FarmerDenise's journal - full on harvest time = busy, busy, busy

[FarmerDenise]

I had put yogurt on their bread with some milk. Susie is looking better and better, but I am still concerned about Easter. His leg is still awfully swollen and when I picked him up to bring inside I noticed that his comb was purple. I'm wondering if I should give him some subcutaneous liquids. I am going to check his skin and see. Sometimes a little re-hydration can work wonders. I rather try that, before I give antibiotics. I am thinking that he might have an infection, since his leg is still so swollen.

 

[FarmerDenise]

We gave Easter subcutaneous fluids yesterday. This morning she was very wobbly. When I turned on the radio, the station had the pet psychic on. I have tried in the past to get through, to no avail. I decided to try again this morning. After about 5 minutes of trying, I actually got through Of course they made some fun about having a chicken for a pet , but the psychic thinks Easter is a girl (and I have been suspecting that as well) and said she felt something is wrong with the stomach area. Then she stated the the chicken is acting like she is drunk. Which is exactly how Easter is acting this morning. She is using her wings to steady herself and keeps falling over.
I did some reiki on Easter last night also and she fell asleep in my lap. I gave her some aloe vera a little while ago. Now I'm off to weed FIL's garden.

ETA fat finger input

 

[Dace]

Boy you seem to have your hands full!
I hope Susie and Easter stay on the mend. Any idea why she lost her feathers? Maybe I missed that post, if so sorry.

I love that you let them have your garden...very sweet

 

[big brown horse]

I love frizzle hens! Frazzle hens too. My mom lets her little frizzle hen roost in the house too. (A BYC member almost spewed her coffee when I mentioned that! So I don't usually tell anyone that anymore!) I grew up with chickens everywhere...as kids we brought them in and out of the house all of the time! Ruby (my RIR) spent almost a whole week under my desk getting over a respitory infection last Feb.

I hope her feathers do come back, you are a good mama!

 

[FarmerDenise]

Dace, apparently frazzled chickens tend to have problems with their feathers. I was advised (mainly on BYC) to cull her when she was a chick. I decided to take our chances.
She is looking pretty good. I'll have to take a picture to show you. Now my big worry is Easter, especially since it seems that Easter is a girl.
I just took Susie outside and put her with the flock. I was all worried about her getting bullied. The only one about to bully her was Jr. the rooster. I put a stop to that, I just have to look at him say "Junior?" in a certain tone of voice and he stops dead in his tracks. It is really funny the way he responds to me.

 

[keljonma]

FD aren't you worried that Suzy and Easter may be getting too much sodium intake from the cat food?

 

[big brown horse]

Your house sounds like mine!

Nothing better than napping with kitties!!

 

[FarmerDenise]

bbh, I used to have a house chicken. She was rejected by the momma hens and had been beaten up by them. So I took her into the house and nursed her. One sunny day I put her outside in a birdcage, so she could be with us and also get some nice sunshine. I had gone out back to hang up the laundry. When I finished I went to check on her and found her laying on the floor in the middle of the cage with her scalp missing. I freaked. I had been taking care of this little chick for a week, taking her everywhere with me and now this! I took her into the house. cleaned the wound and let her rest. She recovered. But ended up with a severely deformed beak. The beak got more and more deformed the older she got. I had a great vet who helped me with her. I used to take her in once a month and he would trim her beak for me for $10.00.
This chicken would sit on my shoulder. Since she couldn't eat very well she didn't grow much. Eventually I had to tube feed her. She would sit on my shoulder and watch tv with me. At about 8 o'clock pm she thought it was bedtime and would find me and get on my shoulder and talk into my ear. I think she was telling me to go to bed. It was difficult to watch tv, what with her chatter right in my ear. I would also take her everywhere with me. She would just sit on my shoulder. She came when I called her. She was always excited to see me, when I came into the house.
She would often be outside with us and if she got scared she would jump onto our back.
She died just before she was one year old. I really miss her. She was my little buddy. She was better than any dog or cat combined.

 

[big brown horse]

bbh, I used to have a house chicken. She was rejected by the momma hens and had been beaten up by them. So I took her into the house and nursed her. One sunny day I put her outside in a birdcage, so she could be with us and also get some nice sunshine. I had gone out back to hang up the laundry. When I finished I went to check on her and found her laying on the floor in the middle of the cage with her scalp missing. I freaked. I had been taking care of this little chick for a week, taking her everywhere with me and now this! I took her into the house. cleaned the wound and let her rest. She recovered. But ended up with a severely deformed beak. The beak got more and more deformed the older she got. I had a great vet who helped me with her. I used to take her in once a month and he would trim her beak for me for $10.00.
This chicken would sit on my shoulder. Since she couldn't eat very well she didn't grow much. Eventually I had to tube feed her. She would sit on my shoulder and watch tv with me. At about 8 o'clock pm she thought it was bedtime and would find me and get on my shoulder and talk into my ear. I think she was telling me to go to bed. It was difficult to watch tv, what with her chatter right in my ear. I would also take her everywhere with me. She would just sit on my shoulder. She came when I called her. She was always excited to see me, when I came into the house.
She would often be outside with us and if she got scared she would jump onto our back.
She died just before she was one year old. I really miss her. She was my little buddy. She was better than any dog or cat combined.

That story is bittersweet! You are a good caretaker!

 

[FarmerDenise]

Keljonma, not at this point, since it is not all that they are eating and it hasn't been that long for them. I only brought Easter inside a few days ago. Also, since adopting the kitten, I switched to a healthier kitten food and the kitten gets bits of plain meat, which the chickens eat as well. I am also feeding the chickens yogurt and milk. I also have actual chicken food for them. Easter isn't touching the crumble, but she is nibbling at the hen scratch, the canned kitten food I gave them yesterday, the bread soaked in milk and the yougurt. Her crop has very little food in it, but at this point I just want her to eat whatever she will, to keep her energy up. I am going to pick up some electrolites with vitamins. The stuff I have is old (from last year and it looks like it got damp).
At the moment the feed is all over the floor and I need to take up the rugs and shake them out before I toss them in the washing machine.