***OKIES in the BYC III ***

[artsyrobin]

Sorry to hear about all the losses! The cold spells are always harder on our older birds.

Robyn, A hunter breed of dog could have taken the bird to its owner.... Does the dog have a collar with tags? A vet can check the rabies tag number for the owner.

no tags on the collar- interesting on that though- so he may have not killed her?? didn't find any feathers, no tags on the collar- just keep blaming myself, he'd made no move towards any of the birds -

Hello everyone! I got a pm today congratulating me on my 7 year anniversary with the BYC! I don't imagine I know most of the posters these days, but I'm glad to see the Okies of the BYC is going strong. I miss chickening, it was a great deal of fun with good people. If any of the old posters are still around, send me a pm!

Happy holidays everyone!

Cammie
Oklahoma Rain Photography

::WAVING:: i remember ya, i am around sometimes

 

[Kassaundra]

Alright brilliant Okies, help! Sunshine, my orp boy, who is a sweet and cuddly and wonderful darling, has picked up something from wild birds. I first noticed a rasp, then a gurgle, and now he's gaping on inhale and squawking every few breaths. His poop is fine. Four days ago I brought him in and started him on Tylan 200, 5ml 2x/day. I saw no improvement, he actually seemed to be getting worse, so yesterday I supplemented with doxytetracycline med feed.

I've been trying to let them get better on their own to build immunity, but I really like this boy. Should I be using a different antibiotic?
That's exactly where I put them, off in the underbrush that I never tend, so it's heavily and naturally mulched. With luck I'll see some comebacks come spring, but I'll hedge my bets on that and plant more. You can never have too many raspberries come canning season, right?

Even if you don't see anything now you could very much have them come from roots this spring, keep an eye out. Yes never to many raspberries. They make great wine and the buns love the leaves.

 

[bardies]

I'm thinking that Li'l Joe is one lucky calf - to have a neighbor like you!

 

[NanaKat]

This morning, Little Joe got a good combing with a mat knife comb for dogs. His mother apparently wasn't keeping him very clean and of course like all calves, his rear end was pretty gross. I had two halters, a calf and a llama, and the llama fit him while the calf just slipped off his head even at its tightest notch. After combing, he got as good wash down with damp rags to remove the dust and chaff. Then I played with him, making him trot around his stall and would head butt him with my leg. He actually bucked a little. I'm grateful for any progress right now.

The chickens all got a scratch mix this morning and their water tubs topped off with hot water. Most came out quickly but the cockerel pen stuck their heads out and crowed, but were slow coming out. When I finished with Little Joe, all the birds were out.

Everyone be sure and bundle up today and water your birds several times as water will freeze quickly today and tomorrow.

 

[artsyrobin]

Everyone stay warm today! Gonna be relaxed here, too cold to be doing much..LOL!

 

[Poco Pollo]

This thread moves too fast! I'm speed reading to catch up when I get to check, and I feel guilty when I don't spend more time appreciating the news, photos, and stories.

Kass - The raspberries you gave me came back. I thought I'd lost them because I couldn't find the vines. When I stopped looking, the vines grew about three feet before the leaves covered them, and when the cold hit they were bare in a day. The vines look strong and healthy, so I anticipate fruit next year.

Robin - I hope you find your duck. We haven't had a stray on our place for a couple of months. Yours may be a Christmas dumping. Dogs eat food, and food costs money, and the pound charges if an animal is dropped off, so Mom and Dad put Buster in the station wagon and drive into the country. They leave Buster by the side of the road, noting that there was a farm house within a mile. The story they tell goes like this: We're so sorry little Timmy, but Buster ran away. I'm sure he'll find a good home. Mom and Dad feel no remorse, because they believe their own story.

My chocolate silkies (auction purchase) are no longer brown. Two hens have a tiny bit of brown in their underbellies, but the heads and bodies of the entire group have become black, black, black. I marked the leg of one of my black silkie hens and put her in with the chocolates. After fifteen minutes I came back and couldn't tell which one was the visitor. I'm glad I marked her with a leg band. For those who know about feather color, is there a possibility that my chocolates were never chocolates? Could somebody have used hair color to make them brown? They haven't molted. From the left, the photo shows three chocolates with Leon in the back. The black visiting hen is not in this photo.

 

[artsyrobin]

@Poco Pollo yeah i have been told he is a local dog, seen him around off and on- its frustrating he is a sweet dog- unless you are a duck. On the silkies, Betsy is probably better to explain, but if i saw them today, i'd say blues or partridge with the brownish-

 

[Sagetown]

Robin - I hope you find your duck. We haven't had a stray on our place for a couple of months. Yours may be a Christmas dumping. Dogs eat food, and food costs money, and the pound charges if an animal is dropped off, so Mom and Dad put Buster in the station wagon and drive into the country. They leave Buster by the side of the road, noting that there was a farm house within a mile. The story they tell goes like this: We're so sorry little Timmy, but Buster ran away. I'm sure he'll find a good home. Mom and Dad feel no remorse, because they believe their own story.

My farmhouse use to be very popular with dog dumpers. Road is too busy now, what with rural housing going in these days.

 

[BetsyOK]

Brown is not a standard color in silkies, and I personally have never seen any--only someone's very early effort toward brown. Often when people have silkies that don't fit the standard colors, they name them a color themselves. That doesn't mean a lot. I know there are people actually working on browns, but they are not a "finished" color. Some good breeders are working on a lot of different color patterns, which is really exciting when you see their progress, but it usually takes quite a few years to get the result they are after. In order to be accepted into the standards, a certain number of people have to breed and show them a certain number of years, then (after a large fee is paid) There have to be, I believe a large number of birds--with a certain number of pullets, hens, cockerels and roosters, ( shown by at least five or six different breeders, at a specific show where they are judged very critically. It's hard to tell what color yours actually are. They could be blues with a little off color bleeding in. Blacks are pretty solid black, and most blues look mostly black, with lighter color on their undersides. Neither should have a brown look at all.

 

[ashtree]

@NanaKat what size tubs do you recommend for chicken waterers in freezing weather? I have too many coops/runs to have an electric one everywhere and I need a better system. Planning on going to Walmart tonight! I just don't know if I need to get long and shallow or deeper?

You folks with your calves are inspiring. Love the babies. And @bardies that boy is beautiful!