Blind Giblet & friends at Chickenopolous

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kitla
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Blind Giblet & friends at Chickenopolous

Post by kitla »

I've decided to move Giblet's story onto this diary section. It isn't really a sad story
anymore, she's a happy little soul -( if a little big odd sometimes!) and has a fairly
nice chicken life, with a lovely chicken family that talk to her through the fence and
a big friend that keeps her warm at night.
Giblets story that some of you probably know
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This is chickenopolous this morning
Image
not looking at its best with its winter wrapping, and with rat-proofing works in progress
Image
and this is dear Giblet yesterday evening, having decided to have a "dustbath" on the
grass, after 15 mins the patch of grass had become a muddy mess.
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

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HenPen
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Re: Blind Giblet & friends at Chickenopolous

Post by HenPen »

Oh isn't Giblet just gorgeous, despite the mud pack?! )like(
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KarenE
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Re: Blind Giblet & friends at Chickenopolous

Post by KarenE »

It's lovely to see Giblet doing so well! I am a proud Gibletarian.

Gibby looks almost as dirty as my Casper, who is also an off-white chicken. How does she manage with those tufty fluffy feet though?

How is Smidge doing? I remember you said he was losing his sight too. Will he be able to manage in the bigger flock if he goes completely blind?
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: Blind Giblet & friends at Chickenopolous

Post by sandy »

So glad Giblet is getting on so well )like( LOve the posh accomadation with the lovely signage
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: Blind Giblet & friends at Chickenopolous

Post by kitla »

Giblet doesnt often get very muddy, her run is quite dry & her garden is mostly
grass. She more often dustbaths in her bedding (aubiose), I've even caught her doing
this after she's gone to bed.
Dear old Smidge is managing very well so far thanks! he knows the garden so well,
even when he gets to the steps he stops, stoops down & feels for the edge with
his feet. At treat time I scatter corn for the others, put a handful in a bowl in the
run & call "Smidgy", he knows his name & comes stomping in barging the others
out of his way. Sometimes if poor Bonny (who has only one eye) is facing the
wrong way & doesnt see Smidge coming, she gets run over! I do feel rather sorry
for Smidge occasionally though, when he & his girls are sitting together - then the girls
all wander off & leave him sitting there on his own for ages, thinking they're still there.
"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
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KarenE
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Re: Blind Giblet & friends at Chickenopolous

Post by KarenE »

)t' for Smidge, bless his little fluffy feet! Perhaps he enjoys the peace and quiet after the girls have wandered off.
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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kitla
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Re: Blind Giblet & friends at Chickenopolous

Post by kitla »

Giblet wasn't impressed by the weather today. The wind makes the plastic roof
rattle & squeak, and the tarps bungeed on to the run sides flap & bang. All the
other chooks hid under a shrub in a sheltered part of the garden leaving Giblet
alone - so I had to spend some time cuddling her, I sing into her feathers (for
some reason she likes this) and she snuggled her face into my hair.
"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
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KarenE
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Re: Blind Giblet & friends at Chickenopolous

Post by KarenE »

{hug} That is so beautiful!
It must be quite hard for her in some ways, as chickens are such social creatures (most of the time!) but she has a lovely big friend (Tiny is it?) and of course a super mum who sings into her feathers. I bet she loves the sound and the vibrations.
What have you got in her sensory garden?
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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kitla
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Re: Blind Giblet & friends at Chickenopolous

Post by kitla »

Giblet's garden isn't very exciting at the moment, there is some lavender, & thyme
that may survive the winter. She likes to scratch around there so in spring I'll plant some edible flowers for her. Otherwise its just grass outside & dust/aubiose inside!
She never used the logs & things I dotted around, so I've levelled her run out &
made her dustbath into a "walk in" area - a bit like a wet room. Sometimes I put an
old doormat down for her to walk on, perhaps she'd like a sandy area.
In the winter the sun doesn't reach the bottom of Giblet's run, so when she has her daily cuddle I try to find a patch of sunshine for her
Image
Doesn't Giblet look posh in leopard spot!
Image
today Beany & Pointy were dustbathing next door
Image
Image
I think Gibby likes hearing them there, she was chattering away. Tiny sleeps with
Giblet but goes out with the others in the morning, so she's on her own a lot - except
for this little fella who often drops by for a chat
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
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KarenE
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Re: Blind Giblet & friends at Chickenopolous

Post by KarenE »

Ah, she looks lovely in leopard skin )t' And so gorgeous in the first pic. How come she's cleaned up so quickly from the muddy pic you first posted? She looks so happy in those pictures.

It's sad to think that she can't scratch and hunt for bugs. Can you get a treat thing or a cabbage that you hang up for her with a bell attached, so she learns to associate the sound of the bell with the treat? You could put rosemary in her run, that's hardy and scented for her. How about patches of different textures underfoot? Sand, woodchips, old doormat, cabbage leaves... I'm sure there must be other things we could think of.

I've noticed a couple of cheeky blackbirds team-tagging to get into our run - one keeps lookout while the other sneaks in. Unlike the robin who wasn't having any of that nonsense - straight in, pellet and straight out again.
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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kitla
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Re: Blind Giblet & friends at Chickenopolous

Post by kitla »

Karen, Giblet can't peck at things like cabbages & corn cobs. She doesn't have
the head control, even if she knows it's there, so just gets frustrated - I've tried!
That's why her main food is layer's mash as she can pick it up easily even when
she's waving her head around. Treats & grit are put in the pot with the mash, (even
chopped up grapes) she does get quite excited by this & scratches & kicks at the pot!
and she can pet at the grass of course. I think in the spring I shall definitely extend
her little flower bed with more herbs & edible flowers, and I'll try some different
textures in her run like you suggested Karen.
This morning Tiny was having a good crow along with Smidge, she's much more
tuneful than him! I always thought it was stress that made her do it, as Smidge
used to bully her. But now he cant do that any more & she's much happier but still
crows now and again, so she must just do it because she wants to! Bless her!
Dorkings have their own special sound, she sounds like she's saying "Bob, Bob, Bob!"
while she walks about
"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
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KarenE
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Re: Blind Giblet & friends at Chickenopolous

Post by KarenE »

Oh I didn't realise she still had the control problems.

I'm now trying to think which flowers all my girls have eaten but am drawing a blank - probably because they've eaten everything! You could plant up a few lettuce plants for her |(the mixed leaves types, dead easy to grow), and I do find mine love to nibble on tomato leaves so could plant up one of those as well (a bush variety so she gets the low lying leaves)? Mine went through my rocket like a dose of salts, and maybe Gibby could catch the smell of it too. Oddly, I found my 3 adore rose petals this year (never had that before) and so maybe at the end of the year pop some of those in her mash too?
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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kitla
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Re: Blind Giblet & friends at Chickenopolous

Post by kitla »

Mine love rose petals too. I know they're good for the guinea pigs, apparently
they have a calming effect. I was thinking of things like borage, heartease,
marigolds, yes maybe I some rocket amongst them would be nice for her.
"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
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kitla
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Re: Blind Giblet & friends at Chickenopolous

Post by kitla »

Mine love rose petals too. I know they're good for the guinea pigs, apparently
they have a calming effect. I was thinking of things like borage, heartease,
marigolds, yes maybe I some rocket amongst them would be nice for her.
"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
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kitla
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Re: Blind Giblet & friends at Chickenopolous

Post by kitla »

Treacle the Orpington has had a major botty bath today - a first for her, and for me!
I've been putting it off waiting for milder weather, but decided it couldn't wait any
longer. She had lots of new botty feathers, combined with rather a large derrier :oops:
& the poop had built up. Luckily I have a large sink - she wouldn't fit in a bowl, a
good soaking, rubber gloves & some all-natural guinea pig shampoo did the trick.
Poor thing, poop had hardened around the new quills & prevented them shedding.
Once the hair dryer had done its thing she had the fluffiest pants ever!
Treacle enjoying the hairdryer
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Image
strike a pose
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fluffy pants
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"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

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