I have both new knowledge about chickens as well as knowledge about my new chickens, so the ambiguity in the post title is appropriate (otherwise, if my friend Bill read my blog, he would pick on me about it). Where am I?
Yes! I’ve learned a few things about chickens in the past couple of days. For one, did you know they enjoy wading? At least our littlest Ancona, Henley, likes to. She’s been bullied by Clarence recently. In fact, I thought he’d killed her Saturday night after I brought the flock in to roost. I got her out of the outside roost and set her inside, so she’d be safe, and he jumped all over her, finally making her yell in the far corner of the hen house.
I got all upset, because I thought he’d killed her, but when I saw she was still breathing, I crawled in there (not easy) and got her out. I laid her in the pine shavings where the two remaining new pullets were, and hoped for the best.
I was thrilled to see her up and around the next morning. That evening, my sister and I went out to see the new ones and give everyone some water (discovering water EVERYWHERE because the hose had come undone, oops). But, I put the larger water holder in there, one with two basins, originally intended to feed and water dogs. No sooner did I set it down than Henley marched over and plopped in one of the basins. She then started drinking from the shallow indentation in there. Star and Sapphire were so surprised they had to come check her out. We laughed a lot.
Trying Again with the Butter Series
Today, I headed back to the chicken vendor to get a replacement for the late Butternut. There, I learned even more new chicken knowledge, and also got two new pullets. Gene got me the biggest Welsummers in the bunch, so I hope that helps out. I know it is also helpful that it’s ten degrees cooler today than it was on Saturday.
I got there while he was giving the young hens their vaccinations. I asked how they do it, so he showed me. They give them a little shot of something blue in each wing. That protects from a whole lot of bad chicken things. I’m glad of that. Then they put Ivermectin on them topically; just a tiny bit. That’s a wormer; we use it on the horses.
Now I wonder if I should be worming the chickens. Hmm. Research time.
In any case, I now have Butternut2 and Buttercup. I guess if I get another Welsummer, it will be Butterscotch. I can’t tell these two apart yet, but I’ll work on it. The new ones immediately started eating and interacting with Star, Sapphire, and Henley. And Bruce crowed his head off at them. He can’t get to them for quite some time, though. They are still delicate teens.
The Hermits' Rest 
Oh my. I’ll look up how often to do it!
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And who’s ever seen a chicken worm? ME! Making our favorite “Cottage Pancakes” recipe – breaking eggs directly into the bowl that already contained 1-1/2 pounds of cottage cheese. Egg #6 had a live 3″ long intestinal roundworm (ascaris) in it. OMG! Vet identified it the next day, put it in a bottle with formaldehyde, and I raised some stink with the health department, the place I’d bought the eggs in DC – a box of 24 dozen to divide among our co-op members. The GI tract and oviduct have a common exit in chickens. This li’l worm had gone down the GI tract and up the oviduct and was there when the egg shell formed. Yes to ivermectin. Now I break each egg and look before adding it.
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Dang – don’t see how to correct my error. Third in series complained to was “and our congressman.”
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Ivermectin topically works for worms on chickens. Traci used it per advice she got at TSC.
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