Today has not been a good day. It started out fine with meeting @TaraBellaBirds and her adorable son and swapping chicks. We went out to see the goats and I noticed that Salt was looking miserable and acting funny. After we chatted a while and Tara left I went out to bottle feed Honey. I noticed that Salt didn't even get up when I got there and after I was done feeding Honey I got worried. I gave Salt some Manuka honey with oregano oil in it and then when he hardly responded I rushed him inside. Once inside I tried dosing him and decided to take him to the vet. I wrapped him in a towel and flew for the vet. He died before I got there.
I'm devastated. I had an autopsy done and he had pneumonia. I'm really worried about my others now and I'll be treating the whole bunch of them.
Then my SIL text saying that my nephew's dog had been hit on th road and my nephew was distraught. I called him and we comforted each other. Poor boy, he loved that beagle.it's been a day for bad news and it's raining and cold again...
I did have a chick hatch today and I put it under my BCM broody and gave her some food and water. He took him and they seem to be doing ok.
I made it outside today in the cold and damp and worked in the garden. Had a nephew come over to help me, which was so very sweet of him. I made a very respectable dent in the weeds but it started to rain around 1 so had to quit. Felt good to get a bit done and the garden is right next to the chicken's yard so it was all good entertainment and nice to have a good chat with my nephew.
From my latest batch of chicks hatched, I ended up with 7 Buff Sussex/Aloha and/or Buff Sussex/Speckled Sussex crosses to use in the Aloha program. I'm really happy with that number. The only survivor from the last hatch is a Buff Sussex/Speckled Sussex cross. I'm working on getting a Mille Fleur Sussex to cross with the Aloha chicks I will be hatching in the next month or so. My best Aloha hen is only 4 lbs so I'm using the crosses from my Buff Sussex (10 lb) to bring up size. We're shooting for a hen in the 5 lb range. I have one chick that looks to be a possible Mille Fleur Sussex but it will be a couple months before I really know what I have with any of them.
Pretty excited about moving forward with the program after losing all those Speckled chicks last year to some unknown malady. I feel really good about the health of the chicks since all of the breeders are 2+ years old and proven to be hardy birds. Speckled Sussex are notoriously difficult to get started. I have some Speckled and Light Sussex coming from Walt'z Ark next week, so I'm pretty stoked about that. The Buff Sussex I got from them were super healthy so I'm hoping for the same luck with their Speckleds. I just love the round shape of the Sussex, they are so cute they make me laugh just looking at them. Especially when they come running for treats.
It's never a easy thing!
So sorry about your day. That was really tough, I'm sure, on both counts.
