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| Normal x-lg egg on left. Owie on right. |
Someone's walking funny today. I wonder who laid this double-yolker... I have a couple of chickens - three, actually - who are under the weather. E-Claire has been hauling around a big sack of something off her chest for quite a while. Doesn't seem to be her crop, so I am at a loss. She has her ups and downs, but, for the most part, seems to be holding her own. I try not to get her excited since, when she works up a head of steam, this 'boosum' starts to swing from left to right and she reminds me of a ship on a very rough sea. Violet (or Lavender - I'm never sure who is who) went from fine to floppy. I've checked her over and can't find anything obvious, although I have a feeling it is a stagnant crop. Ditto for Red, the lone Red Sex Link. Just to rule out worms, I've mixed some DE into their feed. I don't know why there is a rash of crop problems, since they have a wide access to lots of grit. I've got two hens going broody - Marie-Claire, our resident surrogate mother; and one of the Honeys (Buff Orpingtons). I am not prepared to sacrifice a nesting box yet, so I have to roust them out twice a day. The first batch of Red Ranger chicks (15) are due to arrive on Friday, so I have cleaned out the little coop, closed off the vent, papered the bottom, put the heat lamp in (along with the non-electric brooder, just in case), and will add waterers and feeders Friday when they arrive. Once I get them feathered and ready for fresh air, I hope to find either some keets or fertile guinea hen eggs to incubate. Spring is in the air! (Well, somewhere.)
