- Thread starter
- #631
Morning Bob!Morning Kris
I always love waking up to your greetings!
Kristen’s Chickens and Farming Ventures
- Thread starter Kris5902
- Start date
I always love waking up to your greetings!- Thread starter
- #632
Some sad news from yesterday, I culled Puffy... my rescue girl with ascites. Again, I think I made a good choice in treating her. I only managed to give her another 6 months, but they were parasite free months on grass in the sun, and I like to think they were happy months for her.
Today I will be culling Bossy. It’s the kindest thing I can think of to do for her. She now stands like a penguin and doesn’t walk anywhere. I tried to drain her, thinking she had ascites as well, but got nothing. I suspect internal laying at this point, as she isn’t as old as Puffy and Tippie were, and she has a very bright comb. She did lay an egg last week, her first in 6 months, covered in poop. Both girls have severely declined in the last several days.
The biggest problem I see with this is that New Girl isn’t ready to go in with Sammy yet, (I tried, and she ended up burying her head under the tractor trying to escape) which will leave him alone with Hoppy. I don’t think this will be good for his mental health as a Rooster. He got a little distraught yesterday after I took Puffy away and she didn’t return.
I’m accumulating quite the little Chicken Graveyard in the woods here. I started marking them to avoid accidentally digging in an already occupied space, now I’m thinking I will add their names to their stone markers. These rehab girls are becoming much closer to pets than livestock due to the amount of time I’m spending with them. It’s a strange balance for me.
I’m thinking about abducting the two younger chickens, the same age as Chickie Hawks girls, but put in the enclosed farm coop from the farms poopy run for “crimes of egg eating”, to keep them company. These girls have only been in for 8-10 months so they have moderately bad SLM. That would leave only three older very poorly doing chickens down in the Farm Coop. The ancient Barred Rock, and two 3-4yo production reds, both with Awful SLM. See how I avoided another rant about Chicken Nutrition and Coop space there?
In happier news, no more Hay until Friday, due to some Sheep Breeders annual meeting. The Tractor part was obtained over the weekend and it is no loner jury-rigged together with a rusty old chain (still needs a lot of work though!). Chicks are doing very well, but I need to cut a wooden angle brace out of the barn, as they have discovered they can use it as a ramp to the lid. They are going on 1.5 weeks now and are still getting some supplemental heat, as my batteries allow. I worry they aren’t getting enough heat, Andrew says I’m creating “stronger more cold hardy” chickens. Temperatures are mid 20’s-30’s Celsius. Lows of 15 overnight.
Today I will be culling Bossy. It’s the kindest thing I can think of to do for her. She now stands like a penguin and doesn’t walk anywhere. I tried to drain her, thinking she had ascites as well, but got nothing. I suspect internal laying at this point, as she isn’t as old as Puffy and Tippie were, and she has a very bright comb. She did lay an egg last week, her first in 6 months, covered in poop. Both girls have severely declined in the last several days.
The biggest problem I see with this is that New Girl isn’t ready to go in with Sammy yet, (I tried, and she ended up burying her head under the tractor trying to escape) which will leave him alone with Hoppy. I don’t think this will be good for his mental health as a Rooster. He got a little distraught yesterday after I took Puffy away and she didn’t return.
I’m accumulating quite the little Chicken Graveyard in the woods here. I started marking them to avoid accidentally digging in an already occupied space, now I’m thinking I will add their names to their stone markers. These rehab girls are becoming much closer to pets than livestock due to the amount of time I’m spending with them. It’s a strange balance for me.
I’m thinking about abducting the two younger chickens, the same age as Chickie Hawks girls, but put in the enclosed farm coop from the farms poopy run for “crimes of egg eating”, to keep them company. These girls have only been in for 8-10 months so they have moderately bad SLM. That would leave only three older very poorly doing chickens down in the Farm Coop. The ancient Barred Rock, and two 3-4yo production reds, both with Awful SLM. See how I avoided another rant about Chicken Nutrition and Coop space there?
In happier news, no more Hay until Friday, due to some Sheep Breeders annual meeting. The Tractor part was obtained over the weekend and it is no loner jury-rigged together with a rusty old chain (still needs a lot of work though!). Chicks are doing very well, but I need to cut a wooden angle brace out of the barn, as they have discovered they can use it as a ramp to the lid. They are going on 1.5 weeks now and are still getting some supplemental heat, as my batteries allow. I worry they aren’t getting enough heat, Andrew says I’m creating “stronger more cold hardy” chickens. Temperatures are mid 20’s-30’s Celsius. Lows of 15 overnight.
Any chicken is going to have a better life with you than that stinky old farm coop. *shudders* I discovered the man down the road has chickens ~ & his set~up horrifies me. It stinks so bad you can smell it from the road. The run is wet & muddy & we all know cleaning chicken poop isn't fun but even chickens don't want to live in a stinky coop. Won't from choice. A sugar cane bale is just $12 & spreads a long way & as I was telling my neighbour, any time I want fertilizer I rake up a bucket out of my coop. The girls keep it turned over & broken down & the smell is minimal.
You have a delicate balance to maintain between livestock & *not quite pets*.
I know you give any chicken in your care the best life possible. They are lucky chickens. Chickens always surprise me with how cold tolerant they are. Even seem to relish it. I know you will keep a good eye on those chicks!
You have a delicate balance to maintain between livestock & *not quite pets*.
I know you give any chicken in your care the best life possible. They are lucky chickens. Chickens always surprise me with how cold tolerant they are. Even seem to relish it. I know you will keep a good eye on those chicks!- Thread starter
- #634
Well integration went decently tonight with the two egg eaters and Hoppy. Sammy really “Likes” the new girls, but they were all at opposite ends of the box for sleeping, with Sammy apparently protecting Hoppy from the new additions to his harem (he wasn’t up on the roost, he was beside his favorite lady in the back!), and the new girls were cuddled together in the front. Hopefully tomorrow morning goes smoothly.
While out and about doing chores down at the farm house and going to the store a chick full on escaped th brooder, jumped off the top and was waiting, distress chirping in the middle of the barn for me when we got home. I’ve stuffed some towels in the hole by the support 2x4 diagonal ramp to freedom to rememdy this until the chicks move out and I feel ok about cutting the offending brace out with my sawsall/recip.
While performing pre introduction pedicures on Sammy’s new GFs I found something new to me. Easy pedicures for moderate SLM, I can deal with, 1/2 hr per chicken every 2 days or so, no problem... Enter my very first experience with bumblefoot, chicken foot right. She’s young, just 18 months-ish old, so I have to treat this. She may have several more better years ahead of her.
So my complete removal of all the chickens is a little more delayed than originally anticipated. And I get to test a new malady. By the time these chickens are all healthy or gone, I feel like I’m going to become adept at dealing with everything that can go wrong...
While out and about doing chores down at the farm house and going to the store a chick full on escaped th brooder, jumped off the top and was waiting, distress chirping in the middle of the barn for me when we got home. I’ve stuffed some towels in the hole by the support 2x4 diagonal ramp to freedom to rememdy this until the chicks move out and I feel ok about cutting the offending brace out with my sawsall/recip.
While performing pre introduction pedicures on Sammy’s new GFs I found something new to me. Easy pedicures for moderate SLM, I can deal with, 1/2 hr per chicken every 2 days or so, no problem... Enter my very first experience with bumblefoot, chicken foot right. She’s young, just 18 months-ish old, so I have to treat this. She may have several more better years ahead of her.
So my complete removal of all the chickens is a little more delayed than originally anticipated. And I get to test a new malady. By the time these chickens are all healthy or gone, I feel like I’m going to become adept at dealing with everything that can go wrong...
Morning Kris
morning Bob
Sorry... what is SLM?
Scaly Leg Mites.
Aaaaa, thanks! Trying to learn all the abbreviations
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