The ailing hen has made a full recovery, and is back to running around with the flock.
I've started leaving the gate of the pen open for a few hours a day, so the chickens can run around on the lawn. (The duck pens are still mostly grassy; ducks seem to be less destructive of lawns, though they do make holes anywhere the ground gets muddy.)
Huckleberry seems to be doing somewhat better, between changed food and some meds we've tried. He just had a followup ultrasound and a biopsy to try to determine whether he has small-cell lymphoma or just IBD (waiting on lab results). Now we're supposed to start him on an anti-inflammatory treatment regardless.
Life remains busy, and there are so many distractions these days!
How are the winter preps going?
Posted by: Rob | Saturday, 21 September 2024 at 10:11
Ugh. Way behind, what with all the other stuff going on. There's a bunch of family financial stuff we need to deal with Real Soon Now (some of it having hard deadlines), and Huckleberry is not doing well at all (and we still don't know why), and....
I really need to get the feed shed and the new henhouse built before it gets to be properly winter, and I need to procure a 3-point landscape rake, and unfreeze the slip clutch on the tiller, and burn the brush pile.
I did just spend a chunk of the morning spraying the Johnson grass, Jimson weed, and other nasties in the fields; maybe this time they'll stay dead for a while. After lunch, off to Tractor Supply for more herbicide, because I used a lot more than expected this year.
Posted by: Eric Wilner | Saturday, 21 September 2024 at 10:40
And, a further update.
The formerly-ailing hen was running around happily on the lawn with the flock, retreated a little early to the roost in the coop, and died during the night. We're down to four chickens now (but thirteen ducks, currently producing anywhere between for and seven eggs a day).
Huckleberry is still not doing well, and we still don't have a definite diagnosis. He has his playful moments, but he's still not eating nearly enough.
Posted by: Eric Wilner | Sunday, 22 September 2024 at 19:56
How do duck eggs compare to chicken eggs for breakfast?
Posted by: Rob | Monday, 23 September 2024 at 12:28
They're great in pancakes, waffles, muffins, and such.
I haven't had any success trying to fry duck eggs - the whites come out tough while the yolks remain liquid - but that may be a matter of technique.
A neighbor makes flan with duck eggs, and it comes out crazy rich.
Posted by: Eric Wilner | Monday, 23 September 2024 at 13:32
Sometimes with a chicken egg I'll steam it. Get the pan ready, some butter melted.. crack the egg in it and then add some water (less than 1/2 an egg shell), cover it and wait a minute. The egg cooks on top at the same time as the bottom.. just a little different.
Just a thought...
Posted by: Rob | Tuesday, 24 September 2024 at 09:46