Lizzie is a little bit better, she is trying to stand up on that left leg - not working yet, but she is stumping around on her hocks a bit, and she is laying an egg every other day. She is sparkly, has a great appetite, poops, and seems content to be out in the run in the cat carrier. I am giving her PolyViSol and her very own scrambled egg every morning. I am going to wait it out, but DH says if she is capable of laying and not in pain, he is fine if we make her her own little place-
Good morning! Isaac was up on his outside roost, crowing in all directions and standing tall. I just love to look at that boy's proud carriage. Beth, I'm thrilled that Kathy sent you two young ladies for Ultrasuede and happy that Lizzie seems to be healing up somewhat. Leg injuries take a long time.
Well it is about time you two woke up, sheesh I thought I was alone on the Dellie thread.
Cannonball and Fattie send their regards....Thor sends Grandma a big ole' bruuuuuuuurrrrrrrr and Athena sends all of you a "you are dissed and ugly whilst I am beautiful" look as she walks away.
So, things here are status quo. HOWEVER, I stil have chickens wandering in my pasture. Cheyenne is shooting them with the airsoft gun and chasing them screaming every day. Our strategy - scare them away or cause them all to have heart attacks.
I am off today to search for "Greased Lightening" or whatever to try to clean these filfty carpets. I have clean them all three times and still they beat me.
Turkey season opened this morning so Casca will be inside and Thor shall not be free-ranging today. I would have to shoot back if someone mistook my boy for a rare mutation of turkey.
I trust hunters about as much as I trust the President....they are all boneheads!
I am off like a herd of turtles to see my babies again. They should have finished their scrambled egg concoction breakfast by now.
Cynthia, thank you- I am thrilled with the babies and feeling great hope for Lizzie- tell Suede he did a great job on these two-
Cetawin - been up, there are just more chicken chores now! YAY!!! I think I have a pair of Athena's of my own - little Silk and Satin are screamers of the first order, and try to hide under each other if I even show my face. Pics as soon as they calm down enough to pose. . . .
Get Delgirl to send Cheyenne that chicken terrifying outfit she used- that ought to do the trick. Has your neighbor said anything about doing something to keep his home? And how is your tooth?
BTW, I may never get fertilized eggs of any kind. Luke and Ultrasuede bump each other off the hens before contact is made,and then Ultrasuede chases Luke around the run. Otherwise they get along. Luke cannot seem to help biting my feet late in the day. He is fine in the morning, fine all day- acts friendly, etc. But when it starts to turn dusk, if I go in there before they are all in the coop, he takes after my feet. We walked around the run with him tucked upside down under my arm last night, while Ultrasuede carefully watched us- that boy is smart. He behaves himself and stays very carefully neutral when Luke gets disciplined. You can SEE him thinking. . . . .
BIG news, folks who have Isaac's kids: We found out where the dwarf gene was coming from and it's not Isaac or my current three girls. Cetawin's vet was researching the dwarf gene in poultry (wild coincidence!). He actually tested her two girls, Fattie and Cannonball. Fattie is Kira's daughter and Cannonball is Phoebe's.
Drumroll...................................
Fattie has a DOUBLE dwarf gene! This means that Kira is the one who was the carrier! Kira is not related to Isaac or my current hens. She was out of Jesse McDaniel's lines. Here is what Janet told me about Kira's lineage:
Kira is out of Jesse McDaniel's "Admiral" on her Dad's side. She's out of PB (Note: this is one of Janet's hens) if memory serves, and the original roo that I bred his dad (Pete) from came straight from Jesse. Darn, I don't have those pics on this computer. I'll have to see if I can find them. I called that male "Admiral Jr." He was a big, heavy set bird but had average color and comb. Can't remember right off the top of my head who the mother was...
Since we were not aware of the possibility of a double dwarf gene, we figured one gene came from Isaac, who is from Meier lines, and one from one of the girls, who have some Meier blood, too. So, apparently, in light of this new information, Meier isn't where the dwarf gene was coming from. Gracie, who was Kira's daughter, may or may not have the gene. Apparently, the carrier doesn't have to exhibit any sign of the gene since Fattie and Gracie are very chunky, big girls. If Isaac has any McDaniel blood, it would be possible that he did have the gene, but since he and Kira don't share those lines, guess he's in the clear.
Anyway, Jeremy, did any of Kira's eggs that I sent you hatch? If so, that's the chick/chicks I'd be watching. You may have no dwarves at all, even with Kira's kids, in light of her being Fattie and Gracie's mother, but the daughters or sons could still be carriers of it. Her eggs are almost white, very large and round.
Wow- that is good to know! Is this a blood test that he did? It would be pricey to have a bunch tested, but it would be a possibility if one wanted to eradicate that gene in a flock.