Pipd's Peeps!

[shadow rabbit10]

Nice. Good luck!

I started out in the direction of animal science, but my concentration is ecology now. Not sure what I'm going to do with an ecology degree, but it's what interests me, so I'm happy.

Thank you. I love ecology. I took an aquatic ecology class two years ago and found it fascinating. My school focuses a lot on marine and environmental sciences, so I sometimes find myself torn between areas of study. I'm sure there's plenty you could do with an ecology degree. Wildlife management and research is a big job in that field. But whatever you do, being happy is what's important, isn't it?

 

[pipdzipdnreadytogo]

Yup, that's for sure! I feel like whatever I end up doing, though, will just be in order to pay for what really makes me happy--raising chickens.




ON A DIFFERENT TOPIC... All caps for emphasis...

So, all morning Trudi has been loud as usual, but in a different way. Instead of the long call like in the video I posted a page or two back, it was a short, "WAT. WAT. WAT." I thought it was unusual, but when I checked on the ducks through the window, they seemed fine, swimming or playing in mud puddles...

About an hour ago, I went out to let the girls out for their free-range time, and while I was over talking to the ducks, I noticed a couple hens looking under the duck coop very closely. I took a peek, and to my alarm, there was A FREAKING RACCOON UNDER THERE!!



My brother got it out of there, but the hens were freaked by then, and they all ran back into the chicken yard to hide under the big old cedar tree at the center. Reuben panicked because there was a predator and he couldn't see his hens, so I let him loose, and then I went in and sat with the birds under the cedar tree. Poor girls are traumatized! They gathered around me while Reuben went around, feeding them treats and keeping himself on high alert. He sounded the alarm on a few things that probably weren't alarm-worthy, but he was so good with them today, makes me proud all over again!

The duckies seem okay, they're carrying on as usual. Trudi was the one making the noise about it this morning, but she and Malcolm were both acting just fine when I went out and found it, so I guess they had deemed it no biggie by then. Who knows?

Now I'm super cold, because I just threw on my flip-flops and didn't grab my jacket, thinking I would just run out and open the gate. Who knew I'd be out there for an hour? The sacrifices we make...

 

[shadow rabbit10]

That's scary. Was it out during the daytime? I'd be concerned it's ill or something...Glad everyone is ok! So many sacrifices. Whether it's standing out in the cold to protect your birds, or running through the nasty chicken run barefoot to beat up a hawk... The things we do for our birds!

 

[pipdzipdnreadytogo]

Sorry for the delayed response! No, it wasn't out in the daytime. It had gone up under the duck coop at some point before sunrise, I assume to sleep for the day. Picked a bad place to nest down, though! I've been super paranoid since then, too, and check under there every morning before I open any of the coops. I'm thinking I may have to block off that area so that it doesn't become a problem again. Oh, and so I can stop worrying about it!





Nothing much going on here lately, other than Marge being broody again. Reub's in the flock while Marge is away and he's been so well behaved! This morning, he was feeding Huka treats, and Huka doesn't get buddy-buddy with anyone! Looks like the last round of molters are at it, too. Poor Ihi looks as bad or worse than Marama was a few weeks ago! Those two do everything alike. And the two Speckled Sussex are molting at once, because why not? The good news is it's been pretty warm here lately. I hope they grow in plenty of feathers before it starts actually feeling like November again!

School's getting kind of ugly as the semester winds down, so no guarantees on me posting much in the near future. Just a few weeks to go before break, and I'm ready for it!

 

[shadow rabbit10]

Good to hear things are going relatively smoothly in the chicken realm... As for school, ew. Take all the time you need! Looking forward your next update, whenever that may be.

 

[pipdzipdnreadytogo]

Been a while, thought I would update. I'm finally getting over a nasty cold that had me out for a week, and then miserable with symptoms for another week. And, of course, school didn't slow down one bit--I had three exams in that time! But I got through it, and that's what's important, right?

On to the chicken world, I noticed yesterday that Elda wasn't acting quite right and brought her in overnight to confirm an impacted crop. :/ So, my weekend thus far has been dedicated to treating and massaging her crop every couple of hours or so, a fact she just thrilled about. She is still herself, and very hungry, poor baby. No food until that impaction breaks up. She also left the single nastiest poop in existence on my bedroom carpet after waiting for the two second break in my attention while I was fixing up her hospital pen. BLECH!! Still, I can't help but worry. I don't want to lose her, after everything else this year...

Anyway, Elly should be grateful, at least, because she's now inside during the first substantial snow of the year. It's not a huge amount, just a couple soggy inches of wet, heavy snow. It's sticking, but supposedly not for long. Fingers crossed, anyway! Here's the view from out by the Guineas:

The girls are unimpressed, to say the least. We get a couple inches of snow and suddenly they've decided they're never coming out of their coop again.

Is it me, or does Marge look angry with me? It's not my fault it's snowing!

I don't think Tilde knows that it's snowing, she's just staying with the flock. I really should trim her crest back more.

Kit-kit, the sweetie, she's been wondering where Elly went.

And Reuben the snowman. He's totally invisible in the snow.

In ducky land, since I've been sick and poor Crash has not been able to get outside as a result, my wonderful mom built her a better pen so that she's not stuck in her little brooder all the time. It's what was left of a rabbit hutch with scrap lumber from the Guinea coop build to patch it up. It's not huge, but more than enough, I think, for a little pudgy pigeon-sized ducky. (These pictures make it look so much smaller inside--it's about 2x3 feet and Crashie looks eensy in it in person.) She's right behind where I always sit in the living room while I'm at home, and up in her brooder overnight and during class.

This isn't a great picture, but it makes me giggle when she does this. She puts her head in her waterer (which is the bottom 2/3 or so of a green 2-liter bottle) and looks around like a kid with funny glasses or something.

Since the snow is nasty and sticky, I had to go out today to knock the snow off of pens and the crappy shade cover thing in the chicken yard (which, to be honest, probably should be taken down if it's going to be snowing... :/ ), hence the pictures today. Anyway, I figured it would be fun to let Crash experience snow for the first time while I was at it. She didn't hesitate for an instant--out she flew to check the place out.

"Something's different here..."

"..Oh, well, moving on!"

Crash operates under the belief that water is water. These pictures aren't great to show it, but she's 'snow bathing'.

She's so photogenic.

Nothing like a walk in the snow...

Webbity footprints.

And meanwhile, Trudi and Malcolm were enjoying the snow as well... By the way, that's supposed to be their drinking water.

So, okay, that's a picture overload done with. I guess that's how I make up for not posting in 2 weeks.

 

[shadow rabbit10]

Nice to hear from you again. Hope you are feeling better. Can't believe you've had snow already! Sometimes I really believe that chickens think we are responsible for the weather... That's the impression they give me at least. And wow, Crashie is really pretty! Haha, the veteran tarp is still in use? Lovely pictures of your girls as always.

 

[pipdzipdnreadytogo]

Yup, the crappy shade cover is still in use! Actually, it was only supposed to last until we built something better, but things happened and the money wasn't there, so here we are. It's working, as long as I keep the snow off of it.

Snow, snow, snow... It does seem early for it! UGH! But, as much as I begrudge the snowy season, I can't help but admit it looks beautiful right now--from underneath a warm blanket in a toasty, temperature-controlled house. These were taken through the living room window, looking out at the woods where the hens would normally free-range:

And Crashie says thanks. Actually, she says, "WAK-WAK-WAKWAKWAK!" Like, all the time. She's growing up, my little ducky. She has twice now 'squatted' by her waterer in the past few weeks when I've been around, in the same sense that the chicken hens squat. Okay, so I get that I'm her flock, but... Anyway, I guess that means I could see eggs from her sooner than I ever expected!

 

[shadow rabbit10]

As much as I hate cold temperatures, a fresh snowfall like that does look stunning. Makes it feel as if the world just stopped... Very peaceful. Haha. Hopefully you see some eggs soon.

 

[pipdzipdnreadytogo]

An update on things here--and a super-duper ultra exciting announcement!! But I'll save that for last.


I'm relieved to say that after trying a few treatments, Elda is on the mend. She started out with a suspected crop impaction, as I mentioned, and after treating the impaction, her crop soured. :/ So, she's been on Nystatin and probiotics for a few days, and her crop has actually loosened up and begun emptying more regularly. Still slow, but at least it's moving! Thank goodness for all the information here on BYC! Elly hasn't acted sick through this entire event, and has been super, super hungry, poor thing! She couldn't eat while I was treating her impaction, and so once things started moving again, she's been eating all she can find! I've been giving her two meals of soaked pellets with her probiotics right before her Nystatin doses and she eats it in minutes! I'm going to try her on free choice soaked pellets tomorrow, CAREFULLY, with the hopes that she starts pushing things through and it doesn't block her up again. I don't want to jinx it after everything else this year, but I'm actually feeling kind of optimistic.

A brief, funny story from earlier today: I was out of Nystatin this morning, so Elda had to miss her morning dose of it. My mom got more for her, so I gave her her evening dose a couple hours early. Well, when I had gotten it dosed out and gone up to my room to give it to Elly, I found her lying on her side in her hospital pen. I was so scared she had gotten worse without her dose! Come to find out, she was dust bathing in her dirty shavings. Bird wants to give me a heart attack!



Meanwhile, Crashie is getting more and more used to being in the living room with all the noise and movement. She's decided that my mom and sister are also in her flock and has let the world know. Have I mentioned lately that call ducks are loud?! Every time either of them is outside of her line of sight and she hears them talking, she calls for them until they come see her. On the positive side, if either of them is in the room, I can actually sometimes leave without her freaking out! So, I'm slightly less tied down and they're slightly more. Trade offs. Oh, darn.



I've been experiencing an unexpected health issue over the past few days (nothing serious, it has just had me mostly immobile for a few days) and haven't been able to spend time with the girls outside, but everyone else is well. The snow is gone and we're back to mud, so there's a lot of grumbles out there, but everyone is at least healthy. I'll have to get out there and take pictures as soon as I next can. They're finishing off their molts, and a few of them look so nice now! I especially need to get a picture of Raven--she's gone dark this molt!









NOW, for the excitement! As of Tuesday,

e I'm eggspecting!! ​

New babies arrive on May 16!

I'm still mulling over a few potential additions to my order, but what I can say for sure is that there will be more Dorkings, and they may or may not already be named. After somehow resisting the urge to get chicks this year, I'm so ready for them!! I'm so happy to have babies to look forward to! ARGH, is it May yet?!