Time to Redefine our Lives in Oregon

Archive for the ‘Hatching Chicks’ Category

The Skies Have It!!

If you are living anywhere considered within the western states….I think it’s safe to say, basically….you have been on fire, or benn breathing the results of the many, many fires filling the air with the smells of a huge campfire….

http://viewer.smoke.airfire.org/run/standard/PNW-4km/2015081600

The blue skies of Oregon…

…have turned into a blanket of grey….

….and although the picture doesn’t show it well, the smoke lays lightly low within the trees. Thankfully, for our homestead, the fires are not threatening our surrounding forests. Our hearts and prayers go out to those who have been evacuated, or may soon have to leave their homes.

The sunsets have been erily beautiful.

The smoke has also created a cover for airborne predators….the kind with sharp beaks and talons….the kind that pluck young, feathered friends up off the ground, and carry them away. We’ve had two attempted hawk attacks on our young flock within the past three days. Thankfully, the juveniles are getting their feet accustomed to the great outdoors in a safe environment….

…this is what you call the awkward, in-between stage!! hahaha!

In both instances, the hawk did not perceive the chicken wire are a barrier and rammed right into it with talons blazing. One tussled with the wire mesh, trying to find an opening, or create one….the other immediately flew up into the tree adjacent to the flock’s enclosure. In both cases, the hawks flew in with a stealthy silence, minus a forewarning shadow due to the haze of smoke. Outside of their enclosure, these, Littles ,would not have stood a chance…..

The good news……

…..my blues skies of Oregon have returned…

….Mama Chardonnay, hatched two little chicks (they’re still playing hide-n-seek at this point)….

…we harvested the most delicious watermelon EVER!!……

…and these little beautiful Chardonnay gems from our new vines, give us hope for the future. I can’t wait to grow enough to actually make our own mead wine. Next year??

Hey, thank you for visiting today!! I hope your day ahead, or the one behind is or has been MAHVALOUS!!

Your friend from Oregon,

Tami

Category:

Buff Orphington / Rhode Island Red Mix, building a new home, Chardonnay Grape Vines, Hatching Chicken Eggs, Hatching Chicks, Smoky air, Watermelon

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Creepy Crawlies….YUCK!

Less than a day after the hatching of chick number two, Kermit, left the nesting box. She moved herself and both chicks down to the larger brooder area, leaving five eggs behind. I have seen this happen with Chardonnay, but normally that took a good four days, or so, before she totally let the eggs go cold. This move was definitely early, but this was her first brood, so I chalked it up to inexperience….until…….

……WAIT…….WHAT THE HECK WAS THAT!!!!

As I was reaching down to move the eggs back under, Kermit, hoping she would hatch one or two more….I paused…..looked….what’s on the eggs? Tiny, tiny little specks…and they were moving!! I looked at my hand…tiny, tiny little specks were moving on hand, on my shirt sleeve, both my hands….WHAT WAS GOING ON??!!!

Photo captured from http://labs.russell.wisc.edu/insectid/2014/03/07/bird-mites/

MITES!!! Oh my gosh!! It was so gross. I have never had mites, at least I have never seen evidence of mites, on or around my birds. What was I supposed to do??? I remembered the goat rancher saying to get diatomaceous earth (DE) to powder the goats if they got itchy….in other words, fleas, ticks, etc. I had some…..I ran to the shop.

By this time I was feeling things crawling on me….on my face and in my hair. KEEP CALM!!! I put on gloves, and a heavy duty mask….I was already wearing glasses so I thought that would suffice for eye protection….put a bunch of this fine powder into a bucket and ran back to the hen house. I doused the nest, the brooder area, and even mama hen, Kermit.

There was no evidence of the creepy crawlies on any of the eggs laid that day, but I wasn’t taking any chances….everything got dusted….every nesting box, every roosting board, window eaves, and the entirety of the floor of the hen house. The place went from a pine, wood board color to grey. I left a good amount on the roosting boards so that the hens, and Benedict would be laying in it as they roosted for the night. Then I went out to their usual dusting spots, and dusted those areas.

I dusted the goats…for good measure. I used the residual dust on my gloves to run my hands over Penni and give her a light dusting, I dusted my clothes….then….oh gosh…I can’t believe I’m admitting this…..I very, very, lightly dusted my hair.

OH MY GOSH!!!! SO GROSS!!! I could feel the creepy crawlies on my scalp….. BLEH!!!!

I left it on for about fifteen minutes, then showered. They critters were gone, which gave me good hope for the hen house.

That night, however, I didn’t sleep well. My mind was all about having to clean up the chicken house, and having bugs crawling on me. Thankfully, after leaving the place thoroughly dusted for three days, when I did clean it from top to bottom this weekend, not one creepy crawly was felt, or found on me, or anywhere else.

OMGOSH!! I don’t know what caused this to happen. I’ve never had mites in my flock!! There are two things that I suspect…I used straw as bedding the last couple of months; I normally use pine shavings. Straw, apparently, has hollow spaces perfect for little mites to thrive and populate…ok…back to shavings we go!!! Secondly, mites are spread by other birds…and the other birds hanging around ALOT right now are my neighbor’s peafowl (two peacocks and a peahen), the Canadian Geese have gone.

In the meantime…this little beauty hatched in the incubator….

…..and is running around with Mama Kermit…and his siblings…

All is well!!!

Thanks for visiting today….no itchies for you!! Hahaha.

Have a great evening, afternoon, or morning (depending on when you’re reading this!!

Your friend from Oregon,

Tami

Category:

Buff Orphington / Rhode Island Red Mix, Buff Orpington, Chicken Mites, Free Ranging Chickens, Hatching Chicken Eggs, Hatching Chicks, Peacocks

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Outside the Box

It is spring…in case you didn’t know!! The grasses are tall…very tall. The wind is blowing, and the rain is falling…and for obvious reasons, that’s okay!!

With the wind and rain came two more things….well, I don’t think I’d really call them, “things!”

Both look like Buff Orphington / Rhode Island Red mix chicks. I’m hoping to have one that is a true Buff Orphington chick … it would be a Benedict / Claudio baby, my only pure Buff Orphington adults.

With the wind and rain, also came a realization….these little cuties were going to need a little extra heat in their brooder. How was I going to hang a heat lamp with my makeshift design? So I started thinking….a tripod? That could work! I looked around, and my eyes landed on a more stable alternative……

….it works, and I think it is a little more stable than a tripod. Sometimes you have to think outside the box…inside the box.

And so it continues as there are six more eggs to hatch…I expect at least four more, there are two that seemed a little questionable when candled a week and a half ago. Exciting times!!

Thanks for stopping by the farm today. This cool spring day has been full of blessings! I hope you find the blessings of your day too!!

Your friend from Oregon,
Tami

Category:

Brooders, Buff Orphington / Rhode Island Red Mix, Buff Orpington, Hatching Chicks, Rhode Island Reds

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The Littlest Hen

The morning was filled with the warmth of summer in late July. Anticipating the freshness of the day, the flock was noisy, calling for their freedom. I pulled opened their door, and quickly, hens rambled outside. Opening the “people” door, I heard that familiar little sound. Although, somewhat muffled, it was undeniable. Peering into the brooder, my eyes landed on the source of the high pitched “peep peep peeep”……

…she would have been easy to miss, as she quickly hid in the warmth of Mama Chardonnay’s wings. Out of seven eggs, she was the only one to hatch.

The baby chick quickly grew, and became her mama hen’s little shadow. Chardonnay shared all of her food with the chick, always allowing her to eat first. She has always been such a good Mama Hen.

Mama and Chick catching some rays.

She grew, and grew.

Corn has always been one of her most favorite things.

Free ranging everyday, she diligently followed Chardonnay, listening, watching, imitating, and learning. She became well integrated into the flock, and was rarely chased or pecked at by the older hens.

As is the danger of growing up in the middle of a farm – forest, predators are a real threat when feathers cover your body. The flock works hard to safeguard themselves against these threats, and they do very well. Sometimes their efforts, and our efforts are not enough. Something attacked our littlest hen.

The undeniable evidence.

I found the evidence yesterday morning…I’m not sure if it happened Saturday evening, or Sunday morning. Usually, I count the flock to make sure everyone made it into their house for the night…I didn’t do that Saturday night. I don’t remember specifically seeing her come out of their house on Sunday morning, but nothing alerted my conscious thoughts to her absence. In any case, she is gone…I wish I knew what got her!

It’s that circle of life thing. The flock knew it and were on high alert all day, hiding underneath things..running from cover to cover to change locations. They felt the loss, and the danger. This is the life of a free ranging chicken. There are real dangers, and in spite of that, there is real freedom….and sometimes, if I catch it just right, I think I can see them smiling!

Sorry little girl!!

There are definite life lessons that occur in nature, look for them, they’re there.

Thanks for walking through nature with me today.

Your friend from Oregon,
Tami

Category:

Buff Orphington / Rhode Island Red Mix, Buff Orpington, building a new home, Chicken House, Chickens, Free Ranging Chickens, Hatching Chicks, Hawk attack, Homesteading, moving to Oregon, Oregon, Rhode Island Reds

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That Certain Age

Within these past several weeks, I turned that certain age. I’m not giving that age up, but most people who grew up with me, or have known me in these adult years have a good idea what age I am. This is that year in which I am forced to reflect on my life a bit. It is that age I have kind of dreaded…that I have watched my brothers reach and surpass, and when brought to mind, prayed for, earnestly, keeping in mind that lightning rarely strikes twice the same way…but knowing that sometimes it does.

There is just enough irony in life that the nagging of the unknown around that certain age sometimes settles in the way the fog lingers over the Golden Gate Bridge.

Sometimes the fog looms, and my fears grow. I pray, I hug my dog, I take a walk, or busy myself with simple chores that take me outside and into the grandeur of the land around me. Other times I write…I write to you whom have become part of this journey…I write those stories that are the “maybe someday, somehow” unpublished pieces…and I read…I read the words of many others who have stories to tell, who ask nothing but to be read. They are out there…stories…wonderful stories baked in the lives of so many…when the fog settles in, these things help me to remember that the truth of this certain age is not necessarily the truth of that same certain age of another.

I am that age…the age when my father died.

My dad was a young man…he seemed older to me, at the time, than I feel now, but since I am that same age I realize how young he was, really. He died suddenly, his body failed him. That’s what bodies do…some earlier, some later, but they all fail. That Sunday morning left ripples, waves in my life lasting the entirety of these past 23 years.

So this year, the year of that certain age, I’m focusing on health…this little homestead helps with that, along with you, as I read your words and learn from your wisdom and recipes…and from new friends who have recently introduced me into the delicious world of squash, beyond zucchini…. 🙂 I’ve never been to this world before. Then there’s this TVP, Textured Vegetable Protein…..hmmmm, that’s a maybe.

Mostly, I know that this body will fail at some point. Greater yet, I am assured of this….

John 10:27-29 (Jesus is speaking at the temple during a dispute at the feast of dedication)
27 My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. 28 And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand. 29 My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father’s hand.

….my salvation through Christ is rock solid, nothing can snatch me from His hand!! When I actually do reach the age in which my time is done, I know where I’m going. That assurance makes being this certain age a much happier place to reside. In the meantime, life is good……

GREAT DANE PUPPIES TO HUG!!

That’s my Penni in the orange collar.

BUBBLES TO POP!!

HANK!

GARDENS TO GROW!!

CHICKS TO HATCH!!

CRAZY CAT PICTURES TO TAKE!!

AND THEN THERE’S SOURDOUGH….SAN FRANCISCO SOURDOUGH!!

AND DISNEYLAND!!

AND THESE GIRLS!!

My sweet girls, Penni and Karli !

AND THIS FAMILY!!

AND THIS LAND!!

AND YOU…all of you..who walk through this forest, and visit this farm. Who’s words inspire, teach, encourage, and fill my kitchen with wonderful fragrances from delicious new recipes. As my thoughts turn inwards…you help me to look out from the window of this certain age, and I, once again, move away from my apprehension. And since the SF Giants are one step closer to getting into the World Series….October is looking pretty darn good!!!

Thanks for sharing this certain year with me!!

Your friend from Oregon,
Tami

Category:

Bay Area Fog, building a new home, California, Giants, Great Dane, Harvesting, Hatching Chicks, Hiking in Oregon, Homesteading, moving to Oregon, Penni the Great Dane, Rat Terrier mix, SF Giants

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Oh, Did I Tell You…

It seems like forever since I have sat down to write. It is that time of year. Mid-August usually demands a certain amount of sweat-equity…not only from the summer heat,

Oregon’s best kept secret….

but also from the demands of the oh-so-soft-spoken ripening garden. It has been dry, really dry.

The ground is so dry.

Everything, is feeling thirsty from the lack of those wet, drippy things that fall from the sky. It takes a bit of an extra effort to keep the flock in fresh water (they get overheated very easily), to maximize the benefit of the water given to the garden, to water young fruit, nut, and Sequoia trees one by one by the bucketful, while keeping a balance with the water level in our holding tank. That tank holds water from our well…which in turn, waters this family.

“Yeah, I’m guarding the water!”

In spite of water rationing for the garden, there is plentiful ripening. Harvesting of more than just a couple of tomatoes here…a pepper there…has begun! We are starting to enjoy the “fruits of our labor”, especially in the berry department. Wild blackberries are ripening at break-neck speed, and my little strawberries are right behind them. When you pick them at that juicy, sweet ripened stage from the vine, they don’t last long. The upshot of that is turning this…..

….into this!!!

Making jam…

Strawberry jam

And this….

Bucketful of Blackberries

…into this…

Blackberry Cobbler!!!

Oh boy!!!

A little time consuming, but totally worth it!!

Oh, did I tell you….

The newest addition.

….welcome to the farm little Roni Jr. ….. hatched on my daughter’s half-birthday. Out of six eggs, this is the only one that hatched. After several days, Mama Hen abandoned the nest, and the eggs went bad. The baby is out and about free ranging with the rest of the flock, watching every move Mama makes.

Thank you for sharing the long days of summer on the farm with me!! Hope you are having a wonderful August!

Your friend,
Tami

Category:

Blackberries, Blackberry Cobbler, Buff Orphington / Rhode Island Red Mix, Chicken Eggs, Chickens, Free Ranging Chickens, Harvesting, Hatching Chicks, Homesteading, moving to Oregon, Oregon, Rhode Island Reds, Strawberry, Strawberry Jam, Wild Blackberries

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A Major Remodel

My hens have been talking to me, very clearly. I can hear them, and their requests have not fallen on deaf ears. Okay, before you call a crisis worker, let me explain….

Hey Ma…Can we talk??

…chickens have a way of looking at you, an impassioned blinking of their eyes, and a subtle, sweet, higher pitched cooing of sorts that lets you know they have something to say. If you listen, really listen with your eyes, ears, and your heart you can start to understand what they are saying. My chickens were telling me that their home was no longer inviting. Given the addition of the, now-laying four Middles, to the, already six laying Originals,…and four near-future-laying-hens better known as the Littles, three nesting boxes were no longer adequate. The ladies were complaining.

Nesting Boxes

First of all…can you imagine having to wait your turn while needing to lay an egg? I don’t think it’s too comfortable…and neither did they. We had A LOT of complaining going on and rightly so! I drew up the plans, and the remodeling began!

Tony removed the inner wall, which included the nesting boxes, that separated the people area from the chicken area, opening up the entire house…

All opened up…

My idea was to create a tiered nesting box area on the left side, back wall. The bottom level would jut out creating a ladder of sorts for easier access. The top level boxes would sit flush against the wall. My hope in this also was to create a poop protected area underneath the nesting box area for those who might want to snuggle into clean(er) shavings to take a dust bath or just take a nap. I have found that not everyone wants to roost at night, some prefer to nestle in. So, Tony and I…Tony…built three more nesting boxes, and in they went!

Stamp of approval…that’s Mama hen, Chardonnay, nestling in.

We had a constant companion helping with the process….

….she supervised the entire project. Even though she didn’t like the sound of the drill, and complained her way through it…she wouldn’t leave..hahahaha!

After the nesting box area was finished, we started on the rousts. We decided to change out the Douglas Fir limbs to wooden planks. I believe they are happier not having to balance all night, and are resting better. I don’t hear the early morning (like 3:00 in the morning) carrying on anymore…now it starts about 5:30. I think we are all happier!!

New nesting boxes + new roosting boards = happy campers.

And here’s the result…..

The first night after the remodel.

…yes, those are the Littles, now totally integrated within the flock. They are finding their place in the pecking order, and are starting to roost on the boards with the older birds. Harmony in the merge?? Not quite yet achieved…but they are working it out! As for the success of the additional nesting boxes…A LOT less loud complaining from the hens…and MAMA CHARDONNAY IS BACK ON THE NEST!!!!!

Nooooooo!!!! Really NO!!! I replaced the eggs she accumulated…. TEN!!! ….with wooden eggs. She is still nesting and protecting her false clutch as she normally would, and I’m supporting her efforts with extra food, goodies, and water. I’m hoping she will abandon the nest at the point where they should hatch but don’t. She is so adamant on the nest, I didn’t have the heart to take her eggs away and push her off the nest…I hope this will be easier for her. She looks at me, and blinks slowly as she tells me she loves her little brood beneath her. She’s a great Mama…thanks to this big guy…

Benedict….our Big Daddy Rooster!! Patriarch to the Middles, and the Littles (aka the Muppets.)

In that vain……our family would like to say…HAPPY FATHER’S DAY!!…to any dads who may be visiting the farm today!! We hope you have an awesome day, week, month, and year!! Take care all!!

Tami

Category:

Brooders, Buff Orphington / Rhode Island Red Mix, Buff Orpington, Chicken Eggs, Chicken House, Chickens, Hatching Chicks, Homesteading, moving to Oregon, Nesting Boxes, Oregon, Rhode Island Reds

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WELCOME SPRING!!

WELCOME SPRING!! You’ve been asleep too long!!

Penni relaxing in the warm 58 degree sunshine!

Old Man Winter is keeping his finger on the temperature controls a bit longer…we are still waking up to temps in the twenties…28 degrees at 7:00 this morning. The afternoon temps are getting into the high 50’s so we are totally warming up!! Driving around the lower elevations in town, and out to Salem, trees are in various stages of bloom. Daffodils are blooming like crazy in some places, but up on our hill…we are just now seeing the first brave Bulbasaurs (couldn’t resist that…my son grew up as a big Pokemon fan.)

Our first Daffodil blossoms

Our young fruit trees that were planted this past fall, are just now starting to swell…sooooooonnnnn to be blossoming!!!

The Pear trees show the most spring-like activity.

The Chestnut trees are trying hard to be part of the big spring show!

“I’m Here,” shout the Cherry trees!!

It’s great to know that these young trees survived the harsh cold, and unusual large snowfall that hit us in January. These beauties are shouting their presence and eagerly waiting to spring forth into the 2014 growing season. The roadblock in front of them are the freezing temperatures we are still experiencing in the early mornings. There is still “frost on the pumpkins” and cars, and rooftops, and ground. We may still be three weeks out before that ends, meaning, sadly, our garden has to wait awhile longer. Although the Giant Sequoias experienced a little frost burn on their tips, the branches are still green and pliable…WHEW!!! That is good news. On the 300 Douglas Fir saplings…we may have lost half of them due to the big snows. It may not be as bad as it appears, but on numerous saplings, needles come off in our hands…not a good sign. In normal conditions, we would loose many of these trees, one reason why you typically plant so many, but this winter was definitely NOT normal!

Definite signs of spring on the farm…starting with our most welcomed tenant, GLORIA!!

GLORIA!!! Our little wild duck that migrates back to the pond every spring!!

The first dandelions of the season! My flock is very happy!!

We’ve hung the wasp traps to capture as many queens as we can when they emerge from hiding!

I know it’s spring and not summer ’cause the Barn Swallows have not made their nests yet in the barn.

One side of the wood paddock has been burned through the winter.

The ultimate of ULTIMATES!! The frosting on the cake! The sure sign that spring has sprung…..
Welcome to the farm…to havadanehill….WELCOME THE MUPPETS!! First one hatched, Kermit…March 21, 2014…

Welcome little Kermit!!!

…three more hatched on March 22nd…Miss Piggy, Statler, and Waldorf (after the two old guys who sit in the Muppets Theater Balcony)…

Chardonnay (Mama Hen), Kermit, Miss Piggy, Statler, and Waldorf!!

……I could feel three more eggs were cracked under Mama hen yesterday…she hasn’t shown me the new little ones yet today, so I’m not sure how many more have hatched…but I will update soon! She had 10 eggs under her before hatching started!

Category:

Brooders, Buff Orpington, Chicken Eggs, Chickens, Great Dane, Hatching Chicks, Homesteading, Muppets, Oregon, Penni the Great Dane, Rhode Island Reds, Springtime

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Sweet Sorrow

Good night, good night! Parting is such sweet sorrow, that I shall say good night till it be morrow.
William Shakespeare

Little Don John…one of the four Untouchables!

Adult Don John

I let my chickens out this morning as usual, everything seemed normal. I don’t usually count them, they just come running out and I say, “Good morning” to the flock. However, I had an unfortunate surprise when I checked in on my flock this afternoon. Sweet Don John, one of the 4 originals…the Shakespearians (named after Much Ado About Nothing), the Untouchables, was lying face down in the hen house, under the roosting area. (Warning – the following pictures show a dead chicken.)

Oh no…what happened?

I took her out and laid her down on the grass so I could look her over. She had not been acting oddly, or sickly in any way. I checked her for apparent injuries, no wounds. Her eyes, nose and beak were clear…no sign of any discharge. The only thing that resonated any thought of possibility was her right chest was soft and maybe filled with fluid. Maybe that’s normal, she had been laying chest down….and isn’t that the area that gets swollen when chickens have a big meal? In any event it was soft and pliable while rigor mortis had obviously set in.

Something remarkable happened while she was lying on the grass…at least I thought it was remarkable. The three remaining Shakespearians (Benedict, Claudio, and Don Pedro) came over to check on their 4th partner in crime. They checked her out, and Benedict wouldn’t leave her side. He even did his rooster dance around her, I’m assuming to get her to stand up. It was sad, heart warming, and completely amazing! I love that big ol’ rooster, Benedict.

Claudio saying goodbye to her friend, Don John

We buried her on a nice gentle slope, in soft dirt, amidst newly planted Douglas Fir saplings.

Her final resting spot.

We’ll miss you Don John!! You were a nice hen. Thank you for all the eggs you gave us, and even though you didn’t like to be picked up, you always ran up to greet us. And now there are 15….but wait….

Chardonnay is on the nest again!! Hatchlings due around the 28th of March!! What the heck am I thinking??

Category:

Buff Orpington, Chickens, Hatching Chicks, Homesteading, moving to Oregon, Oregon, Rhode Island Reds

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Premature Chick Hatch

When does life begin??…the age-old question. I believe that life begins at conception, for many reasons…and I believe the Bible tells us this. So what does that mean for chicken eggs? Given the right heat and humidity, a fertilized egg develops into a chick…but, put them in the fridge, they look and act like any other egg. Seems to me it is safe to believe that in a fertilized chicken egg, once it starts developing, life has begun. Little Austin Healey is the strongest example of this…EVER!!! She fought to stay alive in her shell during extreme single digit cold temperatures…Chardonnay was on and off the nest in the beginning because she kept getting confused which nest was hers. She warmed, she cooled, she warmed, she cooled, she was late in hatching, and when she finally did hatch……..

Update on little Austin Healey
Very soon after her hatching, it became apparent that there was something different…wrong with little Austin Healey. Trying as hard as she could, she was not even close to being able to stand….she crawled on her belly, and her legs splayed out to the sides. She was so determined, she never gave up…so neither would I. I promised Austin that I wouldn’t give up on her. As I watched her, it seemed that she had hatched prematurely even though she had been in nest for over 21 days…is that even possible…is it possible for a chick to start and completely hatch from an egg prematurely, on her own?? I am convinced that it is. Here’s Austin’s story since the hatch….

Austin’s legs had no tone, her feet looked almost as if the bones had not finished developing. They would curl into a “fist” whenever she tried to use them. She was so less developed than the chick, Honda, who had hatched just 29 hours before her. The pictures really show the extreme differences between these two.

Hatched just 29 hours apart…big difference!

Honda standing, Austin could not stand.

20 hours after hatch…Austin is having a tough time.

Obviously, Austin needed to be given a chance to develop and grow stronger, so she was separated from the young flock. Since there was such a big gap between these last two chicks and the others, I took Honda out of the brood (she was getting kicked around a bit) she and Austin became roommates. They had each other to cuddle for warmth, and I believe that Honda was a great example for Austin to follow as she struggled to stand.

Austin fought hard. She crawled on her belly, I removed the pine shavings from her little brooder and replaced it with a rubber matted rug for traction. I fed her sugar water until she could start eating chicken starter mush. Her legs continued to splay to the sides…I found this idea about tethering her legs together with vet wrap… http://www.the-chicken-chick.com/2012/02/spraddle-leg-in-baby-chicks-what-is-it.html So, I tethered her legs…

Hoping to strengthen her legs and hips.

I so hope this works!

There is so much that I could say about our little Austin Healey. She is and was such a fighter. She tried and wanted to stand so badly. We worked together…every time I held her up to eat, I positioned her feet and body correctly so that she was upright, and uncurled. Everyday, Austin got just a little bit stronger. Honda moved back into the main brooder leaving Austin a little lonely…so we gave her a friend..

Not quite the same as having Honda around, but better than being alone.

Austin worked hard on her physical therapy, holding her body up, with my support, working the muscles in her legs. Then one day, her legs stayed forward, underneath her…the next day she was moving around in a squatting position…the next day she wobbly, wobbly stood mostly straight…the next day, she stood up and walked upright….the next day she gained strength and coordination…the next day, she met her mama, Chardonnay, for the first time. She spent the day, she spent the night…she survived both. She eats and drinks with the brood, she cuddles under the heat lamp with her family, and hides under her mama’s wings. She is a fighter…she is AWESOME….she is home!!

Way to go little Austin!!

Category:

Brooders, building a new home, Chicken Eggs, Chickens, Cold weather, Hatching Chicks, Homesteading, Incubator, moving to Oregon, Oregon, Premature Chick, Rhode Island Reds

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Catching A Hatching

I have no words to say that would add to what the video already says….except maybe two things….my Great Dane, Penni, totally believes that all chick babies belong to her…and GOD IS COMPLETELY AWESOME!! I’ve never seen a complete hatching before, and I hope that the experience never grows old….

Have a GREAT Day everyone!!