➡I accidentally bought Balut eggs: 2 live ducks! Now a Chat Thread!

[adrikeen]

I just had this conversation with my Mom the other day. She had to put down her cat after 14 years due to a orbital cancer that was pressing on sinus and brain. She's in her 70's and raised poodles and chickens when I was growing up. I recall the poodles being predisposed to certain cancers, but nothing like what you hear about pets getting these days. I've had 4 cats in the past 4 years pass on due to various tumors/cancer forms. In talking with vets/neighobrs/co-workers...it just seems cancer is on the rise in animals (or is it just that it's being screed for and diagnosed more?). It just makes you wonder what's in certain things (outdoor sprays/treatments, indoor cleaning agents, etc.) that may be causing this. Of course I live in a state that is famous for cancer rates in people.

 

[adrikeen]

I have to weigh in the EE psycho thing...I have the bantam versions and they are certifiably psychotic. They actually "bite" when broody. If you remove them from the nest (egg or no egg) they race around the coop/run and cause complete chaos.

 

[RUNuts]

Hi @adrikeen - where did you get the psycho EEs from? Ideal or another breeder? We are playing chicken math. Kiki is doing a whole lot more than most of us though.

Y'all aren't helping my case. I do believe in subtraction, so we will see where this goes with the EEs. You are also making me wish I'd gotten those other Australorp pullets. But no regrets nor second guessing. We are still getting a dozen eggs a day from 17 hens. Including a peewee size every day. Need to find out which girl is laying that one. I can either sit there all day, or pop one in the tractor for the egg laying session. Hmm. Little busy this year...

So, since next spring is only 9 months away, should I get Australorps or something else from Ideal? I could also ask Kiki to hatch some mixed eggs from my Chicken Ranch buddy at work. Or since Broody Floppy tried to go broody again this week... I think she broke. I just have to put her on the roost for a few days at night.

 

[PirateGirl]

@RUNuts I don't know why they would have mixed in something with a black comb?!? Black legs just come from the Ameraucana though. If it's got white skin the legs are black/grey/slate if the bird has yellow skin then the legs appear green shades.

Thank you all for your kind words. Miss Sunshine has certainly had an incredible life as a mountain dog. I think she will be coming to work with me now so she can get pet by people all day every day. My two supervisors lost their teenage dogs last month and will be most sympathetic. The vet seemed to think cancer was common as well. I don't know if it's more prevalent or more often diagnosed honestly. For now her quality of life was still good. My vet is amazing and I trust him fully. He outlined all the options from full set of tests and scans and chemo and surgery to remove her spleen to providing some alternative herbal supplements to improve her quality of life and let nature take its course. He was honest and open and answered all my question and said there's no garuntee of how much time any of it would get me with a 13 year old dog. She is otherwise in great health and not suffering. Unrelated is the incident a few weeks ago when she couldn't walk and wouldn't eat. He said he suspects a condition that is commonly diagnosed as a stroke but is actually some sort of extreme episode with the inner ear and that unlike a stroke, dogs can make a recovery as Sunshine did. Crazy. So for now we enjoy the time we've got.

 

[RUNuts]

Amen. Enjoy the time. Each and every moment is precious!

None of the legs are greenish. All are blueish. Different shades, but consistent without green.

 

[biophiliac]

No.. nothing like a rat. Although I have had rats and they make wonderful pets, believe it or not I find rats to act more dog like than ferrets do. Ferrets act a lot like kittens.

But my boy was a big squishy baby. He did have a cage but was often out. He was litter trained and knew his name and all that. I miss him a lot.
He really had a thing for dogs hahaha, liked to groom their faces and sleep in their fur. Unfortunately dogs didn’t feel the same way.
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This was his last photo. I was trying to document his hair loss on his poor naked belly to monitor improvement after he got his hormone implant for adrenal disease. His face cracks me up, he was such a goober. He was chill with literally everything.
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Less than two days after getting his magic implant and showing a little improvement, he suddenly plummeted. His bladder burst very early in the morning and he was in agony. It was a horrible ending and we didn’t see it coming, we just weren’t ready for it.. :/

Sorry for your loss, he does look like one in a million! X2 re pet rats, I shared my place with 8 over a couple of years. They live such short lives.

should I get Australorps

Yes.

Mine were great! Low drama, lots of eggs.

 

[RUNuts]

Australorps are definitely on the short list. Excellent layers per Ideal, too!

Imagine a black and white flock. White leghorns, black australorps and barred rocks. Visually striking.

For some reason, the leghorns are the only ones in my mind that say chicken because of the straight up tail feathers. The BR and reds have the more delicate tails. What else has the leghorn tails?

 

[debid]

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Black legs, not really? Blue and a darker grey slate looking thing. Do you need pictures? I wouldn't consider it black, but I am confused by the black and partial black combs. Clean legs. Why would they put silkie into the mix? I'm confused.

Friendly. No. I feed mealworms and get mobbed. Have one that is chill. The other five only like being fed. I will pick them up when they are near me. They are only near me when baited. We are working through that awkward stage. I open the tractor and they mob around the garden. Dust bathe and generally check things out. A couple hop on top then flew 6' high for 10 feet. Methinks a wing clipping is in the works.

Yes, yellow girl is in the middle picture on the right. She is still the only one with muffs, but the beard is sparce. That picture is a week old. She has lost the rest of the baby fluff. Looking sleek now. I'll see if she is available for a photo shoot next week. Maybe a July 4th spread?

We have 2 redheads, 2 brunettes, blond (Kiki's) and one that is peppered. I like the coloration. Personalities are still shifting. Really, need to spend more time around them. Will move them to the big chicken flight cage in 2 weeks. Then start the shared playtime. Goal is to integrate over the next month.

We started with 11 Barred Rocks and culled down to 4. 3 were very curious and first to the door to greet us. Really liked them. The light red (golden sex links, I am now convinced) are the worst. The red sex links are right there with the BR. By getting the larger numbers, we saw the wider range of personalities. The friendly ones stick out. The only ones I don't care for are the light reds. They are the lowest on the pecking order too. All 3.

Now, a short year later, the dark red (sex link?? RIR??) runs to the gate. If I treat call, the BRs push her out of the way to get the treat. All but the light reds will rub the chest. Even a few of the Leghorns are friendly.

Dark pigment in only the face and comb is NOT from a dark-skinned breed being crossed in. I've seen it called "mulberry face" or "mulberry comb" if you want to look up more about it on the breeder pages. It's considered a flaw, I think, and is generally culled out although with EEs lacking a standard, there isn't any need other than breeder preference.

ETA: mulberry comb pops up on black sexlinks pretty often. I assume that's because the parents are selected for production, not because they meet the standard for their breed.

 

[Molpet]

Prayers for all who have lost/losing pets. as far as cancers becoming more common, didn't used to take dogs to the vet very often and cats even less often.. but several FB groups for different flea products of people saying it harmed their pet.
Also several web sites.
https://healthypets.mercola.com/sit...6/5-pesticides-herbicides-causing-cancer.aspx
https://thetruthaboutcancer.com/toxins-flea-and-tick-treatments/
http://www.humanesociety.org/animals/resources/tips/flea_tick_OTC_pet_products.html

 

[Kiki]

Hi @adrikeen - where did you get the psycho EEs from? Ideal or another breeder? We are playing chicken math. Kiki is doing a whole lot more than most of us though.

Y'all aren't helping my case. I do believe in subtraction, so we will see where this goes with the EEs. You are also making me wish I'd gotten those other Australorp pullets. But no regrets nor second guessing. We are still getting a dozen eggs a day from 17 hens. Including a peewee size every day. Need to find out which girl is laying that one. I can either sit there all day, or pop one in the tractor for the egg laying session. Hmm. Little busy this year...

So, since next spring is only 9 months away, should I get Australorps or something else from Ideal? I could also ask Kiki to hatch some mixed eggs from my Chicken Ranch buddy at work. Or since Broody Floppy tried to go broody again this week... I think she broke. I just have to put her on the roost for a few days at night.

Get the eggs. I will hatch them.
I would for sure get some Australorps from Ideal if I were you.
Big fat eggs...daily.