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Author Topic: Ha, gotta secret, gonna get ya going!!! My baby girl, that chick  (Read 3483 times)

Offline Cindi

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Soon a picture to come, has to do with a rescued little girl, a little lady to be growing up, one day to lay an egg, yes.....that little Light Brahma poult, she is my pride and joy......she is that struggler that makes my heart grow proud, she be Heather, a name most aptly given, Heather, a perennial chick.  Beautiful day in this greatest place, earth.....attract and love good health, it can be yours.  Cindi
There are strange things done in the midnight sun by the men who moil for gold.  The Arctic trails have their secret tales that would make your blood run cold.  The Northern Lights have seen queer sights, but the queerest they ever did see, what the night on the marge of Lake Lebarge, I cremated Sam McGee.  Robert Service

Offline iddee

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Re: Ha, gotta secret, gonna get ya going!!! My baby girl, that chick
« Reply #1 on: January 21, 2009, 09:34:27 am »
Good for you. I'm sure she will grow up to be quite delicious.   :shock:   :shock:  :-D
"Listen to the mustn'ts, child. Listen to the don'ts. Listen to the shouldn'ts, the impossibles, the won'ts. Listen to the never haves, then listen close to me . . . Anything can happen, child. Anything can be"

*Shel Silverstein*

Offline JP

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Re: Ha, gotta secret, gonna get ya going!!! My baby girl, that chick
« Reply #2 on: January 21, 2009, 10:15:39 am »
Mmmm good, to the last drop!


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Offline Cindi

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Re: Ha, gotta secret, gonna get ya going!!! My baby girl, that chick
« Reply #3 on: January 30, 2009, 01:45:07 pm »
OK, Heather.  She has been inside our house now for a few weeks.  Every day she is getting stronger, eating more better.  I have deloused her (she had a whole romp of lice, think it was because she fell on the ground and they jumped up on her, she came to the house where it was warm night and day and they took off like there was no tomorrow, she has no lice now, lucky girl).  All the other chickens have now been deloused, I didn't realize that they had any. 

Now I must tell that story.  One day I found little Heather limping around the chickenhouse, after all the other chickens had gone out.  Poor Heather.  I guess that she must have fallen down in the crowd, and being a little more small, got trompled.   That poor little girl, all she wanted to do was to get outside to see the daylight.  She could barely walk, her eye was swollen shut, she had a big bump on the side of her face, and her beak was crooked.  I almost cried.  Ken, this wonderful man, this love of my life, picked up this little gal and brought her to our house inside his big warm coat -- I brought in the cage.  We filled the cage with good food, some antibiotics, (along with colloidal silver water in the antibiotics), nice warm shavings, and a great heat lamp we hung above the end part of her cage.  Every day I would remove every single bit of poop, kept her house like clean as a whistle, fresh water and greens.  And she thrived, she became more strong, her eye subsided to be swollen, but it still has not completely opened yet, it will, but it still remains mostly closed.  Her bad limp is almost gone.

She loves Ken and I.  When we open the  basement suite door, she makes a very special little peep peeping sound.  She responds to us in a most beautiful way.  She always gets out of her little spot that she loves in the corner of her pen, to see what yummy stuff she will get as an extra treat this day.  She is special.

I let her roam the kitchen when I am cooking dinner.  She is a great scrapper, and loves to get those little tidbits that accidentally fall to her spot where she may be walking or hanging out.  She poops little blops on my kitchen floor, I pick it up and spray a disinfectant after.  It is sterilized.  Do not worry, a little chicken poop spot in my kitchen would never hurt a soul, especially after the spot has been cleansed.   I would be comfortable to eat off my kitchen floors, that is a strong statement, but true.

After dinner cooking, Heather goes back to her cage, she is happy, warm and resumes her resting in the warm spot in that corner.

Heather will be whole again, but the time may be lengthy, she is in physiotherapy right now.  Smiling that big smile.  The weather is becoming more normal, the days are getting so much longer and the freeze is gone, the snow will soon be all gone.  We still have much to melt, but there are bare spots.  Heather has a metal dog kennel thingy that I put her in outside for short periods, she scratches and enjoys those little morsels of stuff that she finds.  She is my pal.  She is gonna be my fav girl in the chickenyard.  She will teach her babies to love the human being, the human being can be a trusted thing, this breed of chicken will go broody, and her and Micky will give us some beautiful young birds this upcoming summer.  Enjoy life.  Have a most wonderful and awesome day, attract great health.  Cindi

You will think that Heather looks ugileeeeee, but ugileeee is only in how one perceives......I don't think that Heather will ever had a "normal" beak, and the bump may never go down on the side of her face.  But her soul is as sweet as the honey from the hive.  She has put on weight and is growing like a bad weed.  She was born on September 28 with her other 14 brothers and sisters.  These were from eggs that I got from Brian D. Bray, when we went to his bee barbeque, they were incubated and the hatch was almost 98%, I was proud that day of these births.  I have some very beautiful birds growing here, I need to soon take pictures.  They are 4 months old and they are mostly roosters, smiling......a few hens in the group, but not many.  Pictures will come soon of these great birds.

I think that Heather may be be Light Brahma crossed with his Araucana, but am not too sure, she had very heavy looking neck feathers when she was younger.....

THis is what Heather originally looked like on December 12, last, before she got hurt by her fellow chickens/ducks -- whatever trompled on her.  This is where I thought she may be part Araucana.  Thoughts on breed, Brian B., welcomed here, smiling.



This is Heather, approximately one month later, on January 23, last:











There are strange things done in the midnight sun by the men who moil for gold.  The Arctic trails have their secret tales that would make your blood run cold.  The Northern Lights have seen queer sights, but the queerest they ever did see, what the night on the marge of Lake Lebarge, I cremated Sam McGee.  Robert Service

Offline Natalie

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Re: Ha, gotta secret, gonna get ya going!!! My baby girl, that chick
« Reply #4 on: January 30, 2009, 03:11:37 pm »
Cindi, I am glad to hear she is doing well.
She has cross beak, sometimes it inhibits their eating so badly that the chicks don't make it, she is doing well with it. It may take longer for her to eat and you will have to make sure the others don't eat all the food before she has a chance to get her fill when you throw them treats or whatever.
She definitely has light brahma in her. I am not sure about the auracana, she could have it in her but not have the features they normally exhibit such as a pea comb, tufts and usually rumpless, although sometimes the breed will throw a tailed chick with a clean face.
How long has she had the bump and swollen eye? It looks to be a cyst of somekind? Is it hard or soft?
Is the lump what is forcing her eye shut? Its hard to tell in the picture how far it goes up.
I am wondering if it could be lanced and drained and if so if it will allow her eye to open.
I wish you the best of luck with her, you are doing a great job.

Offline Jessaboo

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Re: Ha, gotta secret, gonna get ya going!!! My baby girl, that chick
« Reply #5 on: January 30, 2009, 04:28:04 pm »
Cindi -

Congrats on her recovery! It sounds like you have done wonders with Heather!

I don't know nothin' 'bout chickens (yet - mine aren't getting here until spring) but I have been reading up a good bit and one of the things recommended for chicks and pullets who peck each other is to clip the beak - I wonder if this would be something that would work on Heather to help her eat better? If that top "c" of her beak was gone, would it allow her to get to forage or feed more easily?

Just a thought - it is clear her beak is quite wonky but if she doesn't mind it why should we!

I am sure she will be rewarding your care with some lovely eggs and chicks!

- Jess

Offline annette

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Re: Ha, gotta secret, gonna get ya going!!! My baby girl, that chick
« Reply #6 on: January 30, 2009, 08:02:47 pm »
I believe that only you can tell such a sweet story and have me wanting to love up some chickens myself. I wish I were a chicken in your house and could feel the beautiful energy that comes from you and Ken. I would never want anything more in life

Thanks for sharing this adventure
Annette

Offline DayValleyDahlias

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Re: Ha, gotta secret, gonna get ya going!!! My baby girl, that chick
« Reply #7 on: January 30, 2009, 08:45:42 pm »
Oh sweet little Heather is one lucky girl to have you as her steward in this life...3 cheers for Cindi~*~*~

Offline Brian D. Bray

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Re: Ha, gotta secret, gonna get ya going!!! My baby girl, that chick
« Reply #8 on: January 30, 2009, 10:55:35 pm »
To me she looks like she's had her upper beek dislocated and that has resulted in a cyst at the point of dislocation and cross beek.
If you plan on keeping her, I'd get that cyst lanced by a vet the the beek trimmed in an effort the correct the cross beek.  However, if there's loss of bone or cartilage at the base of the beek correcting the condition might not be possible.

She does seem to have the longer neck like the Americana/BrahmaX Rooster I have, which would probably make her 1/4 Americana and 3/4 Light Brahma.  She'll throw a pinkish tinted egg most likely.
Life is a school.  What have you learned?   :brian:      The greatest danger to our society is apathy, vote in every election!

Offline Cindi

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Re: Ha, gotta secret, gonna get ya going!!! My baby girl, that chick
« Reply #9 on: January 31, 2009, 12:32:38 pm »
Annette, Sharon, all, thank you for the kind words.  Annette, should you ever become a chicken with a sore leg or something, I would so willingly take you under my wing, I would heal you, smiling.

Heather has that crossbill because she must have fallen down inside the chickenhouse.  She must have become trompled by the birds.  Taking her to the vet to have the cyst lanced, the beek trimmed is not an option.  I would not ever spend the kind of money on a chicken that I know a vet would charge.  I have a soft side to me, but I do not have an illogical side.

The cyst is hard.  I have pushed on it, it is not painful to her either. She will have to just live with that cyst.  She can eat well, she is actually a pretty good aim with this crossed beek,  I know that because when I hold a piece of greens for her she bites it just fine.  She eats well.  She will always have to have that tender touch when it comes to ensuring that she had enough food for sustenance, I am aware of that.  I also am aware that if her eye does not open fully, that she will also need extra care.  How much extra care I can provide I am unsure of.  She would not be able to live with her fellow chickenyard friends.  They would for surely peck her eye right out of her head, and she would then die.  So....it is thought that she will likely always be in a separate pen.  Now again, I am a logical person, and I am unsure if I could care for an extended period of time a bird that would require so much attention outside.  That is a saddening thought, but one MUST also at the time be logical in their thinking.  Time will tell that tale.

When Ken and I make our eventual move to a more simple lifestyle, we will be doing some travelling with our 5th wheel.  I will need to think logically about how much care the birds will need, or how much care I would need to expect from someone that may look after our birds.  It is that age old saying, only the strong survive....and that does take us to places in our mind's eye.  These things are hard things to fully understand and comprehend, but we must.  Have a wonderful, most awesome day, life, attract great health.  Cindi
There are strange things done in the midnight sun by the men who moil for gold.  The Arctic trails have their secret tales that would make your blood run cold.  The Northern Lights have seen queer sights, but the queerest they ever did see, what the night on the marge of Lake Lebarge, I cremated Sam McGee.  Robert Service

 

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