Minnesota!

[Cluckies]

Missing a barred rock hen at lockup tonight I am hoping that she just got confused and is hiding out because i didnt open their pop door today just the inner door that leads into the corn crib so it was a little different than usual today.  hopefully she shows up tomorrow! i didnt see anything fishy outside like feathers or anything.

Oh no, I hope she comes running Oh the morning!

 
How is she doing? You have so many chickens. You might as well be a chicken vet. I don't know if I will even figure it put,if something like this happens to me.

I put her down tonight.  She had lost a lot of weight in the couple of days I know she was struggling.  She quit eating and drinking.  I could tell as I was trying to work the eggshell out, that she had too much scar tissue to deal with, which was probably why the egg wasn't passing.  I just felt she had suffered more than she needed to and trying to work through that just wasn't going to result in good results.  


I don't think I would ever want to be a vet, but the fact that so few vets know about chickens, I have had to study a lot for myself to find answers.  The thing is, that with any problem with a sick or injured animal, it is like solving a puzzle.  If you can find the pieces of that puzzle, you can usually find a solution.  It may not be the solution we want to get, but it is still a solution.

As far as numbers, this year I am down to half of the flock I have had the last 3 years, just over 100.  I have 1-3 extra males for each breed, just in case I lose one or two through winter.  I think I have 25 total roosters, maybe 30.  The rest are pullets and hens, of course, and about 10 are in the 'Easter Egger' pen for a steady supply of eggs when i am putting the others in the incubator.  I know I don't need that many any more, but half of them are getting to their last good year of laying, so I keep them around.


When a hen is egg bound, you can actually feel the egg.  In this one's case, you could see the bulge of it when she would push.  

On no, sorry to hear that Minnie but it sounds like you did the most humane thing you could, poor girl.

 

[scandiafowl]

Whoohooo!
Federal employees given a half day leave with pay on the 24th!

 

[scandiafowl]

nothing as determined as a hen that wants to go back to her nest!

What the heck is the problem with laying in the nesting boxes?
All we need is to attract predators with a free meal of eggs.

 

[scandiafowl]

I started with a 10 gallon aquarium, 1000 meal worms, wheat bran, and sliced apples.  I followed this article: How to raise Mealworms

This winter i've added in a seedling mat under the aquarium, I think it was to cold in my house last winter as I didn't get much meal worm production, (summer was good) so we'll see if having it a bit warmer gets me more meal worms through the winter.

This is also a good thread: meal worms

Great, thank you. Looks very easy.

Do you fill the entire tank with wheat bran?

 

[lalaland]

Missing a barred rock hen at lockup tonight I am hoping that she just got confused and is hiding out because i didnt open their pop door today just the inner door that leads into the corn crib so it was a little different than usual today. hopefully she shows up tomorrow! i didnt see anything fishy outside like feathers or anything.

keeping my fingers crossed!

Minnie, sorry about your poor little hen.

And scandia, hooray for getting off a little early on xmas eve.


Today, I'm trying to be the good grandma and good mother in law. The original plans were for my DD, SIL, and new baby to come up on xmas eve, have a nice dinner, stay over night, wake up to xmas breakfast and xmas. I was soooo excited, it was going to be just Sue and I and them.
But now, because his parents weren't able to come for thanksgiving (a little agorophobia on the MIL), my daughter/SIL/baby are driving to Illinois on Tuesday next week, and supposedly coming back on Wed or xmas eve.

What? a grueling 9 hour drive in who knows what weather with a month old baby that you are nursing with a dog and in a pickup? If they will show up xmas eve, if not delayed by weather, they will be totally exhausted.

So, I stuffed my disappointment and txtd that we could celebrate xmas on the weekend instead so they can have a more leisurely visit with his family. But oh!!! I never get to spend xmas with my daughter. And I had such plans!

I had the best MIL, and she was always so easy about who spent what holiday with which family. So I am trying to channel her. Her name was Joyce, so I just ask myself, what would joyce do? And Joyce would tell them not to stress, there will be other xmases.

 

[lalaland]

Goldie looked like she has some drainage from one of the wounds, her feathers near the wound just looked a little gooky this morning by flashlight. I don't know if this is a good or bad sign, after 16 days.

Bathing is a stressor, but I will do my best to bathe her tomorrow while working from home. And then get her time to roam part of the coop so she can walk more than a few steps!

 

[KlopKlop]

keeping my fingers crossed!  

Minnie, sorry about your poor little hen.

And scandia, hooray for getting off a little early on xmas eve.


Today, I'm trying to be the good grandma and good mother in law.  The original plans were for my DD, SIL, and new baby to come up on xmas eve, have a nice dinner, stay over night, wake up to xmas breakfast and xmas.  I was soooo excited, it was going to be just Sue and I and them.
But now, because his parents weren't able to come for thanksgiving (a little agorophobia on the MIL), my daughter/SIL/baby are driving to Illinois on Tuesday next week, and supposedly coming back on Wed or xmas eve.

What?  a grueling 9 hour drive in who knows what weather with a month old baby that you are nursing with a dog and in a pickup?  If they will show up xmas eve, if not delayed by weather, they will be totally exhausted.  

So, I stuffed my disappointment and txtd that we could celebrate xmas on the weekend instead so they can have a more leisurely visit with his family.  But oh!!! I never get to spend xmas with my daughter. And I had such plans!

I had the best MIL, and she was always so easy about who spent what holiday with which family.  So I am trying to channel her.  Her name was Joyce, so I just ask myself, what would joyce do?  And Joyce would tell them not to stress, there will be other xmases. 

Good for you for being flexible! I know it sucks when plans change but they will appreciate you for it!

 

[lalaland]

klopklop, andy sign of your hen? or did you have to leave while it was still dark out?

 

[KlopKlop]

klopklop, andy sign of your hen?  or did you have to leave while it was still dark out?

I didn't see her as it was dark but DW thinks she saw her this morning while walking the dogs. I won't know for sure until lockup tonight because I had already opened the pop door at that point. It possibly could have been one of my other barred rocks. I am hoping for the best though

 

[FoxyChicken]

Hi folks, just stopping in to say "hi". I don't have anything interesting to say because I only get to see my chickens off the roost on weekends these days. Another week and the days start getting longer though! Maybe I'll be able to tell you guys that my pullets started laying after that.... they'll be 32 weeks on Christmas eve....

How's everyone's weather? We've had a lot of rain, then it turned to sleet yesterday. Supposed to get some snow tonight and tomorrow. Maybe a couple inches on the shore, more inland. I'm ready for it, this ice is driving me crazy!