So this is turning into a bit of a chicken blog, isn't it! Not that that's necessarily a bad thing. :) Here is a picture of Neil losing the dead bits on his wattles after a bout of frostbite.
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| Yep, it's kind of gross |
The blackened tips hardened up and fell off on their own. I did try putting petroleum jelly on his wattles for awhile, but, although it was a fun way to bond with Neil, it didn't seem to make a difference in terms of frostbite. I think he was getting it from a combination of an open water dish (dipping his wattles in as he drank) and a cold draft coming in through a vent in the coop. We covered up the draft with a nesting box on its side, and he hasn't had anything that bad since! Yay. :)
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| Whitey Alice and Neil seeing what the weather is like outside the coop |
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| Inside of the coop. Bottom left corner you can see the heated dog dish their water is in. |
Here is a picture of Neil soon after he was discharged from the infirmary, with his little sprouts of tail feathers growing back in:
Here is a picture of him now! Still some room to grow that tail, but he looks a lot more like himself now. :) Note the fresh, new wattles:
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| Are you gonna get that camera outta here, or am I gonna have to make ya? Wattle it be?? |
Here is Toes Alice (formerly Fatty Alice) and Brownie Alice, all integrated again for at least two months now. It was actually very easy. I expected more pecking and reorganization of the flock, but they all acted like they'd never been separated. :)
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| The healthy, fluffy butt of Toes Alice (never before looked so good!) |
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| The feathers are sloooowly growing back in on Brownie. See how much weight she's gained! See how much she loves me...? :) |
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| A robust Whitey Alice getting the first crack at the food (she's definitely the top hen!). |
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| Trumpeter Alice, looking a little pecked but nothing too serious. Mostly she just looks like Fatty which is why we now call Fatty, Toes! Can't tell them apart at a glance anymore! |
So this brings me to my next chicken issue: prolapsed oviduct! I went out to feed them yesterday, and saw a drop of blood on the snow. I saw Trumpeter had some fleshy protrusion from her vent. Looks like a fairly common thing sometimes referred to as "blowout". Painful sounding, no? I have brought her into the house and set up the infirmary again. Just her, as far as I know. She looked grateful and relieved (and worn out from trying to push out that egg!) when I brought her in. I'm using this link for care, and will update ASAP!
Egg-Laying Troubles for Dummies
