FERN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Cetawin]

Serrin he a handsome boy. He does not look that old to me, like a year thereabouts maybe? Cyn may have a better idea than I. Spending time with him, talking to him, giving him treats and handling him will help him warm up too. Make sure you can handle him with ease...make sure you keep him quarantined away from your girls for no less than a couple of weeks...check his stool, check his skin for any parasites and watch him. No matter where they come from, a change in environment can often reveal something lurking that their original owner never knew about. About his spurs...ask her if she trims them...Thor is only 23 weeks and he already has little nubs.

If I go to get Isaac from Cyn, even knowing how well he is cared for and where he comes from, she still suggests to quarantine him. So Isaac will get quality bonding time with the family (ie, my husband and I) in the basement (the man cave) for at least 2 weeks and get supervised range time outside. Then I will start introducing him to whatever girls he will have, on range and slowly integrate him to his new living quarters over about 2 weeks. I will do all the precautionary stuff such as worming him, if Cyn has not done so in awhile because the change of environment could also have parasites in the ground. Also, I will get some food from her so he can eat what he is used to and slowly mix in whatever I am feeding there to him to switch him over. I suggest you do that with Griffin. Either get a bag from her or wherever she gets her food.

I guess the main point is to make the transiition as easy for them as possible. Spoil him, bond with him and have fun but protect your flock while doing so.

 

[joletabey]

Serrin, Congratulations! Griffin is pretty, pretty, pretty!!!! My ignorance is about to show now, however- what is he? The reason I question is because his comb is blurred in the picture -or my computer has sleep in it's eyes yet- whatever he is, I love him to pieces- these blue and splash roos you people have make me drool!

Cetawin, I hope my sincere flattery helps Thor heal faster-did he smile??? Hey, in another thread you said he would go out with his girls in the run- how did that go????

 

[Cetawin]

No smile but he did "bruuuuuurrrr" which affection soooo ? Oh my gosh he had a blast..he went running to his girls, danced his little heart out for his girls. None of them bothered him but I did put him back in the 4 x 4 tractor for bedtime. I am not going to confine him with them when he is sitting down...one of them notices that black spot and it may be a problem. When he is standing outside they are not tall enough to see it.

So, they can go out in the garden together but they are sleeping separately for right now. I am also keeping him and Severus separated, just in case. That may be a mistake because they get alone well and being apart may cause problems later if I try to put them together...so I just am not sure about that but I do not want Thor fighting right now either.

I have got to get video of him running...a picture does not do the humor justice. LOL

He even looks handsome with bag balm all over his comb and back of his head...lol

 

[speckledhen]

Amy, your blue Wyandotte doesn't look very old if the former owner didn't cut his spurs. He looks less than a year old, certainly.

 

[joletabey]

A Blue wyandotte- why do I think I knew that's what it was supposed to be??? Was that mentioned in a past thread that Serrin was getting one? He is beautiful!

Cetawin- the first picture is so typical- I have to hang out there with the camera for a while before I can shoot any pics- they need to get over poking and prying first.

Thor would be beautiful soaking wet and covered in mud. He is just one handsome heartbreaker!

 

[Serrin]

Rest easy Cetawin! Griffin is most definitely separated from his future wives and consorts. I think I'm going to go ahead and worm him and the girls this next week. Just as soon as I can get my hands on the wormer medication that is!

I've already hit him with the mite and lice stuff, and the girls got a good dosing last Thursday in preparation of his arrival. The coop got a thorough cleaning as well at the same time. Since things have started drying out and the ladies have renewed their enthusiasm for dust bath's, I went ahead and sprinkled a liberal amount of the mite and lice dust stuff in their favorite bathing areas. I haven't seen any evidence of either mites or lice ever in my girls, but I figured it was better to be safe than sorry.

Poor Griffin: Dawn tried to catch him on Saturday with a long heavy gauge wire hook. At some point, I think while she tried to corner him inside of the coop, she must have nicked his comb with that dang thing!

Ya know, there are good ways and bad ways of catching any chicken. If you ask me, that was a bad way! Thank heavens I was the one who ultimately cornered and captured him. It was much kinder than what she was proposing!

So, the poor little guy came home with me, bleeding like a stuck pig.

I so did not want his first session in his new home with me to be one of administering first aid to his comb in the form of a little daub of Neosporin being rubbed in. I think he and I both could have done without all of the drama!

And I certainly wish I had that episode to do all over again. I would have told Dawn to just step aside and let me catch him.

I wish y'all could have seen him last night!

When I went out to check on him after sunset, guess where I found the silly clunch?!? Certainly NOT on top of his new little coop like I expected to find him. Nor was he inside the little coop. Nope...neither of those places. Guess where he was?!? Just guess!! Give up? **Still shaking my head in disbelief here** Silly little man was on the top of the gate that separates his yard from that of the girls. One more step and he would have been in their yard and then it was only a few more feet to go to join them in the coop for the night!

But, true to being the gentleman I believe him to be, he didn't take advantage of the situation. I swear he had assigned himself guard duty for the night and was going to roost there, in the freezing (literally) night air, just so that he could protect his girls.

Heaven knows there was more than enough light cast by the heat lamp in the girls house for him to be able to see his way into there last night. And it's not like he hadn't seen them go in and out of the coop all day long and didn't know where the door was.....He's just too much of a gentleman to intrude into a ladies boudoir uninvited!

The only thing disappointing thus far is the girls' reactions to him. They couldn't care less! And they certainly aren't impressed with him one iota! One by one, I've taken them over to the fence for an introduction. So far, all they want to do is get back to scratching and pecking around their yard. They just couldn't give a rat's patootie!

The only one I've seen have any voluntary interaction with him thus far has been Rosie.

And that little wench!! Grrrrr!!! How rude!!! Now, I might not be the most knowledgeable person when it comes to chicken body language, but I think I know a submissive posture when I see one. Rosie came over to the fence line separating them, and Griffin very politely strolled over to say hi. He even put his head down in what I took to be a very submissive posture, right up against the fence. He was purring like crazy the whole time. Reminded me for all the world of a courtly gent asking a lovely lady to have the next dance!

Do you know what that rotten little wench did? She PECKED him! Right on his beautiful little rose comb!!

And not just once, not twice, but three very rude and adamant times!! After the third time, Griffin finally puffed up his hackles and BAWGOCK'ed back at her! There's only so much even a gentleman can take you know!

Anyhow, That's pretty much the highlights of the first day. Can't wait to see what today brings.

Cyn, I don't think the Anderberg's have ever trimmed their roosters spurs. Their number 1 roo has three inch spurs and the number 2 boy has goodly an inch and a half. So, I agree with you...I think Griffin is a very young man. Between the small spurs, short tail and a cock-a-doodle-doo that could definitely use a bit of practice and refinement, I think it's safe to say that he's not even a year old yet. But, I'm still going to ask Dawn the first chance I get, just how old is he.

Thanks for letting me rattle on about the new love in my life folks! Just for the heck of it, here's a picture of Griffin in his new home. He looks much better being here, doesn't he? (That previous picture was taken at his old home)

ETA: And here he is peeking into the girls covered run....wondering where all those pretty ladies went!

 

[dian]

My girl, Chicken Nugget, looks just like Fern, but she is anything but athletic. She sticks close to the ground, usually right under my feet.

I'm the one that has to jump to keep from falling over her.

 

[speckledhen]

Oh, Amy, I see his spurs. He is probably about 10-11 months old.

dian, I hope she isn't like Fern in too many ways, except maybe as a layer! Fern is a character.

 

[Cetawin]

Serrin, he is a handsome boy. What feed stores do you have over there? Grange co-op here has the ivermectin pour on in the cattle/equine section..in a locked case. Not badly priced from $15.00 up to $80.00 or so for a large cattle herd size. The eprinex is good to. You only have to put like 4 - 6 drops on his skin where his neck meets his body then repeat in 10 days. Cyn can correct me if I am wrong...but Ivermectin has an egg withdrawal time...but I do not think the Eprinex does.

Oh the subject of that hook...I absolutely hate hate hate those things...

I have seen people hurt birds with them and I so want to use that hook on the chicken's owner so they get a better undertstaning. I would prefer a catch net over that.

I brought Thor in this morning to put the bag balm on his comb and he politely stood up and crowed on the kitchen island...waking everyone else up.

He is in the garden with his women and dancing his heart out.


How is Shadow this morning?

 

[speckledhen]

Shadow is pacing her cage. I took her out for a dustbath today and she had quite a time of it. No egg from her. She was a bit put off when Isaac danced all around her cage and flirted his heart out. She had the "you've got to be kidding" look on her face.

Invermectin has a withdrawal time, but I didn't use withdrawal when I used Eprinex since there is no milk or meat withdrawal for cattle for it. All these uses are off-label so withdrawal times are just an educated guess.