This thread will be her life story! She's still living though don't worry.
I had a thread about her huge head cyst on the emergencies section and those of you who helped Sugar and I out may be familiar with her. (Thank you so much by the way!)
In 2010 is when I got Sugar for free at a local ranch. She came from a hatchery in San Bernadino, CA. along with her hatchmates. She was hatched in August 2010. Her hatchmates came out perfectly fine (some hens and a rooster) but the ranch owner noticed that one wasn't growing big along with the rest. Afraid that this one youngster would be pecked and killed by other roosters and hens (all the birds at the ranch freerange) the ranch owner decided to keep the little one in a rabbit hutch with a blind hen. For a couple months she spent her days with a blind hen..
November of 2010 came along and mother and I are in need of some pullets to add to our laying flock. I also wanted a bantam to keep my silkie rooster, Skippy, company. We stopped by the ranch here that takes in neglected or abandoned horses. We asked if they had any chickens for sale and the owners had plenty of New Hampshire Reds. We bought quite a few. I asked if she had any bantams ... This is what I fell in love with right away.
(I was rummaging through old pics and I found these. Young Sugar! So cute!) Skippy wasn't too intrested in Sugar though. Later we found out she doesn't lay eggs either. One thing I learned about Sugar is that she's fearless with other pullets/hens, roosters she knows when to back off. We have a turken hen 3 times as big as Sugar and that hen never messes with Sugar. Especially around food. Sugar is the queen of the feed dish when it comes to feeding time. She'll literally charge at any other chickens who get close when she's eating!
When our current laying flock were just wee ones and Sugar was a youngin too. Sugar's anatomy is really screwed up.
Her neck isn't long enough so she can't preen herself properly. Thankfully she has no bugs on her though. Her legs are short too. She doesn't lay eggs and has never gone broody. Her eyes are a pinkish red color too. Her beak grows long so I have to trim it often, same with her toenails. I've been careful with her nails though, one time I trimmed too short and it bled alot. Right now her feathers are flimsy flammy, frayed, and hard. I think she's going through a moult.
Summer of 2011. Sugar got a nasty lump on the back of her head. I was so worried for her. Thankfully the members of BYC helped me with advice and Sugar and I pulled through. To this day I'm not sure what caused Sugar to get such a nasty thing. I hope that it never comes back.
After lancing, hot compresses, scraping out gunk, and using tweezers to pick out rubbery stinky infection, she healed up pretty good.
Sugar also had a cochin pullet following her around everywhere. That little girl loved Sugar and to this day picks food off her beak.
I also dyed her feathers using Kool-Aid!
This was pretty fun and Sugar smelled amazing! She actually still has pink in the fluffly parts of her feathers.
Beauty killer.
Last year in August Sugar turned 1 year old.
Her birthday was great. She got lots of treats from me and got to spend the night inside the house with me. Now it's 2012 and we'll have to see how this year goes for her. I'll try to update this thread with pictures as much as I can.
In 2010 is when I got Sugar for free at a local ranch. She came from a hatchery in San Bernadino, CA. along with her hatchmates. She was hatched in August 2010. Her hatchmates came out perfectly fine (some hens and a rooster) but the ranch owner noticed that one wasn't growing big along with the rest. Afraid that this one youngster would be pecked and killed by other roosters and hens (all the birds at the ranch freerange) the ranch owner decided to keep the little one in a rabbit hutch with a blind hen. For a couple months she spent her days with a blind hen..
November of 2010 came along and mother and I are in need of some pullets to add to our laying flock. I also wanted a bantam to keep my silkie rooster, Skippy, company. We stopped by the ranch here that takes in neglected or abandoned horses. We asked if they had any chickens for sale and the owners had plenty of New Hampshire Reds. We bought quite a few. I asked if she had any bantams ... This is what I fell in love with right away.
(I was rummaging through old pics and I found these. Young Sugar! So cute!) Skippy wasn't too intrested in Sugar though. Later we found out she doesn't lay eggs either. One thing I learned about Sugar is that she's fearless with other pullets/hens, roosters she knows when to back off. We have a turken hen 3 times as big as Sugar and that hen never messes with Sugar. Especially around food. Sugar is the queen of the feed dish when it comes to feeding time. She'll literally charge at any other chickens who get close when she's eating!
When our current laying flock were just wee ones and Sugar was a youngin too. Sugar's anatomy is really screwed up.
Summer of 2011. Sugar got a nasty lump on the back of her head. I was so worried for her. Thankfully the members of BYC helped me with advice and Sugar and I pulled through. To this day I'm not sure what caused Sugar to get such a nasty thing. I hope that it never comes back.
After lancing, hot compresses, scraping out gunk, and using tweezers to pick out rubbery stinky infection, she healed up pretty good.
Sugar also had a cochin pullet following her around everywhere. That little girl loved Sugar and to this day picks food off her beak.
I also dyed her feathers using Kool-Aid!
This was pretty fun and Sugar smelled amazing! She actually still has pink in the fluffly parts of her feathers.
Beauty killer.
Last year in August Sugar turned 1 year old.
but I hope that lump never comes back!
