Houston... We've got a problem!

Pamela

April 2006- July 2009

Oh dear me! Another one bites the dust... literally... DUST all over her b b beak! Po Pamela. This meant that there are serious issues within the coop. So since I felt my mission to uncover the mystery of Buttercup's death failed, just a day before, I went to a higher resource... (Mr. Ellsworth~ who seems to know everything that there is to know because he has a book for every topic known to mankind which is the perfect companion to his photographic mind! And besides, on the off chance that he didn't know something, his wife does!) They brought over "The Chicken Health Handbook". Page 139 reads:

Poisoning

"Poisoning is not often a problem in chickens, especially where common sense is used in keeping the flock away from pesticides, herbicides, rodenticides, and antifreeze."

right! "common sense"! Since we pride ourselves in believing that we were at the front of the line during common sense handouts, this was a mighty blow! Guess we were wrong about that!

With our common sense we have thunk and thunk... this is what we came up with:

If you are a poultry farmer then you know that dusting the chickens for mites and lice is suggested. We, under NO circumstances, welcome mites or lice. So we dust our chickens religiously, every 6 months (needed or not) to prevent a true need! ew! But on Saturday when Mr. Mecham cleaned the coop and found that a beetle had set up camp in the laying boxes he opted to do the common sensible thing and dust the coop for those beetles. We feel strongly about keeping the chickens in the most clean and bug free nesting environment that we owners can offer! And so he dusted away... and then lay down fresh straw right over the top of that dust! And that was Saturday. And as ya'll know, Buttercup passed away unexpectedly on Sunday and then last night Lady Pamela joined her in chicken heaven. They ate those dusty bugs (like any chicken with common sense would do) with the pesticide all over them.

This is a big oops at the expense of many tears of one little 10 year old. Pamela was hers, you know. And I can't decide who feels worse about the whole ordeal, Bailey or Mr. Nate. Actually, I'm pretty sure that Bailey will get over it LOOOOOOOOOOONG before Mr. Mecham... who doesn't like to talk about it much. But he did scrub those chicken laying boxes something fierce! They sparkle... and FYI, nobodies chicken boxes sparkle!

And so today we are crossing our fingers that Bionce, Roadrunner, Boof, Shortcake and Streek are choosing a vegetarian diet... just in case anymore of those nasty beetles are still alive.

Here is our chicken obituary for Pamela:

Sweet Pamela... Not so smart but chased the baseball if it went past her (never mind that she thought it was a giant white bug with red lines on it.) She was generous in giving us food. Nearly every day! What a princess. Pamela was preceded in death by Brittney (who had been her sister hen her whole life... they were purchased the same day and raised together). We suspect that Britt passed away from the same tragic poisoning that Pam did... fowl play.... by a very common sensible owner who is choosing "no comment". Pamela also joins Oreo who committed suicide on Stapely road last summer and Eagle who was attacked by a dog during a free range moment in the Northern pasture at the same time. We believe chickens must die in twos. Who knew? Brittney and Pamela are survived by 5 lovely hens who could care less that they are gone... (More shade space in the coop now!) and 5 very common sensible owners who loved them very much. Rest in peace little lady. 'Till we meet...

I suspect foul play

Princess Buttercup (AKA: Brittney the "big breasted chicken")

April 2006 - July 2009

The Heavens seem to be calling quite a few home...
The King of Pop, Farrah and now Princess Buttercup. I guess even in Heaven there needs to be poultry. Why not? But for us, it was a hugemungous shock! Buttercup was our "prized bird". She was healthy. She layed regularly. Her feathers were as healthy and shiny as a new penny! Just yesterday she played in the yard while we tilled her up some dirt to cool off in. But there was a mysterious moment when she came dashing across the yard yelping! We all just looked at each other. Well, today we found her face down. Very sad indeed. Bailey cried. Nate buried her under the boy's window. Very touching.
In an effort to figure out what might have gone wrong I searched the Internet doctor. It was quite astonishing what I found. Who would have thunk that "chicken death" was such a HOT topic? After all, don't we eat chicken more frequently than we consider them pets around these parts? I just thought I was strange for liking them more than my own brothers.

After typing in "chicken death" in google this is what I found...
I give you my favorites:

#1) "Ok, so I have a flock of Buffs with 2 (well 1 now) roosters. They are about 15 weeks old. They're happy, well-fed, and seem healthy, even this one I'm telling you about. The wife went out to feed them today, and all were fine, when she turned around one of the roosters was laying on the ground deader than a doornail. I went out, no wounds, no indication of blood anywhere (I checked well), no foam at the mouth that may have indicated choking (no jokes please.). Any idea what I'm looking at here? Not really into performing autopsies, but would like to know what would make a chicken drop dead instantly."

Now let it be known that there was a whole page of serious comments from concerned chicken owners who responded with grievances and concern over this owner's loss. And I would have loved to add my woe but if I might point out one thing that held me back... "the wife" part of that little clipping disturbed me some. What the heck red neck says "the wife went out..." C'mon! And then POOF! Just like that "the wife" turned around and the rooster dies? "deader than a doornail". Very nicely put, I think.

#2) "I've had 2 hens for a year now. 1 Rhode island red and 1 black australorp. Yesterday the Australorp just died. No warning. No signs of foul play. Not a ruffled feather. They free range in the daytime when I'm home and I went out early evening and she was just lying in a sandy spot, dead. She'd layed an egg in the morning, did her usual clucking and running around the yard when I let her into the yard late in the morning...Any advice on introducing a new hen to our remaining RI Red? She seems SO lonely without her lifelong companion."

but that isn't even the best part... The best part was the response this owner got...

A.) "Eureka,What state are you in? Some states will do a free necropsy for backyard flocks. If I were you, I'd take a fecal sample in to the vet for a float to see if your flock has worms. Did you notice anything strange about the two who died? Stumbling, depression, weight loss, anything?"

Ummm.. a "free necropsy"? What the???!!! Better yet, "I'd take a fecal sample in to the vet for a float..." I don't think so! Bury the darn bird and let her R.I.P! She done her duty! I loved Buttercup, but I till her fecal samples into my garden... I don't pick them up and study them.

Did you know Chickens stumble, get depressed and have weight fluctuation? It's like we're talking about grandma!

But my personal favorite was definitely this:

#3) "you can do a home autopsy, I have done this for a number of my birds and it helps give me a narrower range of things to read up on (usually) there is a link here - this site gives you step by step instructions and also a list of possibilities based on your findings at the end. It can be hard to do on a bird that's been well loved but it can really help with either reassurance or information (or both)"

That is just wrong! So I just have to know what you think... When these folks were buying a house Did they have as a part of their criteria: "3 bedroom, 2 bath and office with an autopsy suite off to the side for the chickens"? Does it make you wonder if they also neuter their own hound dog and felines?

And last but certainly not least, there is a place in cyberspace for 'Chicken obituaries".

#4)" Chicken Obituaries
June 23, 2009
Such a tragic event happened today. “A date that will live in infamy”. Our first chicken died, it was poor California, such a sweet great little chicken. It died of natural causes underneath the hanging food bowl. These are the types of events that make you ask the Question,” are there chickens in heaven”?"

I would be lying if I said that I was NOT sad that Buttercup died today. Deader than a doornail! She really was one of my favorites. I baby these beauties. But you won't find me with a scalpel performing chicken autopsies or gathering fecal samples to cart into the vet. None of that will change her escape from the heat of summer for free range grazing time in the heavens. That being said, you are more than welcome to consider this as a chicken obituary! And to answer #4, I do believe there are chickens in heaven...

A juicy piece of Vit C. and randomness...

This is so random...

This morning while indulging on my breakfast of Fuji apples and winter pears, the light bulb (the one that has obviously been burned out for the past 35 years) flipped on. I was dreaming of peaches, actually... wishing for a ripe tree to drop its freshness on my watering palate at that very moment... when I began to add up the reason for "seasonal" fruits and veggies. When my random thoughts finally landed, this is what I had come up with...

summer fruits are typically high in "antioxidants" much needed for fighting free-radicals. (SUNBURN= cancer! YIKES!!) Autumns fruits and veggies last a long time... some of them well into the winter. Winter fruits are full of vit C to fight influenza.

Boy... it only took me a lifetime to think that up. I'm so grateful for a kind and wise Father in Heaven who created everything for our benefit. Everything in it's season. And I'm certain it didn't take him a lifetime to figure out which season we would need which fruit and veg...

By that time I had almost finished off my pear. I was baring my testimony of fruit to Cole, trying to convince him that he would feel like a king if he would just partake... oatmeal is more his style... (with brown sugar and powder sugar and white sugar and honey on top) As I finished the last juicy bite, I decided I really like pears. And then I packed up and headed off to buy some orchard fresh oranges for lunch... and I smiled all day!

Random... I know.

Meet the rest of the Fam...

This is little Roadrunner. She is mighty skittish! This Brown leghorn beauty can hide from the best of us... She sleeps WAAAY up in the top of our mulberry tree. Roadrunner is McKay's favorite chicken.This princess is Hardy. She has some sleep disorder? She sleeps with Roadrunner in the top of the Mulberry tree. (at least until our coop pent house suit is finished) The other night I heard an awful chicken cry (about 9:30 p.m.). now... These girls pride themselves in "EARLY to bed..." (around 5:00 p.m.).... So 9:30 was definitely OUT OF CHARACTER! You'll never believe it.... She FELL out of bed! She hasn't been quite the same since. But seriously... if you fell out of her bed, you'd experience insomnia (trauma related) yourself. Poor girl!
This is old lady Brittney. (named after the Brittney Spears, herself.) She is not actually OLD... but she looks old. She has a lump in her breast. No joking here. I can't confirm that it is a tuma, YET! (Dr. Davis told me he would do a little exploratory surgery on her, but he doesn't know the proper dosage of anesthesia so I won't let him do it.) I have a hunch that the lump is a result of her past DRUG usage. (she has been known to use oleander... and it's seriously a harmful addiction to animals~) So... the coop will be a haven for this little lady when it's done... though I'm not sure what she will think of only eating fresh veggie peels and chicken feed. Who would have known that as a little chickly that the name Brittney would fit her so well?!
She is so friendly and prides herself in a good game of "fetch" with the boys.

Meet Princess Buttercup. The kids re-named her (it was Pamela... Anderson~) This little beauty really is a princess. She is quite the social butterfly. Not as social as Brittney, but she is definitely amiable... And ever SOOO beautiful!

Meet Bionce. She is my favorite! MAJESTIC little angel. And she is the only obedient chicken who never flew over my wall to feed in greener pastures. (never mind that she is too fat to fly). Bionce actually gets embarrassed when she molts. I think she knows that she looks bad, so she hides until her feathers are back to their bodacious style. I love this lady!

We had high expectations of our barred rock (Oreo) and an arcana (Eagle)that we adopted this past spring. However, the backyard confinement was too much for them and they were always in the front yard. Before a weekend trip, we clipped their wings, hoping to keep them in the rear. How-so-ever, They both found a way to get over the wall to the front... they never left the front yard, mind you. But somebody let their mean dogs loose and so Eagle and Oreo were made into bath toys. Eagle, who looked powerful and most intimidating, turned out to be the first one to go. Bless her. And Oreo couldn't stand it and committed suicide on Stapely road. We found her in the gutter. Terrible, actually. Considering that they couldn't fly back over the wall because their wings had been clipped kinda makes me feel a little responsible! Rest in peace little ones.

However, yesterday a neighbor abandoned (with my permsission, of course) two arcana's at our house. They don't love the other chickens yet. The pecking order is a little mixed up right now. Bionce was sure that she was "the one"... and we're finding out that our little transient believes that "SHE" is the ONLY ONE! I'll keep you posted when they get their squabbles all figured out... Until then, go ahead and try to find yourself a pet with Half as much personality as these little ladies have. and.. Good luck!