Washingtonians

[JennS]

I don't know the scientific terminology... but, here's what happened to my neighbor. She was picking raspberries. She thought she got poked by a vine and thought nothing of it. She was wearing long pants - and the poke was on her shin. I believe it was the next day before the wound ulcerated - when I saw it, it looked like a huge hole and was swollen and red around it. It took a very long time to heal. This happened a few years ago. Last night she showed me the bite mark - it is still there and still bothers her. They did find 2 spiders, took them to the WSU lab and confirmed them to be hobo spiders.

Sounds like a "textbook" hobo bite. I've never seen one in person, but I've seen pictures of the progression. Their venom is just like the brown recluse. My degree is in Entomology (which is pretty darn useless for earning money), so I have a lot more experience with the textbook versions than the real ones, thankfully. I have a lot of spiders on my back porch that might be hobos (there are three species in the same genus, and all I can tell is they are too small to be the giant house spiders) so I've been working to clean up the debris around it.

Thanks for the correction. Ok so its black widows who have the neuro toxin? I will remember that I just remember seeing a shoulder bite and they were talking amputation because so much had um... rotted away so to speak.

I do not know what happened as I wasn't there, but my guess would be that the wound became infected and it spread? I'm a heck of a lot more scared of infection than I am of spiders.

Jennifer

 

[FirewifeJess]

I'm so happy that all 4 of my currently laying girls layed today! 4/4! Now if only the other 6 who are POL would start laying! Every day is so exciting and fun finding more and more eggs as more layers start doing their jobs. It's great that we're finally seeing rewards for all this labor!

 

[JennS]

I took my son to the Evergreen State Fair today. It was fun, but wow was it exhausting! I wanted to see all the animals. He was willing to see them (but not really happy about it) so long as I carried him. He weighs 32 lbs. My left arm is *killing* me tonight. I got to see most of the chickens. I was just amazed at how big some of the LF roosters were! And the bantams were so tiny!! I took a short video of this itty bitty black frizzle bantam rooster crowing and posted it on my Facebook. He sounds like a rubber squeaky toy.

Is he just young, or do all bantams sound like that?

I'm still working on getting my son to pet chickens. He'll happily chase LF hens around a friend's yard, but he won't touch a silkie. I figure starting with chicks and building familiarity will help. He pets our greyhound and pulls her tail, but he is very leery of any strange dog.

Jennifer

 

[4cats3kids1hubby2many]

Quote: Thanks Robin. Took a photo of Alisha holding 2 of the turkeys. LOL. it was so funny. Got your PM. I sent one back.

I want to thank everyone for kind words. I know I will miss someone. Please forgive me. My life is crazy busy, trying to finish the coop, cull birds,who to keep, kids ready for school, working full time and looking to take on a few extra hours for a bit more cash. I am doing much better health wise/anxiety wise.

Hugs and loves to you all. I will try to keep in touch. I skim through the posts.

 

[4cats3kids1hubby2many]

Quote: Thank you. Still seeing her here around, but doing okay.

 

[4cats3kids1hubby2many]

Quote:
x2!!! I'm sorry for your loss T!! Please take care of yourself! Your family and we here need you!!

Thanks Julie. I am feeling much better. It is nice to know I am needed - nice thing to hear at times. LOL....no I am not whimpering.

Hey, I needed to talk to you anyway....I have 3 toms...do you need a second tom? PM me if you see this. If I don't hear from you I will PM you or call you here sometime soon.

 

[4cats3kids1hubby2many]

Okay, since I am still on here for the moment, but going to bed soon. ..... I have Serama cockerels for sale. No pullets available at this time. $15 each. If you want one for a 4-H kid I will gladly make a good deal. I always want to help encourage a kid. PM me as I am seldom on her at the moment. I will/can send photos of the boys I have available.

 

[4cats3kids1hubby2many]

Quote:
A local friend's daughter was sleeping and woke up with a similar wound on her arm. Well, misdiagnosis after another...the cellulitis and the inflammation and the necrosis of her arm. She ended up (I think at Harborview) in hospital and had to have her arm amputated. She is a young girl/teenager. Just awful. this happened just last year.

 

[Ogress]

I don't know the scientific terminology... but, here's what happened to my neighbor. She was picking raspberries. She thought she got poked by a vine and thought nothing of it. She was wearing long pants - and the poke was on her shin. I believe it was the next day before the wound ulcerated - when I saw it, it looked like a huge hole and was swollen and red around it. It took a very long time to heal. This happened a few years ago. Last night she showed me the bite mark - it is still there and still bothers her. They did find 2 spiders, took them to the WSU lab and confirmed them to be hobo spiders.

I had a tick bite on my ankle about 25 years ago that did that. Took about 10 years for the scar to fade. I had bad flu symptoms a day or two after the bite, and the necrotic area grew to nearly 4 inches in diameter with a 2 inch diameter ulcer in the center. It started out with the classic "bulls-eye" rash with a pimple in the center. Oddly, I don't recall it being painful at all, just ugly and somewhat itchy. I never saw the tick, but I had been hiking in some long grass known to be full of ticks. It started out right under the cuff of my sock in a soft area next to the ankle bone which is a very common area for ticks to bite. I suspect much of the damage was due to bacteria. It was diagnosed as a brown-recluse bite, but none live in the area, so I think it was a tick. Bacterial infections are nasty. How awful some deaths must have been before antibiotics; and how awful they will be again with their over-use. Hopefully the spiders you found in your house will not be Hobos.

 

[Ogress]

Busy Busy but very successful at the fair so far! Oldest DD had champ bantam cock & hen & reserve bantam hen with her cochins PLUS champ LF hen and reserve LF hen and reserve LF cock with her English Orps PLUS youngest DD had Champion bantam cockerel with her salmon faverolle from Jeanine!!! This is just our 4-H show at fair so they don't award the same as Open Class shows with Best of Breed, Best of Variety, champ for class. They just have Best of Show, Reserve of Show, champ & reserve BANTAM hen, cock, pullet, cockerel, and champ & reserve Large Fowl hen, cock, pullet, & cockerel. Other than those top awards it's just blue, red & white ribbons, so they have done VERY well!

Unforunately, we have sold off all of our Orpington hens & pullets, so they will be moving to their new home after fair. I am still very sad about that, but with the cost of feed going up and up, and the room that these huge orps take up, they had to move on. BUT, we still have two black Orpington cocks for sale that are excellent birds for breeding or show. Baxter is 50% imported English stock and won Best in Show at fair last year, and Max is Baxter's son, but his possible mom's were Lavender Orp hens, so he is split for the lavender gene. Max just won the Reserve LF Cock at Evergreen Fair. Baxter is 2 yrs and Max is just over 1 yr old. They are not friendly and pretty protective of their girls, so it would be best if they went to an experience breeder. I really hope to find someone who can use them in their breeding program. So if anyone is interested, please let me know!

This is Baxter:

Congratulations!


I hope you find good homes for Baxter and Son. I have 3 gorgeous bantam cochin roosters to get rid of. They won't sleep in the coop, and their early A.M. crowing is driving me bananas. They sleep on a roost in their run.