What did you do with your flock today?

[Shetland lover]

I am sorry about your Elliot. He had 12 wonderful years with your family. We get reminder on the tv about new year firework and how to manage that with our dear animals. 1 of my dogs just shake himself endlessly, tongue stick out and his eyes look very wild.

Great news that your cat came back. When I read about your cat, I thought of my mom. There was a nice cat came to her house and stayed a few days. It wore a collar with the owner phone number on it. Sometime it came and it smelled beautiful, mom told me the owner must love this cat very much.

Your chickens will ove their new home.

I absolutely hate fireworks and their effect on animals. Fortunately, none of my current pets have major issues with the noise but they are still affected. My SIL's dog has to be sedated every year for Bonfire night and New Years Eve. And firework 'season' seems to get longer every year.

 

[Shetland lover]

I just witnessed my big Plymouth Rock hen - Apple jumped on my Golden laced Wyandotte and did a mating like a rooster does. I separated Apple from the rest of the flock as I just don't know what does this mean or what to do with this new situation.

Apple is the biggest hen in my flock and a bully. Only my old timer Isa Brown and Silver laced Wyandotte able to tell Apple off. The rooster knew she was not nice so pecked her off often, he did not do that the rest of his flock. His pecks did not cause her injury, she just back off.

We no longer have a rooster in our flock. We don't want the bully to take up the leadership role.

Apple is a bully, eat like a pig and does not lay egg. She seems to have some sort issues, she often make that drag on distress sound as if she wants to tell the world of her sadness. She likes human better than her flock.

Gladys occasionally 'mates' with the girls and will fight like a rooster with the boys. She's reinforcing her status as top hen in the pecking order. Penelope was 2nd in command and would do the same, though obviously not with Gladys.
It sounds like Apple has her eyes on being the leader. Can you separate her but keep her in sight of your other girls? That might give one of your other girls the opportunity to step up? Don't have any idea if it would work as I've never had to deal with this before.

 

[Shetland lover]

So sorry to hear you are having such trouble with Apple. When I had an aggressive hen, I took her out of the flock for a while and the dynamics in the flock adjusted to her absence. I didn't have a rooster at the time to keep the peace either. She and the one hen, her sister, whom she liked, lived separately in their own coop and run for a few months. When I eventually combined the flocks again, they all got along just fine, although Lucy, the aggressive hen, and Ethel her sister and friend, always went back to their own coop to lay their eggs and sleep after that. There was a doorway between the two runs that they could run back and forth through.

Not sure this is a solution that would work for anyone else. We are fortunate to have a lot of space for chickens and can easily separate them when we need too. Others might have other ideas of how to separate her out, even for a few days, to see if then someone else will step up to the leadership role. Then after that, the new leader may keep it even when Apple rejoins them. I think the separation needs to happen with all the hens being in sight of each other.

Well, that's my two cents worth, and that might be too much to ask for it.


I do hope you find a solution for your flock. I love that you are committed to her and willing to work with her so she can live out her natural life span. I'm that way too.

Exactly this!

 

[ChicksnMore]

Happy Holidays all!!
Piko disappeared on the 20th and i was sick to death. Total PTSD from Forest disappearing without a trace. I was up late nights and early mornings calling, shaking treats, listening. Nothing till Christmas Eve at 11pm. She made her way in her time. The relief from the guilt, worry and sadness was overwhelming and the best gift I could have ever been given. After eating like a small horse and getting nose frisked by Giz...View attachment 4014838View attachment 4014840
She is attached like white on rice and hasn't stopped purring. I ordered GPS tags on the 21st.

After the happy reunion we had some super sad news this morning. I found our Elliot in distress and unresponsive. I think he had a stroke or heartattack because of the fireworks. I was just putting my foot down yesterday with my husband, TELLING HIM, I was going to take Elliott up the mountain early and have my son keep him till my A-hole neighbors stopped blowing up fireworks. It upset Elliott so much. Anywho, we lost our healthy 12 year old pup to what I am certain was stroke or heartattack. We stayed with him till the end, never able to take him to the vet. I think he waited for us to find him so her could say goodbye. My husband is devastated. View attachment 4014843
Before this, I went off on another cat feeding adventure. DH and I rode our duelsports to Polihale to check out a huge swell. The one the Eddie Aikau was running on. I spotted cats begging humans for food and water, and I had both on my bike as it set up for my feedings.View attachment 4014845View attachment 4014847View attachment 4014846View attachment 4014848
It is a long tuff drive by car but I am setting up a posse to feed and trap and relocate them to a colony close by so we can feed and water daily.
It is also a fun ride on the bike so I'll will take 2 feeds till we can trap.

This year has been a big year of heartbreak and loss for me. Forest, Elliott, Princess Peaches and Lady Ruby. It has also been a great year of learning and fortitude. I have low expectations for the next couple of years for a few reasons.... but I plan to stay tough and move forward.

More progress on the run fence means we are days away from finishing and my chickens coming home.View attachment 4014850View attachment 4014849
One more post to go, then side railings, fencing material back up, shade cloth, then clean coops one more time, and then chickens!!!! Can't wait to put that nesting material in the nest boxes!!!

Somewhere inbetween, ima gunna need to transfer 24 cats up to Koke'e, and then back down, lol.View attachment 4014853

I can't even imagine how hard that must have been with Piko and Elliot both. I'm so so glad Piko made it home! Ive always joined hubby for his fireworks fun, but it had never really sunk in that it could be that devastating for pets. With as many as i have, you'd think it would eh. We have our routines for our reactive babies that calm them...but that really isn't enough is it? At any rate...I'll talk to hubby and see if I can convince him that our fireworks days are done. With our kids grown, and the neighborhood kids grown...I might be able to convince him. Luckily hes never been excessive with them, so theres a good chance he'll hear me. I'm so sorry sorry about Elliot.

Your world is as gorgeous as always! Thank you for sharing...its soul medicine

 

[ChicksnMore]

Hi everyone! I haven't been on in ages and haven't read to catch up yet. Just wanted to say a quick hello and wish everyone a belated Merry Christmas! Hope everyone's holidays were good ones

 

[SkyAJK]

So sorry to hear you are having such trouble with Apple. When I had an aggressive hen, I took her out of the flock for a while and the dynamics in the flock adjusted to her absence. I didn't have a rooster at the time to keep the peace either. She and the one hen, her sister, whom she liked, lived separately in their own coop and run for a few months. When I eventually combined the flocks again, they all got along just fine, although Lucy, the aggressive hen, and Ethel her sister and friend, always went back to their own coop to lay their eggs and sleep after that. There was a doorway between the two runs that they could run back and forth through.

Not sure this is a solution that would work for anyone else. We are fortunate to have a lot of space for chickens and can easily separate them when we need too. Others might have other ideas of how to separate her out, even for a few days, to see if then someone else will step up to the leadership role. Then after that, the new leader may keep it even when Apple rejoins them. I think the separation needs to happen with all the hens being in sight of each other.

Well, that's my two cents worth, and that might be too much to ask for it.

I do hope you find a solution for your flock. I love that you are committed to her and willing to work with her so she can live out her natural life span. I'm that way too.

Thank you for sharing your experience. After I read your experience I added Goldie who is molting with Apple . Apple was alone yesterday and she made that sad distressing sound. Apple is quiet now and doing her chicken thing. Apple does not bully Goldie, there are only 2 hens she does not dare pick on.They see their flock, they just can not touch. I will keep this for a week and hope that all work out well.

 

[SkyAJK]

Gladys occasionally 'mates' with the girls and will fight like a rooster with the boys. She's reinforcing her status as top hen in the pecking order. Penelope was 2nd in command and would do the same, though obviously not with Gladys.
It sounds like Apple has her eyes on being the leader. Can you separate her but keep her in sight of your other girls? That might give one of your other girls the opportunity to step up? Don't have any idea if it would work as I've never had to deal with this before.

I had separated her and this morning add a flock member that she dare not pick on. She is no longer alone and doing her usual stuff.

The flock needs a leader to keep the peace and order. I just don't want the bully to take this job. I hope in a week or month, someone other than Apple steps up for the job.

Gladys fight with the boys, that means she knows they are not leader material, she is stepping up for the role there.

 

[TropicalBabies]

So sorry to hear you are having such trouble with Apple. When I had an aggressive hen, I took her out of the flock for a while and the dynamics in the flock adjusted to her absence. I didn't have a rooster at the time to keep the peace either. She and the one hen, her sister, whom she liked, lived separately in their own coop and run for a few months. When I eventually combined the flocks again, they all got along just fine, although Lucy, the aggressive hen, and Ethel her sister and friend, always went back to their own coop to lay their eggs and sleep after that. There was a doorway between the two runs that they could run back and forth through.

Not sure this is a solution that would work for anyone else. We are fortunate to have a lot of space for chickens and can easily separate them when we need too. Others might have other ideas of how to separate her out, even for a few days, to see if then someone else will step up to the leadership role. Then after that, the new leader may keep it even when Apple rejoins them. I think the separation needs to happen with all the hens being in sight of each other.

Well, that's my two cents worth, and that might be too much to ask for it.

I do hope you find a solution for your flock. I love that you are committed to her and willing to work with her so she can live out her natural life span. I'm that way too.

This is a fantastic potential solution. bravo!

 

[TropicalBabies]

Top and bottom rails finished.

DH in his old bike helmet, lol. Kept wacking his head on the mini coop or whatever was available.

I decided to freshen up a mosquito bowl, so went looking for drift wood.

Been watching some YouTube videos on it and got inspired. Still trying to get my look together. Also need to add more water and plants.

Anywho, it is a start. We have not had any mosquito problems after I made bowls over a year ago. Excited about making them look nicer.

 

[ValerieJ]

Top and bottom rails finished.
View attachment 4016129
DH in his old bike helmet, lol. Kept wacking his head on the mini coop or whatever was available.

I decided to freshen up a mosquito bowl, so went looking for drift wood.View attachment 4016132View attachment 4016133
Been watching some YouTube videos on it and got inspired. Still trying to get my look together. Also need to add more water and plants.View attachment 4016137
Anywho, it is a start. We have not had any mosquito problems after I made bowls over a year ago. Excited about making them look nicer.

How lucky you are to live in such a beautiful place. I think I do too, but Hawaii cannot be beat!!!d