Thank you. I will mark this down in my “best fix a chicken hacks notebook “I do. If you are really worried about it.
Please keep me posted if you decide to do this. Bear in mind that she will not look at you the same for some time.
- Get some coconut oil.
- Lubricate your finger with it.
- You are going to gently inset your finger into her cloaca. You do not want to go in very far.
- Go slowly.
- If she is egg bound you will feel the egg.
- You want to use your finger to spread the coconut oil on the surface of the egg as far to the side as you can without creating tension.
- Many times the extra lubrication will get the egg sliding again.
(hoping for treats). Looked around, didn't see anyone else, so headed inside the coop, where the pair soon joined me, bringing the total up to 9 in there, 1 egg (not including Jessica's collection). Where's Storm and Thing? Back out, start looking around some more. Storm's in the dry grasses below the coop. Keep looking around for Thing (she's been known to almost burrow under stuff, so looking carefully while still have light). Up the other side of the olive trees, over into the car port, round the front of the garage, drop off the egg in the house. Back down to the lower garden. Check the wood pile and the dog house.....now I know why hadn't seen any of Storm's eggs for several days. She's got a collection of 8 inside the dog house.....sigh (the hinges of the roof have come loose so have to lift the whole side off (it's layered) go get inside)....still no Thing. Circle the house, checking behind shrubs, etc. By this point I'm farther from the coop than she's ever ventured before. As I start down the track to check farther below the coop, I glanced out at the horse pasture.... She's out in the pasture. Why? No idea. Maybe followed 1 or 2 down to the straw and got left behind when they came back up. (In the pic back in August , out past the apple tree, in the vicinity of the septic drain field, I'll find that and repost it). ok, down the track, through the gate (latch behind me), head down the fence line to circle out and start pushing her back up the hill......not so easy....the horses (both of them) come up behind me (hoping for dinner) and freak her out as they're HUGE (to poor Thing), she's 4x farther from the coop than she's ever been, and she's not sure which way to go (Cheetah isn't helping, the brat is being quiet). Trying to herd a lost chicken (who's hearing my voice) while keeping between her and the "monster creatures who will crush her without noticing" is a REAL challenge. Youngest son realized I was out looking for a bird, spotted me and came down to help. MUCH easier. horses turn to him (1 had been trying to lean over my shoulder: they're sweethearts, but BACK OFF, until I can give you some attention!), allowing me to focus on her (she's getting panicky). She works her way back through the fence (which I climb: by the way, did I mention I'm in a long skirt?). She stops in the middle of the deepest patch of snow in the middle of the tallest, prickliest patch of grass down there. Out of all the birds, she's been handled the most (thank you crest trimming), so, once the Giant Creatures can't keep coming towards her, let's me pick her up. If we'd had more light left and she hadn't been panicky, I'd have pushed her up on her own feet. As it was, I put her down on the slope just below the coop (10 feet from the hatch) and had to nudge her in the right direction to go inside. I couldn't climb that with her in arms and she needed to at least do that much, but.... I think she was still a bit freaked out. Once inside, she headed for the food, so settled down again. Just to cap the evening, while writing this up at the kitchen table, a pair of deer came up to the patio, hoping to stage a raid on Castor's food dish . ...less than 3 feet from the door....
