So I have been helping an elderly cousin with her chickens lately. I had finished fixing a hole in her fence a couple of days ago because she keeps having trouble with predators. She called me yesterday and said she couldn't take care of them and would like to give me her chickens. I accepted.
I never bothered to count her birds so I had thought there were maybe 10-15 birds.
I came by today to get them, and I realized there were 24 birds. The pen was walled off into the back yard with no gate accessing it from outside. there was no way i could get them from the back in a cage to the front where my car was. So I had to catch them four at a time and carry them through the house.
Not so bad, it's only in the 80's today, and the humidity is low.
But while I'm in the coop... the sewage line ruptures.... under the coup... on me and the chickens.
So now I'm having to catch these birds in a mud pit of you know what.
Oh did I mention I had JUST had a shower two hours ago, and i have waist length hair that takes hours to dry?
Catching chickens in sewage is like trying to catch a greased pig in a mud pit.
an hour and a half later, I'm having to clean her floor from the trail of sewage i and the birds left through her house (she's wheelchair bound and can't do it herself. Though I wouldn't let her do it anyway, I made the mess)
I am covered head to toe in sewage, and chicken feathers. I looked like I was tared and feathered.
I scrubbed my hands and arms and face at her house, then took the birds home. I am soooo glad i had an old sheet on the hatch back area where i had the bird cage.
I drove the quarter of a mile with all my windows rolled down and brought the birds home. I told her i would home 11 of the birds, but... oh no, one of the birds is rasping and gasping like she has a respiratory illness, and i only have enough space in quarantine for 15 birds.
so I'm calling neighbors trying to find someone that is willing to take the risk of 11 possibly sick birds.
of course i got a no, but a neighbor did offer to lend me one of her chicken tractors to house the birds while i wait to see how sick they get.
I showered twice, and scrubbed down with baking soda, and I STILL stink. and so do those birds.
I as so disgusted by the smell on my hands I had to eat with a napkin over my food to avoid touching it.
So I am grateful for the gift but... not so grateful for the stink... and now the possible illness. What is bad is I have been helping her care for these birds for some time and this is the first sign of illness.
*whines*
I never bothered to count her birds so I had thought there were maybe 10-15 birds.
I came by today to get them, and I realized there were 24 birds. The pen was walled off into the back yard with no gate accessing it from outside. there was no way i could get them from the back in a cage to the front where my car was. So I had to catch them four at a time and carry them through the house.
Not so bad, it's only in the 80's today, and the humidity is low.
But while I'm in the coop... the sewage line ruptures.... under the coup... on me and the chickens.
So now I'm having to catch these birds in a mud pit of you know what.
Oh did I mention I had JUST had a shower two hours ago, and i have waist length hair that takes hours to dry?
Catching chickens in sewage is like trying to catch a greased pig in a mud pit.
an hour and a half later, I'm having to clean her floor from the trail of sewage i and the birds left through her house (she's wheelchair bound and can't do it herself. Though I wouldn't let her do it anyway, I made the mess)
I am covered head to toe in sewage, and chicken feathers. I looked like I was tared and feathered.
I scrubbed my hands and arms and face at her house, then took the birds home. I am soooo glad i had an old sheet on the hatch back area where i had the bird cage.
I drove the quarter of a mile with all my windows rolled down and brought the birds home. I told her i would home 11 of the birds, but... oh no, one of the birds is rasping and gasping like she has a respiratory illness, and i only have enough space in quarantine for 15 birds.
so I'm calling neighbors trying to find someone that is willing to take the risk of 11 possibly sick birds.
of course i got a no, but a neighbor did offer to lend me one of her chicken tractors to house the birds while i wait to see how sick they get.
I showered twice, and scrubbed down with baking soda, and I STILL stink. and so do those birds.
I as so disgusted by the smell on my hands I had to eat with a napkin over my food to avoid touching it.
So I am grateful for the gift but... not so grateful for the stink... and now the possible illness. What is bad is I have been helping her care for these birds for some time and this is the first sign of illness.
*whines*
Last edited:
