We had some extra slices of tomato left over from burger night, so I hung them up for the chickens. They appreciated the offering. We are still only getting one egg maybe every other day. I actually had to purchase eggs. Next time they start laying I’m going to stock more in the freezer.
Cockatrice is my one brave chicken that dares to roam the run while I use the trimmer mower on the meadow. She has figured out that the grasshoppers jump in to escape the trimmer. All the other hens hide in the coop while the scary machine roars.
I’ve been putting off a full chicken check for awhile. I’ve been spot checking under wings for mites, spot checking feet, and monitoring fluffy bums, but I heard that it hurts when they go through a molt, so didn’t want to pick them up and handle them much. Turns out I haven’t done weights since we lost Navi, Pooh, and Sunrise. Molting is lasting forever.
Well, the weather has been spectacular, with highs in the 80s and we had a morning of 70s when my eldest volunteered to help with chicken checks. We weighed all nine, checked under the wings for mites, checked vent condition, and checked their feet. Most of them needed a nail clip, some had bumbles, but only a few needed to be wrapped. I’ve suspected that they may have scaly leg mites, so put some natural healing ointment with tea tree and other essential oils in their legs. Taco was the only one where I was sure she has leg mites, as the scales on her legs were visibly lifted. We’ll treat her again with the ointment tomorrow. All of the chickens have lost weight. I hope it is just the molting and they will start packing on the ounces when they fully feather.
Jade has the flock beauty award in the bag. Her beard is glorious and her new feathers are crisp and lay beautifully. I think she is the one laying again too. We had a week of no eggs after Sunrise choked on a kernel and of grain and suffocated, but now we are getting an egg about every other day. Good thing I had some in the freezer.
We lost Sunrise the hen. I went out after lunch and she was wheezing and trying to catch her breath. I couldn’t see anything down her throat, she was fine yesterday, no weepy eyes or stuffy nose. Just in case, I put her in isolation with food and water. She passed about three hours later. I had to know what killed her, so I managed to do a necropsy. It wasn’t nearly as bad as I imagined, and nothing like trying to clean out an impacted crop (which is utterly disgusting). My eldest and I were able to identify most of the internal organs, and darn it all, before she died, she was still producing eggs despite the molting that has all the other hens at an egg laying standstill. Turns out there was a kernel of grain lodged in her trachea. That would certainly explain the signs and the quick passing. No pictures, because ew, but here is a drawing I did last year when Navi had an impacted crop.
I might have to buy eggs.
What do you do when the chicken struts up to you soaking wet but happy and you don’t have your phone to take a picture? Hold her up to the video camera in the runs. Twilight looked more like a cactus than a chicken! It boggles the mind that she doesn’t mind the rain.
Critters and Craft 