The Old Folks Home

[ozexpat]

I just love this pic.

On my wifes adventure for my Valentines Day the kids used the pool.

Lorenzo is 3 and totally comfortable in the water - and making a splash

 

[casportpony]

@vehve , sorry she's ill. If you want to learn how to tube feed I'd be more than happy to teach you. Remember, never force feed a hypothermic or dehydrated bird, always correct temp and hydration status.

 

[ozexpat]

Vehve, I had one that was broody for 16 weeks (before I finally realized she was going to hatch or die trying) a couple years ago. I mixed scrambled eggs with 22% protein feed, threw some BOSS and dried mealworms on top and did that to her a couple times a day.

She did end up hatching 3 cute babies (which I then coldheartedly sold 2 days later) and hasn't been broody since. It took a while but she regained the weight.

you sold her babies?

I would have too but when one reads it on paper, its as cold as winter in northern Maine

 

[ozexpat]

@vehve , sorry she's ill. If you want to learn how to tube feed I'd be more than happy to teach you.

Remember, never force feed a hypothermic or dehydrated bird, always correct temp and hydration status.

his "room mate" is a vet

i tube fed a piglet once. it did great

 

[casportpony]

Quote: How lucky to have a vet as a roommate. I shared a house with a horse vet once, the perks were great... Feline blood transfusions and neuters on the kitchen table, lol, as well as any drug I needed for any of the animals. Dang, wish I had that roommate now, sure could use another bag of fluids.

-Kathy

Edited to add:
Haven't tubed any mammals yet, but would learn if I had to. Except for the horses, I'll let the vet do those!

 

[superchemicalgirl]

you sold her babies?

I would have too but when one reads it on paper, its as cold as winter in northern Maine

I hatch at specific times of year so that other times (seed starting, canning, wood cutting/stacking, etc) fit in when needed. She was waaaay out of line.

 

[casportpony]

@ozexpat , love the pic of Lorenzo in the pool!

-Kathy

 

[ChickenCanoe]

...

One year we camped inside San Diego Zoo Safari Park for their Roar n Snore adventure. Lectures on animal reproduction, genetic material collection from an African Elephant and a behind the scenes tour. All topped off with a nice meal and a tent with a Queen bed with rose petals.

...

That's very cool.

There was no Valentine's day anything here yesterday. My wife spent the last 2 nights at my daughters house. The two of them had to work Mardi Gras. 12 hours tending bar outside in their tent. A cold gig, and that's after my daughter got of work at midnight Friday night. My daughter lives in Soulard where Mardi Gras is held. Because they close off all the streets in Soulard and only residents can park there, my wife went down Friday evening to use one of my daughter's 2 spots. They had a cleaning crew come in at 6 this morning and then the staff has to go back at 10 to put up all the equipment so there was no reason to come home last night.
So she left home about 7 Friday eve and will be back today around noon.

http://www.mardigrasinc.com/

...


In the future it wont be global warming or natural disasters or ecological disasters it will be lack of water that does us in.
...

deb

Dramatic photos.

Drought and natural disasters are a result of global warming and climate change.

Well, looks like we haven't been paying enough attention to Virpi. She was broody for so long, and apparently hasn't been eating properly while caring for her brood, that it has taken it's toll. She has been hiding the fact that she's been wasting away, nothing left but skin and bones on that bird. We just took her inside, and she is pretty passive. Egg yolk still seemed to be tasty enough for her to eat a bit, but she's very weak. We forced her to drink some honey water with poultry vitamins. I hope a few days inside will perk her up, but she's so skinny that it's pretty much 50-50 at this point.

Make sure she stays in a warm place till she recovers. About 20+ C is good. At least she can walk. Once she eats on her own, get her some fish (tuna, mackerel, etc.) or crickets/mealworms. Crickets are an excellent protein source. She'll need to rebuild muscle, not just weight. Probiotics will help her too.

A friend had a broody pet turkey she didn't try to break sitting on infertile eggs a couple years ago. She probably sat for 3 months. By the time she tried to do something, it was too late. She was emaciated and couldn't walk. A couple months of tube feeding, physical therapy and $2000 of vet bills later, the turkey died anyway.

Also mixed up some more feed for the birds again. I must say, this looks a lot more appetizing than commercial feed.

Yummy for the chickens but are the vitamins, minerals, micronutrients, amino acids etc. at the same levels as commercial feed. I know you've been working on this mix for a while.

 

[casportpony]

Here are a couple of supportive care links that I have found quite useful:

• http://www.lafebervet.com/avian-medicine-2/avian-nutrition/tube-feeding/
• http://www.lafebervet.com/emergency-medicine/birds/how-to-guide-subcutaneous-fluids-in-birds/

-Kathy

 

[chickisoup]

Morning all my chookie friends!

A little prayer for you east coast folks!!!

So glad you got your internet back SCG! Hope you are not too buried this morning and the wind has laid down at least a little


Well, just came in with the chook "waterer". I use the term loosely since it's a solid block of ice.
Heater running full blast but it stayed right around 32o at roost level so the girls were'nt happy, but not frozen.
Bit of a miracle since we hit -31o F actual temp around 2 a.m. with the windchill hitting

It's a toasty -18 now with the sun out and little wind

,hope the plows will show up before tomorrow. Both our road and the main county highway it connects to are drifted shut. No church today so I guess we just snuggle in and watch the windchill advisories scroll across the tv screen.
Perfect day to make a big pot of chicken soup out of the stock I made yesterday and play with the noodle maker I picked up from an auction last week.
Never used one before (always made my pasta by hand) and it seems like the perfect day to play in the kitchen.

Have a blessed warm and safe Sunday everyone