karen's chicken diary

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KarenE
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Re: karen's chicken diary

Post by KarenE »

Dory Grey back to laying in her secret nest under the laurel tree. But she is confusing us by laying the odd egg in the nestbox, so it was quite a surprise to be doing a bit of gardening in that area and find a nice little clutch of 3 blue eggs half-buried in the leaves! We cleared it out, she was beside herself all afternoon and then laid another one!

Marley is now out and about, although interestingly enough is not coming into our garden as I suspect BadCat has marked it as his. Poor little Marley, and when she does want to come in of course she has the Battalion of Chickens to get through first at the cat flap.
Karen
Alpha chick to: Smudge, Matisse and Bluebell
Chief servant to Marley the cat
Remembering Weeps, Rexie, Sage, Cassie, Toffee, Captain Gabby, Commander Nugget, Ronnie, Juno, Special Poetry and Reading Casper, Tigger, Tophenanall Rembrandt, Chestnut, Tiddly, Willow, Mango, Coco, Dorian Grey and Pokey.
Also my lost furries Charlie and Jasper

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kitla
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Re: karen's chicken diary

Post by kitla »

Hopefully Marley is busy pooping in badcat's garden!
"He who is cruel to animals becomes hard also in his dealings with men. We can judge the heart of a man by his treatment of animals."
--Immanuel Kant
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sandy
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Re: karen's chicken diary

Post by sandy »

Marley could do with a brother or sister? What do you think? Two against one nasty feline!
The Pink Ladies..Audrey,Ingrid-Bergman,Madeleline,Norma-Jean,Dora,Janice,Jo,Robyn,Chrissy and Joyce
The Peds…Mork,Mindy,Bell,Saphire &
Vorky ,Blueped,Ginger,Ninger &Linky

Sunny Clucker was ere July 12-21 2012
Sunny Clucker was ere July 6 2016 to Sept 9th 2017
Sunny Clucker is here , rehomed Aug 18th 2018/
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KarenE
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Re: karen's chicken diary

Post by KarenE »

I think Marley is a solo cat, I can't see her coping with another. She is so shy.

Bit of a bad time this week - I was dashing off to wales with work on thurs pm and just about to leave to catch the train when I noticed Marley on the bed upstairs, so popped in to say goodbye and noticed she had an open wound in exactly the same place as the last one yike* I was livid.

Couldn't do anything about it until Saturday am so after some wrangling I took her down to the vets. Turns out the old wound still had some infection in it which had bubbled up into an abscess, which had popped! She seems fine in herself, and is on different antibiotics and best of all, no cone on her head! So at least we know that the burly cat hasn't had her again (although he has been around & has had a few facefulls of water.)

Girls are fine. Dory is still sneaking off to her fern nest when she can. Dory Grey is in fact emboldened and today I saw her stalk Marley right off the patio! And we all know what a complete wuss Dory is, so you can see just what a gentle girl Marley is.
Karen
Alpha chick to: Smudge, Matisse and Bluebell
Chief servant to Marley the cat
Remembering Weeps, Rexie, Sage, Cassie, Toffee, Captain Gabby, Commander Nugget, Ronnie, Juno, Special Poetry and Reading Casper, Tigger, Tophenanall Rembrandt, Chestnut, Tiddly, Willow, Mango, Coco, Dorian Grey and Pokey.
Also my lost furries Charlie and Jasper
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KarenE
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Re: karen's chicken diary

Post by KarenE »

The abs have worked a treat and Marley has again now been given a clean bill of health! )c( If it happens again the vets will go in and see if there's anything like a claw stuck in there rather than keep treating with abs. So fingers crossed it's all gone and we won't have this problem again.

We've been keeping Marley in at night, just to be on the safe side. In fact it looks like BadCat has attacked my neighbour's cat while they were away - I went over to feed her and she'd lost her collar and was trapped outside. She had tufts of fur coming out and that damp, sticky bristly feel to a few clumps of fur. Hopefully he didn't break the skin but they're going to keep an eye on her.

We're away for a few days which means we'll have to take a chance and leave Marley access to the cat flap overnight - fingers crossed she doesn't run across him

Girls are okay. Tiddly is a bit quiet, she's got a few new feathers coming through and I'm sure the heat hasn't been helping. She took herself off to bed early yesterday which is unheard of! I think she's having a quiet little moult but there are hardly any feathers around. I can't help thinking Dory Grey is eating them (she has been known to hoover them up) but perhaps Tiddly isn't losing them much yet.
Karen
Alpha chick to: Smudge, Matisse and Bluebell
Chief servant to Marley the cat
Remembering Weeps, Rexie, Sage, Cassie, Toffee, Captain Gabby, Commander Nugget, Ronnie, Juno, Special Poetry and Reading Casper, Tigger, Tophenanall Rembrandt, Chestnut, Tiddly, Willow, Mango, Coco, Dorian Grey and Pokey.
Also my lost furries Charlie and Jasper
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sandy
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Re: karen's chicken diary

Post by sandy »

Excellent news re Marley )t' Smalls the cat where the pigs live has started attacking Sox Ped since Sooty Ped died, Mr Ped is not best pleased as he hates Smalls owners too
The Pink Ladies..Audrey,Ingrid-Bergman,Madeleline,Norma-Jean,Dora,Janice,Jo,Robyn,Chrissy and Joyce
The Peds…Mork,Mindy,Bell,Saphire &
Vorky ,Blueped,Ginger,Ninger &Linky

Sunny Clucker was ere July 12-21 2012
Sunny Clucker was ere July 6 2016 to Sept 9th 2017
Sunny Clucker is here , rehomed Aug 18th 2018/
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KarenE
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Re: karen's chicken diary

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We were away for a couple of days, and Tiddly has been really not well since we got back - I've been quite worried about her to be honest. Tail down, hunched and very bad poos, green and bright yellow. Not good at all. She was cold when I got back on Weds so I brought her in the house (remember it is her life's mission to live inside) and she seemed as happy as Larry sitting on my knee watching Eastenders. She warmed up, did a poo down my leg (!!) and ate a few bits of sweetcorn before I let her back out in the garden with Chesty and Dory. But she hoovered up the sunflower seeds I used to get them into their run, so I was hopeful it was just a softie or a moult.

Same again yesterday so again lots of cuddles to warm her up, and some tylan laced sweetcorn in case she had an infection, as there was no sign of a softie. Same again with the sunflower seeds.

I was quite worried about going out this morning but she seems much perkier, and has just been eating grapes and strawberries with the rest. There's a tiny softie egg in the nestbox, so I suppose she may have been struggling to get it out. I'll keep her on the tylan as I really didn't like the colour of her poos, and hope it was that plus a moult as she is growing some new feathers. Fingers crossed she perks up today. She really hasn't been her normal self. Not even any tapping on the cat flap the last few days! yike*

Marley absolutely fine and doesn't seem to have had any more encounters with the cat up the road so fingers crossed for a bit of peace & quiet as I am exhausted having to deal with animal related issues!!
Karen
Alpha chick to: Smudge, Matisse and Bluebell
Chief servant to Marley the cat
Remembering Weeps, Rexie, Sage, Cassie, Toffee, Captain Gabby, Commander Nugget, Ronnie, Juno, Special Poetry and Reading Casper, Tigger, Tophenanall Rembrandt, Chestnut, Tiddly, Willow, Mango, Coco, Dorian Grey and Pokey.
Also my lost furries Charlie and Jasper
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KarenE
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Re: karen's chicken diary

Post by KarenE »

Well Tiggs is an explosion in the garden and run, there are feathers everywhere. She is finding it very hard, bless her, and snuggles up on my knee whenever she can. Chestnut is being really horrible to her - possibly Chestnut's revenge as she had to moult while in lockdown in close quarters with the mad whirling Tiddly - so Tiggs is desperately trying to keep away from her. Bless her, she is making the sweetest little excited noises when I show up, which she has never made before. I'm making sure she gets plenty of sunflower seeds and mealworms to help her out. She reminds me so much of Nugget - she also used to love snuggling on my knee, and they both seem to enjoy being stroked and petted and their feather's ruffled even when moulting.

Chestnut I think has picked up a cold - I thought she was breathing a bit hard yesterday and when she came pelting up to me just now, she was gurgling so they've just had a load of sweetcorn with tylan on it, and I've popped it in all their water. Hopefully it's nothing more serious than a chicken cold. Chestnut though insists on drinking by pecking tiny drops of water off the lid of a container so I must get that out of her way!

Dory Grey is doing fine. She confuses me - she was batting Chestnut out of the way the other day for food, so I started wondering whether by some mysterious osmosis she'd actually dethroned Chestnut and made it to Top Hen An All yike* I still can't make up my mind. Perhaps she is newly emboldened by her successful chasing away of Marley, who if she allows Dory to chase her has got to be the mildest little cat in the world.

Dory is our only layer at the moment, so we have lots of lovely blue eggs and no brown ones at all. Chestnut I think gave up last year and Tiggs, if she was our layer, has stopped for her moult. We'll see if she starts up again after she's finished.

Marley has settled in nicely although still gives hubby the cold shoulder apart from when she wants food. She loves me though and comes up for fuss, and hops up onto the couch next to me to snooze. And she insists on having an escort into the garden from either me or hubby, I think she is still scared she might meet the cat up the road (who we haven't seen around too much) although that said she is also terrified of the chickens. Which they would say, is as it should be!
Karen
Alpha chick to: Smudge, Matisse and Bluebell
Chief servant to Marley the cat
Remembering Weeps, Rexie, Sage, Cassie, Toffee, Captain Gabby, Commander Nugget, Ronnie, Juno, Special Poetry and Reading Casper, Tigger, Tophenanall Rembrandt, Chestnut, Tiddly, Willow, Mango, Coco, Dorian Grey and Pokey.
Also my lost furries Charlie and Jasper
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HenPen
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Re: karen's chicken diary

Post by HenPen »

Poor Tigs. Horrible thing, moulting. She does sound like a cuddly, snuggly hen.

Re Dory Woo doing a Xena - funny thing (and I don't know if it is a Woo thing or a bottom hen thing or what) but Wiggy always gets particularly brave and feisty when she is laying on a very regular basis, and turns back into Scaredy Woo when she is off lay or only laying occasionally. Perhaps the Woos are slaves to their hormones!

I assume I'm about to see Scaredy (and indeed baldy) Woo again soon, as those chest feathers are swinging loose.
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kitla
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Re: karen's chicken diary

Post by kitla »

Seems quite early for a big moult, but spose it has been a long summer, it feels more like August than July. Poor Marley, she needs her own pusscat run so she can feel safe in the garden when you're not around! Have you seen Badcat around anymore?
"He who is cruel to animals becomes hard also in his dealings with men. We can judge the heart of a man by his treatment of animals."
--Immanuel Kant
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KarenE
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Re: karen's chicken diary

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Been quiet lately, I did my neck in a few weeks ago and have't been able to do much of anything, including staring at a computer screen! It's still giving me trouble but at least I am a bit more mobile now, although taking it very easy as I keep re-injuring it.

Chestnut is very bad. I gave the course of tylan, but come Monday she looked so bad around her rear end that I gave her a bath on Tuesday which she loved, and even the blow dry. And she had a huge helping of sweetcorn at the same time, which she also loved, especially as she hasn't been eating all that much. She was putting herself to bed all last week at around 3pm - unheard of! So I was quite worried. After her spa, she seemed to perk up a bit yesterday and stayed out, quite active, until about 6ish. Ate a bit and hung around on the back step all day, almost like she was asking for another spa! Today she is very bad, hardly moving or eating and really just spent the day dozing and drinking - she has been drinking an awful lot. She even let me pick her up and cuddle her. Her comb is very purple now. I had to carry her into the coop and put her to bed, as she was too tired to make it all the way in. I don't hold out much hope for her.

I've always suspected Chesty had an underlying condition, she has always had a runny bum since we got her and I think now she probably has eiother an internal growth or organ failure, or both. Bless her, I think it's a matter of when and not if, and I expect her to go tonight in her sleep. {cry}

Tiggs is fine, has lost her tail (regrowing nicely) and iis aquiring some lovely head feathers! So she is pinheady at the moment, and will look super once she's refeathered - for the first time, as she has been a scrappy little thing since we got her. Except true to form, she hasn't moulted the few feathers that she got covered in paint! Always contrary is our Tiddly.

So soon we may be two (wel, three with me of course) so I guess will have to start thinking about the next rehoming, whenever that is. I'll wait till Tiggs is through her moult.

Of course once CHestnut goes, this means that - gasp! - Dory Grey will be top hen. These woos are masters of stealth!

I don't fancy her chances of holding on to the top spot once we get some more batties though
Karen
Alpha chick to: Smudge, Matisse and Bluebell
Chief servant to Marley the cat
Remembering Weeps, Rexie, Sage, Cassie, Toffee, Captain Gabby, Commander Nugget, Ronnie, Juno, Special Poetry and Reading Casper, Tigger, Tophenanall Rembrandt, Chestnut, Tiddly, Willow, Mango, Coco, Dorian Grey and Pokey.
Also my lost furries Charlie and Jasper
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Re: karen's chicken diary

Post by bikesandbirdsbob »

Hi Karen , the voice of a harden chicken keeper , (Crying in side , from being powerless over nature ) Excepting the fact that she has had / still living the good life that only most chicken s could hope for.
Best wishes .
Bob
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kitla
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Re: karen's chicken diary

Post by kitla »

oh dear poor Chestnut, if she's drinking alot could be kidneys? Well I hope she goes peacefully & gently and the others dont miss her too much.{hug}

I sympathise with your aches & pains, I've had physio for Wry neck this week, must be bad neck season!
"He who is cruel to animals becomes hard also in his dealings with men. We can judge the heart of a man by his treatment of animals."
--Immanuel Kant
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HenPen
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Re: karen's chicken diary

Post by HenPen »

Oh Karen, I am sorry Chestnut is so poorly. I am sure with all your experience, you are right if you feel she hasn't got long and like Kitla, I hope she goes peacefully and gently. {hug}
Hope your neck is fully better soon. Trip to the osteopath, perhaps?
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Re: karen's chicken diary

Post by Cheshire Chick »

Hi Karen - Hope you are feeling better from your injury. Very sorry to hear about Chestnut. I know when Mary was poorly she was drinking a great deal of water. I know my vet said he could feel something inside (as well as having the dreaded peritonitis) so I believe it was a tumour. These poor girls do succumb to some awful illnesses. I was relieved when Mary passed peacefully in her sleep and I hope your Chestnut can do the same. At the end of the day, what a marvellous free loving life you have given to her (and all your other girls). It's also wonderful that you are considering re-homing again and giving other girls the chance of a happy life. Best wishes.

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