karen's chicken diary

[Cheshire Chick]

So glad your lovey Kitty has settled in so well. We were doing really well introducing our rescue cat to our 2 cats and then the new cat decided that he would start chasing our very gentle, nervous male cat. I have invested in "Feliway" defuser - very sceptical at first, but it seems to have really helped (touch wood). When we go on holiday in a couple of weeks we are hoping that they will all be able to have the run of the house, together.

[stripeddonkey]

So glad your lovey Kitty has settled in so well. We were doing really well introducing our rescue cat to our 2 cats and then the new cat decided that he would start chasing our very gentle, nervous male cat. I have invested in "Feliway" defuser - very sceptical at first, but it seems to have really helped (touch wood). When we go on holiday in a couple of weeks we are hoping that they will all be able to have the run of the house, together.

Hopefully things will settle down with your kitties. It can be stressful for all concerned integrating newbies. I haven't ever used Feliway but it has been around for a while which makes me think it must do some good otherwise it wouldn't sell. Keep us posted.

[KarenE]

Been off work all week so plenty of time in the garden with Marley and the girls. Bless Marley, she is so wanting to come and hang out with me but of course the girls (or the 'jets and sharks') aren't having any of that and come dancing up, clicking their fingers threateningly, and drive her off. I even caught Tiddly attempting a pincer movement on her today, so I had to shove her out of the way. Marley wouldn't hurt a fly (well, she might a mouse or bird) and even Dory Grey is giving her the evil eye.

Big Brown though was another matter entirely. They did NOT like meeting her! They clucked and ran all over the garden as soon as I set her down on the lawn, and even with a massive pile of mealworms and sunflower seeds in front of her, they kept a very wide berth. Dory was especially upset, which makes me wonder what she'll be like when I introduce new hens (not planning to atm but always inevitable at some stage). How can they have mistaken BB for a real hen????

Tiddly was the bravest, and eventually tiptoed nearer, with her neck craning as long as chickenly possible, but still wouldn't go for the pile of mealworms.



What a bunch of wusses. So I've had to hide BB in my greenhouse, the poor lonely girl. Would Wiggy like a playmate?

[kitla]

ha ha, praps Tiddly thinks BB is a bear!

[sandy]

Tiddly and BB, priceless photo Cone on Chestnut and Dory can you not smell BB dosent smell!

[Cheshire Chick]

Love the photo Karen - They sure don't like anything out of the ordinary.

[HenPen]

I've had to hide BB in my greenhouse, the poor lonely girl. Would Wiggy like a playmate?

I have no idea what Wiggy would make of that sort of visitor! I'm fairly certain that, if treats were involved, she would clamber all over BB to get to them and worry about being terrified later.

It is indeed a priceless photo

[KarenE]

I thought that too HP but it seems some things override even treats!

Tiddly has been a bit out of sorts over the weekend, very snuggly and dozing on my knee a lot. Yesterday there was a softie in the coop, which I suspected she would lay as she had the classic softie stance for 2 days, and there is also the odd feather around so I wonder if the silly girl is having a little moult. She is overdue one and it is very unlike her to lay softies.

Then yeserday, when she got up off my knee, I noticed tiny baby lice on my leg

So today the coop's cleaned, straw cleared away, nestboxes chucked and fresh ones in and DE everywhere. I shall ninja in to the coop tonight and harpermectin them all. Must go and DE their dustbathing spots too while I remember.

Tiddly Widdly though, for all her adoring fans out there who might be worried, is absolutely fine and dashing round the garden today, but still snuggly. She's even enjoying the Chicken Whisperer Move (tickle under the beak and wattles)

Dory Grey, the naughtiest chicken in the world, spent yesterday evening emptying the used straw out of the bucket and laying it all over the garden, clump by clump. God knows what was going through that daft little head of hers, but she was bok-boking the whole time she was doing it. Perhaps she was looking for Tiddlys softie (which i only found today on top of the bale of straw in their coop)

Chestnut remains the only sensible chicken in my flock

[bikesandbirdsbob]

Hi Karen , I think I have a few contenders for the stupid girls .
Whole flock of them.
Bob
Hope you are well.

[KarenE]

I forgot to ninja the girls in the end, but managed to get Tiddly as she was on my knee today, and Dory and Chestnut in the coop tonight. Hope that gets them but I might repeat over the next day or so.

Poor Tiddly not well again today, it looks like another softy - she was fine this morning but by the evening was softy standing and when I crept into the coop she was standing in the nest box looking very uncomfortable. I'm not sure what's going on with her lately, she's definitely out of sorts. I think a bath tomorrow, stick some tonic in their water and I am debating whether to stick a precautionary course of Tylan in. It feels like the wrong time for a moult, although there are odd feathers of hers around. And I don't think it's a calcium deficiency.

[kitla]

Oh No, Tiddly dont get ill! I'm seeing a few feathers about & Giblet has some new tail quills, so perhaps its time for a mini moult. I put this in Gibby's water when her eggs got really thin https://www.omlet.co.uk/images/cache/56 ... _100ml.jpg" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
They did get better this time, so it may have helped.

[KarenE]

She's still puffed up and np spftie - although don't get me wrong, she has legged it to the cat door as soon as I let them out this m,orning so she's not at death's door!

Where did you get that from Kitty?

[KarenE]

Tiddly continues to be up & down with softies, and is very snuggly and snoozy. I think it's a moult, there are feathers appearing. She's eating fine in fact they are just about to get some sardines to give her a protein boost (sshh don't tell them!)

I'm peed off though about the ivermectin - flippin stuff hasn't worked and the little thing is still crawling with the bloomin lice. So I'm going to get some frontline for cats in a bit and hope that works.

I think I will put her on a precautionary dose of tylan too as a broad spectrum ab as I have been finding a few lashes too, so I don't want to think of her having a low lying infection bubbling away. She's absolutely fine and running round the garden and of course knocking on the cat flap, which is a bit of a feat since we had to swap it for a microchipped one as the local bully cat has been coming in & terrorising Marley. Poor Marley was grabbed as she tried to come in through the new cat flap and chased the length of the entire garden and ended up at the very top of the apple tree! It took me a good half hour to coax her down and then she spent the entire evening snuggled up on the sofa next to me, which she never normally does. Anyway the new cat flap has sorted the bully cat from coming in (also off to buy a couple of water pistols to keep him out of the garden) but it's a longer tunnel which means the girls really have to crane their necks to get to the flap. It's hilarious, especially from this side as it's a nice clear door and you can see their little hopeful faces perfectly.

[sandy]

Come on Tiddly . let it be a moult. I now am anxious for a video of the new catflap, hope it isn't less annoying than the first one

[kitla]

Ooh yes, video of the new catflap in action please! If the water pistols don't put the rogue puss cat off perhaps a nerf gun would do better, us Kitty's must stick together! I believe Ivermectin only kills mites not lice, whereas the frontline will kill the lice not the mites.