What did you do with your flock today?

[Smokerbill]

I gave my chickens a couple of new-to-them foods today; a few pounds of mung bean sprouts and a few bunches of celery. They all seem to like the celery leaves, and I saw a few of them swallowing down some of the bean sprouts.
They got a couple tomatoes, too, which they love eating.

And I let them out to forage for an hour this evening too.

 

[Shetland lover]

I know, it was a long shot No swelling, no heat, I felt all around his body and there’s no lumps, bumps, scabs, heat, nothing. He does move his toes but I wouldn’t say he has good grip. I felt around the hock and no tendon seems messed up…I don’t know what to think other than an injury that’s not visible or something worse

Thank you! She’s just the sweetest little thing ever. I’m just obsessed with her squishy face and soft fur.

Sleepy Lola
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I think bar getting Willy x-rayed - or possibly an ultrasound to look for soft tissue injury - we're just going to have to make sure he gets plenty of rest, good pain management if required and keep observing for changes. It does make me wonder if he has a small fracture high up on his leg, those can be difficult to detect even with x-ray, depending on the severity. Have you given any more thought to splinting or support bandaging the leg?
Another thought. He could be getting referred pain and lameness from a spinal or pelvic issue. Have you checked out these areas?

 

[Shetland lover]

Did a bunch of chicken chores today while we had some real sun and warmth! Fed the birdies treats, cleaned out yucky wet shavings, filled feeders, covered open coops with tarps, and prepared for the “atmospheric river” that’s supposed to arrive tomorrow. Discovered that the rats managed to find new ways into my male quail pen, so rearranged hardware cloth and soil AGAIN. Also realized that they were eating all my Watermaals food in their breeding pen because it’s too open air at the moment—so officially moved them to the Apt Complex coop. Hoping to add another Watermaal hen to the group at the end of the month, so needed to put them somewhere roomier! Preparing for chick season too…so I cleaned out my old quail hutches for chick grow out “coops”. Need to reinforce them so they too are safe from the rat brigade, but they should hold a bunch till I can sort out the keepers.

I currently have my first batch of breeding coop eggs in the incubator, due to hatch Monday or Tuesday. Fingers crossed the Watermaal and Ameraucana eggs all hatch! I’m excited to see what they look like

My batch of GFF rare chicks I bought are growing up and about ready to venture to an outside brooder. They love to cuddle pile up against the wall of the tub—the weirdos.

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Lastly, we had the big Pacific Poultry Breeders show this past weekend and I took a bunch of birds. I was super excited that my one pullet Sweet Pea got Reserve of Breed in a group of 44 d’Anvers!
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That’s the most I’ve shown my birds against since I started! When I first started showing last year, we lost out to the quail variety every time! But this year we’ve been beating them more often and I’m super excited about that haha. Quail is a fine variety but it’s all you ever see. This show there were mille fleur, porcelain, mottled, self blue, black, quail and blue quail varieties. Super fun. I also got my poultry project kids to do showmanship and the new girl that’s Aria’s friend won the Novice group and got a belt buckle and cash!
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Better get to sleep now, night all

Congratulations! Sweet Pea did brilliantly to get Reserve- she's a fine looking lady
And well done to Aria's friend too.
Fingers crossed for the hatch

 

[Shetland lover]

I need some of that! Looking to see if we have it here in the US. Anytime water stands for a time with dirt in it, roundworms appear, so must be a lot of eggs in the soil.

Roundworm proliferate in wet or damp environments. That's why I like to use bio-oocyst in the runs and coops. It kills the oocysts before they hatch and really helps to control numbers. I never use it outside of the run though as it can kill beneficial worms too.

 

[Shetland lover]

Does water control worms? If so I shouldn't have any here, but still do, especially roundworms.

It's the bio-oocyst that I dilute in water that controls roundworm. I use a watering can to water on the ground in the run and spray a metre up from the ground on solid surfaces.

 

[Shetland lover]

I'm catching up, believing that by now Penelope is mended and back to good health. So glad it was an easy fix, though the diagnoses was puzzling.

Penelope is doing better but is struggling to gain weight so I'm giving her an egg with meal or morio worms, blueberries and sunflower hearts for breakfast daily until she starts to improve.

 

[PopoMyers]

Penelope is doing better but is struggling to gain weight so I'm giving her an egg with meal or morio worms, blueberries and sunflower hearts for breakfast daily until she starts to improve.

Lots of protein, right? Olena gets some cat kibble daily. 30% protein and other good things. Not enough eggs to go around. Sounds like she'll come around in time. She has a great caretaker.

 

[Shetland lover]

Olena is doing some crazy things with her legs. Still needs the sling. Her balance has not improved, and now she does a head dive instead of rolling backwards when I try to get her on her feet. Took her out to visit the flock and let her have some time on the grass.
I wonder if she has brain damage, or permanent nerve damage that prevents her from regaining this?

Thankfully, a good friend will sit her while we are on vacation. She is experienced in farm life, and has experience in animal husbandry.

Today, went out for eggs, found only one at first, none a couple days ago. Lo and behold, the girls made a corner nest on the opposite side, and there were 6 eggs there. Filled feeder and washed out and reset their water bucket. Apparently, freezing kills moss and algae, as the bucket was quite easily cleaned. Turned the water spigot back on, as we are not expecting any freezing temps for quite awhile.

Poor Olena! She could have brain damage and/or permanent nerve damage but it's still early days in her recovery. It can take many months - even up to a year - to resolve spinal injuries.

 

[Shetland lover]

Lots of protein, right? Olena gets some cat kibble daily. 30% protein and other good things. Not enough eggs to go around. Sounds like she'll come around in time. She has a great caretaker.

Penelope absolutely loves cat kibble. She steals a beakful every time she comes indoors, much to Elliot's annoyance!

 

[PopoMyers]

Poor Olena! She could have brain damage and/or permanent nerve damage but it's still early days in her recovery. It can take many months - even up to a year - to resolve spinal injuries.

Thank you for a better time line expectation. We are almost 3 months post injury. She's still feisty as ever. No lethargy here at all. Looks like she'll just have to be a house chicken until she can literally get back on her feet. She looks kind of wonky all the time. Everything else about her health is quite normal. Someone commented recently that she's kind of quiet for a chicken. It's quite normal for a Welsummer to be quiet and calm. My other Welly has become head hen. They are the oldest in my flock at 3.5 years old.