The Natural Chicken Keeping thread - OTs welcome!

[heartsizedfarm]

Oh what a fabulous beauty. RIP Jaunita.

Sorry, Juanita!

 

[armorfirelady]

So sorry Scott. It's always tough to cull a bird. She was a beauty

 

[armorfirelady]

For those who have hatched before......some of the hatching eggs have hold on them from broken egg yesterday. Should I clean them off or leave them be? I found one of Edie's eggs today with yolk on it to. I'm guessing it's coming of Lucy from yesterday. I'd love to clean her off with soap and water so it doesn't irritate her skin.

I'm afraid cleaning her & the eggs may cool them off to much?

Oh and she was off the nest this morning to eat for about half an hour. Sophie covered all the eggs till Lucy got back. I snuck them some eggs & sardines at dinner time. Dinner was served in the nesting box. I fed the others on the other side of yard so the two could eat in peace. I know Sophie enjoyed it. Thru some scratch in there later for a snack also.

 

[flyladyrocks]

Just had to cull our beautiful Juanita....she was the Silver Laced Wyandotte that never layed an egg but she was our buddy and Oprah's running mate especially when Tina was broody. Found her face down in the coop when I got home and she couldn't hold her head up. I was kinda expecting her to not have a long life....

RIP Juanita...

 

[Leahs Mom]

Anyone ever tried a comfrey poultice on a chicken leg sprain?

I have a limping girl with no evidence of outward injury I can find. I think possibly a sprain. Trying to think of things that may be helpful for healing.

She did get up on the roost and down but shouldn't have. I was going to try to get out early enough to put her on the floor before she jumped but she was already down before I got out.


So...what might y'all suggest to help promote healing?

 

[Scott H]

A ramp to the roost?

 

[hoosiercheetah]

I still have to fix my roost ramp. My two Black Orpingtons are giant fat buzzards that sound like they're going to go through the floor when they jump down.

 

[heartsizedfarm]

I keep a couple of straw bales in the coop (not right under the roost!) for the senior ladies that don't want to climb up or fly up to roost. I toss a bit of loose straw on those to make clean up a little easier, and flip them or chuck them when they get too mucky.

 

[Scott H]

I wasn't trying to be smart about the ramp, LM. When our poodle sprained his front wrist jumping off a 6 foot high retaining wall, every time he would start to feel better he would jump off another one, aggravating it. Took forever to heal. We have three walls on the property and he grew up jumping off them. Now that he's old he uses the stairs....

 

[Scott H]

Anyone need a laugh?

http://blog.petflow.com/4-year-old-called-911/