FLORIDA!!!!!ALWAYS SUNNY SIDE UP!!!

[dfr1973]

I just have to share this pic hubby just got of the Silkies and chicks. They NEVER pose for me like this!

 

[caeti21]

I just have to share this pic hubby just got of the Silkies and chicks. They NEVER pose for me like this!

Awe how cute

 

[nanasacres]

I just have to share this pic hubby just got of the Silkies and chicks. They NEVER pose for me like this!

ADORABLE!

 

[SylviaSimons]

Hi, I'm in Floral City, Citrus County in central Florida. No chickens yet, still in the planning & gathering information stages

 

[N F C]

Hi, I'm in Floral City, Citrus County in central Florida. No chickens yet, still in the planning & gathering information stages

Welcome to the FL state thread!

 

[seminolesparky]

Hello fellow Floridians! I'm new to the site. Looking to establish my flock here real soon. I've got
A ton of reading to do from the looks of all the information on this forum.

 

[luvmychis]

Up all night, working on Stats and taxes. What the hell, I have nothing going on in the morning. Go in the kitchen around 3:30AM to get a drink and hear a commotion in the back yard, big chicken squawk, and a kablam into the chainlink fence! What do I do? Grab the flashlight and go running out, like I'm gonna do something in my jammies and no shoes. Need to make sure the hens are OK. Get out there, see nothing but feathers at first. My Blue English Orpington, too heavy to get high up on the ladder. Keep looking, turn around behind me, there she is, in the corner by the gate, freaking out and all puffed up.
I get down to try to calm her and check her for injuries and what's attached? A ****** Possum!! I grab the bird, kicking at the possum, as he runs up the fence and across the top. I'm hollaring at him to get the hell out of here, beating him with my little flashlight. Because, you know, that's gonna do a lot of damage, as I'm slipping and sliding in chicken ****, holding the bleeding chicken who's flapping and trying to get away in one arm, and whacking the possum with the other. Now mind you, this is not a Mag light, heavy duty flashlight that could do some damage. Nope, it's a new LED tactical flashlight about 5 inches long. About the size of my hand. Duh! Did I think to put the bird down, grab the metal rake, and knock the ****** thing to the moon? No, he might have gotten away if I wasn't eyeing him the whole way off my fence. My God! No brains at that time of the morning, no sleep, and adrenaline kicking! ****** thing turned around and hissed at me, and I'm like, "Oh hell no you didn't!" and I whacked him across the head. You'd think it'd get the message and at least get down, but noooooo, he ran all the way around the pen on the top of the fence until he could jump into the woods.
Now I'm back to the house with a bleeding chicken, blood all over me, covered in muck. Get her settled in my bathtub, clean her up to figure out what's going on, because, hey, I've doctored birds all my life..NOT! Did the best I could for her. Bleeding is stopped, she's settled in a make shift nesting box, lights down low, and I'm finally cleaned up. Oh my God, I can't make this stuff up!!!
I got about a 3 hour nap between 6-9 when my daughter calls to ask me if it's snowing at my house. What? You got it. Snow flurries in NE FL for God's sake. I don't do cold and snow. I live in FL to avoid that stuff. Anyway, my hen is doing good, but her feathers are a mess where I cleaned her off with peroxide and then flushed it all with Chlorhexaderm. She has one small puncture under her wing and the rest of the blood seems to have been coming from broken feathers. I think I got all the blood off but since her feathers a such a tangled mess, and I worry the others will pick on her, she's back out in the pen but in a separate small coop. They can see her but no one can get to her. Do chickens clean their feathers like other birds? How will that work out so she can rejoin the flock? How long do you think I should keep her apart? Do you have any suggestions on anything I should do? Repairs and new work being done on the big coop today so that's it's totally secure. Nothing getting in and nothing getting out. Lost my Black English Orpington and I'm not prepared to lose any more chickens. So thankful I happened to catch this one in time. The only regret I have is not killing the ****** possum. The time that living in a subdivision restricts things that you can do. If he comes back when my husband is home, all bets are off though. He'll get out the .22 and be danged with the neighbors.
So that's the start of my week-end. How about you?

Lisa

 

[cmom]

I'm sure the critter will be back. If you have a live trap, put it out with some stinky sardines, cat food or something similar and it will probably go into the trap. I have caught several with a live trap then take it for a ride and put it to sleep. The buzzards will clean it up. Possums aren't endangered. I only say take it for a ride because I take it you do not live in a rural area. Good luck.

 

[cmom]

Hello fellow Floridians! I'm new to the site. Looking to establish my flock here real soon. I've got
A ton of reading to do from the looks of all the information on this forum.

and the Florida thread.

 

[cmom]

Hi, I'm in Floral City, Citrus County in central Florida. No chickens yet, still in the planning & gathering information stages

Just wanted to say

and to the Florida thread.

We will be having a poultry show at the Citrus County fairgrounds auditorium Saturday March 5th, 2016. There will be a lot of birds there.