Chickens, now she's done it! (cute chick content)
Discussion
Gretchen said:
My mistake re Dolly. Apologies.
I’d put the paddling pool on top of a gravelled area. Just to reduce muck around it. Ducks must submerge their face completely to rinse themselves out as such so the water will always be filthy. But they don’t necessarily need a pond.
The ones with the curled up tail feathers are the Drakes.
They will sleep and nest but mine would rarely lay in a nest box. The hens eggs were always nice and clean and the ducks usually left in the mud somewhere. Best not to scrub them either as you can actually do more harm than good by forcing dirt inside through the shell, just wash before use.
No apologies needed, it's only a bloody chicken name I’d put the paddling pool on top of a gravelled area. Just to reduce muck around it. Ducks must submerge their face completely to rinse themselves out as such so the water will always be filthy. But they don’t necessarily need a pond.
The ones with the curled up tail feathers are the Drakes.
They will sleep and nest but mine would rarely lay in a nest box. The hens eggs were always nice and clean and the ducks usually left in the mud somewhere. Best not to scrub them either as you can actually do more harm than good by forcing dirt inside through the shell, just wash before use.
You two must have been reading the same book, they're pretty much what her suspicions/ thoughts were.
S still has a pic of some of ours as chicks as her phones screensaver! Fermit and Sexy Sarah said:
No apologies needed, it's only a bloody chicken name
You two must have been reading the same book, they're pretty much what her suspicions/ thoughts were.
Mine was by experience mostly. Hens were buggers for broodiness, taking themselves off in to hedges and hiding their eggs. Stick a cold water bottle under a blanket in the coop and it snaps them out of it. You two must have been reading the same book, they're pretty much what her suspicions/ thoughts were.
Ducks would usually just lay in the straw in the paddock
Ducks are best for cuddles. Even my Lab loved a duck cuddle.
- Congrats on the baby Wilma
A small update today. As mentioned, we've been over run with eggs, probably collecting 100 a week. I'd rather compost them than give any to the d
head next door, so many of them have been fed back to the hens, or dogs.
I happened to see this place on a local Facebook page - https://www.facebook.com/welbeckallotmentbox/photo...
We popped in today, and her eyes lit up when we asked if she wants regular eggs. She pays £1.25 for a dozen hen eggs, and £2.40 for duck ones (having - 1 - less bird than 50, we're exempt from commercial selling rules) That's maybe 70 eggs a week we'll send her, so essentially all of the birds food costs sorted.
A lovely little shop if anyone is this way, we even got a mention on the page today
Oh, and one more update, Dolly, the two wonky (leg) hens, and one other too attacked are now in the birthing coop (which we started Mummy and chicks in) within the greenhouse run. They'll stay there till next weekend, before we remove the coops and introduce them in to the flock.
head next door, so many of them have been fed back to the hens, or dogs.I happened to see this place on a local Facebook page - https://www.facebook.com/welbeckallotmentbox/photo...
We popped in today, and her eyes lit up when we asked if she wants regular eggs. She pays £1.25 for a dozen hen eggs, and £2.40 for duck ones (having - 1 - less bird than 50, we're exempt from commercial selling rules) That's maybe 70 eggs a week we'll send her, so essentially all of the birds food costs sorted.
A lovely little shop if anyone is this way, we even got a mention on the page today
Oh, and one more update, Dolly, the two wonky (leg) hens, and one other too attacked are now in the birthing coop (which we started Mummy and chicks in) within the greenhouse run. They'll stay there till next weekend, before we remove the coops and introduce them in to the flock.
Edited by Fermit and Sexy Sarah on Saturday 26th October 19:18
Edited by Fermit and Sexy Sarah on Saturday 26th October 20:38
I'm trying to cut down on animal abuse going into my diet, I feel like the biggest hypocrite ever spending all day working rescuing 4 legged animals then going for a tasty slice of another 4 legged battery animal after my shift 
Part of this line of thought has had me looking at having chickens before. I'm in Portugal so the main predator would be the same, foxes.
How viable would it be to fence off a large area within the dog shelter, set up all the chicken coops etc and put 1 or 2 chicken friendly dogs in there to live with them to keep the foxes away?
I've got staff there every single day so I'm not concerned about the time taken to maintain them etc. I'd have them for both meat and eggs. Spare eggs would be eaten by the resident rescue dogs.
Part of this line of thought has had me looking at having chickens before. I'm in Portugal so the main predator would be the same, foxes.
How viable would it be to fence off a large area within the dog shelter, set up all the chicken coops etc and put 1 or 2 chicken friendly dogs in there to live with them to keep the foxes away?
I've got staff there every single day so I'm not concerned about the time taken to maintain them etc. I'd have them for both meat and eggs. Spare eggs would be eaten by the resident rescue dogs.
a few updates, the first one not nice. Sadly a rat got in to the coop of the (newly adopted) allotment birds last night, and killed one of the Rhode Island Reds. S was met with a hell of a shock at 7.30am, and understandably came home in tears. I had slabbed the entire floor, but unbeknownst to us there were some gaps behind the large nesting boxes. We've spent much of today ensuring this can not be repeated. Not a happy day.
Moving on. Remember Dolly.... her and three others have been in inner runs within the greenhouse run, and were released in to this today. Three of them, Dolly and two with wobbly legs, have been rather timid, keeping themselves very much to themselves. The forth, who I nick-named Thug (when in with Dolly and the wobblys she picked on them too much) was more than happy around them, and sent herself to bed this evening amongst them all on the perches. The other three settled themselves on the straw floor in a corner. Wifey wasn't happy with her being called thug, so she is now Thelma (thug)
Dolly today below.
Also a few of the now mahoosive Cockerels, firstly Enzo, and then Morph (white) and Billy Big Balls.
We are keen to move 3 of the 6 Cockerels (3 in our run, 3 on the allotment run) on. We had a guy lined up, who has now disappeared off the face of the earth. The plan then being to move Enzo and Billy to the Allotment run, and keep Morph in with our girls.
We'll pop over the again in a few hours, just to check there is still harmony with the new girls!
Moving on. Remember Dolly.... her and three others have been in inner runs within the greenhouse run, and were released in to this today. Three of them, Dolly and two with wobbly legs, have been rather timid, keeping themselves very much to themselves. The forth, who I nick-named Thug (when in with Dolly and the wobblys she picked on them too much) was more than happy around them, and sent herself to bed this evening amongst them all on the perches. The other three settled themselves on the straw floor in a corner. Wifey wasn't happy with her being called thug, so she is now Thelma (thug)
Dolly today below.
Also a few of the now mahoosive Cockerels, firstly Enzo, and then Morph (white) and Billy Big Balls.
We are keen to move 3 of the 6 Cockerels (3 in our run, 3 on the allotment run) on. We had a guy lined up, who has now disappeared off the face of the earth. The plan then being to move Enzo and Billy to the Allotment run, and keep Morph in with our girls.
We'll pop over the again in a few hours, just to check there is still harmony with the new girls!
Edited by Fermit and Sexy Sarah on Sunday 10th November 17:58
A shout out to anyone who can help!
One of the girls, Amber, seems unwell. Out of all of our girls (greenhouse run) she is the one who objects the most to being touched/picked up. I picked her up today, to take her out of the playhouse, and noted that there was far less protest than usual.
Other signs she's not quite right.
Spending a lot of time in the nestbox.
Last night she didn't go to her normal go to bed, the perch, instead tucking herself away in a corner. Tonight she's put herself away in a nestbox
When I threw her out the play house earlier (not chucking - how you launch a hen!) instead of landing on her feet she belly-flopped, like a stricken plane.
She didn't seem as interested in chicken treat as usual.
We've checked, and she's not got red mite, her rear is clean. Her crop feels normal.
Could she be egg bound maybe? Just a stab, as when I Googled 'lethargic chicken' that gave many matches.
Anyone with any ideas?
One of the girls, Amber, seems unwell. Out of all of our girls (greenhouse run) she is the one who objects the most to being touched/picked up. I picked her up today, to take her out of the playhouse, and noted that there was far less protest than usual.
Other signs she's not quite right.
Spending a lot of time in the nestbox.
Last night she didn't go to her normal go to bed, the perch, instead tucking herself away in a corner. Tonight she's put herself away in a nestbox
When I threw her out the play house earlier (not chucking - how you launch a hen!) instead of landing on her feet she belly-flopped, like a stricken plane.
She didn't seem as interested in chicken treat as usual.
We've checked, and she's not got red mite, her rear is clean. Her crop feels normal.
Could she be egg bound maybe? Just a stab, as when I Googled 'lethargic chicken' that gave many matches.
Anyone with any ideas?
There is no experimenting on her, vets aren't open this late. It's better to be prepared, as with knowledge we know how to best tend to her, before a vet is available, if there's a need. She's just been pissy with S when she went to check her, a hopeful indicator that's all may be OK! (IE her normal self....)
A night in a box near a radiator does them good, mine can catch a chill and their wattles drop/get lethargic (lloks like egg bound apart from trying to lay (straining). Do you know how to check for being egg bound ?
https://www.thehappychickencoop.com/egg-bound-chic...
https://www.thehappychickencoop.com/egg-bound-chic...
She's inside in a dog box crate, with food and water. From what I've researched this evening the best thing is to soak them in warm water for 10 minutes or so, to sooth the 'areas'. What we also read is that an egg bound bird will walk penguin style, head up, arse down, as an indicator that there's something needing pushing out, she's not. She's 5.5 months old, not sure if she's laid her first egg yet. Any other knowledge gladly received, of course.
As said, give it a night in and warm. It does sound like she has a chill/pissed of/bullied all night (happens a lot at times). When the neck drops/limp, then she is in trouble.
Mine get very dirty round the back at times, totally random time/bird. Warm water helps but I have had to trim before now. (never to low on the feathers and often to break up the "feather ball" then soak off, mainly a summer problem)
And yes, they crash land when like it
Mine get very dirty round the back at times, totally random time/bird. Warm water helps but I have had to trim before now. (never to low on the feathers and often to break up the "feather ball" then soak off, mainly a summer problem)
And yes, they crash land when like it
Sadly this morning Amber was PTS. A grown man here crying over a bloody chicken. I loved that girl.
The vets prognosis was a severer sour and impacted crop. He did try to drain it, but he wasn't having success, and believed we'd be prolonging her suffering, with little hope of a positive outcome.
Amber, in the middle, behind the logs. RIP my beautiful little girl
The vets prognosis was a severer sour and impacted crop. He did try to drain it, but he wasn't having success, and believed we'd be prolonging her suffering, with little hope of a positive outcome.
Amber, in the middle, behind the logs. RIP my beautiful little girl
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