The Front Porch Swing

[Beekissed]

Thank you!

I was not looking forward to bathtime.

Nope...a chicken should never, ever have a bath...well...unless she is going to show and a lot of money is in the offing, or if she has somehow stumbled into an oil spill or tar pit. Maybe a spot wash on just the vent area, but I never advocate washing away all their natural oils and dust on the feathers and skin.

I found out the hard way that washing that area just seems to make the poop stick more...maybe because the oils are no longer present that allows it to dry up and be picked off by the bird?

 

[LeslieDJoyce]

That strip can make eggs less than clean looking, so some people recommend a little bum trim.

 

[LeslieDJoyce]

I don't wash my dog for exactly the reason BK states. If I do wash him, I cannot get the mud off of him and he isn't weatherproof for a few weeks. Poor guy.

I'm paranoid the dog smells to other people ... Labs are supposed to be stinky. But I think he smells fantastic! Like cookies. Literally. Some other dogs smell vile to me and leave a stench on my hands when I let them.

 

[Beekissed]

I don't wash my dog for exactly the reason BK states. If I do wash him, I cannot get the mud off of him and he isn't weatherproof for a few weeks. Poor guy.

I'm paranoid the dog smells to other people ... Labs are supposed to be stinky. But I think he smells fantastic! Like cookies. Literally. Some other dogs smell vile to me and leave a stench on my hands when I let them.

Jake smelled just like that for many years and then as he got older he started to have that sour dog smell that my other labs and lab mixes had. Same feeds and all, just seemed like all the sudden he got sour. But, I still don't wash him unless we are going to the river to swim...for that same reason. You will find dogs swimming and even rolling in the snow and that seems to be a natural cleanser for them but you won't find them taking bubble baths out in nature.

Jake didn't smell bad until we had to put Lucy down and he started sleeping in her dog house...and that was years ago and many bedding changes since and he still smells like Lucy. When I can remember to put vinegar in his water it seems to take that smell away from him a good bit. Go figure.

 

[LeslieDJoyce]

Hi, my name is -Lj and I'm a Custard-aholic. It's been two days since my last bite of custard.

I thought I had a can of pumpkin in my cupboard so have been planning a pumpkin custard. It's actually a can of butternut squash. Should I try it anyway?

 

[LeslieDJoyce]

And a question for BK: Just exactly what were you up to in the 70s to inspire that big grin?

 

[Beekissed]

My oldest hen, Fanny, is acting a bit off these past few days. She should have been culled last year due to not laying steadily but she's such a hoot that I put it off. Then I was going to cull her when I did Toby, but she got out of her ropes and I took that as a sign it wasn't her time yet.

She's been standing off by herself and not running for food like the rest of the thundering herd...she is usually at the front of that~actually, she is usually on the back porch steps telling me when it's time to feed. I herded her up to the coop yesterday and she ate some when she got there but not like my ol' Fanny. She's shiny, red comb, well conditioned but somethings not right with her.

Today was the same...off by herself, tail in the air a little. I've never had an eggbound hen and it's most likely because I cull for nonlaying on a usual basis. This sentimentality is not a good thing for flock management, so now a good old bird may be suffering. My fault entirely and I need to get back to my strict no pets rule if I want my birds to have happy, healthy lives and a good, quick and painless death.

My method is not to take a hen in and soak her butt...it's run her around a little to see if something can work it's way out naturally. So, I ran her around the coop a little and then let her come in...when she came in the coop she cocked her head up at the nests and checked for resident chickens.

At that point I'm thinking she might have been the one that laid that triple yolker a few weeks back..typical of an older hen. So, I caught her to see if she was holding onto an egg....just the fact that I could catch her tells me something is wrong...she gave me a good run for my money but I did get her. She fought to get away, which is a good sign. I palpated her crop..nothing remarkable. I palpated her lower abdomen, nothing there. I palpated higher up, could feel some small, firm mass but nothing big and nothing weird.

Went up a little bit ago and found a lone BA egg looking an awful lot like one of hers, small, and perfectly formed. Nothing unusual. All the other eggs had already been gathered, so this lone egg came later than all the rest...I'm thinking it was hers. She's still slow and standing off but I did see her joining in with the flock just a little and trying to forage. If she's worse acting tomorrow, I'll cull her before this can go any further. If not, she will still be culled in next month's annual cull for nonlaying and other issues.

Sentimentality in farming is something no one can truly afford if they want their animals to have a good life and a good death.

 

[perchie.girl]

Back to what I was doing on thursday before my car was stolen.... um er grandmas car... getting batteries for my truck......

Woo Hoo Called the roadside service on my insurance and asked em to bring me some batteries.... cost me less for INterstate batteries than both the places I priced.. AND I didnt have to wait in some sinky lobby for my Turn...

deb "Who has a bizillian errands to run now"

 

[chickenboy190]

Oh BTW guys I am going to get my skunk stuffed!

 

[enola]

Oh BTW guys I am going to get my skunk stuffed!

So what is the story behind this skunk ? We are dying to know!