Carol's Chickens

I really wanted to do a tribute to Toffee yesterday but our internet went down for twenty four hours. I felt really frustrated as I was out of contact completely which is not good for business or blogging.

At last I am back and I have been searching for some photos that sum up Toffee’s character.

Toffee was a lovely gentle character despite being our biggest and heaviest girl. She has always been a shy and cautious girl and rose to being top girl through being the oldest and with us the longest. She never bullied and was easily spooked and would run to the bottom of the run shouting the alarm call, with all the other girls following her just in case, when there was in fact nothing to run from.

Toffee had sturdy, digger, legs and loved digging, dust bathing and sun bathing. Of all our girls Toffee was the one that liked the sun the most and could always find a shaft of sun to sit in. She would stretch out on her side with her legs out at comical angles.

Toffee came in with Emerald and they have always spent time together. Sometimes they would share the nest box and Toffee had a habit of flicking pine shavings on to her back. After she had laid her egg she would come out and have some treats with shavings still sitting in a little pile on her back.

Another of her daily habits was to moan when the morning seeds and evening corn ran out. She was the only girl to do this and twice a day she would make a mournful sound and we would say “what’s up Toff, have the treats run out again just like they do every day!” I miss this ritual.

Here are some photos of our beautiful girl.

Toffee shows off her lovely breast markings and her sturdy legs

Comedy Toffee

This photo reminded of “the funky gibbon” from the “goodies” show. People of a certain age will know what I mean.

Toffee and Emerald in the nest box together

Toffee in a typical pose with one foot raised

Toffee and Emerald on the gate

For a while Emerald had a habit of jumping on to the inner gate when I came through the outer gate in the morning. Toffee soon decided that she could do this too, despite looking precariously balanced.

Toffee and Emerald often dozed together in the afternoons

Toffee and Emerald perch together at the end of the day

Sun bathing girls

A heap of sun bathing girls with Toffee in the middle

Toffee poses

I am so sad to lose this lovely girl but we have many lovely memories of her. She was an amazing head girl and Emerald was her next in command and so has taken over as head girl. I think Emerald is missing her. The first morning after Toffee had gone Emerald stayed close to me which is unusual. Emerald now perches in Toffee’s corner of the chicken shed.

A lovely girl, sadly missed. Goodbye Toffee.

This morning when I went out to the girls with the morning sunflower seeds, Toffee as usual was still in the shed. She heard me shake the tub and she stepped down from the pop hole with a wobble. She looked really weak and unsteady on her feet and she totally ignored the seeds.

She very slowly made her way out into the run and just stood there. I needed to defrost the water dishes as they were frozen solid and I had poured warm water on top of the ice so that the girls could have a drink but I wanted to defrost them properly. I took the first one indoors and when I returned I was surprised to see that Toffee had perched up by the metal table. I was amazed that she had found the strength to get up there.

Toffee perches with Barley and Speckles

It shows how determined she is to perch with the girls that she had made it up here. I dealt with the second water dish and returned to check on her and she was perched in a bit of sun above the ladder with the three little girls. I don’t know how she found the strength to get here.

Toffee perches in a spot of sun

When I got back from my lunch deliveries Toffee was still in the same position. I think she had been here all day as there were the bright yellow spots of poop under this perch but no where else in the run.

Much later in the day Toffee hadn’t moved form this position

An hour later I checked on her again and she had gone to bed. I knew this had to be her last day. She had had no food and had spent the day on the perch then gone to bed. I realised that yesterday was her last hurrah, her swan song.

Emerald is keeping Toffee company

Emerald sits with Toffee for the last time

I called the vet and arranged to take Toffee after half past four when all the girls had gone to bed. I thought that this would be less stressful for her.

Toffee has never liked being handled but she was so poorly that she didn’t protest. I held her while she had her injection. The vet needed to find a vein in her wing so I cradled her with her wing outstretched. The vet said her veins were so delicate for her size that her blood pressure must have really dropped. She couldn’t get into a vein in the first wing so I put her down and turned her around so that she could look for a vain in her other wing.

The vet said she must be really poorly to accept this. I kept talking to her and told her what a good girl she was, as I know she is used to the sound of the my voice. The vet finally managed to get into a vein and Toffee was gone instantly.

Toffee had a mucky bottom and the vet could see her bright yellow poop. She agreed with me that this meant she most likely had a kidney problem. As usual I was crying and the vet left me holding Toffee for a few minutes before returning and wrapping her in a towel.

She probably wouldn’t have lived more than a few more days but I knew the time was right. She is my first elderly hen to go. Her breast bone was very pronounced and I think that she hadn’t been eating properly for a while. It was just that yesterday, when she perched in the sun and ate a few bits, I thought she still had some will to stay a bit longer.

Today I knew it was time. I feel so sad to lose her. She was such a character and we will miss her.

I want to give her the tribute she deserves and find some photos that capture her character so I am going to do that tomorrow. It will take some time for me to find the photos I want and tonight I felt it was more important to let everyone know that she has gone. Once again I am swimming in tears, she was a lovely girl and tomorrow, I will say goodbye properly to her.

As usual Toffee was the only girl still in the shed first thing this morning. I gave out the morning sunflower hearts and she came out. She picked up two sunflower hearts then had a flick about in the pellets dish. I saw her eat one from the patio then she had a little water and then returned to the shed.

I checked back a little later and once again was surprised to see that she was perching in the sun with her flock mates. I took plenty of photos because I always have it in mind that they could be her last and also I was surprised to see the little girls on the same perch as the bigger girls for the first time.

I took one through the wire because Rusty was on the top of the ladder and not in view from inside the run.

The entire flock of eight girls

Six girls but Rusty is hidden

Rusty is in the background and Pebbles is on the right of Freckles just out of shot

Speckles and Peaches are on a different perch

The little girls perch with the bigger girls

It is so lovely to see the girls all perching together and once again I felt it was too soon to make a decision about Toffee. I want her to have these moments in the sun with her flock.

The next time I checked she was back in the shed. She seems to want to perch with the flock in the mornings while there is some sun but once the sun has gone she returns to the shed.

At lunch time I took in some melon and pinned the shed door open so that Toffee could see that I had bought in a treat. She came out and pecked at the melon more enthusiastically than I have seen her peck at anything for a week. I was encouraged by this and dropped some sunflower hearts in front of her and she ate a few.

I decided while she was eating I was offer some dishes of fish and chopped grape, giving protein and sugar.

I felt excited when she ate some grape and fish.

Toffee has some chopped grape

She eats another bit of grape

I sprinkle a few more seeds beside the dish.

She has some sunflower hearts

I felt really encouraged to see her eat for the first time in days. I started to feel a bit of hope. But then I saw more of the runny, mustard yellow, poop and I knew that all was not well inside. The poop alarms me the most. It indicates that she is not going to get better and yet she still looks good.

She returned to her perch in the shed and didn’t come out for the bedtime corn. I felt so pleased to see her eating something but I remember feeling like this with Sparkle. She would have moments of eating when I thought there was hope for her but then later would refuse to eat again so I know that I must not get my hopes up.

I still feel glad that she has perched in the sun with her flock and eaten a few bits of treats. I still feel that I must follow my instincts and that I will know when the time is right to intervene. Each extra day is special and she actually looks good and doesn’t seem to be in any pain. I know that chickens hide it well but she isn’t hunched and miserable looking and her comb is a winter pale pink but not grey and shrivelled.

I feel that I have enough experience and that I know my girls well enough to be able judge when the time is right so I shall continue day by day even if that is only for a few more days.

This is going to go one day at a time now. This morning when I went out to the girls first thing I felt sure this was Toffee’s last day.

She hadn’t come out of the shed but came out when I gave the morning sunflower hearts. She looked at them but didn’t have any.

She sat on the patio between the little coop nest boxes and the store cabinet. I have never ever seen her sit on the patio before. I thought I would move her to the shed where she would be more comfortable as it was a cold morning.

Toffee sits on the patio

When I went to move her she made her own way to the shed. She wobbled as she went up the step to the pop hole. She looked at the perch as if she wanted to get up there but didn’t have the strength.

I move her into the chicken shed

Some of the girls keep her company

I expected to be taking her to the vets in the afternoon but when I checked back on her she was perched in the sun at the end of the run with her flock mates.

Toffee perches in the sun with her flock mates

I was amazed that she had managed to get to here. I felt that this meant she hadn’t given up yet. I couldn’t deprive her of some last moments in the sun with her flock.

At lunch time she was perched in the shed again but she had managed to get up to the perch. I gave the girls some ripe pear and Toffee came out and had a peck at the pear. She had a flick around in the pellets but I am not sure she actually ate any. She had a quick drink of water and then settled back on her usual spot on the perch in the corner of the shed.

She stayed there until the rest of the girls went in. I know she is near the end of her days now and I mustn’t leave her too long but I don’t want to rush into it if she still wants to sit with the flock.

I was so sure this morning that she was done but when I saw her perched with her flock I didn’t have the heart to end it yet. I will see what happens tomorrow and take this a day at a time. I feel that I just have to follow my instinct for when the time is right.

Sadly Toffee is deteriorating quickly. We think she is coming to the end of her days. I researched yellow poop and it says that it can indicate a kidney problem.

I was happy to leave her as long as she was eating. Today she has spent most of her day in the chicken shed. When I gave the morning sunflower hearts she came out and picked at a few but with no enthusiasm.

At bedtime tonight she wouldn’t join in with the corn. She looked at it and returned to the shed. I put a dish of sunflower hearts in front of her in the shed and she hovered over it as if about to take one but it was if she couldn’t bring herself to. After a minute she returned to her corner of the perch.

She is pooping a lot of water or yellow poop. Emerald has been sitting in the shed with her at times yesterday and again today. These two came in together and it’s as if Emerald knows there is something wrong and wants to keep her company.

Emerald keeps Toffee company

Toffee and Emerald

I feel so sad at the thought of her going. As long as she was eating I was going to leave her but if she is going to spend all her time in the shed and she won’t eat then I know we will soon have the dreaded decision to make.

I know from past experience that when a girl won’t eat she has given up and it would be cruel to let her starve herself to death. We feel we must make the decision over the next few days.

Toffee is top girl and has such a lovely nature. She has never bullied the other girls and has always been a shy and cautious girl. She always had the habit of being vocal when the treats ran out. Every day she would make her mournful sound when the seeds or corn ran out which makes it even more sad to see her refusing them now.

I have a lump in my throat right now so I am going to end here but I knew I had to write this post tonight.

I have got the regime down to a fine art now. Pebbles has her sticky baytril on some seeds in the the cat box twice a day. I am keeping the cat box on top of one of the little coops.

Pebbles has her medicine

She tucks into seeds with baytril

The three little girls perch together on the high perch

Catching a bit of sun

At lunch time the little girls have some seeds coated in a little olive oil then topped with flubinvet worming powder. I gave the bigger girls a dish of mash on the patio and put the little girls and their dish on top of the little coop and guarded them to stop the bigger girls getting up.

Worming the three little girls

The little girls have seeds with flubenvet

Yesterday I gave them the flubenvet on chopped grapes but Pebbles wouldn’t touch the grapes. I then gave her some on chopped melon and she ate that. I hadn’t realised she didn’t like grapes. All the other girls love grapes. Today I thought I would go with the easier option of sunflower hearts. I worry they are getting too many sunflower hearts at the moment but I figure that’s the lesser of two evils.

Freckles on a different high perch with no ladder

This was the first time I had seen freckles on this perch. She is a really good flyer so is probably the only one of the three little girls that can reach a perch this high with no ladder.

Toffee in her usual corner in the afternoon

Toffee now has her own routine of spending her afternoons here. She has the morning treats and has had some pellets and mash. She perches with the rest of the bigger girls in the mornings. After the lunch time offering of apple or pear she settles in the chicken shed and always sits in the same corner .

Her poop has been quite yellow which is a bit of a worry. I think she is suffering from age but the colour of her poop is the most alarming thing to me. I think this indicates that there is something going wrong inside of her.

She is eating and doing all the normal chicken things until lunch time when she goes to perch in the shed. She comes back out for the bedtime corn before returning to the shed. As long as she doesn’t appear to be suffering and she continues to eat I am inclined to just leave her be. I know that there is nothing a vet could do for her and I feel that I will know when she needs help.

Pebbles is still wheezing slightly but I think it is getting better. I think we just need to keep going with everything and wait for improvement. I have done some research and it said that the sooner you catch it the better the outcome and that sometimes it is a case of antibiotic roulette and you need to try a few different ones until you find the one that works.

The encouraging thing is that Pebbles is getting better rather than worse so I am hopeful. She seems fine other than the wheezing and she is eating well. It seems that these things progress slowly and we must just keep on medicating and keep our fingers crossed.

We have to give Pebbles her antibiotic twice a day. Rather than stress her by trying to put it into her beak we decided to put it on some sunflower seeds in a little dish. It is sticky so will stick to the seeds.

I decided to put Pebbles in the cat box in the morning and evening with her own dish of seeds laced with her medicine at the same time as the other girls have their seeds/corn.

The vet called this afternoon to let me know what the specialist thought after seeing the video and hearing the recording of Pebbles. Her opinion is that it is probably viral and she thinks it’s a form of bronchitis. She suggested we carry on with the antibiotic but that I call her straight away if Pebbles worsens.

My greatest fear is the other girls catching it but she thinks that as it’s been several weeks since Pebbles first started to wheeze it seems they may not catch it. She said the youngest two are most at risk as the older birds will have built up some immunity but that there is no point in separating Pebbles as the other girls have already been in contact with her. If any other girl shows any symptoms I am to call her straight away.

The vet said if Pebbles doesn’t respond to the antibiotic after a few weeks we could try a different one and she could also take a swab from inside her beak to check for anything bacterial. She also suggested that I worm the three little girls as I had just done the bigger girls before I got them. I had intended worming them next time round which will be March but the vet said it would be best to do it now as any worms could make them more vulnerable to virus and any virus could make them more susceptible to worms.

Tomorrow lunch time I will add some flubenvet to chopped grapes and give it to the three little girls on top of the little coop while guarding them against the other girls.

While we were talking I said that Pebbles eye seemed fine today so it may just have been coincidence and perhaps she had rubbed or scratched it. Other than the wheezing she seems fine and is eating well and drinking and pooping.

I am so glad that I have found such a good vet and I am really impressed with her.

Toffee is not her usual self either but I think this is just down to old age. She is spending periods of time in the chicken shed especially in the afternoons. She also has a slightly mucky bottom and is producing very wet poops (which is why the mucky bottom). She is eating and she came out for a mixture of corn and seeds this evening. She looks fine and still complained, which she always does, when the treats ran out which is a good sign. She also had a peck at some pear that was on the patio.

I think that as long as she doesn’t appear to be suffering in any way and is still eating, I will just leave her be and keep a close eye on her.

In other news, Pebbles has got the hang of going to bed without help ever since we added the extra perch so at least that is one problem solved.

I felt this post was a bit dull without any photos so this one was a few days ago when I gave the girls a dish of mash. The little girls wait until the bigger girls have had their fill and then they have the mash to themselves.

Three little girls have the dish of mash to themselves

The little girls love me to hand feed them spinach but they all move so fast that most of the photos came out blurred. I did just get one close up of Rusty.

Hand feeding Rusty some spinach

I will continue with the new regime, keep updating and keep everything crossed.

This morning I took some photos of the three little girls perching together on the high perch.

The three little girls like to perch high up

A close up on a high perch

It has now been two months since we lost Caramel. It has been one month since I gave Pebbles the baytril antibiotic for a week after I noticed that she was wheezing.

Her wheezing got better and after some research I found that some people had this with their girl and thought that they had something stuck rather than a respiratory problem.

Pebbles always used to get hiccups after food from the day she came to us but after this bout of wheezing she has never hiccuped again. I started to think there might be a connection. Recently the wheezing started again and I wondered if she had something stuck somewhere and it had moved a bit.

She has been lively, eating well and showing no other symptoms, so I thought that I would just keep an eye on her.

I got home at lunch time today and my husband said that he had noticed that sometimes Pebbles had one eye closed. This alarmed us both because of Caramel having a swollen and closed eye before she got really very ill.

I kept checking on Pebbles and sometimes she would be sitting with one eye shut and then they would both be open again. She was still wheezing and later in the afternoon she was occasionally rubbing at her eye.

We decided it would be best if I took her to the vet. After what happened with Caramel I am a bit paranoid about leaving it too late to catch a potential problem. I managed to get an appointment at the end of the afternoon.

The vet said that it was possible that Pebbles started to get better after a week of antibiotic but that it wasn’t long enough and therefore she had relapsed again. She said it can take two or three weeks with anything respiratory to clear completely. She said the wheeze appears when Pebbles breaths out but she couldn’t see a blockage. She took her temperature and said it was the high side of normal but still within the normal zone.

She said it seemed unlikely to be connected to Caramel’s illness because of the time lapsed and because Caramel didn’t have any wheezing but that the eye connection seemed odd. She recorded Pebble’s breathing and said she would talk to a specialist as she was at a loss with the symptoms of a respiratory problem and a possible eye problem.

She gave me more baytril and said to give it twice a day for three weeks and she would call me to let me know what the specialist thought. She said to call her if any of the other girls showed any symptoms.

I asked about treating the whole flock but she said that she preferred to treat only the girl with the symptoms unless there were symptoms appearing with more of the flock.

We gave Pebbles her first dose of the baytril before I returned her to the bedtime perch. It’s a shame I didn’t know before that the baytril needed to be given for a longer period of time as I could have continued after a week last time.

I just hope that we have caught it early enough to treat this time. Pebbles has been eating well and behaving normally in all other ways. I do find it odd that two girls from the same breeder have gone down with a similar problem and my biggest fear is it spreading throughout the flock. I can’t even bare to think about that.

I am keeping everything crossed and will be watching the whole flock very closely.

For the last few days the weather has been horrendous. It has rained all day and all night and although the entire run is roofed the rain blows in through the sides and most of the run ends up wet.

It has been cold and wet and miserable. Toffee has taken to perching in the chicken shed in the afternoons. I have never known this before and was a bit worried about her. She seems absolutely fine and I wonder if she is just feeling her age.

Although we have only had both Toffee and Emerald for three years we didn’t really know their age when we got them. The farmer used game birds as his broodies for his wyndottes but was happy to let us have a couple as he had plenty of new game chicks.

Toffee always looked like an older bird and we felt she had a bit of a grandmother air about her. She may have already been several years old when we got her.

Toffee has been spending her afternoons here

Are you looking at me!

Just chilling

I think perhaps as the outside perches have been wet she likes to perch here late afternoons as it is warm and dry. I have never known the girls to go indoors during the day before apart from to have a brief scratch in the shavings.

I will be keeping a close eye on Toffee but she seems fine in herself and only does this late afternoon, before bedtime. Maybe she feels she has had enough by then and needs to retire early. Maybe this means if the little girls were cold in winter they may do the same thing.

If it was really cold I would pin the shed door open and then if any girls wanted to go in and shelter it would be lighter than with the door shut.

At the moment though I will leave it closed because if Toffee is happy to settle in here a bit early then I think that it is okay to let her decide and leave her to do what feels comfortable for her. As always I will be keeping a close eye on her.

I love to see the girls perching together. The bigger girls perch together and the little girls perch together. The two groups never mix on the same perch but they do perch near each other.

The three little girls perch together on the lower perch by the ladder

The five bigger girls perch together on the higher perch by the ladder above the little girls

This is another favourite perch of the little girls

Closeup

They do look cute perched together.