Oh no! Catch us up later, CWS.{{{{{{{{{{{{{HUGS}}}}}}}}}}}}}}
Chicken Chronicles
- Thread starter CWS4322
- Start date
The friendliest place on the web for anyone that enjoys cooking.
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
(((hugs))) CWS.
tinlizzie
Head Chef
What they all said, CWS.
OP
OP
CWS4322
Chef Extraordinaire
Thanks everyone. Because the heads were torn off, I couldn't tell who was missing....my greatest fear was that Harriet and Myrtle were "gone." No, they've divided their kingdom--Harriet is the Queen Hen of those in the barn and Myrtle has taken up residency as as top hen in the Bo house.
So which hens got taken away by the owl/hawk? The Lowhmanns. The beauty of that breed is that they hunker down when you approach them--this makes it easier to pick them up. It also makes it easier for predators. Made me sick having to go around the yard and pick up headless carcasses. Enough said.
Coming up--I have promised the boys (my friend's kids) 10 fertilized eggs to hatch. It seems that their classes have not been party to the egg hatching thing. One of the boys' birthdays is June 6th. We are going to count back 21 days so the chicks will start hatching on his birthday--how cool is that?. His older brother is a gifted child. We thought it would be nice if the non-gifted child could have the chicks start hatching on or around his birthday. They are going to keep any and all chicks until the chicks feather out. And, they will most likely name the chicks and I will have to keep them. At first I thought I could sell those chicks...probably not.
So which hens got taken away by the owl/hawk? The Lowhmanns. The beauty of that breed is that they hunker down when you approach them--this makes it easier to pick them up. It also makes it easier for predators. Made me sick having to go around the yard and pick up headless carcasses. Enough said.
Coming up--I have promised the boys (my friend's kids) 10 fertilized eggs to hatch. It seems that their classes have not been party to the egg hatching thing. One of the boys' birthdays is June 6th. We are going to count back 21 days so the chicks will start hatching on his birthday--how cool is that?. His older brother is a gifted child. We thought it would be nice if the non-gifted child could have the chicks start hatching on or around his birthday. They are going to keep any and all chicks until the chicks feather out. And, they will most likely name the chicks and I will have to keep them. At first I thought I could sell those chicks...probably not.
Addie
Chef Extraordinaire
Once you name a farm animal, it is yours to keep forever. Watching an amimal being born or hatched is another hazard to eternal attachment. Not a bad thing in the end. 
tinlizzie
Head Chef
Sorry to hear about your little hens.
Pretty entertaining here.
We had a great chicken named stupid, but she was the smartest one we had. She had a crooked beak which is where her name came from. In the spring all the other chickens were scratching away aimlessly when I noticed Stupid and the small white one were by the lilacs digging at the roots the white one was watching Stupid get bugs and copying her.
Before long wherever stupid led all the rest would follow.
We had a great chicken named stupid, but she was the smartest one we had. She had a crooked beak which is where her name came from. In the spring all the other chickens were scratching away aimlessly when I noticed Stupid and the small white one were by the lilacs digging at the roots the white one was watching Stupid get bugs and copying her.
Before long wherever stupid led all the rest would follow.
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Addie
Chef Extraordinaire
It is a fun and informative place. We have a lot of laughs. When you have the time, sit and read through all of the Chicken Chronicals. Great reading.
OP
OP
CWS4322
Chef Extraordinaire
Henny, one of the Plymouth Rock hens, was acting strangely on Monday. She was trapped in the x-pen. I let her out, and she went over to the feeder. I didn't think anything more about it (hind-sight is 20/20). On Tuesday morning, she was in the nest box when I went out to feed and water the girls. On Tuesday afternoon, she was still in the nest box (and there were eggs all over the place because no one else could get in the nest box). The PRs are not the most people friendly. However, when I picked her up, she was very calm--oh-oh. I brought her in the house, put her in a dog crate near the woodstove (maybe she was cold? It has been beastly cold). She drank a bit, ate a few pieces of pasta, but that was it. I cuddled her in a towel on my lap in the rocking chair (made up a song just for her). Wednesday, I went on line and looked up what to do if a chicken is egg bound. So I put her in the bathtub on a hot towel, turned on the shower (which is separate from the bathtub) and steamed the room. I did this a couple of times. Wednesday night she was very lethargic. gave her a warm bath and did a "vent" exam. I didn't feel anything (and no, she didn't enjoy it any more than I did). I figured she'd probably die overnight...well, yesterday when I got home from work she was drinking and eating. Today she is scolding me--I don't think she likes being in the crate (or maybe it was the vent exam). I've told her she has to lay an egg before she goes back to the flock. She is getting special treats--beef, rice, pasta, sour milk, and cooked green beans.
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Addie
Chef Extraordinaire
C'mon Henny, you can do it. Go Henny! Go Henny! (Pun intended)
OP
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CWS4322
Chef Extraordinaire
We're on day 10. Henny has not laid an egg (I suspect she's holding off so she can stay in the house and watch the season finale of DA tomorrow night). I can picture her bringing the rest of the flock up to speed on the upstairs-downstairs stories about DA. Anyway, she seems to have recovered and she wanted to share this with all her DC fans. She's the one in the middle:
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Addie
Chef Extraordinaire
She looks so beautiful. Her feathers are so fluffy. She will strutting her stuff when she goes back with the other girls. Give her my love.
OP
OP
CWS4322
Chef Extraordinaire
Henny is back out with the flock and has reclaimed her position as one of the top hens. I never realized how much smaller she is than the other girls....
And, there's PEEPING. Miss Broody 2 has been sitting on a clutch of eggs for three weeks (Miss Broody 2 and the nest box are in the workshop where there is heat). The chicks are trying to get out of their shells...peeping can be heard! She's been sitting on 18 eggs. I don't need more hens, but it is so much fun having chicks! Stay tuned...they should be coming out of their shells soon!
And, there's PEEPING. Miss Broody 2 has been sitting on a clutch of eggs for three weeks (Miss Broody 2 and the nest box are in the workshop where there is heat). The chicks are trying to get out of their shells...peeping can be heard! She's been sitting on 18 eggs. I don't need more hens, but it is so much fun having chicks! Stay tuned...they should be coming out of their shells soon!
Addie
Chef Extraordinaire
tinlizzie
Head Chef
At the Tractor Supply store the other day there were chicks and ducklings. Such peeping! It was as hard to get out of the store without buying one as it is to pass up a Krispy Kreme shop with the "hot donuts" sign flashing.
CWS, is it ever a good idea to have just one hen? I have a place to keep one, but with 2 cats and a dog already, and at my age, it seems like just one more complication to a life that aims for serenity and is not always successful.
CWS, is it ever a good idea to have just one hen? I have a place to keep one, but with 2 cats and a dog already, and at my age, it seems like just one more complication to a life that aims for serenity and is not always successful.
OP
OP
CWS4322
Chef Extraordinaire
Laying hens are like potato chips...really hard to stop with just one. My dogs are chicken friendly (and, my girls are dog friendly) and cats don't usually cause a problem. Adult chickens are too big for cats to attack. The biggest problem I have is that one of the dogs has developed a taste for layer mash. He is the "guard" dog to protect the girls, but he does like their layer mash. Chickens are easy to keep. I'd probably go with 3.
tinlizzie
Head Chef
My thanks, Master Chef/Hen Pro. My two cats are indoors always; the dog is getting so feeble she'd never catch a chicken. I'm thinking a full-size layer would be simplest. So you feed them mash as well as their free-ranging ways, eh? So then they need a source of drinking water, too. I'm thinking. I'm thinking. The worst part would be cleaning out the shed/would-be hen house. Oh, me. What do I do with all that stuff?
Aunt Bea
Master Chef
If you come home with a chicken under your arm, I'm afraid your children will sit you down for THE TALK!
mwahahaIf you come home with a chicken under your arm, I'm afraid your children will sit you down for THE TALK!
tinlizzie
Head Chef
Note to self: Get real, Tinlizzie. Getting another "pet" just may belong in the same department as thinking another baby is a good idea - while observing a sleeping toddler. That carton of eggs in the fridge is soooo easy to come by.
