My attempt to keep chickens.

[bikesandbirdsbob]

Hi Joan is living 2 lives at the moment , goes out with the flock during the day and hangs about the back door to go to bed with Evil. Not sure if it is good . Keeps Evil company . Gets fed lots of treats .
Lots of eggs . May have enough cash for their food this month (not vet bills) , at least if looks good with the egg tin . Soon mounts up.
Simone is on Baytril 2 a day . She is acting normal . Still crusty on head but not worse .
Good clean out due .
Red is into everything . Try`s to get the rolls before I take the plastic off .
Follows me like a dog around the garden . I am looking forward to summer and having her sit on my lap and keeping me company .
A few others are also becoming character`s . Picked Scramble Junior up this morning and put her on ground . Think I should re name her chunky as she is rather heavy....... SHMBO would say FAT.
Well most of the creatures I have are rotund to say the least.
Simone is back at vets in a week so see what happens then .
Clean out is the orders of the day .
BVob

[bikesandbirdsbob]

Hi all, well things are settling down in my garden again .
Joan stays in dog cage over night and she has freedom of the garden during the day . She waits outside the back door to come at evening time. Evil sits on bench and chills . Jack and his hens had a stretch last night . 2 Terrors are in the same run over night and not fighting .
Desmond shares a banana with evil on the bench .
Simone and her friend wonder about the garden . The hybrid hen does not seem to come out of the run for some reason . Suns out and they are chilling . Boys up around 5.00 am in the morning , early but can live with that . people go off to work . Birds are singing before them .
Lots of eggs 90 pounds so far this month in egg money with 5 pounds plus owed . More this week end . Try to get it up to 100. Give plenty of free eggs away to SHMBO and the roll man at work . Gives me 4 sacks of food fromm vending m/c out of date for the bins . Feds the flock and me for the week . 12 eggs can get well over 100 pounds of food (that is my value not the price on the packets .
My freezer is full of meat pies and rolls .
pot noddles I still have 30 not eaten.
Simone seems to be getting better in her self but still crust on head .
Baytril is taking its time to sort it out.
She is another friendly hen . Red is my favorite as is always by my side food or no food . She due to this has her following .
Scramble Junior keeps to her self . My Woo is laying the green/blue eggs . Litalen is still trying to hatch eggs and objects strongly to me taking them from her .
Rats Made a few jump 1 foot in the air .
Cats go hunting with me in the evening . they are coming out in the day light which is going to be the death of them for sure .
Working Sat day and Sunday night shift next week and nights next week so plenty of time to interact with the flock next week.
Seems Brexit is not going to cause me to many headaches.
waiting for my separation figure`s in post which did not ask for but the company is sending them out anyway . as decided I was staying they might say missed the boat...
Bob

[bikesandbirdsbob]

Hi all , much the same going on at the flock of Penelope and Red.
Evil is spending more time outside ,sits with Desmond and Desmond shares her banana . Red is up, down behind and in front of me , not missing a thing .
She even looks about the kitchen and lounge as I walk through the house to the front grass .
With in minutes she is through the front door and at the dog food.
If no food in kitchen she stays out the front with evil .
Plenty of eggs around .
93 pounds in egg tin not a bad month . Still no profit .
Well busy night shift counting sheep.
Getting interesting at work .
Bob

[sandy]

Bob remind me how Red got her name as you previously had the much loved Red before?
i tried the girls with bananas, nada totally ignored them!

[bikesandbirdsbob]

Hi Sandy , well red is her color, she is a very dark brown hybrid so Red seemed a good name.
She just into everything . She even swiped a roll in a plastic bag unopened .
Pick her up , just ask`s to be . Lovable rogue of a hen .
Simone is the only hen on the sick list . Evil has Joan for company . Wing is still down , but as her end is cut of it she is not walking on it .
Desmond sits with Evil on the back of the bench . dozen eggs a day .Flock good and enjoying them , well the weather has changed now so not so much .
Sandy are you coming towards London in the near future.
Meet you half way .
Got another package from you again . Thank you .
See you soon .
Bob

[sandy]

AH but you had a red Bob? A special Red so is this Red 2 or Reddish
Bob , Karen has invited us to hers for next get together so hopefully will neet you then although she seems to have gone undercover? Maybe shes hoping we have forgotten

[bikesandbirdsbob]

Hi Sandy , always visit your flocks anytime .
Well Red is her name and eating is her game. She is one of a couple of really dark color hybrids. But stands out . Do not have to look for her as she is there.
News on broody front . Simone`s sister got at the start of the year , has gone broody .
was worried she was sick but after taking to eggs from under her soon realized it.
Can get her off her nest easily , dangle a worm near her and then she is out and looking for more .
Have another hen in with Evil and Joan . She came to the back door . Looking sorry for her self. Picked her up and she was sick (fluid ) . gaver her crop a rub and another lot came out . So tipped her and then she had it mostly out .
Gave her Pancur and Baytril . She seems Ok tonight and will see how she is in the morning .
Pasta and sauce for everyone today as cooked 2 bags (30 pence each) So a cheap treat . Still some for tomorrow.
Flock does not want to go to the runs and takes me 30 minutes getting them in the right places. The sick hen is from the main run. Not the sisters (Sam ) mob . The one s before Jacks.
Scramble took food from my hand as well today . Even the Woo is taking it by hand.
A re homing on Sunday but racing so can not get to it . Have offered if they have left over hens that need homing to take a few . cannot take as many as the last time as still pretty full . Not replied yet see next Monday.
Well more Thurs evening.
Bob

[bikesandbirdsbob]

Hi all ,sad day as lost my Cockoo maran yellow ring . Died whilst she had her morning dusting .
I have blue ring no. 6 in the dog cage on meds . Water fluid in crop , tipped and meds.
Eating and tylan in water down throat . She may survive but will have to wait and see .
No. 2 is in as well but she is ill and looks in a worse condition . Have seen this all before. This hens are coming up to 4 years old and is a bad time for them.
Simone is keeping clear of me , trying any way . Not getting better but not worse . her sister hen is broody . laying as flat as she can get her body . Not even on an egg- a very small cherry tom. Silly girl . Litalen is the same but grabs a nest with an egg in it.
So sad times at the flock of Penelope and Red .
Working Sunday . days next week .
Bob

[bikesandbirdsbob]

Hi all , well as expected my Blue ring Hybrid No. 002 died during the night Fri/ Sat 5/6th April.
Blue ring No. 006 is still in dog cage on med`s and feeding and water with Tylan administered by squirts .
She is still alive this morning when I left for work and will continue with above . It is the same sort of thing as many other hens get . If I take to the vets apart from 30 pound lighter and the same med`s not much can be done.
If I can get the med`s to work some magic and she can stay alive long enough then she may have a few more months of life . While she has the strength to resist then will persist.
Simone had her med`s again last night , thought I give her legs a wash and surgical fluid to help her . I could say a naughty word , when I washed her claw the mud came of and the end skin and blood poured out. More naughty words ....
She was pretty cool about it all.
I bandaged it up eventually with the surgical fluid well lubricated on claw and pad.
Left her in dog cage which is pretty full now , Evil the death watcher ,poor girl , she will never be liked as they will not want to go the same way..
Blue no.006 and Simone . Well Simone wanted the corner next to Evil (old pal ) and poor old No.006 had to shift. I gave No.006 some cabbage and toms cherry type before bed . Not sure of if this is a magic cure instead of sweet corn can not say .
She has lot of fluid in her crop which she is sicking up. i have tipped her several times and replaced with fresh tylan water and med`s . If anyone knows what fluid in crop is be good to now . Solid is a massage job presume she needs bread / pellets so soak up fluid a bit .Well I will keep giving her attention but she has lost a bit of weight and though not skin and bones she needs to get some food into her system. Time will tell , not always a healer though.
day shift Monday so good vibes needed from the flocks . Boys awake at 5.30 am this morning , they had a lay in or I did not hear them . Out of bed at 6.00 am .
Check the flock before I go for my MTB bike race this pm .
Bob

[KarenE]

No 006 sounds like she has sour crop Bob which I'm sure you know is a yeast infection and the fluid'll be a by product of the fungus as the body fights it off, so actually don't give her meds as it disrupts the natural flora in her system and its the good bacteria she needs to fight off the yeast. I think vets prescribe nystatin, and apple cider vinegar is also good as is probiotic yoghurt. Keep her off food as much as you can till the crop has cleared, and then only wet food like mash mixed with water. Massage through the day in case there's a blockage there.

It could be a yeast infection, or it could be a blockage deeper in her system like the gizzard (undigested matter or a tumour) and if it is there's probably little you can do

Sorry to hear of your recent losses, you are going through it lately

[Cheshire Chick]

Sorry to hear of your losses and illnesses at the moment Bob. Hope things improve for you very, very soon.

[bikesandbirdsbob]

Hi all , today another hen joined blue no 6 over the bridge .
So from the flock of blues 2 6 and 7 have all died in a week .
Red is no 5 so I am especially looking at her . She is eating well and runs off with rolls still in the bag .....
Not much to say , but a little worrying about what is happening in the flock .
Does not seem catchy as they are in the main flock /run.
Bob

[sandy]

Aw Bob so sorry you have lost more of your little family. You know they can pass away suddenly and without warning from a multitude of ailments so dont second guess you wonderful care.

[bikesandbirdsbob]

Hi Sandy , I am making sure that the rest of the flock are o k as if something untoward`s is happening . red is in the same batch so she is of keen interest to me .
Had over 72 eggs now down to 24 so done well on egg promotion .
Days are longer and the flock want to stay out in garden longer . I try and put the main flock away so Jack`s hen`s can have a bit of time in the garden.
I think Jack looks after his hens well as the two Terrors are always hanging about the run/coop showing off to them much to Jack`s annoyance .
Evil has Joan with her over night and then sits on bench with Desmond for company whilst Joan wanders around . Both the hens get the front lawn for grass and exercise before sleep.
Hoping it all settles down again for a while .
Not planning on replacing lost members of the flock . try and get to a more manageable numbers .
We will see .
Bob

[bikesandbirdsbob]

Hi all , I was lazy last night and did not put the sheeting over he coops , Jack paid me back by being awake at 4.30 am .
Will not be doing that again in a hurry.
Flock seem o k , Red is still following me around and in to everything I have . Scramble Junior has now joined the faces looking through the door at the dog cage .
Had a rough count up and recon on 39 in the flocks.
14 in the Terrors run , 6 in Jacks 3 in the rescue Simone`s quarters 2 in pom Pom coop 8 sleeping out in the run with Desmond . The rest in the large coop with Litalen .
Maybe now I should open up the large run and let the Terrors and Desmond together . Against this it at least lets Desmond have some time to his hens on his own and rest peacefully. . Jack is doing so well with his hens I would not change them . Lots of eggs from his hens.
Well Simone is due to go to vets and will make an appointment for today . need some Baytril as low .
hope everyone has a good weekend .
Bob