I wanted to show you the size difference between our very own Little and Large:
And all of them in the sunshine. As veggie patches go it isn't very impressive but we have big plans. All we have in there is a rhubarb, which I cover with a plastic box when the chickens are out to stop them eating the leaves, and a huge sage which Amber keeps whipping leaves off and spitting them out again in disgust.
Talking of Amber, as you can see, Cupid was really enjoying her dust bath... (cue Jaws music... Duh dum... Duh dum... Duh dum) Amber arrives. Cupid goes rigid
Amber pecks her comb, I tell Amber off, Cupid decides she doesn't want to dust bathe any more
After a frustrating hour, I think I may have posted my video! Look - almost total recall. Well, three out of five ain't bad.
Wiggy didn't come running as she was in the dust bathing trance. I do want to post a video of her as she comes if you call her name, but not at the moment for two reasons: firstly, she is not pleased with us because - as Vaseline wasn't working - we treated all of them for scaly leg mite with some Nettex Scaly Leg Remover spray (strange name, makes it sound a bit extreme. I hope it doesn't actually remove the legs! This is the second treatment and they aren't keen. Not sure if it's working - anyone had any experience of it?).
But also, Wiggy jumped down from the bench to see my daughter this morning and landed awkwardly. Her leg had been so much better but she has obviously hurt herself again. I feel so sorry for her, she was making little pained noises straight afterwards, but this evening she seemed much better although she was definitely favouring it. She is able to grasp with the claw and walk and run, scratch and dust bathe, but doesn't like to put her weight on it. (I will keep an eye on things. Between that and the scaly leg, I wouldn't be surprised if I am getting advice from the vet soon.)
I had put a pallet under the bench so that it was a graduated drop down, but as this doesn't seem to have done the trick, I have put a smaller pallet on top of that, so now she has a staircase to walk down like a starlet from an old Hollywood movie. Well, that seems fair - she is very special!
Goodness me, I would usually not comment on a lady's fuller figure but - my, isn't Wiggy big boned?? She needs to cut back on that Hollywood starlet lifestyle! You really don't need a spade when digging over that veg patch if you've got Wiggy Woo dustbathing for you..
But - but - Wiggy is camera shy?? I'm disappointed she wasn't centre stage - and more importantly I hope she hasn't really hurt herself. Have you felt her leg, to check she hasn't broken it or anything? Mind you if she's dustbathing she's probably just sprained it .
I haven't had scaly leg (touch wood) - isn't olive oil supposed to do the trick?
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
Are you sure you haven't got a special Easter dinner in mind??
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
I needed to redo the chickens' scaly leg spray so my daughter and I decided to combine it with pedicures all round and a full spa treatment for Wiggy, who had a mucky bottom again.
Wiggy has a gigantic fluffy bum, by far the biggest and fluffiest of the girls. When the others poo - particularly Immaculate Amber - their vents seem to open right up in a really startling way and there is very good clearance of the fluffy feathers. More often than not, Wiggy has a small streak up her bottom feathers (can't believe I am writing all this) as she just can't muster much feather clearance. Combine this with being so huge that she can't reach her bottom when she preens, and spa treatments are just going to be a feature of her life. Fortunately, it is one thing she seems to take in her stride.
Thing is, I had been putting it off because catching her is always a traumatic event all round, and I had wanted her sore leg to have a bit of time to heal. Suffice it to say it was rather... yuk.... overdue... urgh... and smelly... bleurgh... and there was more hidden in the fluff than it looked like there was... and I am sure she feels much happier now she is as fresh as a (giant, chickeny) daisy.
I had looked on here among the older threads and someone recommended a quick trim for a hen who frequently got a dirty bum, so we added a cut and blowdry to her spa treatment. She seemed OK with it.
We then used a baby toothbrush to clean her legs thoroughly before adding the scaly leg spray. Then once she was finished we gave all the other chooks the toothbrush and spray treatment. Their legs all looked so much better afterwards, just for being clean.
I am glad it is done but I am a bit sad too, since today was the first time in ages that Wiggy has been almost as friendly as usual and I've been missing her being my buddy. Although she seemed to positively enjoy her pamper session and the cuddles (and grapes) which accompanied it, she was very wary once back in the run.
Poor Wiggy is really in the wars lately isn't she? At least she has the consolation of a lovely spa and a nice clean posterior. How's her leg shaping up - is she using it fully again? Perhaps the wariness in the run is nothing to do with you and the spa, she might be avoiding another naughty girl?
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
Yes it is a bit better now. She is putting a bit more weight on it (and that is quite a bit of weight, as you know!) and she is running (well, galumphing) and scratching.
Actually no, I'm afraid it was me she was avoiding - they were all huddled together looking a bit perplexed after their treatments yesterday... except the unflappable Cupid, of course, who was pecking my shoes as usual within moments. She is such a brave girl.
Catching up, love the dustbath routine and you very enthusiastic vocals on the video
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/
So much for Immaculate Amber. She had a 'dire-rear', haha, so she got the full spa treatment and boy, oh boy!... I thought Wiggy liked it, but Amber thought it was the best thing in the whole world ever. She relaxed so much she nearly fell asleep.
It's all downhill from there though as I have decided to Flub them, so it's a quiet life for a week without even the excitement of treats, poor girls.
Can you counterbalance the horrors of flub with the spa treatments? It might work as distraction therapy (probably not!)
Fancy your guys loving their spas. I can't say any of mine have really been all that impressed with it, although Nugget did quite enjoy the blow dryer but she was sick at the time so may have decided to go with it. Weeps, Rex, Sage and Gabby weren't impressed at their spas though. Fussy.
What breed is your Cupid again? She does look a lot like Remie, and the farm I got her from said she is a copper black (maran) but I'm starting to have my doubts. LL's Posh (I think) is also a Remie-a-like but she says she's a black star.
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
I was told she was a Rhode Rock (several other names, they said, which included Black Rock, Black Pearl and a Bovans Nera).
They do look alike, don't they? Although Remie looks rather more gorgeous and less moth eaten...
PS... Now feeling very . I have just been on the website of the people we got our hens from and she looks identical to their Rhode Rock photo (so much so, that it could be her), and not a lot like the photo of the fairly similar Maran Cuivree, which they also sell. When we got her, she had very pale pinky yellow legs (you can see them on page 1 of the diary) which is how they came to say she was a Rhode Rock, but now she has very, very dark grey/blue/almost black legs; she lays light pinky brown eggs with splotches. This is odd though... (From the website of the place we got her) Maran Cuivree hens have black body feathers with copper chest feathers. They lay fantastic dark brown eggs so you can always identify which is hers! They are beautiful hens, often similar in appearance to the Rhode Rock. The most apparent difference in appearance between these two breeds is the colour of the legs- a Maran will have dark silver-blue legs and the Rhode Rock will have pale yellow legs. So now I am bamboozled! Maybe she is morphing from one breed into the other . They do like to keep us on our toes, don't they?
Well, that seems fair - she is very special!
how could you suggest such a thing?!
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Karen you have opened up a can of worms! I am sure Cupid would love it if you did - worms is her fave!
