Hi to all the newbies on the thread. Great to see more UK members enjoying their chickens and sharing their experiences here.
@ Yorkshire coop
Well done for getting your handsome lad out for a ride. Hope you manage to keep it up.
I've had a few setbacks in recent days/weeks. MeMe over reached a few weeks back and made a real mess of her heel. She's had a couple of weeks off during which time she managed to get tangled in some plain wire that was coiled up out of the way, but Rascal managed to pull it out. Anyway, it looks like she may have fallen (I am guessing as no one saw it) and hit her head as she didn't want me touching her head or neck for several days and her muzzle was really swollen and eating was difficult. Once it was healed enough that she would let me have a look at it, I found an inch long gash inside her top lip where her teeth must have cut through. Anyway, having got over that and her over reach reasonably healed, I put boots on and took her out again for a gentle hack. Halfway round the boot came off and there was blood all over her hoof and sock and the over reach had opened up again. Then last night I went up to do my bed time check on them and give them some haylage...(I'm still waiting for my grass to come away after fertilizing) and found Rascal and her in the feed room, with every feed bin opened, some knocked over and all had been sampled. This included the hen feed... both layers pellets and mixed corn as well as Hi Fi, fibre nuggets, unsoaked sugar beet pellets and a sack and a half of carrots and 2 bags of haylage.... oh and full egg boxes tipped over and smashed everywhere and a large tub of meal worms that I just bought for the chucks, smashed and scattered! And they had been in there long enough to poo everywhere too! What a mess!!! And an even bigger worry of course!. I spent the night at the stables waiting for colic to set in, apart from half an hour when I dashed back home to do a quick internet search on the possible effects of what they had eaten and glug a very strong coffee to keep me going. Hugely relieved to report that there have been no ill effects so far other than very fat bellies, but I'm aware that it may spark a bout of laminitis. Of course my good lad, Rebel, hadn't followed them in ...(to be fair, there is barely room for 2 people in there with all the junk I hoard, let alone 2x 15.2hh horses... but Rebel wouldn't be naughty like that anyway)....it's always that Rascal who is getting into mischief and he's leading his baby sister astray with his escapades.... she's like his shadow!. .All 3 share a large open stable (it's an old byer) and farmyard and the feed room has a small access door off the stable which was definitely latched because I clearly remember double checking it.
Anyway, I invited my two special needs chickens in to the feed room, to help me clean up and they rather enjoyed that.... the meal worms particularly! I managed to grab a couple of hours sleep at lunch time, once I was reasonably confident that the chance of colic was passed,, but I'm pretty much on my last legs now and it will be an early night for me.
Needless to say, another day when I didn't get to ride.... or do any of the many other tasks that are at the top of my "urgent "to do" list. Arghh! That Rascal will be a juvenile delinquent till the day he dies.... thankfully it seems, despite his best efforts, that will not be today....., but I must confess that I was mentally preparing myself for the worst last night!.
Chickens are a doddle to look after by comparison! My chicks are 4 weeks old and there is no doubt that I dipped out this time with gender. I've definitely got 3 little cockerels. I really hope your little brown one turns out to be a pullet. On a positive note, I've at last grasped the nettle and started using my new phone, which has the facility to take photos and down load them, so hopefully I'll be able to share some pics soon. I feel like I'm missing out on a whole dimension of the forum by not being able to share pictures of my beasties like everyone else,,,,,it's like watching a black and white TV when everyone else has colour!
Well that's my update for now. It would be nice not to have such traumatic stuff to write about next time!
Hope everyone's chucks are happy and healthy and laying lots of eggs or getting ready to lay their first egg in the case of those with point of lay.... first eggs are so exciting!
Regards
Barbara
A little early only day 19 but it can't wait. 25 in there so hoping for a good hatch. 
