Total Eggs today = 2
After getting the girls up at 6am this morning I went back to bed for a couple of hours. Today is the Take That Circus concert at Wembley and knowing that it will be a very long day (and night) I thought I'd better get as much sleep as I could.
My Mum and niece, Ellis, will be hen sitting today.
The Take That concert was incredible.
These are some of the pics I took during the concert
Didn't get home until 12.30am so just as well my Mum managed to put them to bed.
Monday, 6 July 2009
Total Eggs today = 2
Awful weather today - torrential downpours, thunder and lightening - real end of the world stuff.
Luckily I'd covered the roof of the run with some tarpaulin I bought from eBay, otherwise the run would have been awash.
Tuesday, 7 July 2009
Total Eggs today = 1
More torrential downpours again today though by the time I got home it had stopped so the girls had a little bit of free time in the garden.
Wednesday, 8 July 2009
Total Eggs today = 1
When the girls were free-ranging tonight I noticed that Dorothy was holding her left foot up more than they usually do.
I managed to get hold of her and could see that the nail on her middle toe looked torn and was at a 45% angle.
There wasn't anything I could do tonight so I will call the vet in the morning.
Thursday, 9 July 2009
Total Eggs today = 2
I called the vet - Village Vet - and got an appointment for 10am.
He confirmed that it had been torn and said the best thing to do was to take it off. Birds don't cope with anaesthetic very well so he said he would take her into another room and while a nurse was holding Dorothy, he would just pull it off and put something on it to stop the bleeding.
I waited in the surgery and was expecting to hear some very loud clucking coming from the other room but I didn't.
He bought her back and we then discussed giving her some pain killer medication - Metacam which is a liquid pain killer usually prescribed for cats.
He worked out the dosage and showed me how to give it to her. It's a bit like giving a cat a tablet only trying to hold open the beak of a bird is slightly more difficult. I have to draw the liquid into a syringe type thing, then squeeze it gently into her mouth a little at a time. Easy for a vet to do!
After paying £47.01 for this visit I brought her home and gave her some food in the kitchen before putting her back with Ginger and Lucy.
Friday, 10 July 2009
Total Eggs today = 2
Giving Dorothy her medication this morning was an experience! I got my Mum to hold her in the kitchen while I tried to pry her beak open, put the syringe in and squeeze in the Metacam. As I said before, easy for a vet, very difficult for everyone else.
I stopped giving them the Denegard for the gut bacteria last Saturday but it hasn't cleared the problem as they've still been doing some yellow poop. I called Retford and they suggested trying the Denegard for another week to see if it clears the problem this time. Libby suggested getting some soluable multi vitamins to put into the water as I told her I wasn't sure they'd been drinking all the medicated water last week.
Tried to get some close-up photos of the chicken faces - they are constantly on the move so it's not easy. This is the best so far.....
Lucy emerging from her bath
Ginger and Dorothy
Ginger
Saturday, 11 July 2009
Total Eggs today = 1
House cleaning day. I mixed up some mash and yogurt for the girls to keep them occupied while I cleaned the house and run.
When I spoke to Libby at Retford yesterday I told her that I wasn't 100% sure they's been drinking all the medicated water last week and she suggested getting a soluable multi vitamin to disguise the taste so I went to my local pet shop today to see if he had any. He didn't but will order me some in the week.
While there I saw they were bagging up some wood chip like stuff. It turned out to be a type of horse bedding which they sell for birds and rabbits. I bought a bag to try in the bottom of the run as the girls are gradually scratching up all the grass and what with the pooping and spilling of food it is getting hard to keep clean and fly free.