Starting my diary

Start your own thread and let us follow you through the year
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KarenE
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Re: Starting my diary

Post by KarenE »

Sorry to hear you've been having a tough time Hilly.

)t' for reserving some ex bats. I will do the same being down to my last 2 (plus Tiggs an ex batt so you never know how long they'll last) Are you getting them in the Jan rehoming?

Don't worry about the temperature. They'll snuggle together for warmth, just make sure the coop is draught free and there's lots of straw to snuggle into. Do need air circulation to keep the condensation down though. During the day they'll be scratching about so that'll keep them warm enough. And a little handful of corn before bedtime will also keep them warm overnight.

You could always give them some warm mash during the day (the chicken version of ready brek!)
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

HilierWard
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Re: Starting my diary

Post by HilierWard »

Yes, Karen, its the first one of the year - 9th Jan.

)like( the reference to ready brek!

Have already got mash, as I thought the ex-batts last Feb would need it, but they didn't. Now its starting to get colder, I think I may start giving them it all, mixed with abit of fruit.
HilierWard
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Re: Starting my diary

Post by HilierWard »

So, the new additions to the family have arrived. They are pale and frightened. I don't have names yet as not sure of their personalities.

First and second night, they needed coaxing to bed by torchlight and when I had shut them in, squarked a lot. Monday night, they took themselves to bed, , so all good in that direction. They have all now taken a grape from my hand.

I cant remember how to upload a photo, so if anyone can remind me - thanks. I have a photobucket account.
HilierWard
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Re: Starting my diary

Post by HilierWard »

Image

here they are x
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sandy
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Re: Starting my diary

Post by sandy »

Gorgeous girlies )like(
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: Starting my diary

Post by KarenE »

They look great and in very good condition. I think you got them at the same time I got my new two. Have you named yours yet?
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
HilierWard
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Re: Starting my diary

Post by HilierWard »

They look better in the picture than real life. There are bald patches on their necks and one of them has a bare and very red bottom. They are also very thin.

I think it was blood in poo on Saturday morning - nothing since though!

Their claws are double the length they should be - don't know what to do about that.

They will take grapes from me, but are so skittish, I wasn't able to pick them up - they were so intent in jumping out the way, they went backwards up the wire!

No names yet.
HilierWard
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Re: Starting my diary

Post by HilierWard »

Firstly, >ck< happy 1 year freedom to Dotty, Marilyn and Little Mo - gorgeous little girls. They are such good girls - they come when I shout them, they definitely know their names - all treats trained, obviously!

[url][/url]http://i1375.photobucket.com/albums/ag445/HilierWard/DSCF1990_zps11luuuok.jpg[url][/url]
HilierWard
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Re: Starting my diary

Post by HilierWard »

Doh

that shouldn't have been posted yet!

In order - Dotty first, Marilyn and then Little Mo!

Image

Image

Image

Having a compost bath:
Image
Image

The new additions to the flock are now named - Marge Simpson (tiny wee girl and huge comb) and the Cheeky girls.
Image
Image

They will come to me and take food out my hand. Marge is literally under my feet, constantly, whereas the other 2 are more wary. None of them like being touched.

The one in the rear is the most aggressive and will have any of the others walking past the netting.

The main flock all playing nicely:
Image
HilierWard
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Re: Starting my diary

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Last Monday (22nd) - got home at night and Dotty just wasn't "right". She wasn't interested and wouldn't run to me when I called. Rang a different vet in the village, who have a specialist chicken vet (my last experience of other vet wasn't good as I had to have Copper pts - they didn't diagnose eyp when I took her in weeks earlier!). Well, she wasn't around and they offered me an appointment on 1 March. As you all know, that's too long!
Made an appointment for the next day. I was dreading going down the garden the following morning, as I was expecting the worst. The 3 of them were chowing down on a softie and she was "right as rain". Every other day for the rest of the week, the morning routine saw the remnants of an eaten egg. She was fine.
Saturday morning, on the clean-out trip down the garden, whilst she was jumping up to get her share of the grapes, swarked and an egg fell out! {rofwl}
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KarenE
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Re: Starting my diary

Post by KarenE »

It sounds like Dotty is living up to her name!

Don't we all just hate it when that egg takes you by surprise :-D

If she's having a problem with recurring softies, have you tried adding some oystershell grit or limestone flour to her diet, maybe with a drop of cod liver oil to help her absorb the calcium?
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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sandy
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Re: Starting my diary

Post by sandy »

Brilliant photos )like( Dotty is grooming herself to the late and lamented fashionist Pyscho Olive in that pose
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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kitla
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Re: Starting my diary

Post by kitla »

aha, the naughty, surprise egg! perhaps a nice dose of vitamin D filled sunshine will help with the shells.
"He who is cruel to animals becomes hard also in his dealings with men. We can judge the heart of a man by his treatment of animals."
--Immanuel Kant
HilierWard
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Re: Starting my diary

Post by HilierWard »

Kitla - I think a dose of sunshine will do us all good.

Dotty and Marilyn have perfected their party trick. When I call their name in turn, will jump, flap, fly up onto my arm to receive their grape. I then put her down on the floor and call the other one to jump up. They get a cuddle before putting them on the floor. :-D

Little Mo has not mastered that trick, nor the others (who just expect their grapes by staring intently at me!).

Hope everyone has a good weekend, with no more posts on the Rainbow Bridge.
HilierWard
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Re: Starting my diary

Post by HilierWard »

Ive just re-read my last post - tempted fate!

So Wednesday night, Dotty went and stood in the place she does when she is "not feeling too well", went to bed as normal. Thursday morning, yolk where she slept and a jelly blob in the next box. Everything seemed fine when I went to work.

Came home lunchtime, as she was speeding away across the garden to the treat bowl, there was fresh blood on her bottom. When I picked her up to see, she had prolapsed.

Running round in an almost blind panic, got her to the vets who cleaned her up and pushed it back in. With antibiotics and anti inflammatory injections, we came home.

However, when we got home and I let her out in the garden, she was stumbling. I let the others out and they went straight to her rear end and pecked her, making her squeal. I put her in the dog crate with food and water, but it was clear she was having problems. She couldn't stand up without staggering and sat down with her eyes closed. They had drawn more blood and she had prolapsed again. There was nothing more I could do.

So the second visit to the vets in the space of 2 hours. {cry}

When I thought about it in the cold light of day, there was blood on the newspaper in the coop, she jumped onto my arm almost as soon as I let her out - and the blood was fresh. Her sisters had done this to her and she had tried to get out of their way.

The only good thing I can see at the moment, is that it couldn't have been happening for too long before I got home, as the blood was fresh.

I love them to pieces, but they were horrid, vile creatures to my little Dotty who had lived with them, ran with them and dug for worms with them, for the past year.

I miss her like crazy {cry} the garden is not the same.

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