Maine

[striperon]

Here are before Sunday's storm and after the storm photos of the snow on my front lawn. I used my sledge hammer to index the accumulation. My chickens are making the bold move of crossing the driveway on the poison white stuff to get in the garage. They like having a change in scenery.

Had to make a path across the front of the house on the lawn so I could reach the roof with the roof rake. Cave-ins are in the news here in the sunny south of Maine.

Before:



After:

 

[lazy gardener]

Read the mixing on the Durvet label carefully, Jazor. That little package makes huge quantities and can harm them if mixed improperly.

LG, I don't need any hatching eggs, but I am much more likely to drive long distances to avoid shipping. I will have fertile Ameraucana eggs some day, but they haven't started laying this spring. I think they are too cold!

Yeah, when I was using the packets of Probiotics and Electrolytes... I was measuring them out and dividing the powder with a razor blade... wrapping each dose in a little foil packet.

Bucka, thanks re: hatching eggs!

We did better than we anticipated with this storm. 10 inches or less. Hard to tell because of the wind. My chickens are all still alive. I had to stay at the hospital over Saturday nite so I worried about them because I hadn't seen them since Friday night until Monday morning. Of course someone was supposed to be checking on them and giving them water but let's just say I think that person's dedication is a little spotty at best. But they look OK. Today was a beautiful day but more to come I fear.

Suz: I hope you're ok now.



I HATE WINTER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[lazy gardener]

Want a laugh?

https://fbcdn-sphotos-h-a.akamaihd...._=1431587446_dd6440c6655ffe14e1d55821d2aa699e

 

[mlowen]

Want a laugh?

https://fbcdn-sphotos-h-a.akamaihd...._=1431587446_dd6440c6655ffe14e1d55821d2aa699e

Sometimes I am terribly afraid that it's the truth.

 

[Cknldy]

Sav-a-chick is less than $2 for three packets, each packet makes 1 gallon. Same brand sells probiotic packs too. Just a thought in case you're ever frisked by the police and they think you have a new designer drug in those foil packets! Before I found out about Sav-a-chick I had to call a vet to help me figure out the 1 gallon dosage from the packs shown earlier. Half of a quarter of a half of a teaspoon plus a quarter of....hold on, what was that last measurement?

 

[lazy gardener]

Got ya... I gave myself a head ache figuring out the dosage. High school chemistry came in very handy... Thanks to Mr. Salesi, who taught me more practical math than I learned in Algebra! I don't think I'd take my foil packets of white powder in the car! But, if they want to come and search my house, they're more than welcome. Nothing here but us and our animals! And our plants.

 

[superchemicalgirl]

The dosage for the entire 8 oz container of that powder is for 110 gallons of drinking water.


Warning, math ahead:


So that's 1 oz of powder per 13.75 gallons

1 oz = 30 ml (conversion)

5 ml = 1 teaspoon (conversion)

So 30 ml = 6 teaspoon (conversion)

So 1 teaspoon powder per 2.3 gallons

So 1/2 teaspoon powder per 1.1 gallons (Round down to 1)

1 gallon = 4 quarts (conversion)

So...

1/8 teaspoon powder per quart water (roughly).

 

[Jazor]

I thought we've been over this? I only do man-math, which is to say I am not going to calculate anything! (sarcasm!)

Warning ++ Slightly graphic ++ Feel free to skip this!

It's pretty clear my sick hen is starving for some reason. I've got her inside, feeding her eggs, yogurt, a bit of normal multiflock grain, and fresh water. The poop is green and runny, and she's got a smell about her. From everything I have read in and out of this site, it sounds like starvation. I've not seen worms in the poop, or in any other of the chickens' poop for that matter...so I'm not sure if I should rule that out.

She's certainly emaciated, I just don't quite know the cause. I've only lost one chicken to natural causes, but it wasn't a slow decline like this and it wasn't recent. She has slowly over the past few days seemed sluggish and unable to roost, after the first night of this--I brought her inside so she could be in the warm environment and I could monitor her food and water intake. It's slim, but existent. So she is able to take in food and water, it just doesn't seem to help. This makes me think she's either full of worms/parasite, or has some type of other avian sickness I am unfamiliar with. She just seems incredibly lethargic, her breastbone is easily visible. I need to do a more thorough inspecting of her crop, but it doesn't seem to be the issue.

If she survives the night, I'll probably go ahead with a worm treatment. Anyone know of one that's readily available, and you can actually administer to a bird that's already quite ill?

Cheers,
Jazor

 

[superchemicalgirl]

I'd start with Wazine in the water.

Her crop definitely needs checking - most of mine with similar symptoms had impacted or sour crop.

 

[lazy gardener]

Jazor, sorry you have a gal who's failing. I hope you can figure out what's up with her.

We had a heat wave today. It got all the way up to 30.9. I went out and tidied up all of the paths that were drifted in (with the snow blower) The cat actually went out and celebrated the warm weather by peeing in the snow bank. It's the first time he's gone out in probably 3 weeks. Pioneer took advantage of the warm weather by coming up to poop on the deck. I tried to chase her off several times, but she was having none of it... "What, you expect me to go down into that white poison stuff?" Of course, she couldn't remember that she walked through it to get up on the deck. So, I picked her up and tossed her over the rail. (It's about a 10 foot drop) Of course she's so heavy that she didn't go too far. She landed in the soft snow, sinking in up to her shoulders! Poor baby! 10 minutes later she was snuggled up in the nest box and laid a whopper of an egg. Probably that flight and cold landing scared that egg right out of her!