What did you do with your flock today?

[Shetland lover]

A quick update. The garden is in full swing for harvesting, and the girls get all the trimmings, from bolted lettuce, beet tops, bolted kale, weeds, shrimp shells, fallen plums. A large peach branch partly broke, and the peaches were in their reach before I could get it propped up. Some got pecked. Green peaches are not too appetizing. The leghorns have been flying up into the plum tree and pecking at some ot the fruit. There are so many it's actually ok. Been selling much of them, making jam with the ripest ones.
Onyx's molt is almost done, and her tail is halfway grown, her wing feathers starting. She is back to her spunky self, racing for treats, pecking the pullets, dust bathing happily, eating more. I am besides happy that she is almost fully recovered from the vampire mites, and being severely anemic. Just waiting for her to start laying again. She's just over 2 years old.View attachment 3909554How is everyone's summer going?

So glad to hear Onyx is almost through her moult and back to normal!
Those plums look divine. What variety are they? I only have a Victoria and a Mirabelle plum currently but I'm looking to add a greengage in the autumn.
Believe it or not, it's been mostly dry and sunny here after all our rain. Too late for several of our crops to catch up but given the awful start of the season, I'm not complaining.

 

[Shetland lover]

Stan got his spurs stuck in the run door mesh yesterday. He was sparring through the door with his dad. This is a regular occurrence, they don't fight at all when they're together but seem to like fighting through the mesh. It's very strange. Maybe they do it to get rid of any frustration without injuring each other?
Anyway, I decided the time had come to trim his spurs. Now, I trim Ferdy's regularly with no issues. He is so relaxed , he's literally horizontal. I cradle him like a human baby and cut above the quick with a pair of strong, sharp clippers. Sometimes I use my dremel to file the cut edge if it's a bit jagged. No fuss. Job done.
As Stan is quite nervous and can be flighty (he takes after his mom), I was a little apprehensive, thinking he might not stay still. I didn't intend to use my dremel at all, just a nail file if needed. Well, the first spur trimmed up just fine. The second one, however... I somehow managed to twist the entire casing off as I made my cut. There was blood everywhere! I was quietly panicking as I thought I might have an arterial bleed on my hands the way the blood spurted out. Then I realised that wasn't possible and that feet are very vascular so calmed down a little. I dipped it in antibiotic powder then cornstarch to staunch the blood. I knew there was a reason I didn't use the 'twist off' technique. Stanley, bless him, was totally chill about the whole thing. He got a good, long cuddle until I was certain the bleeding had stopped then a handful of live mealworm to help him get over his ordeal.
I, on the other hand, looked like I'd carried out open heart surgery on an un-anethertised patient. I even had blood in my hair!

 

[MaeM]

Today, I'm spending some quality time with Callia. She seems to be used to be alone now - except for the fact that she's terrified of predators and she doesn't want to be out in the open.

I managed to expose her to sunlight a little bit by placing this table in the yard. Otherwise she doesn't want to come out of the coop or hides in the laundry room. She's always looking for roofs.

Odd fact, in my area there are only a few hawks who seem to be quite smaller than her (she weighs 4.5 kg!).

These hawks only attacked my flock once, and they went for my smallest hen, a Golden Comet-Serama mix weighing 1.5 kg.

No one got hurt at the time because the dog intervened, but Callia is clearly traumatized by that episode, and now that she's alone, she's hyper vigilant.

I don't know what to do to help her (besides getting new chickens or rehoming her, which the vet advised against because she's a carrier of IBV and possibly MDV. One of you suggested to place her with other carriers, but I asked the vet about this and he still advised against it).

 

[ValerieJ]

Stan got his spurs stuck in the run door mesh yesterday. He was sparring through the door with his dad. This is a regular occurrence, they don't fight at all when they're together but seem to like fighting through the mesh. It's very strange. Maybe they do it to get rid of any frustration without injuring each other?
Anyway, I decided the time had come to trim his spurs. Now, I trim Ferdy's regularly with no issues. He is so relaxed , he's literally horizontal. I cradle him like a human baby and cut above the quick with a pair of strong, sharp clippers. Sometimes I use my dremel to file the cut edge if it's a bit jagged. No fuss. Job done.
As Stan is quite nervous and can be flighty (he takes after his mom), I was a little apprehensive, thinking he might not stay still. I didn't intend to use my dremel at all, just a nail file if needed. Well, the first spur trimmed up just fine. The second one, however... I somehow managed to twist the entire casing off as I made my cut. There was blood everywhere! I was quietly panicking as I thought I might have an arterial bleed on my hands the way the blood spurted out. Then I realised that wasn't possible and that feet are very vascular so calmed down a little. I dipped it in antibiotic powder then cornstarch to staunch the blood. I knew there was a reason I didn't use the 'twist off' technique. Stanley, bless him, was totally chill about the whole thing. He got a good, long cuddle until I was certain the bleeding had stopped then a handful of live mealworm to help him get over his ordeal.
I, on the other hand, looked like I'd carried out open heart surgery on an un-anethertised patient. I even had blood in my hair!

 

[ValerieJ]

Today, I'm spending some quality time with Callia. She seems to be used to be alone now - except for the fact that she's terrified of predators and she doesn't want to be out in the open.

I managed to expose her to sunlight a little bit by placing this table in the yard. Otherwise she doesn't want to come out of the coop or hides in the laundry room. She's always looking for roofs.

View attachment 3910058

Odd fact, in my area there are only a few hawks who seem to be quite smaller than her (she weighs 4.5 kg!).

These hawks only attacked my flock once, and they went for my smallest hen, a Golden Comet-Serama mix weighing 1.5 kg.

No one got hurt at the time because the dog intervened, but Callia is clearly traumatized by that episode, and now that she's alone, she's hyper vigilant.

I don't know what to do to help her (besides getting new chickens or rehoming her, which the vet advised against because she's a carrier of IBV and possibly MDV. One of you suggested to place her with other carriers, but I asked the vet about this and he still advised against it).

You are being the best flock mate possible for her.

 

[Shetland lover]

Today, I'm spending some quality time with Callia. She seems to be used to be alone now - except for the fact that she's terrified of predators and she doesn't want to be out in the open.

I managed to expose her to sunlight a little bit by placing this table in the yard. Otherwise she doesn't want to come out of the coop or hides in the laundry room. She's always looking for roofs.

View attachment 3910058

Odd fact, in my area there are only a few hawks who seem to be quite smaller than her (she weighs 4.5 kg!).

These hawks only attacked my flock once, and they went for my smallest hen, a Golden Comet-Serama mix weighing 1.5 kg.

No one got hurt at the time because the dog intervened, but Callia is clearly traumatized by that episode, and now that she's alone, she's hyper vigilant.

I don't know what to do to help her (besides getting new chickens or rehoming her, which the vet advised against because she's a carrier of IBV and possibly MDV. One of you suggested to place her with other carriers, but I asked the vet about this and he still advised against it).

Oh bless her! Will she come out from cover if you're with her or is she just as nervous?
It's good she seems to be adjusting to being a lone chicken, that's half the battle. Could you consider other avian company for her? Ducks perhaps?
She's such a pretty girl btw

 

[fuzzi]

The chicks are getting SO big!

Esther, Silas, Priscilla (Prissy), and Joanna, the "shy" one.

Today when I opened the shed door a huge ran past me but I was too fast for it. I brought the remains to the run, and flipped it to the ground. The hens came over to check it out when shy Joanna ducked in between them, snatched the insect, and skedaddled to the back of the coop. I was cheering her on, "Go Joanna!"

I'm such a simple person...

Joanna

 

[The Coop Crew]

The chicks are getting SO big!
View attachment 3911222
Esther, Silas, Priscilla (Prissy), and Joanna, the "shy" one.

Today when I opened the shed door a huge ran past me but I was too fast for it. I brought the remains to the run, and flipped it to the ground. The hens came over to check it out when shy Joanna ducked in between them, snatched the insect, and skedaddled to the back of the coop. I was cheering her on, "Go Joanna!"

I'm such a simple person...

View attachment 3911226
Joanna

Joanna is a gorgeous girl

 

[Shetland lover]

The chicks are getting SO big!
View attachment 3911222
Esther, Silas, Priscilla (Prissy), and Joanna, the "shy" one.

Today when I opened the shed door a huge ran past me but I was too fast for it. I brought the remains to the run, and flipped it to the ground. The hens came over to check it out when shy Joanna ducked in between them, snatched the insect, and skedaddled to the back of the coop. I was cheering her on, "Go Joanna!"

I'm such a simple person...

View attachment 3911226
Joanna

They are all so pretty
Go Joanna! Nice work!

 

[PopoMyers]

So glad to hear Onyx is almost through her moult and back to normal!
Those plums look divine. What variety are they? I only have a Victoria and a Mirabelle plum currently but I'm looking to add a greengage in the autumn.
Believe it or not, it's been mostly dry and sunny here after all our rain. Too late for several of our crops to catch up but given the awful start of the season, I'm not complaining.

That's really interesting! I wonder if your uncultivated close cousin will fruit and if they are edible? And how they compare to the cultivated type? If it is worth crossing with the cultivated varieties to improve hardiness, vigour etc.?
Like you, I'm not so fussed about the red skinned, white fleshed type - although my cat, Elliot (and Stanley) is rather keen but I do like the red/red. When I next come across one, I might try freezing it - make it even more ice cream-like, perhaps? Love frozen bananas then blitzed into ready-made ice cream.

The uncultivated cousins of dragon fruit are typically around a tennis ball size, and very edible. I had them all to myself until they got popular as dragon fruit.