Ms McCluckinson (one of my first chickens) did not make it, she steadily got worse and was just laying on her side. I would touch her and she would kick her legs a little and that was it. She could no longer stand or walk so we made the decision to put her down. After working on her for two weeks and seeing no improvement, I gave up. Sometimes you just don't succeed and it is hard not being able to help. I didn't do a necropsy on her, I figured I wouldn't know what I was looking for anyway. She would not eat or drink any more, several times I thought she had died, but she would kick when I touched her. I wonder if she was bitten by a spider or something, we have a lot of spiders out here. It sounds silly but one night we were outside and my surrogate son Mark turned a flashlight on a field of grass out back, and you could see tons of little glowing eyes...he said they were spiders. It has sort of creeped me out ever since.
I have been busy as usual. I have hatched several small batches of chickens, but have not had very good hatch rates, so I am continuing to try. We put our first hatches out in what I call the "Sidecar" yesterday. I had to wait almost two weeks longer than planned. I have slowly been working on breeding pens, and all the roosters that were in the "Sidecar" were transferred to a breeding pen. Then about 35 chicks were transferred to the sidecar, after I gave it a good cleaning and spread fresh straw and made a short roost for them. They spent a short while in the corner, then I got the food and water inside and they came over to eat and drink. I was afraid the hanging waterer was to high, but they were able to reach it without a problem. I checked on them several times and they really seemed to like the fresh air and sunshine. This batch of chicks had chicks I ordered from a hatchery in it too...Dominiques, Gold and Silver Laced Wyandottes and Gold Laced Polish. Some of our barnyard mixes and some Barnevelders I hatched.
Oh, and the reason I waited to move the chicks...I had an outbreak of Coccidiosis. I lost three chicks before I got it under control, people on one of the Facebook groups for chickens I am on said it happens when you get hatchery chicks sometimes. Coccidosis is a common disease...or maybe I should say parasite? It is like nematodes in the ground and can be passed on shoes, in feces, by contact. It causes bloody poop, lethargy and discomfort...and sometimes death in chickens...it messes with their intestines. A simple treatment in the water or feed treats it. I normally use the Medicated feed for my chicks because of it, but I had not this time because of the baby geese. I will not make that mistake again. I don't like my babies dying on me or looking so miserable. Normally they slowly get use to the types of Cocci type nematodes and eggs in the ground, but when you introduce chicks from somewhere else, they can bring a different kind with them...even a person who walked somewhere else can bring them, or a wild bird or other animal. I got lucky, the Chicken Health Handbook I have said it is common to loose up to 30% of your flock...so 3 out of the 60 chickens in the brooder room is pretty good. I got medicated feed and started feeding it to the rest of my chicks.
In the mean time, we expanded the chicken, ducks and geeses free range area. I pulled up the fencing to my lower garden plot that never got planted and expanded it out almost to the road up to the lake. I will have to rethink my garden areas, but with all the rain we get, the area I selected when we were having drought conditions, turned out not to be the best place to have a garden. I may have to move flowers around the patio area and some blueberry bushes, because the poultry seems to like eating them and digging up the flower beds. It is either that or fence around them. I have been inspecting all the trees I planted, or transplanted and so far all appear to be nice and healthy. I have baby apples, pears, plums and peaches coming on to all of them...and all 4 of the pecan trees I planted are starting to leaf out. Two of my grapevines died, but the rest are getting their leaves and a few have baby grapes on them too. I tilled up a section of the front yard and hope to get a bunch of flowers going in it...but, we have been seeing a lot of rabbits out in the yard...so I am not sure how that will go. All of my plant starts are looking good, some are ready to put in the ground. I need to get more started too. Now if I could make myself weed my herb garden and strawberry patch...
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