Chicken Co-op News

Yesterday the white hen, whose name is....(Sonia and Nadia just told me what it is last night, and it is already gone from the frontal neurons, begins with an E) went berzerk for about half an hour. She was pacing frantically back and forth under the roosts, hopping up and down on them, pecking at the sun-covered wall, pecking at the hens who were in the nest boxes. Really manic behavior. Wendy was there at the time also, and we could not figure out what was wrong with her. I let all the rest of them out of the gate and gave them some space to get away from her. They went right to the compost bins and forgot all about her. The stomach is always the first priority for them. We left her be, Matt came up and took a look, left, and when I came back from a walk she was acting perfectly normal. Not that we are finding anything perfectly normal with chickens. So the flock got to be outside on their own for a long time yesterday and it was warm enough that they puttered up and down the path and were ok. We are trying to put a timer on the lights now, so the heat light over the water goes off at about 8 PM and on at 3 AM. We are also thinking that it is almost time for Esmeralda to return to the flock. She is doing quite well and it seems the wound is healing over some. We are thinking we will put her back when the girls are out of the pen ranging, and she can just walk around with them as if she has always been there, only she will have a bunch of vicks vapo rub on her wound to prevent any pecking. Depending on weather, Monday afternoon might work. We will need to watch her re-entry and their reaction to her. I will be home until about 4:30 Monday, so will welcome company for them from anyone else after that as they make their way into the coop for the night. If we leave just the red light on as they are roosting, she should be ok, with the timer set so the other light over the water doesn't go on until 3 AM. Hope this makes sense to everyone.   Ernestine, that's it...nothing like a little computer work to stew up the brain.

Peggy for the Intensive Care Unit