New Brahma Group: Blue Partridge x Partridge, Plus Dark

[speckledhen]

Seems our Bash is not feeling well. He's in a hard molt but today, his comb was purplish. Later in the afternoon when he, Brandy and Cora were out, I went to put them back in the barn and found him laying against the barn in the concrete gutter that runs all the way around to pull water from the base of the barn. When I rounded the corner to go get him, he didn't even stand up. I reached down and lifted him off the ground without any protest. He is 7 years old and this line of Brahmas may be coming to the end of their reign. Bonnie sits all the time, too, but I see no evidence of infection still and the wing appears to be okay for one that isn't fully attached. Losing Bash will be awful. He's a complete mama's boy.
Brandy seems perfectly fine, though Cora is slowing down quite a bit.
I am about 80% sure we'll lose Scarlett. Mina is very spry, though. She did make the mistake of dropping her shoulder in a threatening pose toward Bonnie. Bonnie sort of lunged and stomped at her and Mina ran like a scared rabbit, LOL. That'll teach her-she started it!
I wish I had my camera yesterday when Mina was in the barn aisle and I let Bonnie out of her pen. As she stomped by, Mina held her ground and craned her neck to look WAY up at Bonnie, like a T-Rex was walking past and she knew its vision was based on movement. Bonnie is Godzilla next to Mina.

 

[speckledhen]

Well, Mr. Bash has replaced EE Scarlett in the hospital cage and I put Scarlett on the roost with her peeps tonight. He's super thin and his crop is as big as a baseball, though not hard, just doughy. I had to choose the bird who is worse off and he's it. He'll spend the night in there, can barely stand up in it-his comb hits the top and it's a pretty tall cage. Last time he was in it was in 2019 when he had a mysterious ailment that presented like lead poisoning, but thankfully recovered and never had a relapse of whatever it was. So he gets special care until he is on the upswing (or not).
We're getting hit from all sides with these birds, none of it contagious, thankfully, no respiratory symptoms at all, just sluggish and malfunctioning crops and weight loss. The Brahmas have always been prone to crop issues, though never Bash until now. All just went through a hard molt and Bash is in the middle of it. I guess for his breed and that line he's from, he's truly an elderly rooster.
I said to my husband that I'm fond of Scarlett and she is valued as a great layer, but I am not as fond of her as I am of my Bash. Hubby then said, "For a rooster, he's the most gentle thing. I can pick him up and pet him anytime I want and he likes the attention". He is the sweetest most affectionate large fowl rooster I've ever owned and that's saying something because I have had the best roosters anyone could ask for over the past 19 years.

 

[getaclue]

I'm sorry Bash is experiencing crop issues. You've been having to deal with quite a few issues in your flock lately, none of it has to do with the way you manage your flock. Instead of replacing with hatchery stock, you might want to see if there are any local breeders that have a better than hatchery stock.

 

[1muttsfan]

You guys take such good care of your birds that they outlive what would be normal. But as beloved as they become, they will only last for so long. I can't imagine a home where Bash would have had a better life than with such good friends as yourselves.

 

[speckledhen]

I'm sorry Bash is experiencing crop issues. You've been having to deal with quite a few issues in your flock lately, none of it has to do with the way you manage your flock. Instead of replacing with hatchery stock, you might want to see if there are any local breeders that have a better than hatchery stock.

You guys take such good care of your birds that they outlive what would be normal. But as beloved as they become, they will only last for so long. I can't imagine a home where Bash would have had a better life than with such good friends as yourselves.

Thank you both. I think there is as much misplaced guilt raising chickens as raising children. We have given them all the best life possible, even the crazies like our late Tiny Terrorist, because they deserve it. I have laid several very loved roosters in the ground as I said out loud to them, "Sorry, buddy, I wish there was a cure for old age".
I am going to start back with the game bird layer I was feeding for awhile. I don't like crumble because it turns to dust in no time, but they all loved it as much as their 14 grain scratch mix. It has to be super digestible, being a crumble. It still has porcine protein in it, but I do wish it would come in the mini-pellets like my other feed.
Scarlett is perkier today, her crop much reduced and very pliable. And Bash's is more pliable, but I did not give them any scratch grains. He got scrambled eggs with some plain yogurt and tomato juice mixed in, doctored with vitamins. He is just so thin when you feel his keel, but as you said, Mary, they don't live forever and he may just be at the end of his life because he has never had crop issues like the hens did.
Yes, Cheryl, I am not going to do hatchery birds again. Two times burned already in that regard, but of course, the Brahmas were good quality breeder stock and still have crop issues, though not egg issues.

 

[1muttsfan]

While pellets seem like they would be less digestible, they should not be significantly different than the crumble - they are made to absorb moisture and disintegrate without having to be chewed up. Try dropping a few in a little water and see how long before they fall apart, it should be pretty quick if they are properly formulated.

I would prefer to feed crumble, but they waste so much and it makes a mess. I also like it when I can find the mini pellets.

 

[speckledhen]

Yeah, it is a mess, the crumble, but that feed only comes in crumble, darn it. I have always fed the mini-pellets and if the game bird feed came in those, def would get it. They have always been good for both the big and little ones.

 

[speckledhen]

I'm preparing to lose my sweet Sebastian. His crop is sluggish, will not empty entirely after days of massage, pushing it back through the crop opening and special soft foods. He's lost weight during his molt and he seems so tired. His eyes look dreary. He's my last large fowl rooster after losing Hector then Atlas. I think 7 yrs 4 months qualifies him as elderly, especially for his size. Unless he rallies, I don't see him making it until winter. After he's gone, I'll put Bonnie back in with Brandy and Cora, no rooster pressure on Bonnie's wing. It seems to be healing up okay, enough to hold up to Cora's bossiness. That sweet, sweet old man, I hate for him to go.

 

[1muttsfan]

I know you will miss him. It's been a bad year for losing pets here. And one more 16 plus dachshund whose pretty shaky to go I'm sure sometime in the nearer rather than farther future.

 

[speckledhen]

I know you will miss him. It's been a bad year for losing pets here. And one more 16 plus dachshund whose pretty shaky to go I'm sure sometime in the nearer rather than farther future.

I'm sorry, Mary. I hate losing these special pets so much. I guess at least I know they passed on being comfortable and unafraid. I sat with Bash on my lap today for a long time outside in the warm sunshine. He didn't even try to get down, which is not normal for a rooster who has stuff to do and girls to watch out for. I enlarged his final resting place just in case. He's a huge-framed rooster, weight loss or not and he will lay near my other heroes, Isaac, Suede, Hector, Atlas and even little Spike. He's been a wonderful pal. It's been a long time since I had a dog here, but eventually, I'd like to get another. Tom has such a hard time when they go. My cat, Finn, is now getting up in years and almost completely blind but he is so attached to my husband, I know his loss will be really difficult as well. Guess everyone here is getting old now, including us.