Starfish
New Member
- Location
- Woodville, Texas (southeast Tx)
I live on what's called a "ranchette," a few acres way out in the country with enough room to function as a little farm. I have, or have had, just about every farm animal here. Just about every day there's a story, good, bad or neutral, about one or another animal's antics.
The past two days have been chickens. For one thing, I have too many (My doctor says I shouldn't have any at all!). They're all specialty breeds, nothing you can find at your local feed store, even the laying hens.
This drama involves a bantam breed called silkies (because their feathers are so fine-textured). I try to pick up and discard all the eggs lying around on a regular basis, as some hens will brood them, and I can't keep having more chickens and more chickens. Seems I missed some. Oops.
The other day I went out, and there's a little white silkie with two newly-hatched chicks following her around and peeping. I'm not happy about it, but they're so darn precious. Next day, lo and behold! she hatched two more! It's unusual for the hens to walk off the nest until all the chicks are out, but oh well.
Then things got serious. I went out later and there was an egg from the same clutch that had a head peeking out. I happened to notice the little beak was periodically gasping. I'm not one to let nature take it's course when there's a possibility I can save an animal, so there I go. I peeled off the rest of the shell and rushed the babe into the house to the blow dryer. After what seemed like forever its gasps were more frequent; another forever, and its tiny chest began taking over - no more gasping. Another forever and it started peeping, and after the final forever it opened its little eyes. It had been ice cold, and still was unable to straighten its body out, remaining in the position it was inside the shell.
Things just got better and better, which is great for the chicklet but not necessarily for me. I had to make a comfortable and warm place for it to stay; heating pad, chick food, water, up off the floor in the house where I can monitor it. I have it in the kitchen where I can easily hear it in the den. It's doing well but for one thing: chickens live in flocks, and this chickle has no buds. Except me. And silkies are a very friendly breed. To my chagrin it has, of course, imprinted on me. So, as I'm trying to watch TV and thinking of the other 50 things needing attention right now in my life, this cotton ball is peeping away and not stopping. I finally went to my bedroom to get away, highly disgruntled.
Now, some people would think it would be incredibly charming to have a pint-sized chicken adore them for the rest of its life, following them around and sharing chicken jokes. It is. Been there done that. Only time goes by and things change, and this time around I can't be the biddy buddy I'd like. The main thing is I have a mini-dachshund who is highly predatory. All 10 pounds of him can wipe out a 10-hen flock in all of 15 minutes. None of my chickens can free-range unless he's locked up all day. The other thing is that any predator you can name, I've had it take out poultry. I have lots of snake problems, then there's hawks, owls, foxes, raccoons, etc. So they all have to stay locked up, and even then their safety isn't a given. So, you can see how having a chicken following me around will be problematic, no matter how much I wish it wasn't so.
I can't put it back with the others, as the mama hen will no longer accept it and will kill it. I won't let it live alone, though, and when I get more permanent quarters set up for it, I'll take one of the other chicks to be its buddy. It'll be okay. It's just one of those things I didn't need right now - or did I? I have a lot of things on my mind, serious things, but in its way, this is serious too - for the chick especially.
Anyway, just another day of animal drama.
The past two days have been chickens. For one thing, I have too many (My doctor says I shouldn't have any at all!). They're all specialty breeds, nothing you can find at your local feed store, even the laying hens.
This drama involves a bantam breed called silkies (because their feathers are so fine-textured). I try to pick up and discard all the eggs lying around on a regular basis, as some hens will brood them, and I can't keep having more chickens and more chickens. Seems I missed some. Oops.
The other day I went out, and there's a little white silkie with two newly-hatched chicks following her around and peeping. I'm not happy about it, but they're so darn precious. Next day, lo and behold! she hatched two more! It's unusual for the hens to walk off the nest until all the chicks are out, but oh well.
Then things got serious. I went out later and there was an egg from the same clutch that had a head peeking out. I happened to notice the little beak was periodically gasping. I'm not one to let nature take it's course when there's a possibility I can save an animal, so there I go. I peeled off the rest of the shell and rushed the babe into the house to the blow dryer. After what seemed like forever its gasps were more frequent; another forever, and its tiny chest began taking over - no more gasping. Another forever and it started peeping, and after the final forever it opened its little eyes. It had been ice cold, and still was unable to straighten its body out, remaining in the position it was inside the shell.
Things just got better and better, which is great for the chicklet but not necessarily for me. I had to make a comfortable and warm place for it to stay; heating pad, chick food, water, up off the floor in the house where I can monitor it. I have it in the kitchen where I can easily hear it in the den. It's doing well but for one thing: chickens live in flocks, and this chickle has no buds. Except me. And silkies are a very friendly breed. To my chagrin it has, of course, imprinted on me. So, as I'm trying to watch TV and thinking of the other 50 things needing attention right now in my life, this cotton ball is peeping away and not stopping. I finally went to my bedroom to get away, highly disgruntled.
Now, some people would think it would be incredibly charming to have a pint-sized chicken adore them for the rest of its life, following them around and sharing chicken jokes. It is. Been there done that. Only time goes by and things change, and this time around I can't be the biddy buddy I'd like. The main thing is I have a mini-dachshund who is highly predatory. All 10 pounds of him can wipe out a 10-hen flock in all of 15 minutes. None of my chickens can free-range unless he's locked up all day. The other thing is that any predator you can name, I've had it take out poultry. I have lots of snake problems, then there's hawks, owls, foxes, raccoons, etc. So they all have to stay locked up, and even then their safety isn't a given. So, you can see how having a chicken following me around will be problematic, no matter how much I wish it wasn't so.
I can't put it back with the others, as the mama hen will no longer accept it and will kill it. I won't let it live alone, though, and when I get more permanent quarters set up for it, I'll take one of the other chicks to be its buddy. It'll be okay. It's just one of those things I didn't need right now - or did I? I have a lot of things on my mind, serious things, but in its way, this is serious too - for the chick especially.
Anyway, just another day of animal drama.
