What did you do with your flock today?

[Shetland lover]

Took some photos this afternoon.

Joel and Samuel:
View attachment 3675711

Samuel:
View attachment 3675715

Tamar:
View attachment 3675716

Martha:
View attachment 3675717
(she tried to untie my laces today)

Lydia, Tamar, Naomi:
View attachment 3675718
(Martha is below)

Just gorgeous

 

[Shetland lover]

This afternoon, instead of the eyedropper, I used a medicine cup, like the ones from cough syrup. She drank about 45 ml. She also ate 2 small bits of scrambled egg that I put in her beak. After an hour plus, tried again, and she drank another 15 ml. I'll have one more go before bed. I think she got sleepy from the vodka.

That's a definite improvement. Good job the both of you!

 

[Shetland lover]

I think your doing great ♡. I was told that an average chicken needs to eat a minimum of 30mils per day to stay alive. That is why I syringe feed ♡ but if she is eating on her own, your doing well ♡♡♡

What a thought, drunk chickens... like, I'd have to give the whole flock a little booze. No fun having just one drunk chicken.

I had a drunk cat once. She decided to drink the hard cider I had put on the floor. She staggered around for about half an hour them keeled over sideways, snoring loudly before she hit the ground
Elliot has a taste for a good single malt, daren't even put the glass down on the very rare occasions I have one.

 

[Shetland lover]

I hear the roosters calling me about ordering their breakfast. They need to take a hard look at their plates. What they see is what they get. If they don't like crumbles then they can hunt bugs. Later in the morning scrambled eggs will be served for brunch and not before.

I was late serving lunch yesterday and it clearly wasn't up to the usual standard as they had a peck each then followed me back to the kitchen. Where I was harangued loudly and hounded for treats. Stan tried to bust open the tub of sunflower hearts while while Ferdy distracted me by trying to sweet talk me into dishing out the grapes. Ungrateful, sly little buggers!

 

[Shetland lover]

You could let some fruit ferment....Is the 30 ml food, or water? A broody can go weeks without eating, right? More watery poo this morning, with some solids. She ate a little oatmeal liquid, and had her electrolytes. Trying about every 2 hours for hydration. Does that sound ok?

Broodies usually still find time to get off the nest to eat something (mine, being horribly spoilt, get room service) so they don't go totally without food. I've noticed mine are at their heaviest before brooding, like they're stocking up beforehand.
I tend to give any of mine that are sick high calorie and high fat foods such as sunflower hearts as I figure that helps counteract the much reduced food intake, if they're eating very little. Plus, I find they almost invariably will eat these, even if they're reluctant to eat much else. I also find mine will never turn down live mealworms.
The oatmeal is great too as it's easy for her to digest. It's a bit low in nutrients so might be worth adding a multivitamin. Eggs are an absolute powerhouse of goodness and you could try baby food or pureed fruit and veg. Mine also like mash mixed with a tiny amount of molassass.
2 hours for hydration sounds about right.
It sounds like she's holding her own. Keep up the great work!

 

[Shetland lover]

I made a video:

Wow! What a great coop

 

[Shetland lover]

View attachment 3676422

Today I "cooked" some dinner for Bianca. She is skinny . I think it's because she is molting (she has bald patches) and, as a chronically ill hen, she is at the bottom of the pecking order and I'm not sure the others are letting her eat as much as she should.

So these days, I'm feeding her inside the house at least once a day. I make sure that she eats at least one full plate of scrambled eggs and high protein feed. As a dessert, she got banana today.

Any other ideas?

I will most likely talk to her vet anyway, and I'm thinking about separating her from the flock permanently. The other hens are bigger than her, and they are not being nice to her.

That's exactly what I do with mine if I don't think someone's eating enough. Bring them in a couple of times a day to 'target feed'. I also divide any food in the run into multiple bowls spaced at least a few feet apart, as many as 1 per bird if anyone is getting bullied off the food. For all my flock is pretty harmonious, they do go through phases of stopping each other from accessing the food. They also really go off their regular food if they're moulting so I think you're right there too.
Just be careful - when Ferdy was a youngster he barely ate anything as he always let the girls eat first. I started bringing him in when everyone else went to bed so I could make sure he'd eaten something. Now I have a semi-permanent house chicken who helps himself to my dinner!

 

[Shetland lover]

I would add some Greek yogurt to her eggs so she’s also getting some good healthy probiotics and something else that was a @Shetland lover suggestion, I add hemp hearts to the eggs for the omegas. Any chance you can add a gentle friend to the flock to keep her company? So she’s not lonely and has a bit of a buffer. My mostly blind EE was friends with a Silkie and it seemed to help You’re being a great chicken momma!

Even if you could have a friend visit with her for a while each day could help.

 

[Shetland lover]

They’d live a nice life at your place so that would be okay now and then haha Ariana Sushi is so funny—he will come up in the chair and want the attention but then gets all out of sorts when he gets the attention

Did I tell you guys Aria talked me into bringing home another Cochin?? I like them, don’t get me wrong…but I don’t have any more roooooom I wasn’t going to show Cochins! The lady who helps me with my Poultry Project asked me to sell her bird at the show in December so I brought him home and Aria just couldn’t stand leaving his girlfriend alone sooo now I have two more Cochins.

View attachment 3676499
View attachment 3676502
View attachment 3676504

Oh bless! Aria looks so ecstatic though, how could you deny that face? They're so cute too . I bet that little mottled boy becomes a permanent fixture....

 

[Shetland lover]

She used to have a friend, Ruby, who is the same breed and roughly the same size, but I recently had to isolate her due to prolapse + lash egg + salpingitis.

Now that she is recovering, I let Ruby free roam with the other girls and I noticed that she is being mean to Bianca, too . It looks like she sold her soul to the devil after her illness.

And Bianca is looking for my company more than ever, which is cute and sad at the same time

View attachment 3676500

I think liking human company a lot is in the genetic makeup of Isa brown/warren hybrids so I wouldn't worry unduly about her liking being with you so much. Every ex-battery hen (all Isa browns) I've had has been that way even though they've all been well integrated as a flock. Connie was actually at the top of the pecking order but she enjoyed spending more time in my company than with the flock.
It is probably enhanced by feelings of loneliness in Bianca's case but you have a special bond and she loves you so she's probably happy enough. Have you tried separating Ruby and her from the rest of the girls for a longer period each day, maybe just have the two of them walking with you as chaperone? See if they can bond again that way? It might be that Ruby is still trying to establish her place in the pecking order after her illness and that's why she's being mean right now.