The adventures of Barbara (BR)

[chickfan]

I'm so sorry about the babies! We have, just these last few days, had chickens, and then ducks, in the incubator. There were 42 chicken eggs, and only 8 hatched. They candled to have babies, so I was very sad. And we only got 5 ducks, out of about 13 eggs. I know they had babies also. I guess it is always the good with the bad. It might be for the best, because if we suddenly had that many new chickies and ducks, we'd have to build more shelters.
I read the adventures of Barbara faithfully, and always enjoy them. I thought I'd mention that I was hoping to get some Barred Rock babies, because of Barbara, and then we did. I was so excited. Named one of them Barbara, of course. Barbara had a problem...came down with the strange malady that caused her not to be able to stand, at all. Someone on this board suggested shoving as much Vitamin B Complex down her as I could. She was in a cage, with all food and water saturated with the vitamin. I could not believe my eyes when she started walking normally again after 2 weeks. I was so happy! Then she grew new feathers on top of the ones that I thought were BR feathers....they are yellowish, as if she has a cape on. And then......she crowed! I was shocked. I thought it was a fluke, but she did it again. Then showed interested in the girls. And started doing the little sideway shuffle when coming toward me. She never jumps on me, but I guess she wants me to know she is boss and I better shape up. And suddenly her name is BOB. We will be getting rid of a few roosters in a few days, because we have too many, but Bob will stay.
I love all this chicken talk, and love being able to communicate with others that have answers and always have suggestions, and sympathy when needed.
Thanks to all. And take a whiff of the back of Barbara's neck for me. It always smells so sweet there....at least in all my chickens. Can't tell you how many people have looked crosseyed at me when I suggest they smell a chicken.
Lou Nell in Texas

 

[Justuschicks]

Stop and smell the chickens!!!! here here!

 

[cabincrazyone]

Quote:
Hilarious misspelling!!!!!

 

[Justuschicks]

Oops tee hee. My bad! LOL That is what I get for staying up so late. Or maybe that wasn't a misspelling.

Blonde Moment!

 

[MrsChickendad]

Here's a link for pictures and info on chicken aprons: https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?pid=5319083.

I made a couple of fabric ones, but then found a cheap fleece throw at WalMart for $3, so I made the next ones out of that. Just cut the shape and attach elastic, you don't have to hem them. My Frizzabella looks quite fetching in her purple outfit. . . . But do be sure and remove the blanket-stitch binding. One of my girls thought it looked tasty and ate about 3 feet of it before I found the string hanging out of her beak and retrieved it.

 

[MrsChickendad]

Quote:
Funny! Of course, BOB is short for BOBBIE which is short for BARBARA, so it definitely works. I have not thought to smell Barbara's neck, thought that only worked with freshly bathed babies! I am glad you did not suggest to smell her feet. . .

 

[Justuschicks]

Lol. Good thing they don't have chunker thighs... I am a sucker for those chunker thighs....not my husbands...my baby's. LOL

Those aprons are so cute. I feel some creativity coming on! The only fleece I have is pigglet from winnie the poo.

 

[Fuffy]

So sorry to hear about your babies, Mrs Chickendad!!!!!

Hope it's the only disaster you get this year and you get TONS of lovely new babies!!!!!!

I gave Hermione 10 Buff Sussex eggs yesterday. Fingers crossed for a couple of hens please xxx

 

[axion_lotus]

Quote:

Well said!

 

[MrsChickendad]

Surgery 101

Barbara and the Big Girls were busy laying eggs in the Big Coop and waiting for warm weather so they could go out and not get their feet cold or wet. Barbara still hasn’t been able to lay a blue egg, but those Silly Ameraucanas are over in the Honeymoon Hotel laying their blue eggs where Barbara can’t see them to compare. So she doesn’t worry about it any more. Most of the stuff she worries about never happens anyway!

The Chickendads were worried, however. A few weeks ago they noticed that Handsome Young Charlie, a white cochin cockerel, had a “gooey” eye. Mrs. Chickendad cleaned it out with eyewash and put him in a hotel suite away from the others in case he was contagious. She gave him antibiotics and watched him closely. After a week or so, Charlie was not improving and his poor eye was swollen WAY out. Charlie seemed to be feeling okay, except he couldn’t see out of that eye. It just didn’t seem to get better. Mrs. Chickendad feared that Handsome Charlie was running out of options. None of the other chickens had any problems, though, and Charlie’s other eye was not affected.

On Saturday, Mrs. Chickendad brought Handsome Charlie in the house to inspect his eye more closely. She was horrified to see that he had a large growth inside his eyelid. It was about the size of a marble, which is a very large thing to have in your eye when you are just a Little Boy. It is a very large thing to have in your eye even when you are an Old Lady! She inspected it closely and determined that it was not attached. Handsome Charlie was not happy about being poked about in the eye, especially since it was sore, so he protested to Mrs. Chickendad and said several bad chicken words.

Mrs. Chickendad got her supplies and tools out and started to work on the ugly growth. Handsome Charlie calmed down when he realized she was trying to help him, but he still protested about how long it was taking. He pooped on her a couple of times to hurry her along. After careful cleaning and removing bits of cheesy material with blunt tweezers, she eventually got the whole thing out. It was then she realized what the problem had been all along. Handsome Charlie had gotten a long sliver of wood shavings in his eye and it had gotten infected. Luckily, she found the sliver and got it out. Charlie was visibly more comfortable, although his eye was still a bit swollen after his surgery.

Today, Handsome Charlie is nearly 100% healed. His eye almost matches the other one, and he can see out of it. Mrs. Chickendad gave him a girlfriend as a reward for being such a good boy, and he is one happy camper. Incidentally, Handsome Charlie is one of Cecily’s babies as pictured here and what he looks like now: