Cycles of life and death on a farm

Jeff noted that it was an interesting experience to walk out of the chicken house one day with an egg in one hand and a dead hen in the other (and perhaps he will elaborate on that experience in another post). I'll just say that while it's been wonderful being so involved with the animals here, getting to know them and developing attachments, it's hard to lose them (by whatever means). I wonder how these things might change over time.

We've had 4 chickens die over the past couple of months, which displayed the symptoms described in a previous entry. I did some research and discovered that there was a state-funded poultry lab in a nearby town that will perform a necropsy free of charge. At this facility a sweet old vet did the necropsy on poor Juliet (see the cast of characters entry), who had died the day before. He noted tumors in her intestine and diagnosed Marek's Disease, which is caused by a virus. Ack! A nasty disease has made its way into our flock. The disease usually strikes youngsters, so our 8-week old chicks are at risk. Their brooder is right beside the barnyard. We have nowhere else to put them, and they are outgrowing the brooder as well. Therefore, we will have to integrate them into the flock soon and just hope for the best.

The boys/young cockerels: an Ameraucana, 2 Black Marans, and the Silver Marans are on the left, while the little roo on the right is a Welsummer. They are changing and growing so fast! What distinguishes the boys from the girls at this point is the size of their combs. At first I thought the silver would be a girl, but its comb has become more prominent lately. Drats! that makes 6 boys and 7 girls (still more girls, though!).

The girls/young pullets: two Welsummers and an Ameraucana (who loves the camera - always ready to pose for a picture). The Ameraucana was our first chick to hatch from this group. This breed has "beards and muffs," which are longer feathers that grow from under and beside the face. Our two Ameraucanas are just starting to develop these feathers.

In other animal news, we have bred both of our does. About a week ago Lily was observed to be flirting with Arthur. At first I just thought they were sparing as usual (putting their heads together and pushing back and forth), but then I noticed that Lily was actually mostly rubbing on Arthur. She was rubbing her head all over his head, neck, and chest. It seemed that Arthur, being neutered, was not sure if he liked these advances or not. Anyway, we scheduled Lily a date with Paul and Terra's buck, Stripe. Lily was a little freaked out by the separation from her momma and the strange new goats. She was not as cooperative with Stripe as Hoppy had been with Tater Tot. However, over the course of 2 days, Lily and Stripe were observed to be getting it on multiple times. So, here's hoping that both goats have indeed been knocked up, and we may pursue pregnancy testing to confirm that.

Lastly, we have almost finished the outside of the goat barn. Woohoo! We still need to put a sealant on the roof and finish the interior, but the barn will soon be ready for the goats to move in.

Have a happy turkey day!
Annie