RIP Effie Grace

I knew it was coming yesterday when I took her a special plate of bananas and vitamins and she just stood there.  When I came home a few hours later she was still standing in the same spot.  She was the sweetest chicken.  I'm going to miss her.

My little chicken cemetery is getting a little full...not liking that.

She Is Looking Better

Slowly but surely EffieGrace is getting her beautiful feathers back.

Dixie Joins The Molt

Poor Dixie.  She hides in the nesting box.  I think these two are having an issue with their internal clocks.  Why would you have a molt in the middle of winter?

I think this is the best that EffieGrace is going to look until her next molt.  I am giving her extra everything to help those feathers pop out and come back to their full glory.  Nothing is working.  Mother Nature is at a standstill.

I Feel So Bad For Her

It is so cold.  And I know I am worrying about something I can't control but I gotta do something but she is killing me.  I realize she is a bird.  And birds know what to do in the winter to stay warm.  But I still feel bad for her.

I sectioned a little area for her right by the dryer vent.  

It took her about two seconds to back up against it.

I watched her fall asleep...standing up.

When I left the backyard to get her a little treat she was sound asleep.  I checked again while I was inside and she was still there.  Then I came with some more treats and she was gone.  Guess the dryer went off.  I threw some frozen corn in the little space to show the other girls they could go there to get warm.  The could have cared less.

This molt seems like it has been going on forever!  I will be so thankful when it is ll over and she is back to normal.

My Girls Are So Sweet

I have he beset chickens ever was!  Tonight when I wen tot tuck them in, this is what I found...

Ethel and Estelle had EffieGrace tucked under their bums keeping her warm.  Such good girls.

The Great Chicken Switch-A-Roo

I have been keeping a really close eye of EffieGrace.  She still looks pitiful...those old feathers are just having the hardest time coming back out.  She got wormed so it is not that.  I have checked for mites...found none.  She eats.  She walks around.  She drinks.  She poops.  I am at a loss for what to do for her next.  My family has drawn the line at bringing her in the house and snuggling with her in the blankets.  I don't now why I worry so...she seems to be taking care of herself.

So last night I went out to lock The Girls for the night I could not find EffieGrace.  I searched everywhere.  There was snow on the ground so I thought I would just be able to follow the chicken tracks.  Only thing was...there were no tracks.  I searched in all the places she like to scratch.  No EffieGrace.  I got out some treats and shook them and called and called for her.  I was starting to panic so I went in for backup.  Mark came out in the bitter cold helping me look for her.  We even stooped so low as to look for feathers on the ground.  I had looked in The Little Girls run countless times but this time a little black and white ball caught the corner of my eye.  There she was all huddled over and puffed up to keep warm inside The Little Girls run.

And this is where I found her this morning...in the Big Girls nesting box.

Thenwhen I checked on The Big Girls....Sunny was just taking life easy in The Big girls run.  I'm so glad they all like each other.

Effie Grace wants to spend another night with her new snuggle buddies.  It is getting a little crowded in there.

Snowflakes Flying And Somebody Looks Really Cold

EffieGrace giving her best stink eye.  It is starting to snow and I am sure she must be cold.

 Maybe if I puff up as much as I can and close my eyes it will go away.

Going to the freezer to get her a little extra corn and maybe her own bowl of scratch.

She's Just So Pretty

EffieGrace is turning out to be the beauty I had hoed she would be.

This is her serious look.

Shhhh, She's Sleeping

She found her favorite place under the Burning Bushes.  She dug herself a great little nesting bowl and then...

...fell fast asleep.

Side Note....I know this might sounds crazy but Effie Grace is the most compassionate chicken we have.  After Sunny had her horrifying experience, Effie Grace snuggled up right beside her and laid with her while she was trying to calm down.  She just looked as if she were telling her that it would be okay.  That the crazy chicken lady would take really good care of her.  Been there done that, is what I am positive she was relaying to her.

Playing In The Rain

EffieGrace and Keithetta Renetta having a little discussion...probably about what happened to EG.  And looks like someone has poopie butt.

Esthelle looking like she is on to something.

Ethel looking for Chickie Pa and his treats.  Just standing in the rain looking up trying to figure it all out.

Dixie running around like a crazy chicken.

Crispy checking out the camera.

RayJeana looking not so happy about something.

This is he dirtiest chicken on the farm.  her face and head are always covered in something.

I think Judy is stretching to see if she can be as tall as the big girls.

 

 

EffieGrace Update

We survived the night! Both of us. I was up and down all night long checking on her. Then I finally realized that I was probably stressing her out by disturbing her all night long. So I finally dropped off around 3AM.  She was clucking when I lifted the blankets this morning.  Haven't heard her really cluck for awhile.  That was good to hear.

 

This morning I gave her a little of my strawberry banana yogurt mixed with her crumbles and oyster shells.  And she ate it!  I checked for pop and it looks normal...well, as normal as chicken poop looks.

I watched her preen herself...another good sign.  Her tail is still tucked under.  Once in awhile it is normal but goes back down and under.  I'm waiting for her to lay an egg so I know that she is not egg bound and to see what it looks like.  She is moving more and more.

Thought it couldn't hurt to put a little organic apple cider vinegar in her water.

 

Thanks for all the encouraging words and bits of chicken wisdom.  I love my chicken people!

 

Next report tonight before bed (her bedtime).  She needs to get better because she is having company tomorrow.

Night Report On Effie Grace

Tonight after dinner she had a 20 minute soak in warm Epson salt.  Then I wrapped her in a warm towel and held her for a bit. She fell asleep in my arms.  I rubbed her dry and massaged her abdomen.  Then I put vegetable oil on her vent.  She is now in the kennel with some sprigs of lavender covered with a blanket.  I'll be checking on her all night long. Good thing we are on Spring Break.

I'm More Than A Little Worried

My Silver laced Wyandotte, EffieGrace isn't doing too well.  Last night after two long days of free ranging, I found EffieGrace squatted down in the back of the run just sitting in the corner.  That seemed weird.  I went over to her and said something which usually get a response...nothing.  When I looked closer she was panting with her mouth open.  When I tried to nudge her with a chicken herding stick she just sat there.  That's when I know for sure something was definatley wrong.

I yelled for Mark and went in to get her.  She usually runs away from you but this time there was no movement.  She just sat there.  I picked her up and moved her to the middle of the yard.  She didn't budge.  I got her some treats.  Still nothing.  That is wen I knew I would have to quarantine her so the other girls wouldn't figure out there was something wrong with her and maybe kill her trying to rearrange the pecking order.  And so I could try to figure out what is wrong.I put her in the dog kennel with some straw and water.  She just sat there panting and holding her tail in a funny position.

 

This is when I first put her in the kennel.  He color is good and she is standing.

A little bit later I checked on her and she hadn't moved and the color of her comb and waddle were a little more pale red.  And she was still panting.

I give her some water...nope not interested.  I stroke her and talk to her telling her that I am going to try to figure this out.

Just before sitting down to dinner I check in on her again and she is back to standing.  Good sign I think at this point.

I've already gone through the home exam checklist:

check for wounds

check color and state of comb and wattle

look for lice or mites

check her leg scales

has her body weight changed at all

are feathers clean and glossy

check her crop

is she egg bound (possible)

check the vent

check her breathing

eyes and nostrils are clear

check her poop

has there been a predator (yes...red shoulder hawk fly overs today)

is she eating (yes before and no now)

fresh food and water available

clean dry pine shavings for bedding

free range for longer the last few days

lots of extra gardening noise lately (leaf blower, saws and hammers)

 

All through dinner I am racking my brain.

Then I go out to make another check and try to talk Mark into letting me bring her in the family room so I could sleep on the cough and check on her through the night.  He thought that was a little excessive.  But this is what I found!

An egg with no shell.  I feels like a really soft rubber ball.  So I get out all my books and start to read.  Since she is only a year old I'm think she is just young but need more calcium.  So I add a little bit of oyster shells.

She is still standoffish but she isn't panting anymore.

Every time I check on her she is laying in a different spot in a different position.  I am guessing that she just can't get comfortable.  So I am now planning to give her a warm soak.

I have given her fresh water, some strawberry tops, so oyster shells mixed with her layer crumbles.  Mark is on his way to the grocery for some organic apple cider vinegar.  I really can

t tell if she is eating or drinking or not.  The thing that concerns me now is her tail.  She is keeping it sort of tucked under.

 

Could she be egg bound today?  I know if that is the case I need to handle her with care not wanting to break the egg inside her.  That could be an even more dangerous situation.  From reading and egg bound chicken will die with in 48 hours.  So now we are going to soak her in Epsom salt warm water for 20 minutes.  Towel dry her or use the blow drier.  Rub vegetable oil around her vent and massage her abdomen.  She will be sleeping in the crate in the family room tonight with a towel covering her and a warmed one in her kennel.  And then I am going to put some spring of lavender in her bed tonight.  I will be doing this once an hour until she lays an egg.  I'll give it a bit but them might consider putting her in a nesting box with some lavender where it is familiar for her.

 

If anyone can help please leave a message of  a PM on FB.

 

AKA Prissy

Thinking of changing EffieGrace's name to Prissy.  You should see her priss across the backyard when I get out the treats!

 

 

Spa Day For Some Of The Girls

You are going to think I am even crazier than before....if that is possible. 

It was brought to my attention that a few of the girls personal hygiene practices aren't as good as they should be.  I've been watching their backsides to see if maybe they would take care of the embarrassing situation.  Nope, the girls don't care one bit.

 

Today was the day to clean those dirty chicken butts.

 

Everyone was given a chore.  Alaire was the rinse/towel wrapper/drier.

Emmy was in charge of drying.

Michael was the chicken wrangler while Ellis was the catcher.  Susie was the first customer at the chicken spa.

Alaire doing a bag up job!

Emmy was cracking me up.  She was pulling one of my acts...gaging all over the place.

A little bit of B&W ointment on the frostbitten combs.  Alaire asked when we were going to paint their toenails.

EffieGrace was second for her treatment.

I thought Emmy was actually going to hurl!  Tears in her eyes and everything.

We saved Keithetta Renetta for last because she was way worse than the other two combined.

 

We covered the couch and chair with towels just in case we had an escapee.  We even blocked off the hallway and closed the bathroom door.  In the end the girls were very well behaved.  And we checked on Susie's bumblefoot and it is healing up on its own...no surgery needed that heavens.  Don't think Emmy would have been up for that one.

While I am cleaning up our mess, Ellis comes to me to ask if I have ever been able to catch a chicken with one hand.  Nope, I don't think so.  Well, just so you know, he can!