Eastern Tennessee Thread

[NellaBean]

Back in the day I decided I wanted chickens.....so I went to the feed store and they had some "local raised" red type chicks. I picked two out. Figured with my luck they would both be boys. So I named them Stew and Crockpot. Crockpot did indeed turn out to be a rooster and Stew was a hen! The name stuck, so she stayed "Stew". Then got a batch of hatchery chicks, including 2 rir. 1 ended up being a boy, 1 a girl. So I had Crockpot #2 and Stew #2

Then I hatched some RIR chicks out of shipped eggs......kept 2 of the rir girls and named them Stew #3 and Stew #4. It just became a joke that the red chickens were always named Stew.

I could tell Stew #1 apart easily and Stew #2 as well but Stew #3 and #4 were twins. So I got legbands and banded them all with their actual numbers. Stew #1 wore orange #1 band, Stew #2 wore orange #2 etc.

Stew #2 was my favorite chicken ever. She had a freak problem and died recently. Stew #3 was sold a year or so back....so I upgraded Stew #4 to become Stew #3

Stew #3 was the one just killed by a hawk.

I still have Stew #1. My first chicken ever! She is almost 3 years old.

 

[bairo]

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Awwww. If a guy says that, all the girls must be in tears by now

Great story, Nella. Love it.

 

[bairo]

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Change of subject... Everybody join in together now. "Crack the fart egg, crack the fart egg, crack the fart egg" You know you want to. Well...we want you too and that is the only thing that matters, right?

 

[NellaBean]

Hey Bairo, heard from Blue Seal yet?

 

[TNBarnQueen]

Quote:
Change of subject... Everybody join in together now. "Crack the fart egg, crack the fart egg, crack the fart egg" You know you want to. Well...we want you too and that is the only thing that matters, right?

OK Bario *hand on my heart....I promise to crack the fart egg tomorrow. Anyone have guesses what will be in it?? I think just fluid.

 

[bairo]

no...will be on the phone with them tomorrow am.

 

[bairo]

Quote:
Change of subject... Everybody join in together now. "Crack the fart egg, crack the fart egg, crack the fart egg" You know you want to. Well...we want you too and that is the only thing that matters, right?

OK Bario *hand on my heart....I promise to crack the fart egg tomorrow. Anyone have guesses what will be in it?? I think just fluid.

I vote mainly white with a yolk the size of a bb

 

[bairo]

Nella, Lori (anyone else)

There is a member "chella" that is just at here wits end over her sick roo. I saw her post pleading for help and tried to offer her any advice I could. She is soooo upset and I guess I became someone for her to talk to about it so she keeps her sanity. I wanted to ask if you guys have seen this before and maybe even if anyone would like to drop her a quick note of encouragement..I know she would appreciate it.

Ill try to keep it real short.
Roo gets upper resp infection but it sounds like she did not notice it for a day or two. She finds him on the ground with wry neck. Brings him inside and gets on BYC for advice. I tell her it sounds like transient wry neck due to the infection spreading to the inner ear. I tell her she has got to get that infection treated and then go from there. She gets him some vits, electrolytes, and finally gets hold of a vet that refers her to an aviary specialist. He/she confirms wry neck and infection and gives her baytril (a 7 day run I think) it sounds like he just keeps getting worse though and she discovers he is foaming when laying on his side. Picking him up makes it go away. I tell her he has developed pneumonia now and the fluid gets backed up when he is down. I tell her to make him a sling to keep him upright and that cured the problem and keeps the fluid in the lower half of his lungs so he can breathe now. I tell her also to find some oxine for him to inhale and maybe that will help things along as well. I think she may have it on the way, but it will never make it in time anyway it sounds like. Of course I hinted for her to prepare herself for the worse, but she is a wreck. She is fairly new to this and just became really really attached to the rooster. I dont want to be a shmo and push her hard to put him down, so I just kind of listen to her so she feels better and figure it wont be long now anyway. But if you guys have something else to offer I would really appreciate it and I know she would to. Even if everybody wants to drop her a message of support, I know it would help. You guys know I can put a bird down with no regrets, but this lady is really pulling at my heart strings, LOL.

Oh yea....newest symptom is one eye is completely normal and one is is shut tight all the time now. I think this started yesterday. No fluid or swelling or yuckies around the eye though. Roo just keeps it shut and that side of his face just "looks" like he feels like crap. If you look at the other side though, you would never know he was sick. He is coming up on day 3 on the antibiotics.

 

[wegotchickens]

I'm no help, Bairo. At this point I would've put him down.

It sounds too serious if he's continuing to go down while on antibiotics. That screams viral issue, where the meds are no help. Virus means contagious. If she has other birds then she is putting them at risk if this roo isn't isolated.

I feel for her. I've bawled my eyes out over my chickens. It's always the ones you love the most that this kind of crap happens to. But sometimes letting the bird go is not just kinder, but wiser as well.

 

[tennesseeckn]

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That might be what she needs to hear. When you're new to all of this it's hard to trust your instincts. Sometimes all it takes is someone with experience to tell you that letting them go is not only okay, but absolutely the right thing to do.

I feel for her. It must be really hard to start out with this kind of dilemma.