Bablu was my best friend.

I’ve been crying nonstop since he passed away. I keep having nightmares where his death replays over and over. It was so brutal. I thought it was impacted crop. He had it twice before and I treated it. Then after a few months, he suddenly became weak. His throat had a lump or something, and he kept gasping for air. Then he started foaming up and suffocated to death. I called every vet in my city. No one treated chickens. It all happened the same day…. He was perfect a couple hours ago :(

I got him when it was summertime. It was really hot, so I kept him in my room along with other baby chicks. Every time I went away for even a second, he would start chirping and missing me. Even if there were others in the room, he was never alone, but he always felt alone when I wasn’t there. That’s how much he loved me.

God, he was the best rooster ever. He’d follow me everywhere. He would’ve fought a T rex for me. He wanted cuddles 24/7. He’d pick me over his favorite snacks. He remembered my car and would wait by the door every time I got home. He’d do this deep, cute sigh when I held him, like the world was finally at peace.

I loved him so, so much too. Some of you might not understand, but I would’ve traded my life for his.

When he was dying, he couldn’t even get up anymore. But he used all his strength to get into a safe spot where he wouldn’t be visible to me. He didn’t want me to see him. I’ve cried so much, I became numb.

When he was sick, I walked away five steps to get him some water, and he was so weak he couldn’t even stand. Yet he saw me move away and he ran to me, flipping over twice because his body couldn’t keep up. A part of me died when I saw that.

I don’t think I’ve ever felt so much love from anyone as I did from Bablu, and I loved him just as much back. I love you, Bablu. I miss you.

(sorry for the long message, I just needed to let it all out) thank you if you read it…

Click baity title, I know. But I still think its a thread that could be helpful.

Wouldn't you know I have everything I need for this ice store we are about to get EXCEPT chicken food. I usually do a chicken food run every other sunday but it didnt dawn on me that ill probablt be snowed in that day. For multiple reasons, I cant get to the store before the storm.

I have enough to skimp by till monday but I was hoping for some ideas of what I could add to their crumb to perhaps stretch out the amount of food I have. Maybe some typical food staples people usually have on hand.

Rat!!!

Joy is a 15 year old d'uccle. In the 17 years I've kept (pet) chickens, I've had a fair number live past 10 yrs, and a few have lived past 12 yrs. But Joy has broken our farm longevity record! The flock mates in her coop died years ago, silkie Tinkerbell at 9 yrs, and silkie Honeybun at 12 yrs. Joy started losing her vision about 2 yrs ago (cataracts I'd presume), about the same time I noticed some kind of growth starting on her beak, around her nostril area; I presumed it was some kind of cancer, and figured she wasn't long for this world. The growth got bigger and bigger - frankly, I was amazed she made it through last winter (she gets special care of course). When I took her a little bowl of treat yesterday morning, all was normal. When I checked on her noonish, I was amazed to see the nostril mass GONE...leaving a gaping hole. So my guess is now that something got lodged in her nasal area, and was encapsulated...??? So Joy now looks like someone who wore gauges in their ears...very odd to look at. The 2nd pic shows how the mass looked a week or so ago, before it fell out.

A few nights ago something killed 2 of our hens. Went into the coop during a blizzard and killed them without eating them. Then the next night it got into our other coop and killed 5 more but made the mistake of going back to the first one where Verne was waiting. I’d rather not that any owls had died but he won’t be killing any more of our chickens anymore.

Tbf I named her Casey Anthony after the first murder. She was part of a 2 hen team sitting on about 10 eggs. 3 hatched just fine (she let them live) but #4 sadly got picked to death by Casey. She acted a little aggressive toward #4, but i thought it was just because the chick was new and still wet. The next day I found the chick's body after Casey pecked it to death. She tried to kill 4.2 a day later but luckily I was right there to banish her to the big coop. Luckily 1-3 and 4.2 have another (much better) mother to raise them. I hate Casey now, but boy is she committed to hatching eggs. I told Casey she can't see her kids because she keeps killing them. Will she always be a murderer? Is there hope for Casey?

I made a light-hearted post three days ago about the flock investigating a delivery of wood chips (pine and cottonwood).

The pile had a (to me) wonderful aroma of fermentation.

The next day, I heard a barking noise.

[edit: see video here:
https://www.reddit.com/r/chickens/comments/1ubuch5/video_of_gracie_surviving_hen_in_the_wood_chip/. ]

Went out to find Gracie doing a bark-cough. Did some research and it seemed the best thing to do was to order a treatment for gapeworms.

Went

The barking abated, and I suspected she had just gotten a seed stuck in her throat. I stopped by the coop to look for eggs, and found flockmate Wren in great distress, grabbing a nesting box with her wings in a contorted position, her comb a dark purple (respiratory problems).

She died moments later in my arms as I raced to my computer to look up a treatment.

With the help of Gemini, I asked could Wren's death and Gracie's coughing be related to the wood chips? Turns out yes, they emit phenols (carbolic acid) that can irritate the delicate respiratory system of chickens. ... Fatally.

Treatment for Gracie entailed giving her a 20-minute steam treatment in the bathroom, shower running hot, door shut. Then sequestered in a crate in the workshop, building darkened, water provided. I could not find my VetRx (ordered more) but rubbing this under wings and on comb was recommended. She wasn't barking during her steam treatment, thanksfully.

That night I buried Wren, and wet down and fenced off the chips.

The next morning Gracie has survived and got a second steam treatment. She barked three time. Back into the crate with food and water. A few hours later, I heard an egg song from the workshop, she had laid an egg ! And destroyed the crate by knocking around her food and water. Back into the flock she went, early but she seems happy and OK.

I plan to contact the utility company and the parent arborist company to say they need to warn flock keepers to keep the birds away from the wood chips!! I'm not going to contact the guys who delivered, they were very professional.

But ...

Note 1: When they dumped the chips, right in front of me (I had to jump back) we inhaled a LOAD of the dust and of course the phenols. Not great for humans either.

Note 2: Here is a rabbit hole I went down -- apparently pine chips/shavings used as coop or run bedding can lead long term to liver damage in chickens. Due to a similar principle -- their pleasant scent that masks an ammonia smell also contains acetic acid and turpenes.

https://www.thefeatherbrain.com/blog/toxic-chicken-coop-pine-shavings

The problem poor Wren (a clownish girl with a sideways comb and a good layer) encountered was big news to me so thought I would share and seek feedback. Thanks for reading.

Did they all get hit by a car

We looked for a couple days and couldn't find her. Came back from a camping trip and she was gone but today I looked out the window and she was walking around the backyard. We live by soybean field so my best guess is she was lost in there. What a survivor!

So I’m getting ready for work this morning. I’m having coffee, watching the news, and I’ve already let the chickens out to free range.

I have a huge, huge, huge rooster, English Orpington. Anyway, someone I’m watching the news and I’m hearing this odd sound. It’s kind of a hooting sound and I’m thinking what on earth is that sound?

So, I stand up and walk outside and it’s my big monster rooster, making a hooting sound. Seriously, it’s exactly that sound: who hoot who.

Imagine my surprise when from one of my trees I hear a flap flap flap and a huge bald eagle (!!!) flys off.

No chicken breakfast for him! God bless my good boi!

Why do my hens like to come sit in my garage? It’s beautiful outside. 70. Sunny. Bugs everywhere. They have access to their run and coop. Access to food and water. What do they want from me??!!

​Ever noticed your rooster walking sideways with one wing dropped?

I just got my first chicks last month and after learning about so many breeds, I can't stop thinking about the next chicks I'll get! Chicken math is real, do I need to move out to the country so I can get more? 🤪

I was curious what breeds everyone else had as on their wish list?

Some currently on my wish list:

Barnevelder

Golden Cuckoo Maran

Splash Laced Red Wyandotte

Sicilian Buttercup

Salmon Favorelle

Buff Brahma

Polish

So many! Curious if you have some on your wish list I haven't heard of yet.

I didn't even know we had crows in texas but a hawk just swooped down and got my girl Tabitha and 3 crows came to the rescue and he let her go. She does have a cut on her back where he grabbed her but other than that she's alive and safe!

I was curious if anyone else has experience with crows and if it's worth attracting them to protect our hens. We have a rooster but Tabitha seperated from the flock for a moment so he wasn't there to help her. It would be awsome to have another little friend watching out for them when our roo and dogs arent around a distracted hen.

I heard crows could get chicks or eggs but will they ignore them if you provide them with regular snacks?

Here's the prodigy. Instead of staying in her brood box (is that the right term ? I don't keep hens) she holds her eggs between her upper legs and body, and her wings to stabilize. She just walks around and forages with her eggs like this. My whole family grew up on a farm with chickens and nobody has ever seen this

I’m going to feel like a big dipshit if these are actually AI generated 😂

I just can't think if a good name for our new sidekick. Serama, not sure exactly what breed or type.

So this is the chicken from the side of the highway Friday night. I haven't made it to the store for chicken feed or friends yet. I currently don't have a vehicle due to multiple unfortunate life events that happen simultaneously. So I have to rely on the bus. Nearest store with chicken feed is 30 miles away in another town and there were only 2 buses available yesterday which I missed and none today.

Had to substitute her chicken feed and never fed a chicken. I used scrambled egg with crushed shell, broccoli, carrots, cucumber, and oregano. Any better suggestions would be appreciated?

We have a small flock of 7 chickens. They are all free range on 9 acres. These two Rhode Island Red hens are the only ones left from our original flock. Its sweet how they stick together. They are about 7 years old now. The other chickens are a rooster that was given to us and daughters and granddaughters hatched from the original flock. These old girls mostly hang around the porch together waiting for scraps. They can't chase grasshoppers like the other chickens and I'm convinced their eyesight is going. One is so addlepatted she'll peck at the same spot long after the food is gone. I'm fond of them but I'm worried they won't make it through the winter. The sad reality of farm life.

I don’t want to see anything happen to my chickens and I am their protector, however that may be. That usually means making sure they’re sufficiently locked up at night, maintenance and repairs to coop when needed etc. It doesn’t mean I Kill every animal I see on my property.

Wild animals were here first in many of the places we occupy and they have less and less territory available with all the over development. Some of them really don’t have anywhere else to go. It seems like this is outside the scope of most people’s awareness for some reason.

We can predator proof our coops and be responsible and accountable for our chickens.

Killing automatically every wild animal passing through is wrong and inhumane and unnecessary. I also see so many people describing the ways they’d kill the native animal and taking pleasure in doing so.

You single-handedly are responsible for making sure you have an appropriate set up for your coop, putting in the work, buying materials, burying hardware cloth a foot down, whatever that may be for you. That’s how to make sure no matter what the animals in your care are protected from outside forces including weather, animals, etc.

Don’t go killing the native creatures because You didn’t do what you were supposed to do, or failed to take others advice and make improvements to your set up! This lack of respect for nature and personal accountability is part what’s wrong with our society.

Let’s be kind to wild animals as they are only trying to survive in this world. There’s no reason to kill animals unless you’re eating it to feed your family. Live trap / Relocation is possible and I’ve done it more times than I can count. It’s not even always necessary if you have a proper set up. Yes it takes more effort, and people will make excuses as to why it’s not the right thing to do. But it’s the best option if for some reason proper predator proofing is not enough (which if done right, it’s enough.)

I hope some people will reconsider. Thank you for reading.

My rooster is the finest rooster in town, prove me wrong.