Kniola's Set Up I.C.U. (Intensive Chicken Unit)
November 30th, 2010
I sit here this morning, tired as can be. I have been up since 2 a.m. from what I thought was a scream of a chicken. I bounced out of bed like a maniac and realized it could be true.
See, yesterday was a rough day for me. As you may have read, my son Nickolas broke his arm. I had to juggle kids around, call the in-laws and head to the doctors office.
All day yesterday, as usual, I let the chickens out of their pen to roam as I do daily. By 11 am, I could not find the Mama Hen, Daisy. I didn't worry too much because our dog Major is always protecting. Truly is quite cute. I just thought maybe Daisy just went off into the woods deeper and I just didn't see her.
By 12:30 I looked some more and still could not find her and yet there were three turkey buzzards flying above. I then questioned myself if they could have taken her. Turkey buzzards eat the dead, right?
As I walked around the yard some more, the three roosters followed me like I was their Mama. One rooster in particular named Mojo kept hoarding me and acting like he wanted me to pick him up. He seemed very nervous. I bent down and he acted for just a moment like he was either going to jump up and clutch on to me for dear life or attack me. He had this odd look in his eye. I thought that was very strange. The only thing I could think of is Daisy must have been taken by something and they witnessed it. The other three hens seemed okay but stayed in the woods.
Now school is out and still no Daisy. My in-laws arrived to watch the kids so could take Nickolas to the doctor. They also had a baseball game for Benjamin to cover for me since I couldn't be back in time.
Before I left, I tried my best to get the six chickens back in the coop which usually takes me 5 minutes or so, they are pretty good about it. After a 1/2 hour, they would not go in, so I left. I didn't worry too much, around 5:30 they go in on their own but I'm usually home to make sure of it.
After Nickolas received his cast, I got a call from Benjamin. He was on his way to baseball and he had told me as they tried to get the chickens in, two of the roosters Mojo and Poochy, formerly SpongeBob, got into a massive fight. They tried to break them up but it was deadly and difficult. Benjamin managed to get the injured one, Poochy, into the pen and left the rest out. He said Poochy was really bad.
I managed to get a hold of my oldest son Daniel when he arrived home from Club Success and told him to get the chickens in and check on Poochy and to make sure he separates Mojo from the rest until I got home. Daniel went ahead and did this for me but called and said Poochy was real bad. His beak was open, bleeding, one eye wouldn't open as he found him lifeless in the pen. Thankfully he got the rest of the chickens in and brought Poochy in the house until I got there.
When I got home, I checked on the rest of the chickens and locked them up in the coop, hoping to see if Daisy was hanging nearby. Still no Daisy. As I looked at Mojo, his face was bloodied but seemed fine. I didn't think it was his blood anyway.
I went in and took Poochy to the bathroom placed him in the sink and cleaned him up with warm water, peroxide, antibiotic cream, and gel for his eyes. Gave him some water through a dropper which he did well with. He got beat up pretty bad, his one eye especially and his head pretty scratched up too. I checked the rest of his body and it seemed fine. By this time it was almost 7 o'clock and he was lifeless, like he was dying. But then I also realized this is there deep sleep time and it seemed that's all he wanted. I even went as far as to place his back side on my palm and his whole body hung like a dead chicken. Poor thing.
I placed him gently into a basket with hay into our bathroom tub. He lay there quiet all night. I checked on him before bed around 10pm and he had moved and was awake with only one eye open. I soothed him and put more cream and gel on him for the night and gave him a bit more water through the dropper but this time he didn't want it.
By 2am is when I heard the scream of the chicken. When I bounced out of bed, I ran to the bathroom to check on Poochy and he was sleeping quietly. It was a dream. Well that dream has kept me up and I am still worried what will come of these roosters and the whereabouts of Daisy? It's almost 7am now, time to get the kids up and hope to see Daisy appear out of nowhere like she had before on some nights. She had disappeared a few times before into our oak tree in the backyard and came down in the morning, but never has she disappeared in the morning like she had.
Last night I also emailed a chicken farm about having the three roosters and if it's okay to keep all of them. I know animal control has had two roosters for over a year together and they get along great.
I think the whole truth to this matter and stress is all about Daisy. When a Mama Hen disappears like that, not only do I panic, but all of her chicks are panicking too. Maybe that's why they're fighting?
It's 9:15 am now, haven't posted this blog yet and still no sign of Daisy. Poochy seemed okay and I placed him back in the pen with the rest of the chickens. Mojo attacked him in a second. I even whacked Mojo slightly across the head but he was relentless. So I took Mojo out to free-roam, immediately he was wanting back in.
I hung around, raked up the pen and then the other rooster Feathers attacks Poochy! Good God, what is wrong with these guys? Poochy just laid there and took it. I grabbed him and he is now back in my bathroom cleaned up and resting again.
I feel I just wrote Chicken Chronicles. Makes me feel better to write when I get this way, tired or not. I will keep you posted on the household here, thankfully I do not have any plans this morning other than finding Daisy and taking care of Poochy.
I sit here this morning, tired as can be. I have been up since 2 a.m. from what I thought was a scream of a chicken. I bounced out of bed like a maniac and realized it could be true.
See, yesterday was a rough day for me. As you may have read, my son Nickolas broke his arm. I had to juggle kids around, call the in-laws and head to the doctors office.
All day yesterday, as usual, I let the chickens out of their pen to roam as I do daily. By 11 am, I could not find the Mama Hen, Daisy. I didn't worry too much because our dog Major is always protecting. Truly is quite cute. I just thought maybe Daisy just went off into the woods deeper and I just didn't see her.
By 12:30 I looked some more and still could not find her and yet there were three turkey buzzards flying above. I then questioned myself if they could have taken her. Turkey buzzards eat the dead, right?
As I walked around the yard some more, the three roosters followed me like I was their Mama. One rooster in particular named Mojo kept hoarding me and acting like he wanted me to pick him up. He seemed very nervous. I bent down and he acted for just a moment like he was either going to jump up and clutch on to me for dear life or attack me. He had this odd look in his eye. I thought that was very strange. The only thing I could think of is Daisy must have been taken by something and they witnessed it. The other three hens seemed okay but stayed in the woods.
Now school is out and still no Daisy. My in-laws arrived to watch the kids so could take Nickolas to the doctor. They also had a baseball game for Benjamin to cover for me since I couldn't be back in time.
Before I left, I tried my best to get the six chickens back in the coop which usually takes me 5 minutes or so, they are pretty good about it. After a 1/2 hour, they would not go in, so I left. I didn't worry too much, around 5:30 they go in on their own but I'm usually home to make sure of it.
After Nickolas received his cast, I got a call from Benjamin. He was on his way to baseball and he had told me as they tried to get the chickens in, two of the roosters Mojo and Poochy, formerly SpongeBob, got into a massive fight. They tried to break them up but it was deadly and difficult. Benjamin managed to get the injured one, Poochy, into the pen and left the rest out. He said Poochy was really bad.
I managed to get a hold of my oldest son Daniel when he arrived home from Club Success and told him to get the chickens in and check on Poochy and to make sure he separates Mojo from the rest until I got home. Daniel went ahead and did this for me but called and said Poochy was real bad. His beak was open, bleeding, one eye wouldn't open as he found him lifeless in the pen. Thankfully he got the rest of the chickens in and brought Poochy in the house until I got there.
When I got home, I checked on the rest of the chickens and locked them up in the coop, hoping to see if Daisy was hanging nearby. Still no Daisy. As I looked at Mojo, his face was bloodied but seemed fine. I didn't think it was his blood anyway.
I went in and took Poochy to the bathroom placed him in the sink and cleaned him up with warm water, peroxide, antibiotic cream, and gel for his eyes. Gave him some water through a dropper which he did well with. He got beat up pretty bad, his one eye especially and his head pretty scratched up too. I checked the rest of his body and it seemed fine. By this time it was almost 7 o'clock and he was lifeless, like he was dying. But then I also realized this is there deep sleep time and it seemed that's all he wanted. I even went as far as to place his back side on my palm and his whole body hung like a dead chicken. Poor thing.
I placed him gently into a basket with hay into our bathroom tub. He lay there quiet all night. I checked on him before bed around 10pm and he had moved and was awake with only one eye open. I soothed him and put more cream and gel on him for the night and gave him a bit more water through the dropper but this time he didn't want it.
By 2am is when I heard the scream of the chicken. When I bounced out of bed, I ran to the bathroom to check on Poochy and he was sleeping quietly. It was a dream. Well that dream has kept me up and I am still worried what will come of these roosters and the whereabouts of Daisy? It's almost 7am now, time to get the kids up and hope to see Daisy appear out of nowhere like she had before on some nights. She had disappeared a few times before into our oak tree in the backyard and came down in the morning, but never has she disappeared in the morning like she had.
Last night I also emailed a chicken farm about having the three roosters and if it's okay to keep all of them. I know animal control has had two roosters for over a year together and they get along great.
I think the whole truth to this matter and stress is all about Daisy. When a Mama Hen disappears like that, not only do I panic, but all of her chicks are panicking too. Maybe that's why they're fighting?
It's 9:15 am now, haven't posted this blog yet and still no sign of Daisy. Poochy seemed okay and I placed him back in the pen with the rest of the chickens. Mojo attacked him in a second. I even whacked Mojo slightly across the head but he was relentless. So I took Mojo out to free-roam, immediately he was wanting back in.
I hung around, raked up the pen and then the other rooster Feathers attacks Poochy! Good God, what is wrong with these guys? Poochy just laid there and took it. I grabbed him and he is now back in my bathroom cleaned up and resting again.
I feel I just wrote Chicken Chronicles. Makes me feel better to write when I get this way, tired or not. I will keep you posted on the household here, thankfully I do not have any plans this morning other than finding Daisy and taking care of Poochy.
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