Keeping hens and ducks chat.

Cheery_Daff

Aw, that's sad edwink, so sorry to hear about your little hen. Was she poorly? Glad she went in the nest box at least, somehow it seems the least distressing way, all cuddled up with the others overnight xxx

Lots of hens out here, and I've seen lots of disgruntled people on various chicken groups I'm part of too. I do sympathise - they've been in for months, and the main purpose seems to be to avoid decimating the commercial chicken industry. I don't know where this will end up - clearly bird flu is getting worse, more strains, spreading further - will we all end up having to keep chickens inside all the time? For 6 months every year? Or will they develop a vaccine if it gets bad enough? I don't know. Mr Cheery sneaks ours out sometimes when I'm at work - he knows I don't approve, and that he'll have to deal with any consequences, but they are so much healthier and happier when they're out. Hope it doesn't last too much longer, but we'll be going into May at this rate 😕

RebekahR

Awww no I've not done with a chicken loss yet. Really not looking forward to it. I will blub like a baby! Hopefully she went in her sleep. I reckon this lockdown will end up coming in as a forever thing as it is deffo getting worse. This year is really bad!

MysteryMe

Sorry to read that Edwink, at least she lived out her days being loved.

edwink

Thank you Cheery, Rebekah and MysteryMe I do appreciate your words of support. I love my little hens so much and although they are all old now for ex-battery girls I hate to see any of them go. 

She wasn't unwell as far as we could see but was quiet the day before and like we normally do we checked her over to see if we could identify anything wrong with her.  Whilst checking her over she was very good and definitely enjoyed her cuddle afterwards and some grapes and sweetcorn, bless her.

Edwink x

Cheery_Daff

Aw bless her, glad she had some treats and a cuddle xxxx

Cheery_Daff

Hooray!! The news we have all been waiting for - flockdown is ending next Monday 😊😊😊😊😊😊😊

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/bird-keepers-urged-to-maintain-scrupulous-biosecurity-standards-as-housing-measures-set-to-be-lifted

edwink

Cheery_Daff said:

Hooray!! The news we have all been waiting for - flockdown is ending next Monday 😊😊😊😊😊😊😊

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/bird-keepers-urged-to-maintain-scrupulous-biosecurity-standards-as-housing-measures-set-to-be-lifted

YAY!!!!  I AM JUST SO DELIGHTED AND SO VERY HAPPY 😊😊😊😊😊😊😊

Thank you Cheery for posting, you beat me to it, again 😁😁😁😁😉😉😉😉

Edwink x

sammyjammy

So pleased for you all, I have no ducks or chickens but love following all the trials and tribulations of your girls (and boys maybe!), it must be so hard when they can't potter around the garden.

edwink

Hi everyone

Still can't believe the good news about the Avian flu lockdown being lifted from Monday.  I'm chuffed to bits. 

One of my hens toppled over or fell this afternoon. I was there but didn't actually see if she tripped or jumped off of something and landed awkwardly. She is not limping which is good so doesn't look like she has hurt herself. It was almost as though she just toppled over, got up and shook herself, and then slowly walked away. Quite weird to be honest. It wasn't particularly hot outside today so I don't think it was due to excessive heat or anything like that. I'll keep a very close eye on her over the coming days. Like others I can't be with my girls all the time so it may have happened before but obviously, I don't know. Very odd. 

Edwink x

Cheery_Daff

Ooh, that does sound odd edwink. Do hens ever have fits?? I hope it was something straightforward and she just tripped over her own feet.

Thank you sammyjammy! We are all delighted of course! 

All fine here. Our ladies have been without treats all day as both of us have been put, and when we pulled up in the car at 7.45 all five were standing with their beaks pressed against the glass in the door, waiting for bedtime treats. Funny little things. Mr Cheery dug up a giant dandelion and they demolished it within about 10 minutes.

Another soft shelled egg today. I suspect Bonny, although it's hard to completely tell. She does occasionally seem a bit off colour, and her bum is always a bit more inclined to be mucky than the others.... The trouble with her though is that she is SO jumpy, and SO hard to catch, that any attempt to take her to the vets would just traumatise her so much. We did take her once, but took Bunty in the car with her, and she was checked over but not showing signs of infection,but I do worry about her longer term. 

Hey ho, can't do much except feed grit and occasional egg shells and hope for the best. Obviously she'll be off to the vets if anything drastic happens, but if it was a less jumpy chicken we might have had her checked out again before now. 

Anyway, no point predicting disaster. She seems ok in herself at the minute and was certainly tucking into dandelions before bed time!

Fingers crossed for your little one edwink xx