Keeping hens and ducks chat.

Cheery_Daff

Well Rusty seems to be fine, thank goodness. Bessie has been back to the vets, had her abdomen drained of fluid again, and now has a hormonal implant 🙄 Yes, like the ones human women have to stop their reproductive cycles. Hopefully this will stop her laying which will hopefully sort out the problem. 

Not exactly cheap though... 😮 still, since we are fortunate enough to be in a position to pay, we have done. I know that's not available to everyone, and I know plenty of people who would have stopped with the local vet's verdict and I don't blame them one bit. We might have done ourselves if it wasn't so soon after losing the other two. 

Four days til we collect the new ones 😮 I'm hoping we've made a sensible decision to get some more hardy hens who are far less likely to have these types of problems... we will always have rescues too though 💜

edwink

Cheery_Daff said:

Well Rusty seems to be fine, thank goodness. Bessie has been back to the vets, had her abdomen drained of fluid again, and now has a hormonal implant 🙄 Yes, like the ones human women have to stop their reproductive cycles. Hopefully this will stop her laying which will hopefully sort out the problem. 

Not exactly cheap though... 😮 still, since we are fortunate enough to be in a position to pay, we have done. I know that's not available to everyone, and I know plenty of people who would have stopped with the local vet's verdict and I don't blame them one bit. We might have done ourselves if it wasn't so soon after losing the other two. 

Four days til we collect the new ones 😮 I'm hoping we've made a sensible decision to get some more hardy hens who are far less likely to have these types of problems... we will always have rescues too though 💜

That's great news about Rusty, I am pleased 😁  Aww bless little Bessie.  I have to admit I have never heard of a hen having a hormonal implant before.  I do hope that it does the trick and that her health now improves.

I believe you have both made a sensible decision Cheery regarding getting some other hens.  I too found the loss of rescues too hard initially, lost my first one within 6 months of them being rehomed here.  Then I lost another, then another and so on.  It is what made us go down the same route as you are both doing.  It was really lovely having the mix of hens I must admit because different breeds have different characteristics.  For example, our White Star was as loopy as they come, what a skittish and nervous hen she was.  She never walked anywhere ever and just ran around the place like Road Runner all the time, Beep Beep 🤣🤣  I would definitely get another White Star that's for sure.  They are little white skinny hens with large floppy red combs that flap over one of their eyes.  I'll see if I can find a pic of one. 

You haven't said what breeds you are getting Cheery.

Edwink x

edwink

White Star hen




Edwink x

edwink

Not a very clear picture but this is one pic I took of our Light Sussex who is at the back and "Asbo" the White Star is in front of her, plus one of the others to the left.  All having a dust bath in one of our greenhouses.


Edwink x

edwink

This is a pic of the Amber Star we kept here


Edwink x

Cheery_Daff

Aw, lovely pictures edwink! 💜

We are getting Rhode Rocks, otherwise known as Miss Pepperpot hens 😁 Pictures here (although this isn't where we're getting them from)

https://www.martins-wood-chickens.co.uk/rhode-rock.html

And some reviews here! 

https://www.omlet.co.uk/breeds/chickens/miss_pepperpot/

By all accounts they seem to be hardy, friendly and disease resistant, which right now feels rather useful! 

Pyxis

Cheery_Daff said:

Aw, lovely pictures edwink! 💜

We are getting Rhode Rocks, otherwise known as Miss Pepperpot hens 😁 Pictures here (although this isn't where we're getting them from)

https://www.martins-wood-chickens.co.uk/rhode-rock.html

And some reviews here! 

https://www.omlet.co.uk/breeds/chickens/miss_pepperpot/

By all accounts they seem to be hardy, friendly and disease resistant, which right now feels rather useful! 

They've got pretty coloured feathers! 

Cheery_Daff

Meant to say, I'd previously heard of hen implants but only through social media posts by other hen rescue people. I think they're not that common, and our local vet didn't mention them as an option. I think they're a last resort and since they shut down the reproductive cycle obviously that means no eggs, so a lot of hen owners wouldn't go for that anyway. And we paid £189 today (for draining and implant) so not exactly the money-saving option!! 😮😮

Anyway, here's Bessie doing her best 'I think I deserve another treat after that ordeal' face 😂

Pyxis

How is the implant done? By large bore injection?

edwink

edwink said: Not a very clear picture but this is one pic I took of our Light Sussex who is at the back and "Asbo" the White Star is in front of her, plus one of the others to the left.  All having a dust bath in one of our greenhouses.

Edwink x

The black hen in the middle is a Black Rock (covered in dust) also known as a Rhode Rock.  They are truly beautiful hens Cheery, their black feathers have a green sheen in the sunlight.  I found the breed docile and relaxing to be around and not at all skittish like my White Star, Asbo. We called her Asbo by the way because I said that she needed one as when I first picked her up she scratched me several times and made such a fuss.  

Edwink x