Feed Sack Bag

A new delivery bag for Emmy made for a feed sack.

 

Need one because they are just so cute?  I'll make you one for a minimal fee.

Eggs For Sale

I go up early today so I could accomplish something crafty...I could feel it in my bones.  When we visited Wabash Lumber a few weeks ago I picked up one old white painted board.  I have a vision of an egg hanging on the lamppost.  So here ya go!  Now everyone will know when we have eggs.

Doing A Little Research

I got a message from one of the 'kids' that was in the youth group at Mt Washington Baptist when I was there.  Haven't seen her for years.  We have found each other on Facebook.  She is married now with two boys.  Gosh I am getting so old!  They are thinking seriously about getting a few feathered friends.

 

I'm thinking that they might have a little trouble with this one wanting to play with them all the time.

Josh had lots of questions and Mark and I had lots of answers.  I loved it that Josh had a paper and pencil so he could take notes.

Mark and I made sure that they rabbits had their nails clipped before they were out in the sun.  I finally got around to putting a piece of chicken wire between the two of them.  I do this because I don't think I need any little bunnies right now.

A little carrot treat for everyone.

Sitting pretty.

Does this cage make my butt look big.

Someone is trying to chew through to get to that greener grass on the other side.

Rethinking a plan of attack.

Maybe he can dig under?  Nope I think I fixed that too.

They have found a new dusting spot.  So glad that we made that really nice dusting bowl a few days ago.

 

 

 

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.

 

Oh Happy Day

The weather on Spring Break this week has been great for all of us!  Mark and I are cleaning up the yard getting ready to enjoy it when everything starts popping out.  When we are in the backyard the girls are out.  Two days ago we worked for a good six hours.  The girls found new places to dust, new things to eat, and definitely new places to scratch with lots of worms and grubs.

 

Crispy running away with her little morsel of bagel.

Sunny grabbed a big chunk.

So big she had a little trouble with it.

Poor Inez thought she was getting bagel but only got a pine wood shaving.

Judy just enjoying the sun!

Dixie can't believe that someone just left this on the ground.

 

Chicken Treats

I know I have said this more than about a hundred times...but we DO have the best friends and neighbors in our little neck of the woods!  There are these awesome sister that can do anything!  I mean anything!  And they are the go to people for our animals.  They have a pet sitting business...Heavenly Petsitting.  I recommend them more than highly!!  We have a nickname for them.  It is 'the husky girls'.  I know that it doesn't sounds very nice but let me explain.  When we first moved in the neighborhood we would see them walking this beautiful husky.  This is before we knew that they did that for a living.  Michelle and Leah are their real names.  They are so fun!  And they know a tons of stuff.

 

They not only take good care of the animals on our little farm when we are away...they bring them treats too.  Homemade suet cake for the girls!

Dusting Bowl

By the looks of things we may not have many flowers in the flower beds this spring and summer.  The girls seem to think they can dust anywhere they want to.  No baby, no.  Not going to happen girls.

 

I've been thinking this over.  I've searched Pinterest. and the a light bulb went off.  We have extra fence rails so why not make a dusting bowl out of them.  When we lived in WI we made a backing for a flower bed with old rails gathered up from the subdivision.   They jut seem to be gathering leaves and covering the black-eyed Susan bed.

 

So I put Pappy on it!

 

I chose this area because it is on the farm side of the backyard.  I'm going to attempt to teach the chickens that all they would ever want and ever need is in this area.  They are smart birds and it might be a little harder than I think it might be.  They are such creatures of habit.

We started out using a post hole digger and quickly figures out that out fencing needed to be cut to smaller links and just digging a trench and using a mallet to beat them in the ground.  Good stress reliever!

EffieGrace was the first one to venture over.  She peeked in and that was about all.

I tried Plan B...put food all around the edges and in the center.  They will need some gentle coaxing I am sure.  Should have thought about this when they were smaller.  They are teaching me to be a better Chickie Ma for sure.