Spring Plans that will probably never happen

[lilmillefleur]

OK, so yesterday I was able to clean the whole coop! And I went beyond what I usually do--I cleaned up all dust and cobwebs and scraped poop off of all surfaces. Maybe I should have sprayed it with something as well, but I didn't have anything good handy except Pyrethrin, and I don't think I have mites.
Also, I would have gotten pics but my phone died

I will be busy tomorrow, but I hope to do the bulk of chicken check-up the day after.
Based on yesterday's initial findings, the younger birds all look healthy, a few scabs and frostbitten combs, and something else I'm not sure about but nothing alarming. All the ones I checked are at a good weight and have nice-looking legs, feathers, crop, butt, eyes, keel, etc. Basil has dirty foot feathers but that's expected with their muddy run (I'm hoping to clean up the run too, that's on the list).
As for my older birds, they need a bit more TLC. Many have very long nails that need trimming, and Polly, our oldest, also has a long beak. We have tried trimming in the past, but she wouldn't hold her head still. Maybe we'll try again with a towel over her eyes. She and the silkies are also thin. Perhaps they need more protein. Polly also has notoriously ugly and scabby legs. We thought it was mites; we have done Epsom salt baths in the past and vaseline, but it hasn't changed much. However, she was like this when we got her. We didn't get from a very healthy source when we first started out, and she's had a history of illness and weird stuff going on with her in general, but she's always ended up okay.

So despite all this, each of my hens appear to be bright, alert, and active. So that's good

 

[Lemon-Drop]

OK, so yesterday I was able to clean the whole coop! And I went beyond what I usually do--I cleaned up all dust and cobwebs and scraped poop off of all surfaces. Maybe I should have sprayed it with something as well, but I didn't have anything good handy except Pyrethrin, and I don't think I have mites.
Also, I would have gotten pics but my phone died

I will be busy tomorrow, but I hope to do the bulk of chicken check-up the day after.
Based on yesterday's initial findings, the younger birds all look healthy, a few scabs and frostbitten combs, and something else I'm not sure about but nothing alarming. All the ones I checked are at a good weight and have nice-looking legs, feathers, crop, butt, eyes, keel, etc. Basil has dirty foot feathers but that's expected with their muddy run (I'm hoping to clean up the run too, that's on the list).
As for my older birds, they need a bit more TLC. Many have very long nails that need trimming, and Polly, our oldest, also has a long beak. We have tried trimming in the past, but she wouldn't hold her head still. Maybe we'll try again with a towel over her eyes. She and the silkies are also thin. Perhaps they need more protein. Polly also has notoriously ugly and scabby legs. We thought it was mites; we have done Epsom salt baths in the past and vaseline, but it hasn't changed much. However, she was like this when we got her. We didn't get from a very healthy source when we first started out, and she's had a history of illness and weird stuff going on with her in general, but she's always ended up okay.

So despite all this, each of my hens appear to be bright, alert, and active. So that's good

Nice job on the coop! Yesterday I added gravel to the coop, (in the run for rain drainage, perfect timing cause it was raining really hard today) deep cleaned the feeders and waterers, and primed then painted the coop. Today was a little simpler. I cut, measured, and installed a new roost, and drilled half inch holes for ventilation. Oddly, my most sore part is my fingers.

 

[lilmillefleur]

So today is chicken checkup day and it’s a good thing I came out here because Millie was acting off, I checked her out and she had a little PROLAPSE OMG???

 

[lilmillefleur]

We gave her some saline and prepH because it didn’t seem bad and well just keep a close eye on her

 

[Lemon-Drop]

Oh no! Hope she’ll be ok!

 

[lilmillefleur]

So Millie seems to be back to normal but we will keep a close eye on her.
We were able to do a bit of pedicure on Lolly and Basil before we had to go, they had scaly legs because of their feathery feet, and a few long nails

 

[lilmillefleur]

I just love her so much. that is all

 

[Lemon-Drop]

Wow.. recently I’ve been feeling very proactive. Recently I worked really hard on the coop!
Before:

After

In the coop I painted the coop, added a new roost, added a wreath, twinkle lights, a fresh eggs sign, signs with each of their names, a hook for an extra egg basket, and added gravel to the run.

 

[lilmillefleur]

Wow.. recently I’ve been feeling very proactive. Recently I worked really hard on the coop!
Before:
View attachment 2595688
AfterView attachment 2595689
In the coop I painted the coop, added a new roost, added a wreath, twinkle lights, a fresh eggs sign, signs with each of their names, a hook for an extra egg basket, and added gravel to the run. View attachment 2595698
View attachment 2595699View attachment 2595700View attachment 2595702View attachment 2595703View attachment 2595706

WOW! That looks so cute!! Great job! Now I'm jealous...

Today is much colder out than usual, so I probably won't be doing much work in the coop. But it is on my list to continue the chicken check-up today. Next comes a run clean-up, pyrethrin spraying the coop, and new feeders/waterers that will hopefully be more conserving and easier to fill.
Millie is still back to her old self, which is a relief since I haven't been able to check up on her since Tuesday.

 

[lilmillefleur]

Here's some updates from the past few days.
I am 80% done with the check-ups, this cold weather keeps postponing a lot of butt cleaning, and we forgot to clip Summer's nails (we have to go out at night for her bc she's flighty).
But Polly had mites among other things, and since she's a trooper and too good for this world, we brought her inside for special treatment, despite the fact that we were in a rush.

Her legs were and always have been disgusting, probably ruined by scaly leg mites since we got her from an unreputable source. And now they were also covered in poo.
We soaked them in water (didn't have Epsom salts this time), and trimmed her nails and beak. Then we rubbed her legs in vaseline and gave her a spritzing of poultry protector for the mites.

Spoiler: gross feet pics. but this is BYC, you're probably used to it by now

She's always had her legs like this. Idk what to do about it at this point

Polly is tiny, so like a chihuahua, she tends to shiver. So cute!!
After getting out of the bath, she warms up in "The Hood." it's perfectly Polly-sized! She loves it!

We decide to feed her a scrambled egg to boost her overall health! YUM