***OKIES in the BYC III ***

[Ironsights]

Took Roger to the ER last night with that stomach bug. He was dehydrated and still losing fluids. And he couldn't take any of his meds. Two IV bags with scripts for his nausea and his back pain, he was some better. He got some better sleep last night.
I knew it was coming on for me by the way my stomach was acting. Made the mistake of thinking I could go out at 2:30 pm to feed and water the pens so Roger would not have to do it this evening. I got all the water done and the feed in the inside pens, but just became too weak to finish. Roger came out to check on me...thank goodness and got me back inside, cooled down and in bed. He finished the feed and did get hot too...
The bug hit hard at 5pm....

The ER nurse said this is going around...hitting young and older folks the hardest..usually lasts 12 hours, but does go longer.

Both of you get well soon! I didn't know anything was going round.

 

[NanaKat]

Thank you everyone for your prayerful support. Both of us were able to eat a few soda crackers and chicken broth this morning. Roger is still pretty weak, but improving. I was up all night but slept between episodes. I don't think I got hit as hard as my sweet hubby.

Mary Jo. Snakes are not welcome here at all. I keep a pair of limb loopers and a snake hook in the barn. Hope you don't have any more losses.

Ironsights...sorry to hear about Kara. Sounds like she was a great buddy for your grandsons.

Robyn...our older birds that have been so productive and to whom we have given forever homes are hard to lose. Some of them have such great personalities.

 

[NanaKat]

Hotcultr - Dianna desperately needs to rehome her birds- due to health, she just got out of the hospital- if anyone can help - some of her breeds, no charge or minimal- they are NPIP

Jersey Giants
bantam cochins
nn
silkies
marans
porcelain d'uccles
polish

Dianna has some great birds...sure hope she is recovering from her hospital stay. Thoughts and prayers.
If you are interested in getting in touch with her by PM, her BYC name is Hotcultr

 

[Ironsights]

Thank you everyone for your prayerful support. Both of us were able to eat a few soda crackers and chicken broth this morning. Roger is still pretty weak, but improving. I was up all night but slept between episodes. I don't think I got hit as hard as my sweet hubby.

Mary Jo. Snakes are not welcome here at all. I keep a pair of limb loopers and a snake hook in the barn. Hope you don't have any more losses.

Ironsights...sorry to hear about Kara. Sounds like she was a great buddy for your grandsons.

Robyn...our older birds that have been so productive and to whom we have given forever homes are hard to lose. Some of them have such great personalities.

Ditto on the snakes. I'm finishing up on a rebuild on a turkey coop and it's easy to make it predator proof but much harder to make it snake proof. They can get through such small holes. I've had no problems with predators getting in my chicken coops but the snakes have gotten in. I've killed two big ones this year. Fortunately I've only lost two chicks and a few eggs the last few years. I'm trying the black netting and the cricket trap. And I think all my new birds are large enough to not be eaten except for my cinnamon queens and they're in a snake proof 4x8 brooder and loving it. There are only nine of them and I keep a fan blowing over water and then into the brooder.

 

[Sagetown]

Ditto on the snakes. I'm finishing up on a rebuild on a turkey coop and it's easy to make it predator proof but much harder to make it snake proof. They can get through such small holes. I've had no problems with predators getting in my chicken coops but the snakes have gotten in. I've killed two big ones this year. Fortunately I've only lost two chicks and a few eggs the last few years. I'm trying the black netting and the cricket trap. And I think all my new birds are large enough to not be eaten except for my cinnamon queens and they're in a snake proof 4x8 brooder and loving it. There are only nine of them and I keep a fan blowing over water and then into the brooder.

Snakes ! So far they haven't struck here this year. Size of chicken doesn't matter to a snake. I've lost adult hens that were strangled to death by large rat snakes. Killed two in the act, with several dead chickens laying on the ground. My theory is that these big boys are old, and come off the mountain looking for an easy meal.
I use an old .22 with birdshot. Doesn't penetrate tin, but is deadly on snakes, and rats. No precise aiming is necessary, just in the general direction of the vermin's head. Body shots don't work very well.

 

[BetsyOK]

I, too, have had snakes get in and kill adult birds. They catch them asleep and swallow them head first. Of course, they cannot eat them, so they regurgitate them. My chickens are silkies, and such a snake attack is obvious because they leave digestive "slime" on the heads and necks and their fluffy feathers are backwards. It is very upsetting. The black plastic bird netting is very helpful if you cannot snake proof your entire compound, which is very hard to do.

 

[mjgigax]

No snakes last night. I hope my wire and patching did the job. I didn't find poultry net but I used 2"poultry wire and put 1/2" hardware cloth over any areas that looked wider that 1/4".

 

[Ironsights]

I thought they wouldn't attempt to kill something that they couldn't eat. Guess I'm wrong! I put one inch hardware cloth on my doors, maybe I should back it up with something smaller. I'm also going with the electric fences.

 

[Ironsights]

What eats the heads of a bird and leaves the rest? I've lost two poults this way.

 

[lonnyandrinda]

What eats the heads of a bird and leaves the rest? I've lost two poults this way.

First guess is possum, second would be skunk. Other possibilities are coon or owl.