karen's chicken diary

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Cheshire Chick
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Re: karen's chicken diary

Post by Cheshire Chick »

So sorry to hear you have lost Tiggs Karen. What a wonderful free life you have given her. These girls break your heart but hold on to your precious memories. Your photo's of Tiggs are absolutely fantastic. Take care.

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HenPen
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Re: karen's chicken diary

Post by HenPen »

I am so sorry to hear about Tiddly - she bore that illness with great bravery and bokked on as long as she could, because her life with you was fantastic. She was a lucky hen to join your branch of the Henpals, and a very clever girl to work out about the magic food door!

It is so sad to lose them. Sending you a big hug x
bikesandbirdsbob
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Re: karen's chicken diary

Post by bikesandbirdsbob »

Sad times all round , Thoughts are with you .
Bob
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sandy
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Re: karen's chicken diary

Post by sandy »

Aw Karen, we knew it was coming but what a stoic girl she was, so like her much loved sister Capt Gabby. What a fitting tribute of beautiful photos of one lovely girl {hug}
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 »

Thank you everyone. The garden, and my lap, is much quieter now she is gone. In some ways it's a relief though, it is hard to see them slowing down and becoming ill. I think Tiddly herself would have said she had an outstanding second part of her life. Not many chickens get to discover a secret code that when tapped out on a tiny door, releases pies and other goodies. Not even Sage and Casper, the smartest chickens in the world, discovered that!

Dory and Pokey are bokking on (nicked that from HP and I LOVE IT! so am going to claim it as my own with no copyright to her) and are quite happy chickening in the garden, although both are a little quieter and more clingy. Pokey in particular has been making sad little sounds - it's tempting to ascribe it to the loss of Tiddly but I don't think they were close (well, Pokey spent all her time trying to topple Tiggs from 2nd hen an all) but probably the change in flock dynamics has affected them.

We will get some ex batts - Kitty if you are thinking of rescuing some from that farmer, let me know and I'll join you. Although it is very tempting to get some more posh girls - another Remie perhaps. But my husband will talk me out of that in favour of the batties and of course he is quite right.
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 »

Dory and Pokey remain very well. They are allowed back into my greenhouse now my plants are established, and are back to their favourite dustbaths. They spend all day though camped out at our back door, and are stuffed with watermelon as I bought a massive one last week which I thought was on sale at the Aldi but turns out wasn't... {mr.angry} They have also discovered the gooseberries on the bush and help themselves every now and then (I don't mind, there are loads of berries) although do prefer it when I hand feed the berries to them! Divas. Pokey for the first time since Tighgs died hopped up on my knee for a preen, which was nice as I do miss not having a lap sitter. She didn't stay long of course.

Hardly seeing Marley at the minute, she is camping out in this hot weather although comes in for her tea and a belly rub every other night. She must be fending for herself with mice or something, she is an irregular eater.

Not much to report, all quiet on this front!
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 »

Oh my word it is HOT HOT HOT but you all knew that already :-D I'm marking this in my diary as up there with the Great Summer Heatwave of 1976 which I remember well even though I was only quite little, and mainly remember it for the explosion of ladybirds. They were everywhere and I remember piles of dead ones in the dusty gutters. Plus standpipes.

Amazingly enough no hosepipe bans for us yet!

Millions of damn flies though, tiny bites ones that have left me covered in itchy horrible bites, which swell. Horseflies are they? I don't react well to their bites.

Dory is hilarious and sunbathes, at the drop of a hat, STANDING UP! {rofwl} Never seen a chicken do that before. Even Pokey has melted and given in to sunbathing, although they are spending lots of time hiding in the shade. I bought a bag of frozen sweet corn so there'd always be cooling treats on hand. We got through the massive watermelon, they nibble on cucumber occasionally and I have a courgette and a galia melon for them (and us) to work through too.

Have some last pics of Tiggsy that I need to sort out & post. The sunflowers and asters (or perhaps dahlia, I have forgotten what I planted) are well established now -possibly because Dory has ravaged the border on the patio, claimed it as her own dust bath area and had the sunflowers there up. Blooming pest.

We've been taking advantage of the good weather and doing lots of gardening (loads of cooling breaks needed!) and Pokey has been helping. Dory has not.

Marley camps out for 2 or 3 days, then shows up on day 3, eats her body weight in food and then disappears again.

Hubby has just put the fan on. BLISS!!!!!!
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
bikesandbirdsbob
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Re: karen's chicken diary

Post by bikesandbirdsbob »

Hi Enjoy the sun , be back in another 30 years . It is all my doing as have not started saving the planet as yet.
Bob
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KarenE
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Re: karen's chicken diary

Post by KarenE »

Goodness me they are hardy! It's tipping it down here and the 2 little mischief makers were still out, wailing for me to give them treats. Thank goodness they follow a handful of corn anywhere.

Everyone's doing fine. Now that the temp has cooled, Marley shown up for the last few nights (I'll have to go get her out of the rain in a minute) and the girls are a smidge livelier especially Dory who I think has been finding the heat a little more difficult than Pokes. Pokes I think might be starting a moult, there's been the odd feather scattered. Both are still laying every day for Pokes and every 2-3 days for Dory.

The change in temp has sent me off the rails, this is why I turned up at Kitty's a week early for the henpals meet up {rofwl} That's my story and it's perfect cover for my 'kidnap Bill and Gibby' master plan....
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
bikesandbirdsbob
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Re: karen's chicken diary

Post by bikesandbirdsbob »

I`ve double booked canceled and found it was not the day and then re canceled and put back to the day I have canceled to confuse everybody .
Old age is my excuse.
see you Sat .
Bob
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KarenE
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Re: karen's chicken diary

Post by KarenE »

Wriggly poos from Dory Grey just now so it's flubenvet time! They will love that. Actually, they will as I serve it on treats.

Also I fear DG has bumblefoot yike* so wish me luck as I try to catch the worlds most scardiest flightiest chicken and get her to the vets and home again safely tomorrow.

Honestly, it just had to be her didn't it... }hairout{
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 »

KarenE wrote:Also I fear DG has bumblefoot yike* so wish me luck as I try to catch the worlds most scardiest flightiest chicken and get her to the vets and home again safely tomorrow.

Honestly, it just had to be her didn't it... }hairout{


Oh dear, tell me about it!!! It's always going to be the tricky option!
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KarenE
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Re: karen's chicken diary

Post by KarenE »

Goodness gracious me Dory is a multi faceted chicken! Capturing her was tricky enough, squeezing her into the cat carrier even more difficult as she kept exploding the box before we could get the lid on. Quiet as a mouse all the way to the vets, then bok-boked at every dog she saw, in between eating the pocketful of raisins I'd brought with me just in case I could tempt her. She didn't need much tempting, the first chicken who has stuffed her face AND bokked AND done stress panting.

Then when we got into the consulting room, she was as good as gold and in fact snuggled into me when I picked her up and fell asleep! yike*

Anyway, the vet says it's a very new bumble so no antibiotics as yet, we're going to bathe in hibiscrub twice a day and hope that kills it all off. if that doesn't work then it's antibiotics and luckily I don't have to take her back in for them. And I asked her to look at her gammy foot too but she could see nothing wrong with it, as in no bumbles etc, so that remains a mystery.

Hubby suggests we get a large lid or something big enough for the both of them to stand in and we entice Dory in with Pokey, as that might help to reassure Dory. So I got an old cat littler tray, which wasn't big enough and waved a sweetcorn cob over it. Pokey is straight into the bath but Dory is having none of that water stuff and is desperately trying to stretch her neck to unnatural lengths to get the sweetcorn.

And then Marley shows up, so everyone goes into a panic.

So the foot bath is moved to a counter top, Dory grabbed and plonked in it and bribed with sweetcorn and raisins, neither of which work as she is too busy watching Marley AND snuggling into the bath!

So Dory Grey is a secret snuggler IF you can catch her :?

Why are everyone else's chicken normal, and mine all quite bonkers?

Sadly though (for us, not her) Pokey had legged it down to the house this morning while we were catching Dory, and got locked in without us knowing. There's poo all over the kitchen and not a scrap of cat food, but she wasn't in the kitchen when we came through with Dory so I don't know where else she's been! I dread to look :-D

Marley is doing really well lately, she is letting hubby pat her and everything! She's been coming in every day for pats and food and snoozes, including during the day time and has taken herself off to bed upstairs. Perhaps its the change in weather has brought her back in. Either way, it's good to see her being a normal cat
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 »

Oh you do have some excitement at yours!

Glad it is a new bumble - that's the benefit of having a sharp-eyed human looking after you!
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KarenE
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Re: karen's chicken diary

Post by KarenE »

Looks like my 2 are keen not to be left out and have joined in the moulting fun. I suspected Dory was on her way as she was being uncharacteristically quiet, and we haven't had an egg from her in a little while. She's still quite perky though, she doesn't seem to take it quite as hard as some of the ex batts I've had over the years. Anyway, she's dropped feathers all over the lawn today, most of which she and Pokey have eaten so that explains why there aren't masses of feathers everywhere. Pokey has also been dropping a few feathers but is stil laying daily, she is teflon that one!

Dory's bumble seemed to be getting better. I've been way for a fortnight so of course couldn't continuie with the foot baths and am now trying to decide whether it's got any worse. Sadly I'm away again all of this week, all weekend and a chunk of next week so no footbaths forn Dory, but it doesn't look like it's got any bigger. Bless her, I think she secretly likes the fuss. Anyway, I ran out of hibiscrub and everywhere seemed to be out of stock - only just managed to get some in at the weekend.

Marley has been very affectionate since we got back from holiday and has been in & out, wanting to play and generally almost like a proper cat!
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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