Giblet the chick

Discuss, share and chat about all things relating to keeping Chickens including health issues
User avatar
kitla
Legendary Laner
Posts: 3752
Joined: 30 Oct 2009, 23:25
Gender: Female
Location: Northants

Re: Giblet the chick

Post by kitla »

I bought some proper chicken fencing & made Giblet's garden more secure & bigger,
her grass lawn has grown quite a bit now & I've planted her a little flower bed of
herbs & lavender (only a blind hen can have her own flower bed!)
Giblet is so happy in her new garden! she regularly "baths" and rolls in the grass,
and wanders right up to the fence and moonwalks backwards while pecking at the
grass. She seems quite happy on her own in the day, she can hear the others nearby
and Tiny still sleeps with her at night.
Giblet's flowerbed
[url=http://s474.photobucket.com/user/kittyla/media/P1020263_zpsdd1643a9.jpg.html]
Image[/url]
Gibby enjoying the sunshine
Image
ImageImage
"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

chookmike
Longlasting Laner
Posts: 935
Joined: 03 Dec 2012, 00:42

Re: Giblet the chick

Post by chookmike »

Bless her little cotton socks. She is obviously coping - more than coping actually and enjoying life. The sun feels the same whether you can see it or not I guess and well done to you for all your care and hard work.

Mike
User avatar
kitla
Legendary Laner
Posts: 3752
Joined: 30 Oct 2009, 23:25
Gender: Female
Location: Northants

Re: Giblet the chick

Post by kitla »

Giblet is still a happy girl, enjoying her garden, loving a cuddle, laying eggs, sharing
her coop with Tiny at night. However there's another twist to the tale which although not directly about Giblet I thought should be part of her story. It's about her dad, Smidge.
As I've mentioned, we think Smidge was interbred which is what led to Giblet's
blindness. Last year he began to develop a misshapen pupil, the vet didn't think it
was mareks - more likely a genetic weakness. Well a year on and Smidge is totally
blind in one eye and is going that way in the other
his left eye (the blind one) a year ago -
Image
and now
Image
His right eye then -
Image
and now
Image
As I don't know how much time he has left before he is totally blind I feel under
pressure to arrange things so he can manage when that happens. It's a totally
different challenge than Giblet's set up, she has never known anything else & is
content in her pen where everything stays the same. Smidge has always free ranged
the garden which has different areas, steps, shrubs, flower beds, rock walls. The run where the food is gets moved around when there's any new hens.
Firstly I need to find a way to make the food place constant, weather proof and easy
for him to get to. At treat time I've started hand feeding him which he's soon cottoned onto! It's a bit painful though as he keeps grabbing my finger by mistake! We're hoping he knows the garden so well that he'll manage to follow his girls around ok. My son
suggested he live with Giblet but I think that would terrify her (he's rather rampant :oops: ) and losing his flock & being confined would be cruel, if it came to
that it would probably be better he was pts.
He's such a lovely, tame boy, my son regards him as his own and his friends on Skype often see Smidge sat on his lap! He just loves being fussed, he goes into a trance
when one of his girls grooms him or when we stroke him. At the vet last week he fell
asleep on the table while he was being checked over! We'd be really sad to lose him.
Some Smidge moment..............
Image
Image
Image
Image
Image
"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
User avatar
ChickenCarol
Longlasting Laner
Posts: 677
Joined: 13 Jun 2012, 21:08
Gender: Female
Location: Buckinghamshire, England

Re: Giblet the chick

Post by ChickenCarol »

Yours is such a heart warming story. You have coped so well with Giblet and it so sad that her dad is now going blind too. You will make the right decisions as you go along and must keep us posted as I am sure we will all be waiting for news on this ongoing story.
User avatar
sandy
Legendary Laner
Posts: 9915
Joined: 13 Oct 2008, 21:59
Gender: Female
Location: Bristol

Re: Giblet the chick

Post by sandy »

As CC said please keep us upto date, thank goodness they have you looking after them. lovely photos )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/
User avatar
Linda S
Legendary Laner
Posts: 5977
Joined: 06 Apr 2012, 22:55
Gender: Female
Location: west yorkshire

Re: Giblet the chick

Post by Linda S »

They were lucky that you are their mum Kitla we all know what their fate could have been and it wouldnt be the happy and safe and contented life that you have given Giblet :-D .

Smidge is a handsome lad and you will do the best for him there is no doubt about that.

Maybe because he is losing his sight gradually and knows his surroundings well he might manage better than you think >fi< Lindaxx
And then there was one, Again!!!!
Jemima
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Little Angels Free For Ever
Honey,Lizzi,Peggy-Mitchel,April,Hope,Faith,Blondie, Sorrel,Scarlet, Penny, Gabby, Rosie, Chick-a-Dee
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Remembering Our Beautiful Foster Boys we are so sorry that we couldn't keep you
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
User avatar
kitla
Legendary Laner
Posts: 3752
Joined: 30 Oct 2009, 23:25
Gender: Female
Location: Northants

Re: Giblet the chick

Post by kitla »

continued at Blind Giblet and Friends of Chickenopolous
viewtopic.php?f=88&t=52985
"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

Post Reply