What did you do with your flock today?

[PopoMyers]

After my experience with Alice and weight loss, where she lost so much before we even realised, I weigh all my birds every month. I do think they lose it more quickly than they gain it when there's underlying problems. Could it be muscle loss with Olena that's making her feel light?

Most likely. She had gained back some, as her keel area has more to it, as in muscle mass, than back in November. She has been eating more, it seems, after switching to high protein. Stopping the cat food.

 

[PopoMyers]

I'm happy to hear this! I have had a lot of feathers all over the place lately and thought maybe it was pretty late to be molting. Haven't seen anyone featheless yet, so not too worried.



She is looking so good! And she is such a beauty! She is one lucky bird to have you for a care taker. You have done an amazing job with her.

Aw, thanks!

 

[TropicalBabies]

I collected eggs, scooped their poop board, gave them an apple for a treat, cleaned their waterers and put up some new perches for them in their run! View attachment 3733650View attachment 3733653View attachment 3733654View attachment 3733651View attachment 3733652

What a perfectly civilized chicken coop and run. Bravo!

 

[TropicalBabies]

Today was a bit of a rollercoaster…I went out to let the new puppy play and try going potty and decided to give out some treats since the sun was shining. As I went to each run I discovered that my one bobtail girl that I’ve been fighting with to quit brooding, is not well and has lost a bunch of weight :-( Then I noticed Willy, Aria’s favorite Bobtail rooster is limping and won’t use one foot. Then I found a huge cache of eggs that my kids had not collected even though they claim to be checking each day The “nest” was right next to the door so I know they didn’t even look at all. Then I sat down with my breeding cage birds and realized the boy I was looking at was the wrong boy. I had sold my favorite young dAnver cockerel, Fennel, by accident. So that was the straw…and I just started sobbing. We lost Alfredo too, our one black Watermaal rooster on Sunday…found him head first in his feeder like he’d fallen dead right off the roost bar. And yesterday we also learned my husbands cousin lost her battle with cancer and passed away. It’s been a rough few days emotionally and the dam finally broke. So I sat there and felt sorry for awhile…vented to a chicken friend for a bit, and then started dealing with all the issues. Just to add to the fun, when I checked everything at bedtime, I found a door wasn’t closed because it was blocked by wet muddy shavings, another one wasn’t closed because a bird was blocking the door, Parmesan was just out sitting on a fence top instead of inside her coop, Oliver was wandering around the yard, and the Watermaal coop door won’t close all the way and leaves a rat sized gap at the bottom. BLAH.

So I chopped up organic greens, scrambled some eggs with mashed up egg shells, poultry cell and flax seeds and fed the broody girl, I cleaned out the clogged doors and put away naughty chickens, and then contacted the person I sold Fennel to and she agreed to swap him this weekend for the one she was supposed to get.

Then I sat down and a friend texted me in a panic because she’s chicken sitting for her neighbor and came out to THREE bobcats feasting on a couple of the chickens, some injured ones laying in the yard, and a bunch more missing or in the trees So I spent the next hour helping her treat the injured ones via phone. These bobcats look super healthy too! Zoom in and you can see a couple of them.

View attachment 3732496

I’m feeling emotional and drained and sad tonight…chickening is hard sometimes.

Oh my goodness... that is a lot . I am really happy to hear of your many solutions to those many challenges. I am sorry for your families loss I know this was a few weeks ago, but it was also, only a few weeks ago . I'll keep reading and hope for more happy endings.

 

[TropicalBabies]

O the grape brooder is funny! The funniest one I've had was a girl that kept trying to brood a rock. I kept finding a decent sized rock in the nest...I'd toss it out and find it back the next day. I finally removed it and just watched. Sure enough, the one hen would go get it and lovingly roll it back in

I had a girl brood on empty snail shells. She collect 3. Bless her little heart ♡

 

[TropicalBabies]

Here's how she stands. Mostly leaning to the right. Having trouble keeping her vent centered over the hole, so have to find another solution, short of putting a band around her and clipping it to the left side of the box.View attachment 3739731View attachment 3739732Hello, cheering fans!View attachment 3739733

What a beautiful, terrific and amazing job you have done Saint Popo absolute hats off. She is beautiful

 

[TropicalBabies]

DH took me to the feed store, he's my Uber loader. Came back with layer pellets., now that I don't have roos anymore, and Game bird grower, which is 30% protein.
Got all the feed and birdseed switched around into totes and a plastic garbage can so they should stay dry and pest protected, namely rodents. It's been so damp lately that some of the wood in the coop is molding. Maybe some hydrogen peroxide would kill it? I don't like using bleach. Ideas?
Also raked up the gravel and rocks the chickens have unearthed in the run, and raked out the unused coop/brooding house. My yard is looking like a moonscape.
We have was observed that we grow rocks in our county. They seem to multiply.

Vinegar?

 

[TropicalBabies]

@TropicalBabies, uhh, gee, could y'all please keep some of the pineapple expresses to yourselves for a few days, so California can come up for air a little bit? The rain's been relentless, especially in places that really aren't good at handling so much at once (since they're usually so dry, or not recovered from huge wildfires yet). My previous stomping grounds in the LA area are getting swamped.

Here on the Redwood Coast, it's a return to what used to be normal and is mostly soaking in or running off like it's supposed to -- though the chooks and I are looking forward to a little break in the deluge so we can play outside in the squishy weed jungle tomorrow!

Was it Fuzzi who mentioned pre spring weeds?!! Say it ain't so! Spring is around the corner ?!! Then summer... then we will all be complaining about a drought . I am sorry for the troubles so many people have experienced . Wish we could refresh and replenish with a bit less drama ♡

 

[PopoMyers]

What a beautiful, terrific and amazing job you have done Saint Popo absolute hats off. She is beautiful

Oh, you're too kind. Definitely not a saint. Thanks, good to see you back. It's good that life seems back to a non-crisis, normal rhythm for you. Hope those howling winds die down soon.

 

[PopoMyers]

Was it Fuzzi who mentioned pre spring weeds?!! Say it ain't so! Spring is around the corner ?!! Then summer... then we will all be complaining about a drought . I am sorry for the troubles so many people have experienced . Wish we could refresh and replenish with a bit less drama ♡

Yes, you are so right. No need for apologies.. Not your fault.. We are stronger through trials.. Just not fun at all going through them..
Weeds are already here. We have shot weed, they are very early season and prolific. The girls will eat all that I pull up. Oh, and we'll also complain about the heat that some would like now in Winter.