Bad Day For the Chickens

Wednesday was an unfortunate day for the chickens during which two died practically in my arms in completely seperate incindents.

I went to gather eggs from the reds in late morning. One hen was in her nest box and when I reached under her she was wet with blood. I noticed she was also woozy. As I picked her up, another hen pecked at her abdomen. There was a small wound there. Apparantly, she injured herself on something or perhaps was wounded by a predator through the wire floor. Once a chicken has a wound it will attract the others, especially if the birds are confined and the wounded bird has less chance to be alone. I could see that there was nothing I could do for her except make her comfortable so I brought her in. She died within half an hour.

Having survived most of the winter with the flock intact, (I only lost one in late winter, hit by a car, that makes 2 to the road), it was upsetting to lose another. I felt I should have been more attentive but many things have drawn my attention lately. With a feeling of negligence, I decided to drop what I was doing and do a head count on the rest of the flock. I noticed right away one rooster was missing and they are the ones I worry about the least considering their size. I started a search and soon I could tell there were two distinct areas crowing was coming from. I could spot the one rooster but not the other. I finally pinpointed the area of crowing. The rooster, Little Boss, and a black hen had gone in one end of a roll of wire fence which dead ended at an old milk can. They went in but couldn't back out and had been there for 3-4 days. I got them out immediately. The rooster could barely walk and the hen could barely stand. I got some water and maple syrup mixed up to give them some quick energy. I had to dip their beaks to get them to drink. The rooster resisted which gave me hope he would make it. I cracked an egg for each of them but the hen would not eat. The rooster did and seemed to be regaining himself by that afternoon. The hen did not do as well. I helped her drink occassionally and left food in front of her in a sheltered spot in the perch house. When I checked on her later she was droopy with little response. I now thought to do what I should have done earlier. I mixed up some fine ground chick starter, some honey and some water and tried to feed her with a syringe to no avail. She died shortly after.

The worst part is her death was completely avoidable. The previous weekend my uncle and cousins were out. While my uncle and I were talking one of my younger cousins asked me about the chickens getting stuck in the fence. Without even investigating, I dismissed the idea. The fence had been there for a couple weeks now and I didn't think it posed any threat. I didn't even look or I would have seen the dead end trap I HAD SET. John must have thought I knew what I was talking about because he didn't push the issue and I continued my conversation.

I am now more vigilant than ever about inspecting the birds.

Introducing the Girls

Many people enjoyed fresh eggs from my small flock of chickens last year. The girls just turned one year old on March 31st and are coming into high production this year. More on how you can enjoy eggs from this organically fed, free range flock later. The flock is primarily Black Austrolorp hens with a few Buff Orpingtons, Rhode Island Reds, Golden Comets and Araucanas (one is Phoenix, pictured above) mixed in. I was so pleased with the hardiness and disposition of the Black Austrolorps that when I decided to increase my flock this year I chose them again. There are 2 large Black Austrolorp roosters keeping watch over the girls. With a current ratio of 1 rooster to 14 hens, there is no fighting between them. But there is definitely a dominant one (more on Big Boss later). They are all beautiful birds!


Out of the Frying Pan...
This winter some red pullets escaped from a local farmer who also has a hunting club. I was told they were on their way to the frying pan soon so one night (with the farmer's permission) my uncle, cousins and I found a bunch roosting and rounded up 22 birds. I kept 15 and put them in a pen isolated from my flock. The other 7 went to one of my brothers to start his small flock. The 15 I kept have since been moved to a run with attached nest/ perch house and switched to fresh, high quality organic chicken feed. The run is moved about once a week to give them fresh pasture. Their actions enhance the soil. They are also great layers!

The Next Generation
The eggs from my flock were so popular last year I knew I would have to get more birds if I wanted to satisfy demand. Having been off of store bought chicken for years now, I also wanted to raise some for eating. So this Spring I ordered more chicks: 100 black austrolorp pullets, 50 cornish cross broilers and 50 mixed standard breed cockerels (for butchering). They wer all hatched out on the last day of Winter. There have only been very slight losses but still it is disappointing to lose a chick. This is only my 2nd attempt at raising chicks. {Last year I successfully raised 52 out of 52. I didn't lose a bird until I butchered an extra rooster at about 10 weeks.} If all continues to go well, I will order more chicks later in the Spring.

Are you interested in keeping chickens? Let me know and I may be able to provide you with some organically raised chicks and organic chicken feed.