The Middle Tennessee Thread

[believer01]

Dang, dang, dang! I am so sorry bout all the little ones, CityGirl! That's beyond terrible and I know how worry bout our animals can ruin time away (been there, done that). I'll put my name on the list of 'helping out' byc'ers! (you can email me) I live about 30 min from MTSU just across the Cannon Cty line so 1 trip a day is likely the best I could do, but at least there would be food/water available. Please don't hesitate to ask - and I won't hesitate to let you know if I cannot do it at the needed time, ok?

In the meantime, take a deep breath and roll yer shoulders backerds and farwards a few times! Inhale. ..... Exhale ..... Inhale .....

Blow it out, and all the anger with it! Cuz those emotions aren't hurting that stupid lil' girl one bit, but it IS affecting you! And yer babies don't need you all tensed up.

Go rub a fuzzy butt now. Make a wish.......that's it!

 

[Troyerchicks]

Citygirl- how are the babies this morning? I'm so sorry to hear about the absolutely awful conditions you came home to!

 

[CityGirlintheCountry]

Thanks for the support, y'all. I am just flabbergasted that two college age girls wouldn't feed pens full of animals, especially when I very specifically told them it would need to be done. I know it was monsooning towards the end of the week. I know that perhaps the chickens are a little intimidating. BUT... they knew all of this when they took the job. Sigh. It seems so easy and straightforward to me. Food. Water. That's all I ask.

Two of the babies are still in the house. They are eating and drinking a little, but certainly aren't up to speed yet. Mostly they just sit all hunkered up and fluffed out. They are softly peepinng with their eyes shut. Most of the time they sleep (again, all fluffed up in miserable balls). They clearly don't feel right. I have been making mash with honey and scrambled eggs. Most of it is uneaten. Normally the greedy pig chickens would have gobbled it all up. The fact that treats are sitting uneaten is troubling.

The other 15 babies are outside. Another four or five of that lot are not right. They are not running around like active chicks. There is a lot of standing about fluffed out and sad peeping. Those five ARE eating and drinking though, so I thought it best to leave them outside with the others. All of the adult birds have bounced back and are doing okay. Everyone has food and water and seem to be eating normally. The babies took the hit.

I'll see the main house sitter today when she brings the key back. She left a message last night and clearly thinks all is well. That is the worst part that she didn't even notice the empty bowls and hungry chickens EVEN THOUGH I SPECIFICALLY TOLD HER TO CHECK THEM!!!! ARG!!

I have a chicken neighbor who I sometimes trade sitting services with. Because I was going away for a week and because the dogs and cats needing feeding as well, I hired this girl to come stay at the house at night and take care of everyone instead. He is really busy with a family of his own and lots of seramas. Clearly I should have had him run by.

So that's where we stand this morning. Two are really unwell. Another five are iffy. The rest seem to be bouncing back okay. All of the adults are fine. I am cranky.

 

[emmalynn]

More than justified to be cranky. I think that would be putting it mildly if it happened at my house. Best wishes for your 5 to feel better.

 

[SimplySplendidSilkies]

Anne I am so sorry I would be so upset.

 

[CityGirlintheCountry]

Well, the good news is that all the babies are back outside and doing better. The bad news is that when I got home late last night and went out to check on everyone I saw about 10 rats in the pens. Ugg.

Anyone know a foolproof method to kill a zillion rats? I hate the little suckers. And don't suggest an outside cat. There already is one. Sadly, Fred has signed peace treaties with them all and only practices catch and release. Sigh.

I put a job application in at the local co-op. Y'all pray that a job comes out of it at a salary level I can live at. I think that would be an awesome job!

How is everyone else this morning?

 

[tennesseechickie]

EmmaLynn, So great to see you are in Lewisburg too! Hopefully we'll get the chance to meet one of these days soon. I live out Nashville Highway, going toward Chapel Hill. So nice to know theres another chicken lover closeby!

I just noticed your website, very nice! Do you have any white silkies for sale at the moment? Ive been wanting a few, but having a hard time finding anyone who sells them! Would love to come see what you have sometime!

Citygirl, no words can describe how heartbroken I felt when I read your post from yesterday just now. I cant believe the girl was so irresponsible. I wonder if showing her the dead chicks would make her realize what she did?? Do you suppose it was mere laziness, or just a lack of concern, or just dumbness? Either way, I hope you are able to help the other sick ones who made it, and I hope they bounce back. I just rescued 5 buff orpington from a man last week, and he had about 50. Wish I could have taken them all. Anyhow, they are all much better, but one is still a little odd acting. Been giving them vitamins in their water, etc. Bad thing is, I saw him post again yesterday for 30 more for sale. I just cannot believe the condition he had them in.

 

[CityGirlintheCountry]

Thanks, TNchickie. It is really frustrating, isn't it? I just don't fathom people that won't care for animals that are their responsibility.

This is the second time that this kid has house sat for me. I used her once last year as well. Last year I came home to dry water bowls and 3 dozen eggs in the nest boxes. When I talke to her afterwards, she insisted that she had topped off all the water bowls daily and said she thought I said to not worry about the eggs. I pointed out that I had typed out three pages of notes for her and in those notes it said to collect eggs daily and to top off water bowls daily. I told her that I knew she had not topped off the water bowls as there was no way for them to run dry in one day. I fill these bowls myself and know exactly how long it takes for one to run dry. The fact that they were bone dry would indicate that it had been several days since she had added water.

This time I had no other house sitter options. We talked at length about what I expected of her. I typed out the instrucitons in great detail and left two copies for her where she couldn't miss them. I know she saw them because she moved them. She professed to understanding what I was telling her. My morning chicken chores are really streamlined. It takes me about 10 minutes, but that is only because I linger to check everyone out. It should have taken her about 5 minutes a morning and another 5-10 at night. The water them she didn't even have to go inside the pens. The hose will reach all the way around to all 8 water bowls. The food is right there by the pens in a bin with a scoop. All she had to do was scoop and dump in three pens. Clearly she did not though. If she had been topping off food and water daily, she would have done so Sunday morning. I got home at noon on Sunday and water bowls were bone dry and food bowls were completely empty. At this point after all the instruction I gave her, her not feeding and watering is laziness. She knew what she was supposed to do and chose to not do it. I am furious. I did not see her yesterday. I assume that I will see her today.

I thought about bringing in the poor dead chickie, but went ahead and buried it instead. I'm just thankful that the others seem to have bounced back. It wasn't looking great there.

It is one thing to be irresponsible about yourself. It is entirely different to neglect helpless animals.

 

[emmalynn]

Not yet. I do have some that I hatched that I will put up for sale...they are not the greatest in quality but only one of them is white (I would list as maybe breeder quality). The others are BBS. They are a couple of silkie breeders in the mid TN area. Silkie Time, Simply Splendid Silkies, City Girl, HBuehler, and I can't think of anyone else right off the top of my head. SILKIE BREEDERS CHIME IN HERE!
Would love to meet you!

Eggs hatched were not from my birds.

 

[CityGirlintheCountry]

Let's see...
Silkie Time has white and splash (GORGEOUS!!)
SimplySplendid has black and blue (I think. I know she has cool showgirls too.

)
I have buff.
Holly has cool mixed silkies. She likes the funky colors.

There are others that I can't think of off the top of my head either. I know Jack Ferguson has whites and he is in Knoxville. His generally win at the shows. He is super nice and a huge silkie fanatic. I got my original buffs through him and found him to be delightful.

The BYCers are all simply delightful as well, but that kind of goes without saying.