The Sullivan Six

[AinaWGSD]

Artemis laid her first egg this morning!

 

[Callender Girl]

Great job, Artemis!!

My sister is visiting, and I showed her your pretty girl's picture. She thinks, rightly so, that Artemis is BEAUTIFUL!

 

[AinaWGSD]

What a week it has been here. Poor Bibu has been sick for 2.5 weeks. Last Sunday we stuck a needle into her swollen abdomen and drew out a clear, ever so slightly cloudy fluid. Ascites. I planned to put her down and do an at home necropsy on my day off, Wednesday.
But when I got everything set up and ready and got her to do it, she was acting completely normal! Her belly wasn't swollen at all! And her crop was full!
As of tonight, it seems Bibu has made a miraculous turn around. Her belly isn't even the least bit swollen. I fully expect whatever it was to pop up again in the future. But for now at least she seems to be fine.

 

[Callender Girl]

What great news!! Hurray for Bibu!

 

[AinaWGSD]

Young Lady, you are not allowed to be broody!

Limu was not happy about being removed from the nest box and placed on the roost!

 

[Callender Girl]

Hmm, in my experience, lecturing a broody hen has not really been a successful strategy.

Best of luck with Limu, but it doesn't appear she's really taking your words to heart

 

[AinaWGSD]

Well, Limu is officially broody. We kicked her off the nest a half a dozen times today and she went right back each time.

Fortunately I thought ahead and when I saw a couple of dog crates on the curb a month or three ago while walking the dog I nabbed them just in case I needed a broody buster or hospital crate. Three stores later and I have the wire to make a floor. I have two more cage clips to keep the floor in place but then Limu is going to broody jail.

 

[Callender Girl]

It must be so confusing for hens, who just want to do what comes naturally, when we "imprison" them for their innocent actions

Good thinking on nabbing the dog crates! I hope Limu doesn't have to serve a long sentence. One of my girls was broody for what felt like forever this summer.

 

[AinaWGSD]

I'm blaming this one on husband. When we thought we were going to have to cull Bibu and we're talking about whether or not to get a pullet to bring us back up to 6 he mentioned if one of the girls went broody we could let her hatch a few eggs so we didn't have to deal with the nightmare of trying to introduce a single pullet.

 

[Callender Girl]

I like the idea of putting the blame on someone else!

Unfortunately, I am solely responsible for all that goes awry here