Pipd's Peeps!

[drumstick diva]

AW Pip, I hope thoughts and prayers will save Frou Frou

.

I fall apart over losing animals too - which is why my parents didn't want me getting involved with any. I made everyone's life miserable. I'm 68 so that was a lot of misery.

 

[drumstick diva]

Wish I had known Betty, she sounded like a very unique hen. I'm sure she will be teleporting around the Rainbow Bridge. RIP sweet Betty.

 

[autumnhearth]

So sorry for your loss of Betty. Thank you for sharing her personality with us, it's a lovely tribute. As for Frou, do you think perhaps it could be a vitamin deficiency? I've read very little about them but one of the symptoms is listlessness (granted that's a common symptom for any sick bird). I'm pretty sure our EE Clara had a bout of it when she was a teenage pullet, we thought she was going to die but she rebounded in a few days and went on to be the first to lay and has been perfectly fine ever since. I think the only thing I did for her was electrolyes and wet feed. Granted Morgaine had some similar symptoms and she didn't get any better, but there was something reproductive going on there :/

 

[shadow rabbit10]

So sorry to hear about Betty.

I enjoyed reading about her as I did not know much about her before this. She sounded like a very fun hen. I'm really hoping Frou-Frou gets through this... Chicken illness can be tough to deal with. It seems like every disease has similar symptoms, which makes it so hard to diagnose them. Hopefully you'll be able to find a solution to this.

 

[lightchick]

Betty passed away this evening. She was a little over 4 years old. It must have been peaceful, for she was sitting in the corner and looked like she was just sleeping. Betty was such an amazing bird and I don't think I will ever meet another one like her. She was such an adventurous spirit. She went further and explored more than any hen I knew. She had a talent for being in one place one moment, and clear across the yard in the next moment. We always joked that she could teleport, and often it seemed true. And yet, in spite of her adventurous nature, she was always okay with a little attention, even from my young niece. Whenever she was picked up, she would soak in the attention, and then as soon as her feet were on the ground she was off again like nothing had slowed her down. She had the best personality and the most glorious beard of all the Easter-eggers I've ever owned. A difficult loss.


Frou-Frou, meanwhile, is not getting worse, but making few improvements. She spend a couple days sleeping a lot and I was so scared I would lose her that I did end up making myself sick. Then, she started getting up again and moving around and eating and generally acting more like a Frou-Frou bird. She eats heartily, drinks, and has plenty of normal droppings. Plenty. But every time I think she might be getting better, she gets all droopy and squinty for a short while, and every time I'm sure she's going downhill, she perks right back up. Today, she has been eating a bit more and I got some coconut oil in her for a boost. Still hoping my baby pulls through, and doing everything I can in the mean time.

Sorry to hear of your loss! Take good care of yourself too. I hope Frou Frou makes it!

 

[pipdzipdnreadytogo]

Thank you, everyone, for the thoughts. I am reading, it just takes me some time to work up to posting right now.


Frou-Frou is not looking well today. She's just so sleepy... She's been exceptionally thirsty as well, so I soaked her pellets in water, which got her eating plenty at least. I'm just not sure what else to do... I sat with her in my lap this morning, after trying to get some coconut oil and Poly-Vi-Sol in her. She fell asleep before I could get much in her, and I just cried and cried. I feel so helpless... I'm trying to hold myself together and failing so miserably. I just never thought I would be faced with possibly losing my precious Frou-Frou so soon in her life.


I was weepy this evening when I went out to get the girls to bed. Immediately as I entered the chicken yard, the Dorkings were at my feet. Have I mentioned lately how much I love Dorkings? I swear, they know when I need them. I sat by the coop door and Elda was in my lap almost instantly. Elly's a lap hog, so Kit had to hop up into the doorway of the coop and talk to me from there. I couldn't help it, I just wrapped my arms around my Elly and sobbed. And she looked up at me with her big, orange eyes like she was so confused. I had her in my lap, after all, what else could I possibly need? Then she gave me the sweetie face because she knows, in that little head of hers, that I can't not smile when she uses the sweetie face. Of course, it worked.

It will take me a long time before I can start to feel better after all of this, but I take some comfort in knowing my girls are here to help me get through it, no matter the outcome.

 

[shadow rabbit10]

I am sorry things have not gotten better. We all understand that it can be difficult to post during times like this. That's what I love about certain chickens, they know when you need them. Keep fighting Frou-Frou...

 

[pipdzipdnreadytogo]

Thought I would stop in and let y'all know there hasn't been any change in Frou'f's condition. She hasn't gotten worse, but she's made hardly any progress as well. On the plus side, she's been preening and 'looking around' (with her eyes shut still) today more than lately. She's not stopped walking around her pen and drinks on her own, and she eats readily when we help her.

Everyone else is looking fine, and things are going pretty normally out in the chicken yard. The Lady Wyandotte is broody again, but Margie finally gave up on sitting and has started laying again. Reuben ended up going to an adjacent pen to the chicken yard because he keeps harassing Marge now that she's off the nest. Oh, and Elly has started her first molt, bless her. She is not enjoying me hugging on her with all the pin feathers she has coming in, but she comes running to me when she sees me upset. Precious gal.


Anyway, just thought I would put a quick update here tonight since I was online. G'night, all!

 

[shadow rabbit10]

Good to know she is still hanging in there. Even my friendliest bird won't let me near her when she molts... Wishing you well. Good night!

 

[pipdzipdnreadytogo]

Hi, all. Another stop in for a quick update.


Frou-Frou is still stable. She had a couple days where she was sleeping almost all the time and not walking around, but she's come back out of that to where she was before. Sleepy, closed eyes, but walking around and drinking on her own and having normal droppings. We started putting eye ointment in her eyes twice a day and she's been opening her eyes a bit more, but they're still puffy and swollen. She's not losing much weight if any and eats when we put food in her beak for her. Not sure where to go from here, though, because she's been on the eye ointment for about a week and an oral antibiotic for a day or so longer than that, and this is all the progress we've made. :/



In the main flock, I had a shock when I found piles and trails of white feathers all over the yard. I thought for sure something got into the yard and carried off one of the white Easter-egger twins, but then I came across one of them, Wynne, in a sad state. Poor Wynne can't move without dropping feathers, and I can't pick her up or pet her without pulling feathers out as well. She's entered a particularly heavy molt! Better now than later, however. She's already bare down her back and I'd hate to have her out in the cold in this state!

Meanwhile, She Who Sleeps Standing Up gave up on her molt some time ago and has now returned to brooding. The Lady Wyandotte is coming out of her broody spell at last, but still wants to sit on the nest for part of the day. I lost my temper with her yesterday because she wouldn't let me catch her, and I regret being so rough with her when I finally got my hands on her. She's not hurt or anything, and doesn't seem to have any hurt feelings, but I always feel so bad when I lose my temper with my girls. Hard to be sad, though, when I sit in the yard with them and get covered with chickens almost immediately. I call that forgiveness.


Crashie duck turned 10 weeks old on Friday, so she's off her vitamin supplement now and her head isn't as yellowish from playing in vitamin water. I didn't get pictures, just haven't had the gumption for it, but the little dear has been going outside for a few hours almost every day in a pen inside the duck yard. Her parents are not impressed. In fact, it's a good thing there's fence between her and them, because I think Malcolm would have torn her apart by now just judging from how aggressive he gets when she's near the fence. She hardly notices him, and she did learn the joys of wallowing in mud from Trudi, so she always wakes me up in the morning eager to go out. Now if only she'd let me get out of her line of sight while she's out so I can be doing things other than sitting around...

Speaking of Crash, I've had a few people ask me what I'm going to name her now that I know for sure she's a girl. I have a lot of names that I like for her, that would be fitting for her, but 'Crash' is a name with a story and with meaning. Ever since before she hatched, she has been Crash. From the night I dropped her egg, to the morning some days later when she hatched, to the following days when I was sure she wouldn't last long... I think, since she's been Crash for all of her life thus far, that she'll remain Crash. Just thought I'd put that out there.


And in final news, Emmy has been doing just fine since her initial scare upon arriving here. I strongly suspect she was just stressed from the move and was acting sick because of it, as she hasn't shown any signs of being ill since. I've been distracted with Frou'f and haven't been paying attention to the days--Wednesday will mark 4 weeks of her being here!--so I haven't progressed as usual with her quarantine. Now that I'm aware of the time frame, however, she should be finishing quarantine in a couple weeks at most. Depends on how things go, of course.


So that was longer-winded than I initially intended... But, for those of you terribly interested, now you know what's going on here.