I am so disgusted right now. I KNOW my critters. I mean I KNOW MY CRITTERS. If they're starting to get sick or go downhill I see it right away. The fact that I've been pretty well bed bound the past week means that I missed a lot relying on feedback from others. Missing a lot means that I lose.
Remember that I said that Chantilly seemed to be going broody? That was because I was told that she was sleeping in the nest box. Tonight I went out to check on my critters and found a lot that I'd missed and a few that I had to lose because of it. Chantilly wasn't broody, she was sick. Tonight she was at death's door. There was not a bit of meat on her. My beautiful EE, Chantilly Lace was wasted away to nothing I asked DH to put her down.
We've also lost our entire turkey flock one by one. I had DH put antibiotics in their water but one by one they went down. Tonight we had 3 left. One was dead in the field, one was breathing very badly and one seems to be just fine. I asked DH to put the badly breathing one down. Now we'll have to decide what to do about the last one if it makes it. Do we pardon it? Or does it become our Fall dinner? I have customers to tell that they won't be getting their Thanksgiving dinner from us after all - that will suck. I'll try to find them another local farm that can fill their order if I can.
It is soooo hard when you have to get others to look after your critters! I was in the same boat last year! Isn't funny when you are finally up and about and find out all that happened or didn't happen while you were down. Alot of devistation!
Thats too bad about your turkys and Chantilly! I hope things start looking up!
At least you know you can't be replaced!!!
So sorry to hear about Chantilly. It is so hard when you loose a special one.
PM me about turkeys. If you have enough orders to make it worth the drive we may be able to work something out. I still have about 25 birds. They are being raised free range.
The last turkey didn't make it through the night. It frustrates me to no end because I put those birds into a 3 year plan.
But on the happy side, Wynette has little fuzzy butts under So far just a couple but since it's her first time and she's just get started, I'm giving her a little bit of space.
Frizz and her "baker's dozen" will come out of the broody box tonight and Wynette and her clutch will go in.
Frizz and her chicks are so cute and have bonded so well. It amazes me that she adopted willingly and lovingly every single one of her chicks. I can't wait to see how she does raising them out in the open.
The new ducks are doing great, though now that they're loose on the pond they refuse to come in and refuse to be caught. Maybe they'll take Fudgie's example. Sunday night Fudge stayed out all night - his first ever - since he wouldn't get off the pond. Last night Fudge was at the coop door ready to go in. We feed in the coop at night. That's when the ducks and the chicks eat, of course the big chickens get some but what we put out is intended for the ducks and chicks and it's very little since we purpose them to free range. Well Fudge must have been either hungry or scared on his first night out since he was right there wanting in the second night. But this morning he wants to hang out with his chick friends
Oh, and I've read back and don't think that I told y'all that we have a guinea hen setting a nest right next to my bedroom by the house! Poor girl has been setting for almost a week even through the downpouring rain we had the other day. I guess Helga's guinea keets got her in the right frame of mind