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: