Keeping hens and ducks chat.

edwink

Hi Dizzy

I have only just seen your post. Poor you and how worrying it must have been for you last night. How is your hen today? Hopefully as StarShapedPeg has said it is the same problem she had with one of her hens and her hen was fine within a couple of hours after it happened. It must have been such a relief to hear that within 15 minutes from another hen keeper on our thread. Well done for posting so quickly StarShapedPeg :T
Please let us know how she is getting on when you get a minute.

Big (((HUG)))

Edwink

Dizzy_Ditzy

Thank you both!

She's doing a lot better - when I got home at 6ish tonight she was actually sitting down, something that I'd not seen her do all of last night she's much perkier and more verbal than last night too lol. We gave her a warm bath earlier so I could clean her undercarriage. She enjoyed that hugely :rotfl:

I still can't make up my mind if she's prolapsed or not it looks sticky out but she's completely bald around her bum so it would stick out anyway. The top half of it looks very bruised. We are keeping her here tonight then taking her back to the others in the morning, where she'll stay in her cage for another day or so until we are happy that all is gonna be ok. We are keeping her off the layers pellets so that she doesn't lay an egg and end up back at square one.

Fingers crossed!

vjm63

Hi All,

I just thought I'd share a bit of happy after the wind, rain, avian flu etc that have cause mayhem lately! When I woke up it was sunny, so I decided to put down some wood sh where the girls like to shelter on sunny days - there were already dustbath indentations there. This is the result - a group of very happy girls who couldn't care tuppence I was within a few feet of them taking photos! Normally they would be heckling me for attention when I was that close!

CAFCGirl

Today is the day!!!

edwink

CAFCGirl wrote: »

Today is the day!!!

Ready steady GO!!!!!!!!!

edwink

Hi everyone

How are you all? and your hens & ducks too!!

Mine are allowed out now but we are still being extra careful with their feed etc. Normally leave the ducks bowl out for them with food in but it is now in the feed store during the day so the wild birds can not help themselves like they used to here. Also making sure that the hens troughs are empty in the mornings before I let them out to free range because some of the robins here have been known to nip in the coop and help themselves. (that reminds me I have a lovely photo of a robin standing in one of the hens feeding troughs which I took last summer. Will hopefully find it and post on here later)

It's difficult really isn't it because there are wild birds everywhere flying over the tops of gardens. I'm being extra careful not to encourage them to fly down and pick up some feed.

Hope everyone and their feathered friends are doing ok.

Edwink

CAFCGirl

Mine have all successfully learnt how to dust bathe now and have been enjoying this week of sunshine.

Production wise we've levelled out at 3 a day it seems, although we did get another 4/4 day! Theyre also getting bigger eggs now too. Finally got round to getting their ankle rings on now. Even though I can 9/10 tell whose who, it helps my son and husband.

Another positive is I tried my hand at sprouting some mung beans for them - beansprouts for everyone!

edwink

I took this photo of this little Robin helping himself to our hens feed last summer. Cheeky little thing...

Dizzy_Ditzy

I'm sorry ladies, I'm full of doom this afternoon

We lost one of our girls today

She was fine this morning. Went with the others and had a ramble around outside. I took a few pics of them all enjoying their freedom

We popped round at lunchtime to see one of the other allotmenteers and thought we'd check for more eggs and she was on her back in the little run, flapping. We thought initially that she was having a dustbath but quickly realised that she wasn't I picked her up and she died in my arms

It's taken two years less a week fir us to lose our first little lady

edwink

Dizzy_Ditzy wrote: »

It's taken two years less a week fir us to lose our first little lady

Hi Dizzy

Oh how sad for you. Loosing the very first one for me felt devastating I thought it was something I had done at the time. But, over time loosing more and more (as we all will do) you come to realise what a wonderful life you gave them and how lucky they were to spend that time with you. For me personally it got easier mainly because of the total number we keep and over time loss is obviously high. I now deal with any loss by saying to myself "yes I did give them the very best and the time they have spent with me was special for both myself and them". The fact that you were there for her was good and shows what a caring hen keeper you are.

I too lost one of my girls in the night and have said the above to myself this morning to remind myself of our special time together. I do this each and every time as it definitely helps me deal with the loss.

It will and does get easier having to bare the loss of them but the very first like yours is tough real tough so please have a ((((HUG)))) from me and the others on here.

Take care

Edwink