Ribh's D'Coopage

[Ribh]

Possibly the biggest when you consider most of the world wants to eat them. They have to be very wary.

It was the one thing I knew I could give her; absolute safety. I knew the cats wouldn't bother her either & she wasn't frightened of them.

 

[Kris5902]

Congratulations on the bacon @rjohns39! I’ve never done a pig before, but it is a big part of farming and being sustainable IMO. We can’t do pigs here because we don’t have the infrastructure in the plant to process them (scalding and electro stunning is required) And with the class of license we have we cannot process them at a lower level of inspection than the beef and sheep.

 

[Kris5902]

@Ribh as to checking for egg binding there’s not much to “see” it’s more a “feel”. Lots of lubricant, clean hands or gloves, and being slow and gentle... you basically just stick your finger in her vent and feel carefully for any blockages. There’s the both egg line and the poop line in there... I haven’t found an actually bound up egg, but did find a crushed broken thin shelled one in Mrs B once. It’s just a slow and gentle and careful thing... and no she isn’t going to appreciate it (expect some angry chicken glares post probing, meal worms help I’ve found) and apparently if they are pooping they aren’t egg bound... or so I’ve read

 

[Kris5902]

It was the one thing I knew I could give her; absolute safety. I knew the cats wouldn't bother her either & she wasn't frightened of them.

 

[rjohns39]

Good evening folks

 

[RoyalChick]

Thanks for the support everyone. I've lost her overnight. I was worried when I couldn't tempt her with salmon, which she loved, but the heat seems to have been the last straw for her.

@Ribh I am so, so sorry for your loss. A big virtual hug. Go hug a cat or a chicken for comfort. I found this group amazingly supportive when I lost Scary recently. Tuppence sounds like a wonderful hen and I know you gave her the best care possible.

 

[RoyalChick]

Celebrating Tuppence.
View attachment 2000190
Firstly I am not ok but I am going to try & not dump on all you lovely people. I do want to celebrate my lovely little hen.

There is a particular mindset that comes from living in an isolated, difficult to access community. You don't have the sort of things mainlanders take for granted: doctors, dentists, vets, hospitals ~ so you learn quickly to trust your gut instincts & weigh up the pros & cons of your choices. You also tend to get the poorest, most expensive people when you do get services so you quickly loose confidence in the so called experts. Nothing like being in transition in labour & having to tell the ambos what to do! So yeah, a fair bit of cynicism has accumulated over the years.

So when Tuppence didn't vacate the roost with the rest of the flock I knew we were in trouble. We had temperatures skyrocketing towards the 30Cs with 75% humidity, no vet & a car without a/c. My gut said she wasn't going to make it, no matter what I did, so why put her through extra stress heading to the mainland ~ which is a 2 hour trip. Although the boat itself is only a 20 minute ride, we have to walk to where our mainland car is parked in the heat before a 20~40 minute drive to the vet that does farm animals but isn't an avian specialist ~ & for me doing that to an already really sick, heat stressed bird wasn't a good option.

What I opted to do was make her as comfortable as I could, treat her as best I could & hope for the best.

Tuppence loved coming in the Big Coop. Chooks are even bigger sticky beaks than cats so even though she wasn't well she was delighted to be propped on a little stand my dad made with a towel under her for comfort, a nice cold ice bottle nearby to cool the breeze through the window for her. The cats came & went, undisturbed by her presence. My lads, who are here renovating again, piqued her interest & she loved watching t.v with them ! Every time I moved, her eyes flew open & followed my every movement. Every 15 minutes or so I offered her some sugared water, scrambled egg,
yogurt.

There is a lot to be said for allowing a life to end peacefully & naturally. There was no pain, just a gradual fading away. She was showered with love. And that is the hard part. My little girl, who arrived as a screamer, flying into the wire to get as far from me as possible, yet came to trust me & would seek my company when I was out with the girls. Not a lap chicken. She'd stand on a log beside me & cock her head quizzically, safe in the knowledge I wouldn't peck or harass her.

When I closed down the house for the night I popped her in the bathroom as the safest, coolest place. About half past 2 I woke up. My 1st thought was Tuppence was gone. I waited a bit, not wanting to disturb the whole house, but eventually got up. My cats were visibly distraught , anxiously trying to get in the bathroom door. She was still warm but no longer with us.

It has been hard spending time with the rest of the flock. I keep looking for Tuppence & Lottie is missing her. The Favorelles took Lottie between them on the roost the first night. Last night it was Lavender but the flock is very quiet & subdued. I am dosing everyone with amprolium after not only the heat and humidity but a massive storm that has drenched the ground everyone wallows in.

It is much, much cooler today. Sadly the change came too late for Tuppence but everyone else seems to be ok.​

Beautifully said. She was lucky to have you (and so are the rest of the flock).

 

[BY Bob]

Yeah, it does. We're rather impressed.

Plants are funny. My dad loved figs & the first thing he did when he moved onto his 50 acres was plant a fig tree. It never flowered, never bore fruit until the year he died. That year mum got a bumper crop. She doesn't eat figs.

Wow. That seems just the way doesn't it.

 

[BY Bob]

They seem to be doing ok.
I'm not getting eggs though.
Could be the heat.
Could be the upset over flock dynamics.
Could be the water.​

View attachment 2001294

Lottie on the stump Tuppence liked to perch on for feeding. She's looking good. My Barred Rocks have hit 2 but still laying well when not broody.​

She does look pretty and not too hot at this point. I think the barred rocks are very cute as well. I always thought I would get some but since your broody issues I think I might just look at pictures of yours now.

 

[WhoDatChick]

They seem to be doing ok.
I'm not getting eggs though.
Could be the heat.
Could be the upset over flock dynamics.
Could be the water.​

View attachment 2001294

Lottie on the stump Tuppence liked to perch on for feeding. She's looking good. My Barred Rocks have hit 2 but still laying well when not broody.​

She’s so beautiful