My rooster (Muffin) is still in the bathroom healing from frostbite. We found him on Monday afternoon, today is Wed morning, day 2 inside the house. I can't believe he stayed outside and let his feet freeze. Why didn't he go inside the coop with the rest of the chickens?
Yesterday we brought in a hen named Zoner. Muffin isn't particularly attached to Zoner. Zoner was our other rooster (named Leggy)'s fav hen. Leggy's been gone for quite a while. So after a few hours Zoner went back out to the coop, and after a few hours of sleeping alone, I brought in a hen named Singer. Goodness, Muffin got so excited to see Singer! He immediately stood up for her, and cackled his call for her to eat all the treats we had in front of him. She gobbled, and then he, too, gobbled the food! She drank, and then he drank water, too. I was happy to see him eating and drinking normally.
Singer (named so because when she was young she used to sing a song like a songbird) was excited to be inside. She immediately dumped the food bowl all over the floor and scratched it everywhere. She pooped about 30 times. She decided she wanted to pull up all the towels that were on the floor to see what was under them. She had to poop in the waterer. I left her alone for a minute and found her sleeping up against the hot radiator that heats the bathroom (she would have burnt herself!). She is a high maintenance hen. And Muffin loved her in there with him. I guess some men like high maintenance women. Singer spent all afternoon yesterday with Muffin. I put her back out in the coop at nighttime so he would sleep.
His legs and feet were definitely frostbitten. I did some research online. By yesterday afternoon blisters appeared on the feet and legs. I read the following on this website:
If your chicken has frostbitten feet then a longer time of healing is
ahead. Depending on the severity of the frost bite, your chicken may
lose some toes or at worst an entire foot. Keep the chicken inside out
of freezing temperatures on a soft bedding, like a towel, that won't
cling to the feet. If the feet turn completely black then there isn't
much you can do except wait for the blackened areas to fall off. Often
the chicken is able to survive this and continue on with life, though
they will be crippled. Some chickens can adapt well enough to hobble
around on legs without any feet!
It's possible for the feet to only be partially frost bitten. In this
case the tissue will try to heal itself by growing blisters. Do not pop
the blisters, even if they continue to swell and produce green or yellow
pus. Blisters filled with fluid are a natural band aid for the damaged
tissue underneath. They will rupture once the tissue below is healed
enough to be exposed.
Treat the feet by soaking them twice a day in a warm water mixture. Add
Epsom salt to the water. Be sure to not allow your chicken to drink this
water since salt in high doses is damaging to chickens. Grape fruit
seed extract is a semi-natural antibiotic that can be purchased at
health food stores. It makes an excellent addition to the foot bath
along with the Epsom salt. Also add hydrogen peroxide to the warm water.
Hydrogen peroxide helps to rid of dead skin cells and keep bacteria and
debris out of the healing feet.
After each soak dry the feet well and then coat them with Neosporin
(make sure not to use the kind with pain killer in it) or something
similar. On top of that, coat the feet with Bag Balm to form a
protective layer. Bag Balm contains menthol, which will improve
circulation to speed healing. Loose bandages or an old pair of socks
will help keep the feet as clean as possible while still allowing the
skin to breathe.
If your chicken's feet become infected to the point that the chicken is
no longer eating and drinking normally then you can administer
Penicillin G. This can be purchased at most feed stores, along with
syringes and needles. Full sized large breed chickens should get 0.5 mg injected once
a day in the drumstick area of the leg, into the muscle. Injecting a
chicken can seem a bit intimidating at first, but if you hang the
chicken upside down with the help of a partner, the bird will quickly go
limp and you can inject the Penicillin without too much trauma.
While your chicken is healing be sure to feed it plenty of high protein
treats along with normal amounts of food and water to help its body
recover. Chickens love scrambled eggs, oatmeal, fruit, and most table
scraps aside from raw potatoes and salty foods.
With careful treatment and plenty of time most chickens will be able to
recover from frostbite and go on to live out the rest of their lives!
Also, here's another website with helpful info: http://www.the-chicken-chick.com/2013/12/frostbit-in-backyard-chickens-causes.html
Good luck to anyone who's going through this. I hope my rooster makes it and doesn't lose his feet. His feet are still pink, have blisters, and are bleeding in spots. I'm putting neosporin on them, soaking them in epson salt and warm water, keeping him in the bathroom on soft old towels which get changed often because he poops a lot. He's eating and drinking well. His gallon waterer has had 5 aspirin dissolved in it for pain. He's alert and attentive, but doesn't want to stand for very long periods and doesn't hardly walk by himself. We'll see how this goes.
Showing posts with label Winter. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Winter. Show all posts
Wednesday, February 18, 2015
Tuesday, February 17, 2015
Rooster with Frozen Feet
Hi there! It's been a long time since I've written anything. So long, in fact, that I'll start over, from the beginning. Don't worry, I'll make it short.
My name is Lynn, I have a farm I call Razzberry Corner, I'm not a farm girl, but instead have a high tech job in downtown Washington, DC. I have a big heart for animals and try my best with them. This farm thing is a learning experience, I learn as I go, I learn from looking things up online and I hope that my blog one day helps someone else online who's looking for help. I've experienced so many things when dealing with chickens and guineas that I think others can learn from, and I want to help others so they don't have to struggle the way I often do. My problem is that I don't have much time. Blogging takes time. Work takes time, and I often travel for work. Running a farm, dealing with animals, housework and cleaning, cooking and all the other aspects of life take time.
As I'm writing this I have a rooster in my bathroom and 2 barn cats in the guest room. (My husband is a saint to put up with me...) And at least a foot of snow outside. The rooster is my main concern right now.
His name is Muffin, he was one of my very first two roosters. Yeah, I didn't know it was a boy and I was new to chickens back then, I didn't think not to name them silly names until we figured out their gender. But the name Muffin always stuck, and the bird knew his name. He always answered when we called "Muffin!" My husband always liked Muffin, Muff sometimes wanted to fight with me, but I learned to live with him. All-in-all, he has been our best rooster, and has always been our lead roo.
Yesterday when it was snowing, my husband went out and found Muff standing in the snow out in the chicken pen. He picked up the bird and found his feet frozen! We put him in a cold bath and ever so slowly made the water warmer and warmer - we held him in the sink for about an hour, each of us taking turns holding him so only his legs were under water. The legs and feet got warm, he was able to move the legs up and down again, and he curled the toes just a little when we put our fingers in them. I think it's natural for a bird to curl their toes around something, simulating roosting.
We put Muff on a towel in front of the fireplace and let him totally warm up and dry off. He preferred to lay down on top of his legs/feet. No standing. The legs/feet looked normal.
Overnight last night we put Muffin in the bathroom on a towel that we rolled up so he was able to wrap his toes a little around the soft towel. We brought in a hen (named Zoner) to keep him company. He and Zoner both ate treats and Zoner drank water. Muff wanted nothing to do with drinking.
This morning he crowed 5 times. Zoner went back out to the coop. Muff is still laying there in the bathroom. He eats ok, but is not drinking. And not standing. I lifting him up and looked at the feet - they're all cracked and bleeding in the corners of the toes. I read online to put Vaseline on them, so I coated them with Vaseline and hope they heal. He's not moving around at all, just laying there, although he's alert and seems fine otherwise.
I hope he gets better. We're going to give him a few days inside to let him heal. If he cannot walk the other birds will pick on him. He was the king of the coop. Now he will become the lowest in the pecking order and that alone will destroy this feisty rooster who's used to being in charge. Sadly, my husband will have to put him down if he cannot walk again.
Any assistance anyone can provide about chickens with frozen feet is appreciated!
My name is Lynn, I have a farm I call Razzberry Corner, I'm not a farm girl, but instead have a high tech job in downtown Washington, DC. I have a big heart for animals and try my best with them. This farm thing is a learning experience, I learn as I go, I learn from looking things up online and I hope that my blog one day helps someone else online who's looking for help. I've experienced so many things when dealing with chickens and guineas that I think others can learn from, and I want to help others so they don't have to struggle the way I often do. My problem is that I don't have much time. Blogging takes time. Work takes time, and I often travel for work. Running a farm, dealing with animals, housework and cleaning, cooking and all the other aspects of life take time.
As I'm writing this I have a rooster in my bathroom and 2 barn cats in the guest room. (My husband is a saint to put up with me...) And at least a foot of snow outside. The rooster is my main concern right now.
His name is Muffin, he was one of my very first two roosters. Yeah, I didn't know it was a boy and I was new to chickens back then, I didn't think not to name them silly names until we figured out their gender. But the name Muffin always stuck, and the bird knew his name. He always answered when we called "Muffin!" My husband always liked Muffin, Muff sometimes wanted to fight with me, but I learned to live with him. All-in-all, he has been our best rooster, and has always been our lead roo.
Yesterday when it was snowing, my husband went out and found Muff standing in the snow out in the chicken pen. He picked up the bird and found his feet frozen! We put him in a cold bath and ever so slowly made the water warmer and warmer - we held him in the sink for about an hour, each of us taking turns holding him so only his legs were under water. The legs and feet got warm, he was able to move the legs up and down again, and he curled the toes just a little when we put our fingers in them. I think it's natural for a bird to curl their toes around something, simulating roosting.
We put Muff on a towel in front of the fireplace and let him totally warm up and dry off. He preferred to lay down on top of his legs/feet. No standing. The legs/feet looked normal.
Overnight last night we put Muffin in the bathroom on a towel that we rolled up so he was able to wrap his toes a little around the soft towel. We brought in a hen (named Zoner) to keep him company. He and Zoner both ate treats and Zoner drank water. Muff wanted nothing to do with drinking.
This morning he crowed 5 times. Zoner went back out to the coop. Muff is still laying there in the bathroom. He eats ok, but is not drinking. And not standing. I lifting him up and looked at the feet - they're all cracked and bleeding in the corners of the toes. I read online to put Vaseline on them, so I coated them with Vaseline and hope they heal. He's not moving around at all, just laying there, although he's alert and seems fine otherwise.
 |
| Cracks between toes |
I hope he gets better. We're going to give him a few days inside to let him heal. If he cannot walk the other birds will pick on him. He was the king of the coop. Now he will become the lowest in the pecking order and that alone will destroy this feisty rooster who's used to being in charge. Sadly, my husband will have to put him down if he cannot walk again.
Any assistance anyone can provide about chickens with frozen feet is appreciated!
Monday, April 14, 2014
Ben and Brindle Update
Yes, I'm back and writing again. It's been a long, cold, hard winter. I've wanted to write, to share the farm with everyone, but time was short. Days and nights flew by, weeks got jumbled together, and before I knew it, spring is here! And not soon enough!
The animals hated the long cold winter. It snowed so many times. Let me tell you right from the beginning, I'm not a cold-weather kind of gal. I like it hot and sunny. You can keep the snow! But this winter it certainly snowed a whole lot!
The two outside cats, Benjamin and Brindle, were C-O-L-D outside. Since we put up heatlamps for the chickens in the coop, we got the bright idea to setup a heatlamp for the outside cats. So the cats got a heatlamp. They sleep on a piece of rug which sits on a wooden bench on the front porch. We aimed the heatlamp on the bench, and they both cuddled up every night under the lamp.
After a few extremely cold and blustery snowy nights, we realized the heatlamp really wasn't helping much. The snow was blowing sideways up onto the cats and soaking their bed and the cats, too. And the thought occurred to me - we DO have an empty guestroom... And these stray cats ARE guests...
And so Ben and Brindle moved inside to the guestroom. I know, I'm a sucker for animals. My husband puts up with me... Just so you know, they both had already been taken to the vet, been dewormed, deflead, deticked, had all their shots, and were fixed. Also they were tested and found to be negative for all feline diseases. Yes, they used to be strays, Brindle even was feral - you can see she has a clipped ear. Any outside cat here has to go thru that routine, and even still, I dare to call them a stray cat. I should just call them an "outside cat", not a stray.
The two formerly "stray" cats absolutely LOVED the guest bed. They loved being inside. They both became extremely friendly, and love to be pet and hugged and held. We never thought that wild Brindle could become such a lovebug. They both even like their bellies rubbed! And most of all, they love stretching out to sleep on the soft guest bed.
Benjamin especially loves to be held on Randy's shoulder. Ben sits up on the bed and begs, stretching his front legs up in the air, waiting to be picked up. Brindle loves to cuddle and then lick us, which is quite annoying when you don't want to be licked, which is, well, always.
We kept Ben and Brindle separate from the inside cats. It was easier that way - no cat fights. The inside cats weren't too fond of the guest cats. So we kept the guestroom door closed at all times. Sometimes Jack, the Houdini cat who can open doors, snuck in to visit. Jack's very accepting and friendly. If only everyone could be as sweet as Jack...
When the cold winter nights passed, we opened the window (the guest room is on the first floor) and Ben and Brindle went back outside. They were so happy to be out again. But it seems they miss their bed. If we open the guest room window again they will come right back inside and curl up on the bed. Randy sometimes sleeps in the guest room during the day when he's working the crazy night shift. When he does, he opens the window, within minutes Ben and Brindle are cuddled up with him on the bed, and they all sleep the day away.
I guess they aren't outdoor cats anymore, they've become indoor-outdoor cats. They both are great farm cats - they love to help us with our outside chores. They always walk us to the barn, stand guard while we work in the chicken coop. Once a chicken escaped out the coop door and Ben stood and watched, helping me to catch it. The chicken was terrified of the cat and just froze, making it easy to catch. Brindle loves to run with the guineas. When I throw bread for the guineas she's right out there with them - she loves to catch pieces of bread and eat it, just like the guineas. Both cats, but especially Brindle, are always mouse and bird hunting. Any little bird that comes near her, and any mouse on the property, will meet it's end if Brindle has her way.
Recently a fox moved into our front yard, of all places, and before that a raccoon was acting very strange, falling over when standing, extremely friendly, etc. When those animals were around at nighttime we ushered Ben and Brindle into the house to keep them safe. I didn't want little Brindle to be fox food, nor did I want either cat to get rabies from a possible infected coon. The cats didn't know what was going on, all they knew was they had access to their beautiful guest bed again, and they loved it and slept soundly all night.
So that's the update on Ben and Brindle, the indoor-outdoor cats. It was a good winter for them. Next up I'll discuss either the chickens or the guineas, and will tell you how they made it thru the long cold winter months.
The animals hated the long cold winter. It snowed so many times. Let me tell you right from the beginning, I'm not a cold-weather kind of gal. I like it hot and sunny. You can keep the snow! But this winter it certainly snowed a whole lot!
The two outside cats, Benjamin and Brindle, were C-O-L-D outside. Since we put up heatlamps for the chickens in the coop, we got the bright idea to setup a heatlamp for the outside cats. So the cats got a heatlamp. They sleep on a piece of rug which sits on a wooden bench on the front porch. We aimed the heatlamp on the bench, and they both cuddled up every night under the lamp.
After a few extremely cold and blustery snowy nights, we realized the heatlamp really wasn't helping much. The snow was blowing sideways up onto the cats and soaking their bed and the cats, too. And the thought occurred to me - we DO have an empty guestroom... And these stray cats ARE guests...
And so Ben and Brindle moved inside to the guestroom. I know, I'm a sucker for animals. My husband puts up with me... Just so you know, they both had already been taken to the vet, been dewormed, deflead, deticked, had all their shots, and were fixed. Also they were tested and found to be negative for all feline diseases. Yes, they used to be strays, Brindle even was feral - you can see she has a clipped ear. Any outside cat here has to go thru that routine, and even still, I dare to call them a stray cat. I should just call them an "outside cat", not a stray.
The two formerly "stray" cats absolutely LOVED the guest bed. They loved being inside. They both became extremely friendly, and love to be pet and hugged and held. We never thought that wild Brindle could become such a lovebug. They both even like their bellies rubbed! And most of all, they love stretching out to sleep on the soft guest bed.
Benjamin especially loves to be held on Randy's shoulder. Ben sits up on the bed and begs, stretching his front legs up in the air, waiting to be picked up. Brindle loves to cuddle and then lick us, which is quite annoying when you don't want to be licked, which is, well, always.
We kept Ben and Brindle separate from the inside cats. It was easier that way - no cat fights. The inside cats weren't too fond of the guest cats. So we kept the guestroom door closed at all times. Sometimes Jack, the Houdini cat who can open doors, snuck in to visit. Jack's very accepting and friendly. If only everyone could be as sweet as Jack...
When the cold winter nights passed, we opened the window (the guest room is on the first floor) and Ben and Brindle went back outside. They were so happy to be out again. But it seems they miss their bed. If we open the guest room window again they will come right back inside and curl up on the bed. Randy sometimes sleeps in the guest room during the day when he's working the crazy night shift. When he does, he opens the window, within minutes Ben and Brindle are cuddled up with him on the bed, and they all sleep the day away.
I guess they aren't outdoor cats anymore, they've become indoor-outdoor cats. They both are great farm cats - they love to help us with our outside chores. They always walk us to the barn, stand guard while we work in the chicken coop. Once a chicken escaped out the coop door and Ben stood and watched, helping me to catch it. The chicken was terrified of the cat and just froze, making it easy to catch. Brindle loves to run with the guineas. When I throw bread for the guineas she's right out there with them - she loves to catch pieces of bread and eat it, just like the guineas. Both cats, but especially Brindle, are always mouse and bird hunting. Any little bird that comes near her, and any mouse on the property, will meet it's end if Brindle has her way.
Recently a fox moved into our front yard, of all places, and before that a raccoon was acting very strange, falling over when standing, extremely friendly, etc. When those animals were around at nighttime we ushered Ben and Brindle into the house to keep them safe. I didn't want little Brindle to be fox food, nor did I want either cat to get rabies from a possible infected coon. The cats didn't know what was going on, all they knew was they had access to their beautiful guest bed again, and they loved it and slept soundly all night.
So that's the update on Ben and Brindle, the indoor-outdoor cats. It was a good winter for them. Next up I'll discuss either the chickens or the guineas, and will tell you how they made it thru the long cold winter months.
Saturday, April 12, 2014
Razzberry Corner is back!!!
Wow!!! A lot of time has passed since my last post! So much has been going on here at Razzberry Corner! ...Where to begin????
Let's start with the humans... What's going on with us?
Over the winter I joined an awesome online weight-loss group called Lose It! (www.loseit.com). It's a great support group that encourages you to eat less and exercise more, and teaches you how to count calories. They have workout challenges, groups where discussions take place, and endless possibilities to make friends with similar exercise and weight-loss goals. With this app I lost about 20 pounds. I highly recommend it to everyone! Best thing is, Lose It! is free. Costs nothing to join the basic service, and $39.95 for a year of premium membership. With the basic membership you can set only one weight loss goal, with the premium membership the number of goals you can set are almost endless, from weight goals to blood pressure, exercise minutes, steps taken, hydration (to encourage you to drink more water), nutritional goals are available, such as sodium, carbs, protein, fiber, you can even set a goal to sleep a certain number of hours every night. Anyway, it's a pretty cool group and has motivated me to be healthy and happier. Check it out if you want to lose weight.
I've been traveling a lot for my work, and am still putting in a lot of hours at work. What else is new?
My husband has been working shiftwork for his job, often working nights with days off. This means I have to take care of the animals most of the time, leaving me little to no free time to do things I enjoy, like write.
I have been very sick this year. It's crazy because I believe that I'm healthier than I've ever been in my life. I got the flu in January, then the Norovirus in March, and now have an upper respiratory infection in April. The Norovirus was no fun - I've never been that sick, ever. It seems everyone is catching it - very contagious. If someone you know has it - run away as fast as you can!
Next post I'll move on to the interesting stuff - we'll discuss the farm critters and tell you how they all survived the long cold winter. Lot's of craziness going on. Wasn't that winter just the worst ever?
Let's start with the humans... What's going on with us?
Over the winter I joined an awesome online weight-loss group called Lose It! (www.loseit.com). It's a great support group that encourages you to eat less and exercise more, and teaches you how to count calories. They have workout challenges, groups where discussions take place, and endless possibilities to make friends with similar exercise and weight-loss goals. With this app I lost about 20 pounds. I highly recommend it to everyone! Best thing is, Lose It! is free. Costs nothing to join the basic service, and $39.95 for a year of premium membership. With the basic membership you can set only one weight loss goal, with the premium membership the number of goals you can set are almost endless, from weight goals to blood pressure, exercise minutes, steps taken, hydration (to encourage you to drink more water), nutritional goals are available, such as sodium, carbs, protein, fiber, you can even set a goal to sleep a certain number of hours every night. Anyway, it's a pretty cool group and has motivated me to be healthy and happier. Check it out if you want to lose weight.
I've been traveling a lot for my work, and am still putting in a lot of hours at work. What else is new?
My husband has been working shiftwork for his job, often working nights with days off. This means I have to take care of the animals most of the time, leaving me little to no free time to do things I enjoy, like write.
I have been very sick this year. It's crazy because I believe that I'm healthier than I've ever been in my life. I got the flu in January, then the Norovirus in March, and now have an upper respiratory infection in April. The Norovirus was no fun - I've never been that sick, ever. It seems everyone is catching it - very contagious. If someone you know has it - run away as fast as you can!
Next post I'll move on to the interesting stuff - we'll discuss the farm critters and tell you how they all survived the long cold winter. Lot's of craziness going on. Wasn't that winter just the worst ever?
Friday, January 3, 2014
Snow and Chickens and Guineas
We got our first big snowstorm of 2014 already, as has much of the country! We only got maybe 3 - 4 inches of snow. It sure looks pretty, but with the wind it is cold outside!
This is the guinea roosting pine. It's a huge pine that sits above the chicken coop. The guineas will not come down out of the tree today. I was worried that they were frozen, but they don't appear to be. The song birds live through snowstorms, why wouldn't a guinea fowl? But I worry still.
I found the guineas up in the tree snuggled up and singing quietly. Do you see them in the below photo?
They light colored guineas stand out in the green of the pine.
Our chickens hate snow and cold and refuse to go out from their coop. We have heat lamps and heaters in the coop, and put the waterer in the coop, trying to keep it from freezing. This morning the water had ice in it but wasn't frozen solid. I tell you, it's cold out there! I don't blame the chickens for wanting to stay inside!
In the below photo is Doritos, the red sex link in upper left. Bottom left is Charlotte, who's a senior lady- she's one of the original chicks from 4 years ago. The big bird in the center front is Big Bonnie, the former shelter hen, and Muffin the lead rooster is behind her. The two white leghorns are named Pringles. We have four Pringles - I can't tell them apart so they all were named Pringles.
From left: Doritos, Ruffles, another Doritos, Zoner, Freckles, part of Little Muff (son of Muffin). Little Muff will step up and be our lead rooster when Muff Sr. passes away. Muff Sr. is getting older. The black bird you can barely see in the front is Holly, daughter of Muffin.
When chickens are all penned up in a coop bad things are sure to happen. They get bored and start picking on each other. The younger birds are usually lower in the pecking order, literally. This morning I went out to check on the birds and found one of the Pringles had a bloody head. Red blood splattered all over a white bird just asks for the others to continually peck at her.
I brought Pringles in and bathed her head. She didn't mind. She loved to look at herself in the mirror - she was amazed by her reflection. I washed her head then blowed dried her. I went over her whole body with the blow drier - my birds always LOVE to be blow dried. The problem was that her comb had been bitten and had bled all over her white feathers. The comb was fine, it had already stopped bleeding. But the other birds had pecked her bloody head and made bruises on the left side of her head near her ear. If I hadn't separated her they could have pecked her till she had a big open wound. The photos were taken post-bath.
Luckily I got to her in time and she was fine. I returned Pringles to the broody hen coop, where we have two broody hens sitting on eggs. Pringles needed a break from the other hens. She loved having a coop mostly to herself - the broody hens just sit ont heir nests and don't move much, leaving Pringles the run of the coop. Later today I'll return her to the regular chicken coop.
I hope everyone enjoys the snow and keeps an eye on their chickens in their coops! Stay warm!
This is the guinea roosting pine. It's a huge pine that sits above the chicken coop. The guineas will not come down out of the tree today. I was worried that they were frozen, but they don't appear to be. The song birds live through snowstorms, why wouldn't a guinea fowl? But I worry still.
I found the guineas up in the tree snuggled up and singing quietly. Do you see them in the below photo?
They light colored guineas stand out in the green of the pine.
Our chickens hate snow and cold and refuse to go out from their coop. We have heat lamps and heaters in the coop, and put the waterer in the coop, trying to keep it from freezing. This morning the water had ice in it but wasn't frozen solid. I tell you, it's cold out there! I don't blame the chickens for wanting to stay inside!
In the below photo is Doritos, the red sex link in upper left. Bottom left is Charlotte, who's a senior lady- she's one of the original chicks from 4 years ago. The big bird in the center front is Big Bonnie, the former shelter hen, and Muffin the lead rooster is behind her. The two white leghorns are named Pringles. We have four Pringles - I can't tell them apart so they all were named Pringles.
From left: Doritos, Ruffles, another Doritos, Zoner, Freckles, part of Little Muff (son of Muffin). Little Muff will step up and be our lead rooster when Muff Sr. passes away. Muff Sr. is getting older. The black bird you can barely see in the front is Holly, daughter of Muffin.
When chickens are all penned up in a coop bad things are sure to happen. They get bored and start picking on each other. The younger birds are usually lower in the pecking order, literally. This morning I went out to check on the birds and found one of the Pringles had a bloody head. Red blood splattered all over a white bird just asks for the others to continually peck at her.
I brought Pringles in and bathed her head. She didn't mind. She loved to look at herself in the mirror - she was amazed by her reflection. I washed her head then blowed dried her. I went over her whole body with the blow drier - my birds always LOVE to be blow dried. The problem was that her comb had been bitten and had bled all over her white feathers. The comb was fine, it had already stopped bleeding. But the other birds had pecked her bloody head and made bruises on the left side of her head near her ear. If I hadn't separated her they could have pecked her till she had a big open wound. The photos were taken post-bath.
Luckily I got to her in time and she was fine. I returned Pringles to the broody hen coop, where we have two broody hens sitting on eggs. Pringles needed a break from the other hens. She loved having a coop mostly to herself - the broody hens just sit ont heir nests and don't move much, leaving Pringles the run of the coop. Later today I'll return her to the regular chicken coop.
I hope everyone enjoys the snow and keeps an eye on their chickens in their coops! Stay warm!
Monday, November 25, 2013
Yummm - Warm Water!
Thanksgiving week is upon us!
Yesterday I went out to feed the birds their grains/feed. The guineas are starving now, I have to feed them since there's no bugs around for them to find on their own. As soon as I walk outside they come running to me. I give them chicken food, plus they love scratch grain. Their special treat is bread. They love them some bread. We buy cheap white bread for their bread treat.
As I was filling the chicken feeders I realized all the chicken waterers were frozen. It was about 11 degrees F out yesterday with the wind chill. It was bitter cold. Odd - because last Friday it was 64 degrees F. This weather... Anyway, it was about 8am, the chickens had not been without water for long. But they all told me they were going to DIE of thirst. When I looked at the waterer and kicked it (lightly!) with my boot to attempt to determine how deep the ice was, the chickens all attempted to peck it, too. They were telling me they might die of thirst since their waterer appeared to be not providing water when they demanded. Chickens can be very demanding. You don't know these things unless you have chickens.
I made sure the heat lamps were running inside the coops and lugged the 2 waterers inside the 2 coops and put them under the lamps. I can't open the waterers, Randy really closes them tight. If I could open them I would have lugged boiling water out in buckets and dumped it on top of the frozen water. Because I was paying attention to the waterers, the chickens were, too. They watch everything I do and have to be involved. Too involved. They always are under my feat, reaching into my pockets to see what I have in there, wanting to be sitting on my lap if I'm squatting down.
Muffin remembered his fight with me from Saturday - he's a smart bird. He immediately stood up to me and fluffed his neck.
"Are you ready for this?" he asked.
I ignored him, I was busy moving the frozen waterer.
"I'm gonna kick your @#!" Muffin hollered at me.
He attacked my calf with his spurs when my back was turned. Damn bird. I ignored him, luckily I had rubber boots on that went up to the knees. I swung the waterer around so it was between he and I. He realized I wasn't in the mood to fight and stopped with his fight. Hmmm, if I show no fear, but ignore him, he stops before he gets too worked up. I'll have to remember that.
Once I got the waterers inside the coop the chickens continually attempted to drink the frozen water. So I had to setup 2 additional waterers for them, inside the coop under the heat lamps. I lugged warm water out to the coop in buckets and dumped it into the new waterers in front of the chickens. Luckily we have extra waterers. You'd think the chickens had not had a drink in days - everyone gathered around the water gulping and holding their beaks in the air to swallow. Over and over they gulped. Muffin came and clucked his call for food to ensure all the hens knew to come and partake. Ahhh, warm water for the chickens. Steam was coming off the water since it was so cold out, although the water wasn't that hot. I should have put some tea in their water and we all could have had a tea break. I went inside and had some hot tea myself.
It's the simple things that we give thanks for here at Razzberry Corner.
Happy Thanksgiving!
Yesterday I went out to feed the birds their grains/feed. The guineas are starving now, I have to feed them since there's no bugs around for them to find on their own. As soon as I walk outside they come running to me. I give them chicken food, plus they love scratch grain. Their special treat is bread. They love them some bread. We buy cheap white bread for their bread treat.
As I was filling the chicken feeders I realized all the chicken waterers were frozen. It was about 11 degrees F out yesterday with the wind chill. It was bitter cold. Odd - because last Friday it was 64 degrees F. This weather... Anyway, it was about 8am, the chickens had not been without water for long. But they all told me they were going to DIE of thirst. When I looked at the waterer and kicked it (lightly!) with my boot to attempt to determine how deep the ice was, the chickens all attempted to peck it, too. They were telling me they might die of thirst since their waterer appeared to be not providing water when they demanded. Chickens can be very demanding. You don't know these things unless you have chickens.
I made sure the heat lamps were running inside the coops and lugged the 2 waterers inside the 2 coops and put them under the lamps. I can't open the waterers, Randy really closes them tight. If I could open them I would have lugged boiling water out in buckets and dumped it on top of the frozen water. Because I was paying attention to the waterers, the chickens were, too. They watch everything I do and have to be involved. Too involved. They always are under my feat, reaching into my pockets to see what I have in there, wanting to be sitting on my lap if I'm squatting down.
Muffin remembered his fight with me from Saturday - he's a smart bird. He immediately stood up to me and fluffed his neck.
"Are you ready for this?" he asked.
I ignored him, I was busy moving the frozen waterer.
"I'm gonna kick your @#!" Muffin hollered at me.
He attacked my calf with his spurs when my back was turned. Damn bird. I ignored him, luckily I had rubber boots on that went up to the knees. I swung the waterer around so it was between he and I. He realized I wasn't in the mood to fight and stopped with his fight. Hmmm, if I show no fear, but ignore him, he stops before he gets too worked up. I'll have to remember that.
Once I got the waterers inside the coop the chickens continually attempted to drink the frozen water. So I had to setup 2 additional waterers for them, inside the coop under the heat lamps. I lugged warm water out to the coop in buckets and dumped it into the new waterers in front of the chickens. Luckily we have extra waterers. You'd think the chickens had not had a drink in days - everyone gathered around the water gulping and holding their beaks in the air to swallow. Over and over they gulped. Muffin came and clucked his call for food to ensure all the hens knew to come and partake. Ahhh, warm water for the chickens. Steam was coming off the water since it was so cold out, although the water wasn't that hot. I should have put some tea in their water and we all could have had a tea break. I went inside and had some hot tea myself.
It's the simple things that we give thanks for here at Razzberry Corner.
Happy Thanksgiving!
Sunday, January 13, 2013
Quiet Sunday Morning Photos
I'm recovering from having the flu the last 2 weeks. It's been a while since I was that sick.
I'm thinking about how I need to go clean the chicken coop, and I'm procrastinating. It's cozy and warm in the house. I eat an orange, trying to waste time, not wanting to go out to work.
It's
a little foggy outside - we are having unseasonably warm weather. It's
supposed to be in the upper 60's, maybe even 70's today. I looked out
my kitchen window and saw these scenarios. I have to smile. The fog makes everything look like a muted painted picture.
At first my attention was directed to a pilated woodpecker. I went to get the camera and returned to the kitchen window. I missed the woodpecker, but saw Benjamin the farm cat and the guineas. They all get along well, the guineas don't mind Benji.
Benji was hunting mice and squirrels when the guineas showed up in the yard. He went and greeted them, then went off to continue his farm cat duties.
Benji has a very thick coat for winter, as he's an outdoor only cat. He wouldn't have it any other way.
It's going to be a great week. Hope you take a moment to see how beautiful life is and enjoy it.
Now I'm going to get to work on cleaning that chicken coop...
Monday, December 17, 2012
T'was the week before Christmas and all thru the farm...
So much time has passed since I last posted. So much has been going on. I work a day job, in addition to managing the farm. And sometimes the farm takes second fiddle to the job that brings in the mortgage payment. Luckily my husband is usually around to take care of the farm, in addition to his day job.
Since I last posted I traveled to three continents for work. My job is very interesting and I love what I do. And the travel is a bonus. Right now I'm loving Italy, the food, the outgoing people. I will never have pizza as good as real Italian pizza.
And then I returned to the farm, where the work awaits. I found that Bonnie, one of the shelter hens, had a huge mass of poop stuck to her rear. What the heck causes that? It was hard and dried and huge. I scooped her up, realized that she is one overweight chicken, and lugged her into the house. She was obese when we got her from the shelter. And so Bonnie had a bath in the sink. A good long soak for 30 minutes. She napped, she liked the warm water. But the dried poop didn't come off, so I had to cut it off. Now her soft and fuzzy butt feathers are all chopped. I'm not good at cutting feathers evenly. But she's clean at least. Immediately after I cleaned her she pooped a normal but large poop on my bathroom floor. That's her way of saying Thanks!
While I was dealing with Bonnie my sister Cheryl called, wanted to know how the overseas trips went. I told her I had a hen on the bathroom floor who was needing a blowdry before returning to the coop. She knows my passion for my birds.
Chloe hen is broody. She had a good molt in the fall, then turned broody. I have a welt on the back of my hand from pulling eggs out from under her yesterday. I'm not letting her raise chicks right now, it's too cold for chicks.
The hens are laying good again, after most of them molted. We're averaging 6 eggs a day. Most of our hens are older now and are slowing down with the laying. The 2 shelter hens are our best layers. I'll have to check back and see if the shelter has anymore hens!
The guineas are all doing fine. Today Randy had company, the and guineas enjoyed scoping out a new truck in the driveway. Randy and the guys who were visiting went out in ATVs, leaving their white truck behind. The guineas checked themselves out in the white shiny paint. They love reflective surfaces so they can see themselves. They inspected the wheels. They circled the truck and announced it's presence. Finally they accepted the truck and wandered off, although they didn't go far from the new visiting truck. They wanted to keep their eye on it.
Last night the guineas decided they wanted to change roosting trees. They chose an overgrown bush in the backyard to roost, right over top of a fox hole. It was getting dark and they were all out in the bush singing their nighttime squawks. I quickly went out with a flashlight and shooed them back to the big pine tree, which is much safer than the bush. They are just not that smart. The bush is not safe, provides no protecting from owls or hawks or raccoons, and the foxes will be waiting for them to fly down.
Randy starting putting birdseed outside on one of the windowsills to attract birds so the inside cats can watch. The cats love to watch the birds during the day and the mice that come up to the outside sill at nighttime!
Well, Christmas is literally around the corner. I'm off to start writing out cards. I'm so late this year!
I'll have to make a "T'was the night before Christmas" poem about the farm as my next post! Stay tuned! I have lots of ideas!
Merry Christmas!
Since I last posted I traveled to three continents for work. My job is very interesting and I love what I do. And the travel is a bonus. Right now I'm loving Italy, the food, the outgoing people. I will never have pizza as good as real Italian pizza.
And then I returned to the farm, where the work awaits. I found that Bonnie, one of the shelter hens, had a huge mass of poop stuck to her rear. What the heck causes that? It was hard and dried and huge. I scooped her up, realized that she is one overweight chicken, and lugged her into the house. She was obese when we got her from the shelter. And so Bonnie had a bath in the sink. A good long soak for 30 minutes. She napped, she liked the warm water. But the dried poop didn't come off, so I had to cut it off. Now her soft and fuzzy butt feathers are all chopped. I'm not good at cutting feathers evenly. But she's clean at least. Immediately after I cleaned her she pooped a normal but large poop on my bathroom floor. That's her way of saying Thanks!
While I was dealing with Bonnie my sister Cheryl called, wanted to know how the overseas trips went. I told her I had a hen on the bathroom floor who was needing a blowdry before returning to the coop. She knows my passion for my birds.
Chloe hen is broody. She had a good molt in the fall, then turned broody. I have a welt on the back of my hand from pulling eggs out from under her yesterday. I'm not letting her raise chicks right now, it's too cold for chicks.
The hens are laying good again, after most of them molted. We're averaging 6 eggs a day. Most of our hens are older now and are slowing down with the laying. The 2 shelter hens are our best layers. I'll have to check back and see if the shelter has anymore hens!
The guineas are all doing fine. Today Randy had company, the and guineas enjoyed scoping out a new truck in the driveway. Randy and the guys who were visiting went out in ATVs, leaving their white truck behind. The guineas checked themselves out in the white shiny paint. They love reflective surfaces so they can see themselves. They inspected the wheels. They circled the truck and announced it's presence. Finally they accepted the truck and wandered off, although they didn't go far from the new visiting truck. They wanted to keep their eye on it.
Last night the guineas decided they wanted to change roosting trees. They chose an overgrown bush in the backyard to roost, right over top of a fox hole. It was getting dark and they were all out in the bush singing their nighttime squawks. I quickly went out with a flashlight and shooed them back to the big pine tree, which is much safer than the bush. They are just not that smart. The bush is not safe, provides no protecting from owls or hawks or raccoons, and the foxes will be waiting for them to fly down.
Randy starting putting birdseed outside on one of the windowsills to attract birds so the inside cats can watch. The cats love to watch the birds during the day and the mice that come up to the outside sill at nighttime!
Well, Christmas is literally around the corner. I'm off to start writing out cards. I'm so late this year!
I'll have to make a "T'was the night before Christmas" poem about the farm as my next post! Stay tuned! I have lots of ideas!
Merry Christmas!
Sunday, November 25, 2012
The answer is NO
Nope. It didn't happen.
I was hoping to lose weight over Thanksgiving week. What WASSS I thinking???
And so it didn't happen. But, however, on a good note, I didn't gain any weight over the week either. Yeah! My mass remained the same.
And, I even baked these little lovely cupcakes...
I was hoping to lose weight over Thanksgiving week. What WASSS I thinking???
And so it didn't happen. But, however, on a good note, I didn't gain any weight over the week either. Yeah! My mass remained the same.
And, I even baked these little lovely cupcakes...
[Insert picture of chocolate cupcake with vanilla buttercream icing]
Alas, I cannot upload anymore pictures. Google has cut me off again. I have been resizing my photos so that they are way tiny (in KBs) for like a year now, but I still cannot even upload a tiny photo anymore.
So you'll just have to trust me on the cupcakes, they were awesome. I normally don't like chocolate, I'm not a huge chocolate fan. I know, I'm nuts. But this time I made chocolate and loved it.
And I made the Thanksgiving dinner, and pumpkin pie, which was yummy. And apple crisp, which was even yummier.
I've been attempting to keep my portion sizes down, so I'm still eating like crazy, just not eating too much. And this week I'm attempting to lose 2 pounds. Maybe 3. I always say that. Maybe this week it will happen.
...Or maybe not. No biggie. I've got to have my goals!
Now I'm going to see how to increase my capacity with Google, so that I can upload photos to this blog again. I've been watching others struggle with this, and watching how they've all succeeded. My turn, I guess, to make this hurdle.
Sunday, November 18, 2012
Is it possible to lose weight over Thanksgiving?
I recently returned from yet another trip. I didn't think I ate terribly during the trip; however, the scale, my enemy, tells me I gained 2 pounds. What's up with that? I tell you, that ramen was worth it...
And now I'm facing Thanksgiving this week. Happy Thanksgiving, everyone, in case I forget to say it later!
So, is it possible to actually lose weight this week? Yes, I celebrate the traditional Thanksgiving, with turkey and stuffing and sweet potatoes and pies and the whole nine yards. I love Thanksgiving. What can I do? I don't think it's possible to not gain weight this week. So I'll just have to work harder next week to lose it, right?
But I'd like to attempt to lose 2 pounds this week. I don't like to procrastinate. I want to get started right now on this weight loss thing. I have been working on losing about 15 pounds forever, for at least a year, maybe longer. I lose maybe 5 or ten pounds, but then I gain it all back. I go on crazy diets, remember my fruit and veggie diet? And then I eventually quit the diet and eat too many desserts. I love desserts. I love to bake, I love to eat them. It's my downfall.
I even am doing Insanity, a cardio weight loss program. I love it! I'm not losing weight, but I am getting in better shape, better condition, if I can stick to it. But when I do Insanity, I need to eat more for energy, if I don't eat I get very tired. When I first started Insanity I thought it's ok to eat anything, I'm working out like crazy. But a month later I found that's not true, I still need to watch my diet. I actually gained weight while doing Insanity. So now I'm doing Insanity and attempting to eat healthy. It's tough.
Those KitKats are always calling to me. Did you know they have over 200 flavors of KitKats in Japan? My goal is to try them all... Orange/citrus is my favorite, with hotcakes coming in second.
See? There's my problem, I love sweets! I was raised with Tastykakes (sorry Hostess, I don't love you, goodbye). I love to bake cupcakes and other desserts, I love to try out new recipes. And that means I need to eat the desserts, just to taste them, you see.
Do other people out there have this problem? Should I just stop baking? Baking makes me happy. I've slowed down drastically with baking, but Christmas is just around the corner, I see it coming fast. That means making Christmas cookies... There's so many kinds, I need to make them all, to see how they turn out... It cannot be avoided.
Is it possible to lose 2 pounds over Thanksgiving week? I'll let you know.
And now I'm facing Thanksgiving this week. Happy Thanksgiving, everyone, in case I forget to say it later!
So, is it possible to actually lose weight this week? Yes, I celebrate the traditional Thanksgiving, with turkey and stuffing and sweet potatoes and pies and the whole nine yards. I love Thanksgiving. What can I do? I don't think it's possible to not gain weight this week. So I'll just have to work harder next week to lose it, right?
But I'd like to attempt to lose 2 pounds this week. I don't like to procrastinate. I want to get started right now on this weight loss thing. I have been working on losing about 15 pounds forever, for at least a year, maybe longer. I lose maybe 5 or ten pounds, but then I gain it all back. I go on crazy diets, remember my fruit and veggie diet? And then I eventually quit the diet and eat too many desserts. I love desserts. I love to bake, I love to eat them. It's my downfall.
I even am doing Insanity, a cardio weight loss program. I love it! I'm not losing weight, but I am getting in better shape, better condition, if I can stick to it. But when I do Insanity, I need to eat more for energy, if I don't eat I get very tired. When I first started Insanity I thought it's ok to eat anything, I'm working out like crazy. But a month later I found that's not true, I still need to watch my diet. I actually gained weight while doing Insanity. So now I'm doing Insanity and attempting to eat healthy. It's tough.
Those KitKats are always calling to me. Did you know they have over 200 flavors of KitKats in Japan? My goal is to try them all... Orange/citrus is my favorite, with hotcakes coming in second.
See? There's my problem, I love sweets! I was raised with Tastykakes (sorry Hostess, I don't love you, goodbye). I love to bake cupcakes and other desserts, I love to try out new recipes. And that means I need to eat the desserts, just to taste them, you see.
Do other people out there have this problem? Should I just stop baking? Baking makes me happy. I've slowed down drastically with baking, but Christmas is just around the corner, I see it coming fast. That means making Christmas cookies... There's so many kinds, I need to make them all, to see how they turn out... It cannot be avoided.
Is it possible to lose 2 pounds over Thanksgiving week? I'll let you know.
Saturday, January 21, 2012
Icy Walk
Last night we had an ice storm. This morning we awoke to everything covered in ice! The ice is expected to melt by noon today, but it's cold outside now!
Come on outside and check it out with me...
These first couple pictures are of ice on the cars.
 |
The guineas were not happy with the ice. They were up on top of the chicken coop and refused to come down to the ground. The one on the right has ice on her back - it looks like she put glitter on!
Lets go in the chicken coop and say good morning to the chickens! They didn't want to leave their coop to go outside, so they were all hanging out inside. Here's Muffin, lead rooster. He approved our visit to the coop. If he didn't approve, he would have attack us. Today he was friendly.
This is Luna. Luna doesn't look good. I'm worried about her. She just sneezed. Luna and her sister Virginia are 2 hens that we purchased as adult hens off Craigslist last year. I will never buy a bird off Craigslist again. Luna's been sneezing for the past year, since we got her, it just seems to be getting worse now. She's a great hen, has gotten very friendly, and lays every day.
Cinnamon is laying an egg!
Dotti is looking outside. Dotti is Muffin's grand-daughter; she's still a pullet. She lays green eggs.
Here's Freckles, our very first hen - we bought her as an adult with a batch of chicks from an Amish farmer. She was with us through the early days of chicken-raising. She's a senior now and doesn't lay anymore. We couldn't have had a better first mama hen than Freckles.
Let's go for a walk outside... Bundle up...
Past one of the fields...
I'm heading up to the cemetery. Looks like someone else, a family of deer, were here just recently.
Rest in peace. It's quiet out here. And cold.
The ice is starting to melt in the road. My hand holding the camera is cold, I'm going to head back now. Thanks for coming on the walk with me!
Ahhh, nice and warm inside!
Happy Saturday!
Saturday, December 10, 2011
That Rainy Night!
One day this past week it rained here for 12 hours straight. Pouring rain. Luckily it was actually warm that day. Warm as in, not freezing, but not warm as in, comfortable. Warm in the 50 degrees F range in the afternoon and 40's at night. After dark the weathermen predicted the rain to turn to snow, and I assumed all the water to turn to ice.
It really flooded that day. The ground was saturated and could take no more water. Streams overflowed, roads had standing water and parking lots flooded. It just so happens that I work during the day in a building directly on the bank of the Potomac River near Washington, DC. And of course, the massive river overflowed into the building's parking lot. I left the building around 6pm that night, had to swim through water higher than my knees, in my work clothes, just to get to my car. Luckily I keep a gym bag in my car, complete with a clean towel, gym clothes and sneakers. I dried off and changed in my car - it was dark anyway, no one could see.
And when I made the slow drive home, the winds picked up. Boy, did it get windy. When I pulled up to the farm, I found one of the guinea fowl down on the ground in the pitch darkness. It gets really dark here at nighttime. The guineas roost in the trees at night. But they don't sit on a solid branch when they roost - they sit on a tiny twiggy branch in the trees, which is right beside a strong branch. And then they fall when the wind blows the branches around. And they are so very blind after dark. And stupid. They just freeze up, and don't move.
So I ran up to the front door and literally bumped into a opossum on the front porch because I wasn't paying attention. It was the Little O. He had torn open a bag of aluminum cans which was ready for recycling and cans were all over the porch. He was waiting for food beside the cat, Bobby's, foodbowl, which was empty. Bobby was nowhere to be seen. I pushed the critter away with my foot. Damn opossum. He's almost as tame as Bobby.
I went inside, put on an old farm coat which I would never wear out in public in a million years, got a big spotlight flashlight, and went out to help the guineas roost. An umbrella wasn't possible, it would have scared the birds and with all the wind and branches, it just wasn't feasible. So I knew I was going to get soaked to the bone. I picked up the guinea on the ground, it was a grey male guinea, and tossed him up to the branches. He screamed and flapped his wings in my face (they have strong wings), but he would not grab onto a branch, he just came back down to the ground. I tossed him a bunch of times, but he flapped back down each time. All the other guineas were screaming at this time, and the chickens, who were safe and warm in their coop, could hear all the loud guineas noises, and I could hear all this noise coming from their coop. The roosters were crowing in there. I had guinea feathers in my mouth, that must have happened with the wings flapping in my face. My hair was all plastered wet to my head. Cold rain was running down my back under my coat.
I shone the flashlight up in the tree for a while and a few of the other guineas who didn't have good footing were smart enough to move to stronger branches -they could see a little with my spotlight. But this one boy guinea just wouldn't roost in the tree. Sitting on the ground is not an option for a guinea at night. He will be killed by fox, opossum, owl, or coons. Finally I decided he'd sleep with the chickens that night. My guineas have been known to be mean to the chickens these days, so I normally wouldn't want a guinea in with my beloved hens, but there was no other place for this bird.
I wrapped my arms around the soaking wet guinea (they are very strong) so he wouldn't get loose from me, and we marched into the chicken coop. We swung the door open and entered. The chickens were having a party. The heat lamp was on, and they can see with any kind of light, even though it's a red bulb and isn't supposed to produce light. And when they have a light on, the chickens like to party. Five or six were eating at the feeder (there's a feeder and waterer inside the coop). A couple were drinking. One rooster was crowing. The other was having sex with Zoner in the corner. A few hens were sitting in nestboxes. What was going on?! Everyone was excited to see me and came running and gathered around my feet when I walked in. They all wanted hugs and pets and treats. The guinea in my arms was terrified.
I chastised everyone for partying after bedtime, told them it was too late for hugs and pets and treats, and turned out the party light. The party's over! Everyone moaned little chicken moans and started rushing around bumping into each other trying to find their roost spots. I put the guinea on a roost beside Freckles (a hen). I got my tiny flashlight I keep in the coop and put everyone up on their roost spots, making sure to turn out the light quickly so they wouldn't jump down. I promised hugs and pets and treats another day, sung a quick lullaby to them (they love to be sung to, it calms them), and closed them up for the night. Freckles chatted briefly with the guinea - Freckles used to hate guineas, and when she was a young hen herself, she killed a guinea to protect her chicks at the time. But Freckles has gotten more understanding with age and she let the guinea sleep beside her that night. The guinea was terrified without his fellow guineas nearby and he was quiet and good all night.
And such was the beginning of my night. I had to clean up the cans, called Bobby many times, but he never showed up for dinner, and this was back when Danni the hen was still alive, so I had to feed her and deal with the human's dinner and other household chores afterwards. I was concerned about Bobby, he was missing for a couple days. On a good note, the rain never turned to snow and ice that night, and it stopped raining by the next day. The Boy Guinea was released back to the guinea flock the next morning and he told his brothers and sisters about the horrible night he was forced to spend locked up in "The Coop" beside a convicted murderer and a monster-sized albino man.
By the next night the flooding in the parking lot at work was all gone and that rainy night was just a bad memory.
It really flooded that day. The ground was saturated and could take no more water. Streams overflowed, roads had standing water and parking lots flooded. It just so happens that I work during the day in a building directly on the bank of the Potomac River near Washington, DC. And of course, the massive river overflowed into the building's parking lot. I left the building around 6pm that night, had to swim through water higher than my knees, in my work clothes, just to get to my car. Luckily I keep a gym bag in my car, complete with a clean towel, gym clothes and sneakers. I dried off and changed in my car - it was dark anyway, no one could see.
And when I made the slow drive home, the winds picked up. Boy, did it get windy. When I pulled up to the farm, I found one of the guinea fowl down on the ground in the pitch darkness. It gets really dark here at nighttime. The guineas roost in the trees at night. But they don't sit on a solid branch when they roost - they sit on a tiny twiggy branch in the trees, which is right beside a strong branch. And then they fall when the wind blows the branches around. And they are so very blind after dark. And stupid. They just freeze up, and don't move.
 |
| Guineas in trees |
So I ran up to the front door and literally bumped into a opossum on the front porch because I wasn't paying attention. It was the Little O. He had torn open a bag of aluminum cans which was ready for recycling and cans were all over the porch. He was waiting for food beside the cat, Bobby's, foodbowl, which was empty. Bobby was nowhere to be seen. I pushed the critter away with my foot. Damn opossum. He's almost as tame as Bobby.
I went inside, put on an old farm coat which I would never wear out in public in a million years, got a big spotlight flashlight, and went out to help the guineas roost. An umbrella wasn't possible, it would have scared the birds and with all the wind and branches, it just wasn't feasible. So I knew I was going to get soaked to the bone. I picked up the guinea on the ground, it was a grey male guinea, and tossed him up to the branches. He screamed and flapped his wings in my face (they have strong wings), but he would not grab onto a branch, he just came back down to the ground. I tossed him a bunch of times, but he flapped back down each time. All the other guineas were screaming at this time, and the chickens, who were safe and warm in their coop, could hear all the loud guineas noises, and I could hear all this noise coming from their coop. The roosters were crowing in there. I had guinea feathers in my mouth, that must have happened with the wings flapping in my face. My hair was all plastered wet to my head. Cold rain was running down my back under my coat.
 |
| More guineas in tees |
I shone the flashlight up in the tree for a while and a few of the other guineas who didn't have good footing were smart enough to move to stronger branches -they could see a little with my spotlight. But this one boy guinea just wouldn't roost in the tree. Sitting on the ground is not an option for a guinea at night. He will be killed by fox, opossum, owl, or coons. Finally I decided he'd sleep with the chickens that night. My guineas have been known to be mean to the chickens these days, so I normally wouldn't want a guinea in with my beloved hens, but there was no other place for this bird.
I wrapped my arms around the soaking wet guinea (they are very strong) so he wouldn't get loose from me, and we marched into the chicken coop. We swung the door open and entered. The chickens were having a party. The heat lamp was on, and they can see with any kind of light, even though it's a red bulb and isn't supposed to produce light. And when they have a light on, the chickens like to party. Five or six were eating at the feeder (there's a feeder and waterer inside the coop). A couple were drinking. One rooster was crowing. The other was having sex with Zoner in the corner. A few hens were sitting in nestboxes. What was going on?! Everyone was excited to see me and came running and gathered around my feet when I walked in. They all wanted hugs and pets and treats. The guinea in my arms was terrified.
I chastised everyone for partying after bedtime, told them it was too late for hugs and pets and treats, and turned out the party light. The party's over! Everyone moaned little chicken moans and started rushing around bumping into each other trying to find their roost spots. I put the guinea on a roost beside Freckles (a hen). I got my tiny flashlight I keep in the coop and put everyone up on their roost spots, making sure to turn out the light quickly so they wouldn't jump down. I promised hugs and pets and treats another day, sung a quick lullaby to them (they love to be sung to, it calms them), and closed them up for the night. Freckles chatted briefly with the guinea - Freckles used to hate guineas, and when she was a young hen herself, she killed a guinea to protect her chicks at the time. But Freckles has gotten more understanding with age and she let the guinea sleep beside her that night. The guinea was terrified without his fellow guineas nearby and he was quiet and good all night.
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| Freckles chatting with Boy Guinea |
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| Leggy, with Freckles and Boy Guinea chatting |
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| I love Leggy |
And such was the beginning of my night. I had to clean up the cans, called Bobby many times, but he never showed up for dinner, and this was back when Danni the hen was still alive, so I had to feed her and deal with the human's dinner and other household chores afterwards. I was concerned about Bobby, he was missing for a couple days. On a good note, the rain never turned to snow and ice that night, and it stopped raining by the next day. The Boy Guinea was released back to the guinea flock the next morning and he told his brothers and sisters about the horrible night he was forced to spend locked up in "The Coop" beside a convicted murderer and a monster-sized albino man.
By the next night the flooding in the parking lot at work was all gone and that rainy night was just a bad memory.
Thursday, November 24, 2011
Happy Thanksgiving!
Happy Thanksgiving from Razzberry Corner!
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| Muffin |
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| Freckles |
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| Bobby |
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| Cinnamon |
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| Danni |
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| Guinea Hen |
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| Jack and Shadow |
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| Jerry |
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| Guineas |
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| Bad Rhode Island Red Rooster |
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| Guineas |
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| Shadow |
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| Guinea flock |
These photos don't include everyone around here, just some of the critters that slowed down enough to get their pictures taken in the past few weeks. I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving!
Zoner is doing great in the chicken infirmary. She just has a sore behind her left eye, which is healing fine. Her comb is all healed now. She has taken to sitting in a nest box in the infirmary coop - I hope she's not getting broody!
Danni is doing ok, also. As ok as can be expected for a chicken with a broken leg! She happily drank her aspirin water tonight. She ate well tonight - she likes cranberry sauce and cooked celery! She especially likes to be hand fed. Spoiled bird!
The 4 large Rhode Island Red roosters got themselves in trouble with me tonight - I found them viciously attacking the hens - they grab the hens necks/heads and don't leg go. It's an attempt for sex, but the hens fight and run and end up being hurt. I found a lot of blood in the chicken pen tonight, so all birds were inspected thoroughly for wounds. It was odd that I found no wounds on anyone. I did not look at the 4 RIR roosters themselves. Maybe they were fighting each other? They looked fine from a distance.
While I was handling all the chickens, I sprayed all their legs for leg mites. I try to do leg mite spray and poultry body mite powder every now and then to keep the birds safe from these parasites. I locked the 4 RIR roos out of the coop until well after dark because they were very randy in the coop while everyone was choosing their roosting spot. Those roosters are too large and wild for our bantam hen flock; soon all the hens are going to be in the infirmary with rooster injuries. The RIR boys were allowed back into the coop after it was dark, so they would go straight to sleep. I'm sorry to say, their days are numbered in my chicken flock.
Bobby the outside cat is doing great. He's gotten all shots, has been de-flead/de-ticked, and de-wormed. And he's still friendly after all that! He still prefers the outside to the inside of the house, but that will change when the weather gets cold again, I'm sure!
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