She is adorable! I love that she likes scritches. 
My little ones need some more handling, but it's so hot and gross outside I don't want to be out there for that long. lol
Suede and Dahlia (the Black pullet) put themselves to bed for the second night in a row. I was quite impressed with them. The little Lavenders of course did not. They have decided they are geese, and as such will just sleep in a pile in the middle of the pen. I scooped everyone up and got them on the roosts with the Silver-laced Orpingtons.
I did catch Little Bit with the limp up and put her in with the young Silver-laced Orp that has the leg problems. They are both presenting very differently. I keep telling myself the Silver-laced would have passed on by now if it was the dreaded "m" word. All the available water except the deep bowl I keep for the geese to submerge their bills in were emptied this morning and filled fresh with a vitamin supplement added. I topped all the feed with a crumbled vitamin as well. I'm not super confident that she's going to get a lot of food and drink today as she seems quite content to just lounge around. When I get home I'm going to see if I can't make her take a few swallows of water with vitamins and see how she feels then. All the rest of them look amazing; good weights, nice color and feathers, acting normal.
Duchess and Sterling would have been long dead if it was *whispers* Marek's. Mel, Sue, Hollywood, and No Name all came with NPIP certification and are over two years. The Lavenders also came with certification. The new birds have only been home for three days. I don't think that's what it is. I hope that's not what it is. I keep reading about it until my eyes and head hurt. If the Lavender goes down hill quickly and passes I'm going to have a necropsy performed. I just won't be able to stand not knowing and second guessing myself.
In other news I got my first egg since like the first week of August. I found it on the floor of the house this morning when I turned everyone out. I'd pulled the boxes yesterday to freshen them and just left them out while all the Lavenders were learning to roos so we don't get poopy boxes. I thought it might be Victoria's (the POL SLO pullet) but I recognize the bloom. It's either Mel or Sue.
In order to get the chicken house and run ready for winter I think I'm going to add a few bags of sand to the floor of the house. I'm hoping if I pile it high enough in there it will help with drainage/the damp. After it rains the dirt floor (black clay) holds the moisture for ages. I looked into some services to see about having wood chippings delivered from a tree trimming service, but I haven't had much luck online. I may try calling around this weekend to see if anyone locally would be willing to dump a few loads for me.
My little ones need some more handling, but it's so hot and gross outside I don't want to be out there for that long. lolSuede and Dahlia (the Black pullet) put themselves to bed for the second night in a row. I was quite impressed with them. The little Lavenders of course did not. They have decided they are geese, and as such will just sleep in a pile in the middle of the pen. I scooped everyone up and got them on the roosts with the Silver-laced Orpingtons.
I did catch Little Bit with the limp up and put her in with the young Silver-laced Orp that has the leg problems. They are both presenting very differently. I keep telling myself the Silver-laced would have passed on by now if it was the dreaded "m" word. All the available water except the deep bowl I keep for the geese to submerge their bills in were emptied this morning and filled fresh with a vitamin supplement added. I topped all the feed with a crumbled vitamin as well. I'm not super confident that she's going to get a lot of food and drink today as she seems quite content to just lounge around. When I get home I'm going to see if I can't make her take a few swallows of water with vitamins and see how she feels then. All the rest of them look amazing; good weights, nice color and feathers, acting normal.
Duchess and Sterling would have been long dead if it was *whispers* Marek's. Mel, Sue, Hollywood, and No Name all came with NPIP certification and are over two years. The Lavenders also came with certification. The new birds have only been home for three days. I don't think that's what it is. I hope that's not what it is. I keep reading about it until my eyes and head hurt. If the Lavender goes down hill quickly and passes I'm going to have a necropsy performed. I just won't be able to stand not knowing and second guessing myself.
In other news I got my first egg since like the first week of August. I found it on the floor of the house this morning when I turned everyone out. I'd pulled the boxes yesterday to freshen them and just left them out while all the Lavenders were learning to roos so we don't get poopy boxes. I thought it might be Victoria's (the POL SLO pullet) but I recognize the bloom. It's either Mel or Sue.
In order to get the chicken house and run ready for winter I think I'm going to add a few bags of sand to the floor of the house. I'm hoping if I pile it high enough in there it will help with drainage/the damp. After it rains the dirt floor (black clay) holds the moisture for ages. I looked into some services to see about having wood chippings delivered from a tree trimming service, but I haven't had much luck online. I may try calling around this weekend to see if anyone locally would be willing to dump a few loads for me.
