Zane and Shadow...Roommates? (Cute Pic, post #79)

[Serrin]

Quote:
Whaaat?!?!?!

Someone sold you tainted feed? Why hadn't I heard about this? I would have been happy to come down there and kick some co-op butt!!

Uh oh...I feel a rant coming on...must not rant! Must not rant! Must not hijack Cyn's thread again!!!

Gosh Cyn, I'm sorry that I hadn't heard about how you lost Kate sooner.

How did the feed become tainted? Did they allow it to sit in a puddle of water or something at the feed store? What was it tainted with? Mold? Bacteria? Chemicals? How the heck do you sell tainted feed and not know it, or have some clue?

Did they make any restitution to you at all? I know, I know: For those of us who love these silly floofy headed, fluffy butted birds, it's not about the money. But money is the only thing that a business does understand. Sometimes you have to hit them in the pocket book to get them to understand how egregious their error is!

Listen to Cetawin and stop beating yourself up over loosing Kate.

She's right. Not your fault. If you're guilty of anything, it's believing that people are good and decent and that they would treat you with the same respect and trust that you extend to others. (Gee, I wish more people were guilty of that offense!

)

Keeping everything I can crossed for Livvie and that she'll make a solid turn around this week.

Sending along healing Karma thoughts to her as well.

Please! Please! Let Livvie get well soon!

 

[speckledhen]

We changed the feed that time to one that came in a plasticized bag because was trying to keep the feeders from dumping out so fast and the other feed had larger pellets. We fed most of the bag and were emptying the last third when we found a clump of moldy feed. We had already lost Skye and Kate (we did crop surgery, but it was too late and she died the next day). The cause of their crops ceasing to function became very clear. They had both been in the molt, so their defenses were already down. Wish the mold had been on top where we could see it. The co-op had had a basement flood a couple months before and I think because the bag wasn't paper, they didn't realize that it soaked up water through the seam and was moldy. Still, they should have dumped ALL the feed, not just the ones in paper bags. Sadly, it cost me my best Blue Orp hen and my sweet little Kate.

 

[Serrin]

Quote:
I can tell by your tone, that no matter how much time goes by, this still hurts.

Oh Cyn! I know you did everything humanly possible to save both Skye and Kate.

Crop surgery?!?!? WOW!! Not only would I have never thought to do such a thing, I wouldn't even know how to do it even if I had thought of it. Nor would I have the courage to do it!

You just never cease to amaze me Cyn, with both your knowledge and your courage to implement that knowledge. I'd be shaking in my boots at just the thought of cutting open one of my girls!!

Can something similar be done for Olivia? Or is that getting into territory that is just far too complex without having access to a fully equipped surgical facility? It would probably leave her sterile afterwards, I would imagine...but sterile and alive sure beats the alternative.

Please keep us posted on her progress. I'm still keeping everything crossed. She's gonna make it! I just know it! Olivia is a fighter, oh yes, she is!

 

[speckledhen]

We had worked on Skye's crop for two weeks and it refused to empty. I believe the mold in the feed set up a fungus in the crop. Kate's we realized was doughy and just wrong too late. We did empty the crop and sew her up and she seemed better, then took a turn for the worse the next morning.

Olivia's body has to take over. I wanted to try to drain her abdomen, but if there are little "pancakes" of infection in there and not just fluid, draining won't work. We had the same situation with Ivy and with one of the Buff Orps and the penicillin did the trick (however, Ginger has not laid an egg since that time, months ago, so she may already be building up infection again in there). Win some, lose some, but always fight the good fight, right?

 

[Cetawin]

Oh course you fight a good one...what else can we do if we love our chickens? I mean really...all the stuff you have been through, while terrible and heartbreaking, have been learning experiences for me. For that I am grateful. I am even more grateful that when I have a problem, you are always there to talk it through with me, offer suggestions, tell me what to do when you know and just listen. I mean we feed them by eye dropper, cook special stuff for them, medicate them, give them the best care we can...and we lose the fight it is a real sad thing.

I guess if they were 1 or 2 out of a couple hundred it might be different...but we have small flocks, they have names, personalities, favorite food, preferences and personality. So, I plan to fight hard every time I have to for one of mine. Heck, when I am back east, I will come to you and fight hard for yours.

I do not mind staying up all night with one of your girls and snoozing with Suede the next day. I mean he is what a real feather pillow should be!

 

[joletabey]

I agree with Ladyhawk. If you haven't got a heart for your animals, it's no way near as fulfilling. I'll take the heartbreak when it comes- it cannot negate the deep joy and love you feel with your critters.

 

[speckledhen]

We have some friends in TX who keep someone's chickens for them or manage them or something. She emailed about picking up dead chickens every morning. DH want to HS with the woman and they email a couple times a year. Geez, how disheartening that would be! Could be a meat bird operation, but she's never elaborated on it. I think that if you don't have a close relationship with your flock, you don't see problems till it's too late to do anything, or worse yet, just find them dead and have no idea what happened. Naturally, the sudden death may happen, but that is more rare, especially if you are in tune with the condition of each member of the flock on a daily basis. I can't help but get to know my birds on an individual basis; can't keep the distance that some have.

 

[joletabey]

I've given up any HOPE of keeping distance. No eating any of these little Del roos of mine! I told DH if he wanted chickens for eating, he was going to have to build a 6 foot tall fence that I can't see through and take care of them himself.
I even tried not naming them (except of course for Ultrasuede and Buckshot and R.I.P. Superchick) but I just KNOW I would still see the biggest roo's impudent little face staring up at me from the plate, or the only not-particularly-friendly Del roo's stink eye looking at me from the roasting pan!

I guess I just like having lots of things around to love?

 

[smithzoo100]

Specklehen, You are such a good chicken Mom & your babies are lucky to have you!! Always know that you have done all that you could to make their lives the best possible and, the times when you second guess yourself, that you have done the absolute best you possibly could do.... It is always hard when we have to say goodbye to our feathered (& furry) friends. I have always wondered why in the world we have to go through some of what we do when things go wrong, but now know that the hard parts, the dramas that leave you unable to breathe for a while, are the ones that have taught me the most. Sometimes they teach me so that I am better prepared for the next time I see something similar. Sometimes the lesson is more subtle and I learn that I can survive what is thrown at me regardless of how it seems at the moment. I know that there is nothing to be said when things are rough with your feather-kids, but know that many of us keep them (& you) in our thoughts, even if you don't know us personally like you do many of those who are on this thread. Thanks for sharing your experiences with the rest of us so that we can hope to be better parents as well

Btw, after reading through hours and hours of BYC, I can NOT get Suede out of my head!!!

I think, no I KNOW, that I need little Suede-lets here at our little zoo....

 

[speckledhen]

Thank you for those kind words! I hope that Suede will be producing his heirs for a long time, though the big guy is getting up in age and by this time, his own sire, Julie's Blue Boy, was having fertility issues. He is just a gentle giant of a rooster and I am very pleased that he has been with me so long. Never gave me a moment of trouble, ever. If you decide you want some little Suedelettes, just let me know. I'm waiting for Smoky to start laying again post-molt and then maybe I can collect enough eggs to send out to someone. Dusty is fat and sassy and gorgeous again, but I'm betting that the moment I want her eggs, she'll go broody.