Pipd's Peeps!

[Crazy Maizie]

Heya!

Sorry that I've been MIA. Not a lot going on here. But, Maizie passed a few days ago. I knew her time was coming. In that few months - besides the limping - she had prolapsed. A first for me and I fixed it for her. She continued to lay and would come out into the yard when she felt like it. But, the last episode of her failing health she had a swollen crop. I helped her to empty it. But I know that it was definitely something internal going on. So, when she passed, it had only been a few days after finding her with an impacted crop. If it had gone on much longer, I would have taken her to the vet to be euthanized.
I could have done it myself, but she was more like a pet. I euthanized one hen who I wasn't as attached to a few yrs ago and cried for days.

I read through your thread here to catch up. I will have to catch up on your other thread now.

 

[pipdzipdnreadytogo]

Hey, good to see you checking in! Fortunately it's mostly just me talking to myself, so not much to catch up on on either thread.

So sorry to hear about Maizie I know she was special to you. I understand completely on not being able to euthanize the special ones. As you experienced as well, even the ones I'm less attached to are hard to euthanize even if I know it's the right choice at the time.

 

[pipdzipdnreadytogo]

It's officially pumpkin season! Mom came home from shopping with a white pumpkin for the girls, remembering how much they loved the white pumpkin we got for them last year. They still love white pumpkin this year! Not sure why the color is making this big of a difference to them, but they definitely seem more enthusiastic about white ones than orange ones. Everyone's looking pretty ratty right now from various stages of molt, but here they are digging in!

Notable in these pictures is Harriet the Legbar, right in the middle by the pumpkin in all three shots, hogging the big hole I chopped in that side so they could eat it. Behind her is Izzy the Blue Orpington. Lydda is the Dorking at the bottom of all three pictures, looking at me in the first picture as if asking permission to partake. To the left in the first two pictures is Mavis the nosy Marans. Mona the Easter-egger takes her place in the third picture. She Who the ancient Partridge Rock is about at the 10 o'clock position in all three pictures. Fifi (who doesn't sit still) is in the upper right of the first two pictures. Lastly, Vivienne, Mavis's sister, peeks in at the lower right in the last picture.

 

[pipdzipdnreadytogo]

Gwenyth's been working on her turkey impression.

 

[pipdzipdnreadytogo]

Oh. Hey. In other news, this is my 10,000th post on BYC!

A few years back, I set a few goals for myself to accomplish that year. One of them, because I felt myself falling further into being anxious about posting literally anywhere, was to hit 10,000 posts here; I had somewhere around 8,500 and figured it wouldn't be too difficult. Obviously I did not reach that goal that year, but I feel like I've finally pulled myself out of that pit of anxiety I'd been sinking into and been able to post more regularly over the past year or so.

For a long time I've wanted to give more back to BYC for everything I, myself, have been able to learn from this site, and add to others' learning with the experiences I've had raising my birds. I think I am finally, finally gaining the confidence to actually do that much. I do know a lot about raising chickens, I know them well. I just struggle with being confident in that knowledge enough to post and help people. I had a big fear of being corrected that I really had to get over. I've come to realize that it's better to be corrected and learn something for it than to refuse to post at all. I hope to continue learning for many years to come.

Ah, I know, I'm such a sappy sentimental about things! Anyway, here's to the next 10,000 posts!

 

[Crazy Maizie]

Wow. That's a lot. I probably will never get there. Ha.
Congrats!

Gwyneth is a cutie.

 

[pipdzipdnreadytogo]

Well, it took me 11 years to get this far, so give it time!

She is! Definitely pleased I was able to add her to my flock.

 

[pipdzipdnreadytogo]

Pretty sure I've settled on the last name for the pullets this year. Little Blue 2 shall now be known as Inara Now I just need to name Blues 1 and 5 and then all the for-sure keepers will be named. I tested out a few names on those boys yesterday and learned that neither of them are Jet, Rhett, Buck, or Mack... Why is this so tough?!

Anyway, officially introducing Inara!

And the rest of the girls because I love them. Athena and Inara will join either Blue 1 or Wyatt (yes, I can't decide again) in my future Blues pen, while Bobo (Hellebore) will join Gus's group, and Otter and Freia will just stay in the pet flock. I may put the two of them with Bobo just to begin with so that she's got some buddies while integrating, though. They will have to be removed before I start collecting eggs to hatch as neither of them are birds I want to breed from.

 

[pipdzipdnreadytogo]

As of last evening, I believe I've settled on names for all of my for-sure keepers now. Introducing:

Zeke, previously Blue 1. Why Zeke? I don't know, I just liked it for him and it seems to suit him.

Levi, previously Blue 5. Levi continues what is becoming a tradition of having a denim-themed name among my silkied Blue Cochins, since Diesel is no longer with us.

I also started calling little Choco 1 Mack after it didn't click with the other two... Still not 100% sure I'm keeping him, but I suppose if he can get along in the mixed flock he's fine to stick around...

And since all the girls are pictured in my last post, here's Wyatt's picture again. These are all my keeper cockerels (and potential keepers, at least in Mack's case).

 

[pipdzipdnreadytogo]

Guess who's broody again... Ganymede I can't keep her in any of the usual broody busters because she just flies right out, so she gets a dog crate for her broody buster. Doesn't she look pleased?