NY chicken lover!!!!

[vmdanielsen]

It is looking like I'm going to have a chicken fatality soon. The little GLW has not been doing so good. And this is the one from show lines. it was getting pushed away at the feeder, but fixed that problem with the move to the bigger coop. Everyone else is coming in fat and happy from picking at the grass, this one is nothing but bones now. Was fine yesterday and when i set them out this morning other than being skinny. But this afternoon it has started doing a strange neck extension every 10 seconds with a little open mouth squeak. Eyes are closed often. Peeked in the coop before coming in tonight and everyone is up on the roost (or on the wall ledge

) except GLW with the tic.

So sorry to hear about your chick

 

[Lapeerian]

And this morning a strange strangling sound coming from the coop... One of the EE has started crowing! Hubby said it was Mahogany, the red/black crooked toe EE. Going to have to confirm that. This is the first one to start crowing, not even the black Orp is crowing yet. I'm sure it will be contagious. I suspect at least one other EE, since the comb has become very red. Hoping the fuzz face EE and Silver the pretty black/white EE Trav brought down are hens.

I have also taken to feeding the neighbor Amish chickens some grass clippings. The are locked in the barn all day and look terrible. Only ventilation/light is the missing batten strips between the boards and the gap in the door. Bucket of water is always tipped over into a nasty puddle. One of the hens is hopping around on one leg, the other foot looks swollen and she doesn't join the others for treats. The little leghorn hens are bare backed and bare bottomed from the huge (and gorgeous) Roo, plus two buff Orp Roos and maybe one other Roo. Not sure what they are feeding, looks like it may be just the scratch grain or corn meal that my dad sells. The empty plastic bags are left in the coop. I hadn't checked on them in some time and was shocked by how bad they look when I put some back in that were left outside. The big Roo knows I bring treats of grass or bread, so is always friendly and comes up to me when they are out. He is the size of my toddler, so always watch him, but hasn't threatened yet. The Roo in the horse barn disappeared, guess he became dinner, which is fine because he had started to challenge us.

Well, time to go investigate who is the boy in my group!

 

[Lapeerian]

Chick update: it died this afternoon. I put it in a separate cage this morning when the others went outside. It was completely oblivious to the world, tried to get it to drink a bit, but there was no saving once it developed the tic and I knew it. It was never aggressive enough to fend for itself when it came to eating, always hang back as the others ate even though I had two feeders in the brooder tank. It was getting better with the big coop and going outside. But if it couldnt survive now, it would have never made it once the whole flock is together and grazing. I still have 18 that are doing well, so one loss isn't huge. Now to find a place to toss it.....

 

[Henicillin]

Quote:

Chick update: it died this afternoon. I put it in a separate cage this morning when the others went outside. It was completely oblivious to the world, tried to get it to drink a bit, but there was no saving once it developed the tic and I knew it. It was never aggressive enough to fend for itself when it came to eating, always hang back as the others ate even though I had two feeders in the brooder tank. It was getting better with the big coop and going outside. But if it couldnt survive now, it would have never made it once the whole flock is together and grazing. I still have 18 that are doing well, so one loss isn't huge. Now to find a place to toss it.....

In the grand scheme of things it's not huge, but it still stinks when it happens.

 

[featherz]

Quote:

In the grand scheme of things it's not huge, but it still stinks when it happens.

X2 =( Sorry about the chickie... =(

I lost three birds today.. I think. I am reasonably sure about one, a light brahma, and I have two pullets missing. I had to let everyone out to free range because of the heat and sure enough, they got snatched. I am thinking hawk - we had quite a few flying around today. Tomorrow will be hotter - I am going to have to keep them locked up so am getting fans, frozen water and fruit ready. =(

 

[vmdanielsen]

Sorry to hear of peoples losses. I hate to see any ones birds go missing.

 

[pharmchickrnmom]

Morning all. After yesterdays lovely weather the humidity today is a killer. My dh put his game cam up a few days ago and surprise. After not seeing any around for years, it caught a big coop snooping around the new big coop. Needless to say, I went into full protection mode as the new little coop that my dd and her fiance built for me didnt have the wire on it yet! Got it all enclosed yesterday and only have to do some around the top under the eaves. Since all of our coops are off the ground, and there are no trees close enough to use to drop down, I think he will have a difficult time finding a way in. We built them tight and used the good wire so there is no leverage or way to climb up. Hopefully he moved on. A reappearance means lead poisoning.

I put Stripe and the chicks out in the wire dog kennel yesterday. They were thrilled, her especially. She spent her time teaching them to scratch and calling them to eat what she found. My hens would go over occasionally to look because they could hear the chicks and Stripe would immediately issue her "Dont come any closer or I will destroy you" clucks. So funny as she is just a little silkie hen and my big girls are huge next to her. They did back off when she clucked at them! The chicks stayed close and didnt try to escape and so everyone enjoyed the whole day outside. One of the br terrorists escaped the temporary run we had them in and was summarily schooled not once but twice by my wyandottes as to whos property it was! Nothing bad just a staredown and some chasing but was the little girl ever so happy to be back in with the rest of the terrorists! The funny thing is, the big girls give way when Little Man (my silkie roo) comes by with his girls. He runs them off if he wants the area they are in!

Off to the oven today...oops I mean the pharm. It is ovenlike though and is unbearable to work in on days like this. Not good for the product either but they always come in with their little wand and say its fine when we know its not.

Enjoy your day off all of you who have one. No rest for the weary here. I will sleep when I am dead!!!

 

[Lynzi777]

Morning Everyone,
Sorry to hear of everyone's losses. I guess living in the valley, we get different weather from the rest of NY. It was hot here yesterday, but not to the point where I'd worry I guess. My chickens free range now during the weekends while I'm here with the kids. They've finally been venturing out further and further from the coop. We also have this large white oak (I think) tree on the side of of our yard and it keeps the uppermost part of the yard shaded until about 2-3 o'clock. So the coop doesn't direct sunlight until the sun is up and over the across the street, getting ready to set behind the mountain.

So I'm going to take a guess after I took a good close look at my 5 today and say that I have 1 silkie roo and 1 lavender orp roo. The rest look like pullets. (for now) If these two are roos will they need to be seperated? In which case I'd have to get rid of one. Or do you think because they've been getting along so well together they'll be alright? I wouldn't mind keeping both with hopes I can have pure orpingtons and pure silkie chicks.

 

[stonykill]

I built my coops in the shade. Being I had it available it seemed the obvious choice

 

[Henicillin]

One of the two remaining eggs in Potentially Failed Hatch 2.0 (the first two of which were probably eaten by the fine young cannibals) was broken this morning. Unlike the ones my klutz broke, however, this one was a rotten egg. A Day 20 rotten egg. Holy cow, THERE'S a mind-altering stench. If I wasn't fully awake when I went down to feed, water, and let everyone out, I am now.

The last, lone holdout is in a nice, big, CLEAN box now. Let's see if anything hatches. At this rate, survey says probably NOT!

Meanwhile my last holdout, Mrs. Beasley the big Buff Orp, sits quietly and peacefully on her four eggs, not allowing any other bird near them and not stomping around in the box like she's trying to make wine. Go, Mrs. B - you're our only hope!