What did you do with your flock today?

[ChicksnMore]

The rains seem to have brought the flies... usually my compost attracts them and keeps them in a specific area and I can just hang a few traps close by but this time they are everywhere, but especially in wet sand areas, under trees etc. It is just crazy.
I think all roads point to me needing to thin my flock. Something I don't want to do because getting rid of the old lady's is a no go. I could get rid of the L. brahmas. Something I have been thinking about but they are Spiders favorites and well, he stays. Keeping buffs. The only choice is my young mixes and those girls are my guilty pleasures plus egg producers and feed buyers. I wish I had good trading partners like you or thought more cerebral as opposed to personal and emotional on this one.
Well, I need to adjust somewhere...

I have the same problem with too many birds and difficulty deciding who I'm willing to part with. Crazy me went and ordered some Silver Spangled Hamburgs too...they come in April. I have started to thin, but it's the same for me. It's like with my spangled oegb flock...I love Henavier and Sir ClucksALot, so I keep a little flock of 6 so my two special babies can live happy.

All my trading friends I met through friends and neighbors that also love birds. If you have anyone you know who you've seen and like how they keep their birds, it never hurts to call them up and offer them a bird you feel is special. I've made some good friends in the process of trying to find good homes for birds I like but don't want to keep. If I get rid of my peas, I already know who I'll offer Oregon, Bowie and Java to. Those I'll just give away if the people I have in mind want them.

I forgot to update yesterday, but I checked everyone's ears and they all seem clear. Molly is on meds and taking it like a champ, especially seeing as she's been taking them "raw" and not hidden in any sort of food.

I think I got most of the chunks out in both ears. I'm still going to check her for the next few days until I know for sure, but her inner ears look fairly clean.
Yesterday, along with the hydrogen, I flushed her with saline to help clean out any excess in her ear and the feathers over her ear. After I was done I put neo on the area since it felt really weird to dig around and then just send her out. At the very least it'll help keep the area moisturized after the hydrogen. Unless I see more big chunks I'm going to switch to only saline so she can properly heal.

Today I found her sunbathing on the porch, and she's been hanging out with the flock a lot more than she has been. I'm hoping she keeps looking up.

So glad for Molly! Even with a sweet chicken that must have been a chore.

Thank you! I really don’t know how to respond to if they are on the mend…only because this is my first time dealing with anything with the chickens. They have all been healthy and doing fantastic up until this point. I can say that my cockerel still isn’t using his foot but the swelling has gone down enough that he can hold his feet close together, rather than spread apart. He is still eating and drinking. I didn’t take him out yesterday though because we too experienced a temp drop. Wednesday the high was 60 and yesterday it dropped to 30. We don’t have any snow or rain in our forecast yet though. We were supposed to get a mix yesterday morning but it never showed up. The hen with the frostbitten toes is still using her foot and roosting and walking. She does rest it though by lifting it up. Her fluffy butt is still fluffy. No more poop has been on it since I cleaned her up. But I tell you, I was so worried that it was flystrike. I went ahead and ordered screen, like window screens, to put over the top of the hardwire. The hope is that it will keep flys out of the coop, or at least minimize it. Last year the coop was dry and never smelled but for whatever reason we had SSOO many flies, they were everywhere, including the coop. But with the warm temps during the day I was worried a fly got to her, even though I hadn’t seen any, the way things have been going, it wouldn’t have surprised me. But after thinking about it I don’t think they would have lived long anyway because even though day temps were 50s/60s, night temps were about 20s.

I’m glad the sneezes have lessened for you! I hope the eggs and poops aren’t anything serious. The stress from the weather could very well be problematic. Maybe you will be able to find out which one is laying the shelless eggs. That might be able to help determine what is going on.

Hope the worst weathers past for you. January always seems to be the worst weather month I think. I loved seeing your roo running to meet his girls. I still don't know anything about frostbite...but it made me feel optimistic for him

 

[ChicksnMore]

Pretty sure I mentioned that we had a new rooster dropped off. Like many b4 he made his way into my son's big Mango tree backyard and up to our fences where he has been camping, avoiding the established flock of ferals and sngging up to our fence line to be close to our flock. I tossed him food a few times a day to help him out and he took to roosting on the ladder we use to hop the fence. So last eve I picked him up and caged him.View attachment 3374341
Typical 'game bird' comb and wattle cut and his spurs were trimmed back too. Looks to be at least a year old with the demeanor of a lost pup. I was happy to hear his clucking at finding fresh food and water in his cage this morning but UNFORTUNATELY. View attachment 3374348
Spider can't seem to leave him alone. So Spider and the crew got grounded to the run and I put barriers up around roosters temp housing.
So hard to like humans

Poor baby. I hate dubbing period and I'm trying to wrap my mind around the idea of people dumping chickens.

Thinking of trying to integrate him or find him a home?

 

[TropicalBabies]

Poor baby. I hate dubbing period and I'm trying to wrap my mind around the idea of people dumping chickens.

Thinking of trying to integrate him or find him a home?

No integration. No way I will be able to find him a home. He was trained to fight ☹ was thinking pasture where there is a lot of room to work out chicken difference and we feed 2x per day. Plus always water and plenty trees. Chickens love it there, I just don't want him causing trouble. I'm not happy to have to clean up the mess someone else made... AGAIN. This one steams me a bit more than the others. I probably need to sit with this for a bit.

 

[ChicksnMore]

When I went to my friends yesterday I got to meet the big bad girl new hen she got. Wish I'd gotten pictures. She's a HUGE blue Cochin. I've only seen a handful of chickens that big. Only Cochin I've ever seen before were bantams. Wow what beast of a bird!

 

[ChicksnMore]

No integration. No way I will be able to find him a home. He was trained to fight ☹ was thinking pasture where there is a lot of room to work out chicken difference and we feed 2x per day. Plus always water and plenty trees. Chickens love it there, I just don't want him causing trouble. I'm not happy to have to clean up the mess someone else made... AGAIN. This one steams me a bit more than the others. I probably need to sit with this for a bit.

Pasture sounds like a good place for him...wish I had a pasture here! We get a lot of dumped dogs out here. Once a pig I think might have been dumped. Not sure what people are thinking when they do that, but know what you mean about how upsetting it can be.

 

[TropicalBabies]

When I went to my friends yesterday I got to meet the big bad girl new hen she got. Wish I'd gotten pictures. She's a HUGE blue Cochin. I've only seen a handful of chickens that big. Only Cochin I've ever seen before were bantams. Wow what beast of a bird!

I hope you can ask her for a photo! Super curious now
Or maybe next visit. Sounds delicious

 

[TropicalBabies]

Pasture sounds like a good place for him...wish I had a pasture here! We get a lot of dumped dogs out here. Once a pig I think might have been dumped. Not sure what people are thinking when they do that, but know what you mean about how upsetting it can be.

I know it is hard to drum up the courage to do what is best for all. Dumping dogs in a desert sounds like a REALLY bad idea. Any of them breed with coyotes and make a hybrid pack?

 

[ChicksnMore]

I hope you can ask her for a photo! Super curious now
Or maybe next visit. Sounds delicious

I'll have to do that... she's a stunner.

I know it is hard to drum up the courage to do what is best for all. Dumping dogs in a desert sounds like a REALLY bad idea. Any of them breed with coyotes and make a hybrid pack?

I've met a lot of people who claim their dogs are coyote crosses...but what I read says that's very rare. Coyotes can cross with wolves, but the breeding seasons are wrong for dogs and on top of that the rare breedings that happen usually end up in pups that don't even make it to birth. But that's just something I read so .

We do end up having to find homes for dogs and puppies occasionally though....sometimes they're in sad shape from starvation. And occasionally we'll end up with a dumped dog that messes with people's animals. Occasionally we'll come across bones that look canine when out walking. Desert dumping is about the dumbest thing anyone can do I think.

 

[ChicksnMore]

Was watching my yokos today and noticed one of the hens had bubbles in the corner of her eyes and a little swelling just under on one side. Isolated her to a parrot cage on the porch and reading about possibilities.

Not sure how well that shows, especially since I already wiped away the bubbles. But that area under her eye is normally flat. No parasites visible, she's acting completely normal and healthy...reading has me wondering if it's mycoplasma.

Anyone encountered this before?

 

[Gammas Bearded Babies]

No integration. No way I will be able to find him a home. He was trained to fight ☹ was thinking pasture where there is a lot of room to work out chicken difference and we feed 2x per day. Plus always water and plenty trees. Chickens love it there, I just don't want him causing trouble. I'm not happy to have to clean up the mess someone else made... AGAIN. This one steams me a bit more than the others. I probably need to sit with this for a bit.

I'm guessing there are gonna be a lot more chickens dropped off now that "everyone" thinks it's a good idea to start having em...til they don't. Ya know
He's a cute fellow. You have such a big heart and ability to work with em!

Was watching my yokos today and noticed one of the hens had bubbles in the corner of her eyes and a little swelling just under on one side. Isolated her to a parrot cage on the porch and reading about possibilities.View attachment 3374654View attachment 3374656View attachment 3374657Not sure how well that shows, especially since I already wiped away the bubbles. But that area under her eye is normally flat. No parasites visible, she's acting completely normal and healthy...reading has me wondering if it's mycoplasma.

Anyone encountered this before?

I'm really clueless when it comes to adult chicken problems! I'm sorry. Hopefully nothing serious though.
My 3 d'uccles have been fighting out a new pecking order since Coco and China have a new home. And one of em had puffy eye and a cut on top eye lid...and of course the comb. Could it be that?