Oh!! Well I just learned something new - thanks!
I guess the question is whether she is sil-go or red star, then?
Red Rosie, the Rescued Chicken
The top right pic on the last link is exactly like my hens were! Makes me homesick! I raised mine in the early 80's.
yes, there are so MANY ways to get a red sex link... i will need a name for mine next year with a Buckeye roo [rather than RIR] over a Delaware. Basically it is a Heritage Red Sex Link... in progress [chicks are babies LOL]
Just saw this thread. I'm proud of you, Claire, for rescuing that poor chick. Heaven knows what she's been through. One thing I KNOW about rescues -- they KNOW they've been rescued. Bless her little heart. And bless you for opening your flock to her.
Thanks Brigid! She's doing great so far. I just love her. She loves her cottage cheese. I hope she's going to start to put some weight on. I think I can see a slight color change in her comb already. I think it's not as pale. I can't wait for the coop to be finished so she can have her own space.
claire, have you considered any needed mediation, or did they handle that at the resuce? you know, worming and antibiotics.... something to think about...
TF - all I know is that, at the shelter, she was found to have lice. They gave her a flea powder or spray or something. I can't find any lice on her at all now, and I have been looking REALLY hard! So no, she has not been wormed or given any antibiotics. What would you suggest? I have been giving her minced garlic in with the cottage cheese/olive oil/oatmeal mixture because I think it was one of your posts that recommended that for a natural deworming option. I am totally open to suggestions! At the moment, the only meds I have for chickens are the electrolytes mix, something called VetRX for chicken colds and other problems, and something called Xenodine, which is a topical antiseptic for wounds or fungal infections. It's all part of my chicken first aid kit!
Claire
siomewhere we have a thread by LoraK on a chicken first aid kit...
derma-gro would be good too. came in handy when my nanking got her head ripped down to her skull...
SC would know i am thinking piperazine is for most all worms. and i think she recommends tylan for the antibiotic, though i can't get that here.
if i had rescued a good looking overall healthy bird, then natural mehtods shoudl keep parasites and infections in check. but considering Rosie's condition, i think you should look at Rx options...
Oh Claire, you are such a sweetheart! It was so wonderful for you to adopt Rosie! I have no idea what breed she is but I am wondering about her food. I know they really like yogurt and applesauce. That's what I fed all my broodies to make sure they ate and didn't starve themselves and they went nuts over it. I just mixed it into their feed, usually alternating applesauce one day and then yogurt the next. I'm wondering too if you could mix some of the layer pellet is with the cottage cheese, yogurt, or applesauce? It would soften the pellets up and she might be able to eat them?
The debeaking on her is horrible! My DH and I bought some hens at an auction once that had been debeaked.....only the top part had been snipped and not near as high up the beak as Rosie's. I felt bad for the ones we had.....they seemed to have a very hard time eating and couldn't peck anything off the ground, only the feed pan. Wow, with Rosie's the way it is I wonder how she's been able to stay alive this long.......she is so lucky that you found her! Good luck!
Christy
She's really able to eat, or she wouldn't have lived to be grown! Also, try giving her a chunk of unsalted fat, and watch her eat! You can soften up any kind of pellet for herm but I bet she can eat them anyway!
I will drop by my vet next week to ask him about chicken dewormer. He is really more of a dog/cat vet but he might know who else I can ask. I take my greyhound there. I am glad to hear about the yogurt and apple sauce options. I have both of those around here all the time, so I can add those in. She is eating the crumbles really well. She is good at scooping them. She is continuing to have nice normal stools now, so I think she is getting a good amount of food, based on what comes out the other end!!
I tried giving her more greens but she did have trouble with those. I am not sure but I think she can't tear them into pieces to eat them. I cut up some pieces of zucchini this morning and she is trying to eat those.
Claire
Claire... I wouldn't feed her Canned/jarred applesauce in her debilitated state...I would buy a bag of apples if you can't get any locally, and cook them down for her without any sugars etc. in it...Bag it up and freeze it...
Just about everything in the grocery has some kind of preservative in it or color or some other weird stuff she doesn't need...
Beak or no...I think she is beautiful!!
Good point Dusty. I do buy the natural non-sweetened (or colored) apple sauce, but it may still have preservatives in it. I have an apple tree in my yard but I already picked 'em! I can get some others locally and cook them down.
Could I make her peaches cooked down too? I have a bunch of frozen peaches (no sugar - I just skin them and slice and freeze). I could cook some down and make little portions of peach compote for her!
Yep.. I would take a slice out of the bag, and defrost it and mash it with a fork and offer it to see if she likes it first before you waste them...
Also try puree'ing the greens in your processer/blender and mixing with her crumbles if she is able to eat those okay... or add em to her cottage cheese...etc.. Lots of ways to get them in her... LOL .. I have done rescue on many varmints over 50 + years, and any critter in the condition she is in does not need anything in their system that is not 100% natural...Her system is compromized at the very least...and needs alot of TLC in order to build her back up and get her weight to go up instead of using the nutrients she is getting to fight off *bugs*
Here is Red Rosie a few minutes ago when I was cleaning her crate.
And here she is checking out the perennials.
All very good points Dusty. I will try your ideas for sure.
i wondered about making some of my frozen carrots/peas mix (no sauce or anything, just frozen veg) and cooling them off a bit and mixing that in with the crumbles and cottage cheese. Would be more good nutrients for her I'd think.
I just love all the different shades and colors in her feathers. She's a beauty.
Bless her (and your) hearts...She looks better already Claire!! That horrid look is gone from her eyes...
Yep...any veggies that she will eat lots of (not stuffing herself) will be good for her in addition to her crumbles...Try to give her a bit of meat fat too if you have any, or shredded cheese...Protein is what she needs, but you can't push too much of it at one time as I am sure you already know...
If you can find some meal worms or crickets at a bait shop, I am sure she would love to have them...
I have enough crickets around here to feed a whole army of chickens. :-) I also have a bunch of those white grubs that you can find under the sod, and some of the darker colored stripey ones. Plus I have some tomato hornworms. I gave one of those to my other hens and they devoured it. I will bring Rosie some fresh "wriggling" food items to see how she likes them!
Rosie is a very pretty hen!
Thanks Doe! I'm not sure if she's red star or sil-go, but she's so special that it doesn't matter anyway. This evening she had veggies (I had cooked from frozen) including peas, carrot pieces, red pepper pieces (sweet pepper), and sweet corn, plus some baby bowtie pasta to add interest and some starch. She just wolfed it all down. I am so glad she has a good appetite and is able to eat a variety of things.
great to hear! easy on the peaches, and apricots. the tannins are too high i think... you might google "toxic foods for chickens"...
also, while waiting to see the vet, check the nutrition thread for links for a natural dewormer, and also consider fidning her un-sprayed dandelions to eat. that will help clean her blood and liver out...
tf
Bout time you showed up CF..er ...ummm TF....
just been busy.... nice to see you!
Good to see you too!! I used to have Great Pyrenees...You have the best stock dog possible...The Pup needs a ton of calcium and protein...Just in case ya wern't up to snuff on the menu... LOL
I need Pics!!!! I need a GP Fix!!
I think all Rosie needs is food and TLC, and she's got both!!
I checked out peaches but it says just the pits are toxic, and I wouldn't be giving her the pits. Here is a handy link in case anyone wants it. I could put it in the doctor thread too.
http://www.poultryhelp.com/toxicplants.html
How would they eat a pit unless you crushed it?
If you crushed it and gave them the inside, or if the pit was cracked, like they sometimes are, and then the inside bit that looks like an almond was visible. It was just that TF was concerned about the peaches and I wanted to let her know they were OK except for the kernels inside the pits. The kernels aren't supposed to be good for people either - they have cyanide type compounds in them.
ok, gotcha ; )
She is some form of red sex-link, as most folks have said. It's a cross which, if done correctly will allow one to easily discern the gender at hatching.
RIRs are very dark in colour--the SQ ones are nearly black. New Hampshires are lighter, but a solid deep red.
Suze
She is getting very used to me bringing the cottage cheese mixture in the mornings. I can barely open her enclosure door without her being right there to start the morning munchie-fest. She's a honey!
I have a Glorious Pekingese (shown here with my favorite dolls) -- does she count?
Ohhhh, she's so cute! What color eggs does she lay? ;-)
brown.
(SO sorry. Couldn't resist.)
Lovely feathering - almost like a silkie! But a most unusual beak....
Yes, her feathers never poke, that's for sure; and she has a very rooster-like tail.
tee hee... and what kind of roo would this lil guy be? a frizzle?!
