. I really like seeing my boys do things together too. Sure is different than when they were younger!

That's wonderful! Congratulations to them.

There's been lots more excitement out on the "prairie" here at my farm...

Isn't it amazing how the simplest things can spiral into such a mess?!

With the foot clean and soft, the infection peeled away easily from this site. Here is a pic of it once I had removed it all:

I took the picture with a penny because it seems huge to me to have come out of that little foot.

Wow. It seems huge to me, too. I'm sorry you're going to have to cull her, but how many more surgeries could she take? It's very hard on the system and I think it would be impossible to ever get out the entire infection at this point.