San Diego Chicken meetup and Chat thread

[SunnyCalifornia]

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I will keep my eyes open for you!

 

[tigerrrrrrrlilly]

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Do your silkies enjoy their bath ? Albert seemed to like his especially the bow dryer time. I just washed his would have been mate's crest only. She does need a complete bath but I have other stuff to do. What funny little creatures they are ! I would never have imagined that these curious little creatures could be like little puppies. If only i could train them to poop on the toilet ! Wouldn't that be something ?

KKH wonderful pictures ! Great fun in the sun and SNOW !

It's funny, every chicken I have bathed has enjoyed it. lol I also use the blow dryer afterwards and they just close there eyes and rest as if it were a day at the spa!
Picturing a silkie on the toilet now....

Darlene- If Tom is really years older than 15 as you said he has been there that long, he has been there his entire life. He is a really, really old duck.
I would think that might end up being too stressful and devastating for him to be captured, caged, driven and placed in an unfamiliar place to deal with other birds, pets,people he doesn't know. Ducks are very social and I am sure he has a flock of sorts he will sorely miss and that has been his home for a very, very long time. All birds are super sensitive to stress, more so if they are ill or in their senior years. Ducks form "families" and are very dependant on their flock, especially if they have been together for several years. He will feel a loss, no duck is a loner and has to at least always have eyes on their family - whether human, duck, chicken or other- it is their flock.
It could kill him if it turned out to be too stressful. Stress can weaken his immune system, cause stroke, organ failure, illness....
My heartfelt opinion is to let him be where he is home and happy with what he knows and with his friends, in the time he has left. IMO he has just been there too long for him to re-adjust to new surroundings and a new family. He is not domestic and has lived wild for more than 15 years you said. He likely wouldn't thrive in a domestic environment or even a new environment for that matter.

 

[SunnyCalifornia]

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I was thinking the same thing, even though I'm not expert

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You have beautiful intentions Darlene, he's lucky to have people like you looking after him. I'm glad to hear he is looking a little bit better. I vote for just giving him the best last days he has left out on the lake with his family.Rehoming seniors (whether ducks, dogs, or humans) doesn't ever seem to have a good outcome. Thanks for talking about it though. I learned a lot from what Tigerrrrlilly posted about duck feed. I know from now on, I'll go "breadless" when I take the kids to visit the ducks. We'll bring fresh veggies from the garden instead. I love the sprouted wheat idea!

 

[tigerrrrrrrlilly]

Thanks Sunny,
I hate to feel like I am preaching and maybe I am overly passionate sometimes and should shut up! lol

I just want the best for the big guy.
I have made mistakes in the past when trying to do the right thing to rescue an animal. It's a terrible feeling when you put your heart into it and mean well and end up maybe doing more damage than good. If I can help someone and keep that from happening, then I will try. I still feel sad sometimes for those mistakes I have made, even from ones when I was a child.

 

[desertdarlene]

I actually agree for the same reasons. Plus there's a lot of community members who adore him and I would have to speak to each one about it before I ever let him leave the area. I would hate to have someone take him and then he'd die soon after.

Way back when I first started visiting the lake, there was a small flock of muscovies plus a couple of swans. All of them have died in the last few years except for Tom. The two swans and Tom's pied friend died almost a year ago. There were two young females there last year, but I think they flew off as I only saw them once or twice. Tom and his friend used to sleep in the trees across the bay, but Tom rarely roosts anymore.

Tom's eyes were fine until about two years ago.

I've talked to people at the lake about the bread thing, but there are former duck owners that insist that bread, once in a while, is OK. The thing they don't realize is that people bring bread to the lake all day long. It's not one family once in a while, it's maybe 10+ families in one day, everyday, all feeding bread and junk food.

 

[luvanimals2]

OMG, it is so beautiful. I wish I had that in my backyard. Looks like your little girl is having so much fun.

I guess you will find out about the fig. I have no clue because it never snows here. A friend of mine that loves figs grows them back east but she brings them in or covers them. I have my fingers crossed for you. I am guessing since figs like warm weather that if they are exposed to the cold for an extended amount of time that they will not make it.

Nancy
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[Knock Kneed Hen]

Oh No Nancy!! Well, my neighbors have some fig trees planted in the ground so I know that there are varieties that do grow in cold climates. I'm hoping these do!! I had transplanted them into larger containers and was planning on putting them in the ground in the spring.

 

[luvanimals2]

I do not know a whole lot about ducks other than that I LOVE Leah.

I also believe that if Tom has lived there for all of those years that removing him at his point would probably be the end of him. It is probably better to just make him comfortable and let it take its course.

As most of you know, I have been given gourmet chickens that are pretty particular about what they eat. I gave them sprouts before but I really like Rockerchics larger containers. I sprouted the Modesto feed peas and they loved it. So I think Tammy's advice about sprouts is a very good one. Maybe sprout some of the things Tom likes. You can do sunflower seeds too. It only takes a few days and it is so much better for them than bread.

Nancy
Quote:
Do your silkies enjoy their bath ? Albert seemed to like his especially the bow dryer time. I just washed his would have been mate's crest only. She does need a complete bath but I have other stuff to do. What funny little creatures they are ! I would never have imagined that these curious little creatures could be like little puppies. If only i could train them to poop on the toilet ! Wouldn't that be something ?

KKH wonderful pictures ! Great fun in the sun and SNOW !

It's funny, every chicken I have bathed has enjoyed it. lol I also use the blow dryer afterwards and they just close there eyes and rest as if it were a day at the spa!
Picturing a silkie on the toilet now....

Darlene- If Tom is really years older than 15 as you said he has been there that long, he has been there his entire life. He is a really, really old duck.
I would think that might end up being too stressful and devastating for him to be captured, caged, driven and placed in an unfamiliar place to deal with other birds, pets,people he doesn't know. Ducks are very social and I am sure he has a flock of sorts he will sorely miss and that has been his home for a very, very long time. All birds are super sensitive to stress, more so if they are ill or in their senior years. Ducks form "families" and are very dependant on their flock, especially if they have been together for several years. He will feel a loss, no duck is a loner and has to at least always have eyes on their family - whether human, duck, chicken or other- it is their flock.
It could kill him if it turned out to be too stressful. Stress can weaken his immune system, cause stroke, organ failure, illness....
My heartfelt opinion is to let him be where he is home and happy with what he knows and with his friends, in the time he has left. IMO he has just been there too long for him to re-adjust to new surroundings and a new family. He is not domestic and has lived wild for more than 15 years you said. He likely wouldn't thrive in a domestic environment or even a new environment for that matter.

 

[enzolove]

Newbie question - - how do you bathe a chicken???

 

[CAChickenNewbee]

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Great question....never thought about it until I had silkies. Their little feet get pretty gross. How 'bout some photos? A wet chicken must be a pretty crazy thing to see. I love that you can use a blow drier. It's almost like having a purse dog, LOL.

Phage, the new babies I got from you are really becoming gorgeous little chickens. They are great with the tiny little chicks I got from Tigerrrrlilly. The babies nestle under the bigger chicks when they sleep. It's been so cold that I worried about keeping them all warm enough. They live in a brooder in my shed with a new fancy heat lamp and seem to be doing really well. So far no brooder parties with spilled feed and water...silkies are clearly a bit more civilized than my big girls.