My attempt to keep chickens.

[Cheshire Chick]

Glad you have still got the ducks Bob. Do you intend to keep them or are you still looking to re-home? I know exactly what you mean about work. Been furloughed now for 13 weeks and don't want to go back!! The longer I am at home the harder it will be. I too am enjoying the time in the garden with my chooks and cats. In these difficult and uncertain times it is a god send to have these animals. When there are so many horrible things going on and life seems so depressing to care and love your animals takes your mind of things. So no you are not mad - just a nice decent guy who loves his creatures.

[bikesandbirdsbob]

Hi thanks , would rather spend all day with my creatures , but night shift has turn tough and now need to sleep during the day (this is very rare but every shift ) . Earning my pay maybe , more like throwing stones at a the ivory towers .
Anyway , ducks seem happy enough , eating a frozen bag of sweet corn a day .
My worry is they will fly off . If a home that had a pond look after them I would let them go. I think they are fun , noisy in the morning before feeding .
Hot weather has calmed the flock down .
Rabbit ok ,
Have a sea gull in a box in my office ,taking it to the animal sanctuary in Essex .
Not sure what is wrong with it , get it checked out . Not flying far and easily caught with a coat thrown over it .
Do I have to come out of my bubble . I quite like it .trouble is people want to get close again . Love my space around me .
Bob

[Grannyof4]

They love other food apart from sweetcorn. Mine loved lettuce, defrosted peas, porridge oats. Unless they are small ducks, ie. Mallard size, I doubt if they will fly off.

[bikesandbirdsbob]

Hi , thank you ,
All as good as it gets . Big N is still with me . Simone (Berserker ) is sitting still on her nest , a bit much if you ask me , Litalen is looking after eggs as much as she can but wanders around whilst waiting for them to be laid . Duck`s doing well another 6 bags of sweet corn bought .
Hose pipe well in use , as I am paying full price for water not on a meter I use as much as I like . Thames is not far away so no water shortage for me.
Day shift next week , Not looking forward at all to it.
Keep well
Bob

[sandy]

Aw Bob sorry about your loss and so long in replying to you My wifi is a nightmare and i find typing on phone for dtl and fb a pain!
Get yourself a samsung or iphone and get Karen to show you how it works Henpen, Karen, Kitla and I are on group whatsup so we can 'talk' to one another instantly and send videos and photos immediately, no uploaded on any sites.
Ducks, i have expect to read you have goats next!
Concerning the cryptothaldium the girls have spoke to a farmers wife who said he knows of it and it should just pass naturally. Ronnie has been chesty and a few others head shaky but besides that they are fine.
Must ring you soon, you keep well x

[bikesandbirdsbob]

Hi all , as good as it can be .
Only sick hen is Big N .
Watching the others .
Ducks good .
Thank you Sandy for the treats and the mask . Love it Saving it for special occasion .
No sign of the fox in the garden .
Simone sister ( Berserker ) is still on the nest , Litalen is off the nests but still likes to have a go .11/12 eggs a day from the girls .
Cookie the rabbit is well and let out in garden last night . He went back in so the flock came out again .
This morning flock still a sleep at 4.00am but awake by 4.30 am .
Out in garden before 5.00 am .
I got a call at 5.00 am as ship late and had to hop it to work for 5.30 am .
Bit of a push as had to feed Big N .
She gets at least 4/5 feeds a day and her poo is pretty good as she gets fluid / pellets /chick feed and tom pasta water , dog gravy and any thing I can flavour it with .
Seems not to lose any weight and she lets me know when hungry . Also I check her crop so as don't drown her . it flows through and I give her a top up.
Vets for her at some time and do not expect a return home .
But for now she is enjoying being alive .
Sad as cannot do any more but dose her with meds (Increased the meds as not going to kill her .)
Bob

[KarenE]

How are you feeding Big N Bob? I got some harrison's recovery formula for Mango but she's not interested and I can't even open her beak to try and get some in...

[bikesandbirdsbob]

Hi ,
pellets , chick crum left over from ducks in a tub (yogurt ) fill with water . Add critical care powder , stir . Also tom pasta sauce left in jar washed out , honey and dog / cat gravy for additional flavouring . Squirt with a vets needle thingy .
She stands on the table opens her beak now and I squirt in . 1/2 inch level goes in and a her meds . After a couple of days top up . Liquidfy greens in blender and add water works as well . She gets fed in morning be fore work during the day and when I come home and before bed .
Her crop is full and not over filled as choke her . It goes through her and top up .
She is doing well weight wise but face is swollen and going much like Mrs Woo .
FM is keeping her company in kitchen and they go out the front garden in afternoon and back in sometime in the evening .
She seems well in her self . Just a matter of time before a final vet visit I think as she can not continue for ever like it .
Whilst she is moving around and generally enjoying life as it is not a problem .
Of all the illnesses Canker is the worst I have had to deal with .
Rest of flock seem ok .
Young white hen caught a mouse and killed it with a beak jab and ran around the garden . She did not have it long , I tried to catch her but no chance . The young black hen caught up with her and stole the mouse and disappeared some where and next time I saw her she seemed to be a lot happy hen .
No mouse .
out come one less for the cat to catch.
Bob

[bikesandbirdsbob]

Hi all , well I new it was not going to last the peace and quiet of fowl keeping .
My ducks have decided to break into the wire covering the FISH pond .
They was in the garden last night when I got home at 5.30pm and I fed them all and went in doors to sort the rest of my creatures out .
When I looked out the kitchen window I could not see them and wandered as one does where they where.
Well could not see them and thought have a look around the rocks by the fish pond .
There they where splashing away , gobbling up the weed, lily pads and the slime weed growing off the sides .
Panic set in straight away as I thought my goldfish have had it.....
I watched them enjoying themselves happily and all my attempts to extract them and joining them in it at the deep end failed .
I took the wire top off , i called , flapped around the pond which not only must have been amusing to neighbours . No chance they just tipped their heads to the side and paddled up the other end or stood on the shallow bits .
I got the hose pipe out and filled the pond up to raise the water level so they could get out the side as against through the wire gap they made in the middle .
I even started spraying them which they enjoyed as well and with a look of we like this . I went in doors .
Eventually a good hand full of sweet corn got them out .
The other problem being the chickens do not like the idea of missing out and walking on the lily pads which are pretty thick will be tempting , I could see it in the eyes of No 10 , Red and Scramble for sure . Will not take them much effort to work out the way to get the weed .
. I let the flock out at 4.30 am this morning and with in a matter of minutes after eating the sweet corn the bl..... ducks had managed to get back in the pond .
Made it easier for them to get out and left them to it . I hope the fish have some sense to go deep , but the ducks are now getting right under the water .
A pretty picture for sure , white on the green ( Disappearing fast back ground .
Good side , will not need to clean the pond weed out ever again .
Duck poo fish can eat ….
rest of the flock ok .
Good news on Big N , After cleaning her face up after feeding her . A big lump of Canker came off her side (left ) of face . Left behind was a pink skin edging . This I did not see on Mrs Woo at any time . I am hoping that is a good sign that the med`s are working .
Gave her two full crop loads of fluid (food ) .
So mixed bag of feelings today . Thinking of putting a wire fence around the pond 3 feet high so as to keep the ducks out , or there will be no weed and then no fish . The weed may last another couple of days the way they are eating it .
This I new was going to happen at some point .
Bob

[Gwenoakes]

What you wrote, Bob had me going back years when we had a duck.
We also had a pond with lots of big healthy gold fish in it, then the duck decided to investigate the pond. Her name was Nellie and she nibbled at the fish until they all died and when I emptied the pond there were a load of eggs that she had laid in it.
Ducks just love water too much to ever not try to get in a pond unfortunately. All my efforts to keep Nellie out were unfortunately for the fish in vain.
Long may it last with Big N and hopefully you may have reached a turning point with things going up from here on in.

[bikesandbirdsbob]

Hi , what I was fearing , Need a fence round it and more wire over it .
Fortunately have plenty of wire and posts (ex building left overs ..
The pond is 5 feet so fish have some chance.
Bob

[bikesandbirdsbob]

Hi all , well last night I got cold and wet , laying more wire over the pond with the ducks locked up in run eye balling me.
Not sure if it would work .
This am (4.30 am ) I let them all out and blow me the ducks waddled round to the pond , jumped /scrambled up and started dancing on the wire . I honestly thought it was going to all give way .
afternoon visit and they still had not broken into the pond and had retreated to the hydranger plant .
So it looks like it all worked .Not sure how I am going to extract weed from the pond . I actual have seen one goldfish .
Big N is still being fed 12 eggs today .
Flock doing as well as I can hope for . NO FOX , should not speak to soon .
rabbit had a hour in garden and a while out the front lawn and a cuddle whilst watching tele .
Mice in run (I hope ) trap for them needs a bit more sighting as went off and nothing inside . Maybe a chicken but the bread was out side by a hole in wood .
Sat working and off till Monday .
Interesting week a head . Doctors phone call and the company doctor , which turns out will take longer .
Be a interesting conversation with them .
Not expecting much maybe a bit of time resting …. (Hopefully)
Have a good weekend and keep safe . Not planning on going near any pubs ,town centres or other areas of mass stupid people not keeping 6 feet apart .
Bob

[bikesandbirdsbob]

Hi how a good weekend helps one put life in prospective.
Flock good , Big hen still around quite happy though I want to remove some canker , but not sure if I should . Vet probably be helpful , but not sure the result .
Scramble had her legs cream . Cleaned out the big coop and tomorrow the little one.
Simone ( Berserker ) is still on the nest . I think she is the longest sitting hen I have had. Plenty of eggs and given quite a few away to deserving homes.
Do not want to advertise that to much or no one will pay for them.
2 bags of mixed corn , one bag og barley and a bag of pellets Sa6urday , should get5 through the month with left overs from last month. 45 pound s with rabbit food which is more expensive than the chickens .
Nights this week and the hens have a job Wednesday , slug hunting . Be fun watching them with the kids on guard for the fox that comes around there garden.
They will be safe as I would not take them otherwise .
Leg Pecker .
Red .
No 10 and the youngsters white , black and a blue (Esmerelda /M R Lee .
As always stay safe and well.
Bob.

[bikesandbirdsbob]

Hi all , wet , a good day for slug hunting .
Going to take the flock ( some of them ) , Cookie the rabbit , thought about the ducks as well , with me dog Polo .
Slight change though taking the dog (Polo Fatty ) over the woods with the children , on request . Before the flock go.
Simone is still on nest though came off by picking up and putting in the garden , for a while then disappeared back again .
Plenty of eggs .
Big N mouth started bleeding as she was trying to get rid of her Canker .
Washed her beak out .
Pasta for the flock today , ducks dive in the bowl with chickens so they love it .
Doctors phone call , is a joke .
They want a video show to see it , aint got one, computer or phone thingy so got told tough luck .
A phone nr and buck passed .
might work for them but me hopeless . If I want to go private why should I pay for NHS .
As a NHS man refuse to pay private .
Maybe a new thread on this subject .
Anyway Main event is the company DOCTOR . Should be interesting .
2 weeks to shutdown , but looks like end up working normal all the way through .
Maybe .
Hens all good and probably waiting to get out in the rain.
Keep safe and well .
Bob

[bikesandbirdsbob]

Hi all , Flock good much the same , struggling to think of treats and variation of food for the ducks .
Seems mean just mixed corn cabbage and odd bits .
Company doctors on phone , so why do I think why bother . If no appointment is going to be made there is not one.
If this is the future , hospitals do it and all , well it will not take long to cull me for sure.
Like the song says times they are a changing .
Have to get some vet meds for big N as last watered 5 pills in bottle .
Locked up the hens last night and turned round and Litalen was pecking away in the middle of garden . Guided her in but lucky really if she was not out in the open I might have missed her as running late .
Well as normal stay safe and well , being sick is to complicated .
Bob