Blind Giblet & friends at Chickenopolous

[sandy]

I reckon Bill needs to set up his own diary in the gardening section

[KarenE]

I reckon Bill could join a certain diary which already exists and have a cult following

[kitla]

Bill was standing on one leg this morning, either just posing or he had a sore foot.
So I gave him the Hibi/Sudo works on both feet, which I'll try to do everyday for
a while. He's quite easy to treat, he happily sits back on his bum & sticks his feet
out for me! what a funny boy he is! I'm quite sure Bill would be delighted to
introduce himself to the beautiful ladies of the hen group, perhaps later today, that
should give the girls time to preen themselves in readiness!

[KarenE]

Oh my goodness, I can hear the fluttering from here!

Bill sounds fantastic. I wish my girls were as obliging. Casper looks like I'm about to stuff and roast her whenever I give her a footbath. It's only the food she's lured with that keeps her in one place.

[kitla]

Alls quiet at Chickenopolous - well except for Bill of course! Giblet is off her nest
now & enjoying scratching in her flowerbed. When she stopped being broody she
was loving the cuddles more than ever but now she's moulting so I just go and
talk to her instead. Beany, Bonny & Nettle are still broody. Beany is very bad
tempered when she comes off for a break & keeps attacking poor Tiny. Tiny only
has short legs & gets exhausted quickly (not good in this weather) so I try to
guard her when Beany is out. I am very disappointed with Bill, he just stands by
& lets them fight rather than trying to break them up! though they are both twice
his size I suppose.

[KarenE]

Get the girls to tell Bill he'll lose his front cover status if he doesn't start pulling his weight!

I think it's pretty quiet everywhere at the moment, it's too hot for them to get up to much mischief. Mine are lying collapsed all over the garden lately - they look like they've melted. Who on earth would want to be broody in this heat? I'm not surprised Beany is bad tempered.

It;s good to hear Gibby is back to her old self again, hope she doesn't suffer too much with her moult.

[kitla]

Toffee-dog's impending operation has been taking most of my attention lately, now
she's recovering at the specialist vet for a few days I've turned my attention back
to Chickenopolous. Yesterday I discovered a naughty rat had been digging in Giblet's
run, when I lifted some stone to see how far it'd dug - the blooming thing was still
there! it shot out so fast all I saw was dust. I found it had also been digging in the
other run under the nestboxes where the broodies are, so all girls had to pile into
coop last night -(I'd been leaving the big-girl broodies out during the hot weather)
Last year we put rat-proof defences around the run but they can still squeeze in
where the coop pushes up to the run unless I block that bit each night. I was afraid
of big Treacle overheating lately so the pop hole has been propped open at night. I guess I cant do that anymore, I need to design some kind of mesh window in the coop for hot nights.
Gibby is enjoying her garden, she's made a Gibby sized little dirt patch in there already


Bonny & Beany the grumpy broody sisters dustbathing in the hole they've made that
used to be my courgette patch!

[sandy]

Glad to hear Toffee is recovering Lovely photos as always, Bonnie and Beany loo beautiful cosying up

[kitla]

Silly Billy got completely caught up in Giblet's fencing yesterday, I think he'd tried
to get through one of the holes, got his front half & wings through then got stuck
& couldn't get back out, then struggled & got his feet all tangled up! I had to cut
the fencing to get him out - good job I was here Bill! The day before I found him
in the house, in the guineapig cage (they were outside at the time), making a nest
in their bed - no Bill that's for guineapigs not eggs! Funny boy.
Despite the big trim Treacle's knickers & vent were looking pretty grim, I was afraid
she was developing vent gleet. So I did a bit of research & gave her an Epsom salt
botty bath, dabbed a bit of Dactarin around her vent, gave her a syringe full of
dilute Epsom salts. I think it's helped a bit. I've also ordered some Biostop & Beryls bacteria (probiotic for hens). I'm determined to restore her Orpington bloomers
back to their full glory!

[kitla]

I thought Tiny was about to moult as she hasn't laid an egg all week - why do I
never learn?! Found a pile of muddy eggs in the flowerbed, right near the house!
Tiny often spends the morning walking around shouting & following Bill, now I know
he's been making her nests, lucky I didn't find eggs in the guineapig house!
Poor Spotty is poorly again, she lays such big eggs for a little thing & every so often
they get stuck or break. Usually it resolves itself without me interfering so I'm leaving
her be for now.

[KarenE]

Bill is a character isn't he? You should consider renaming him to Dennis the Menace!

[sandy]

for Spotty, oh I do love hearing about the wonderful Bill

[kitla]

I found egg yolk under spotty's perch when I cleaned yesterday, but still no sign
of a shell or skin & she's passing that horrid soft yellowy poop, still eating but
looking very uncomfortable & not wanting to sit down. So off to the vets today
I think - (I reckon I'll go to the walk in one again Karen)
I received a chilled parcel yesterday with the Biostop & Beryls. The bio has gone
into the water for a few days (smells like cow wee ) Then I'll give Treacle
the Beryls bacteria. I think I should take poop pictures each day to see if there's
any improvement. If it doesnt help her I'll try some more epsom salts.

[sandy]

How did Spotty get on at the vets?

[kitla]

Well Spotty was not impressed by what the vet did to her (nor was I!) He certainly
made sure there was so shell left in there!! She was wheezing when she came out.
He prescribed tylan which surprised me, so I've had to treat the water for all of them
and I syringed some to Spotty to be sure. All day & into bedtime Spotty looked bad, I told my son we'll probably lose her, he laughed & said "Mum that's what you say every time!".....Sure enough she trotted out this morning much brighter & tucked into breakfast with the others. Fickle little things!