(no subject)

Back from Tahoe! I just got home not long ago so I'm still settling back in.

The good news:

- I did a pretty good look-over of my chickens, and as far as I can tell none are missing! Meaning, unlike what the petsitter thought/said, no one got killed--YAY! I'm so relieved about this. I was certain it was going to be Rio (my splash cockerel) or my little blue pullet who doesn't have a name yet and I was braced to mourn them. I love all my April chicks, I'm so happy they're all safe and sound.
- Another serama egg is hatching!

The bad news:
- Two dead serama chicks when I got home, and one injured (skin missing from head). :( I figured out why, though--the mother rejected the chicks that hatched after I left because she was no longer brooding eggs and so newborn chicks looked ill/injured to her. I'm sad about it, losing three newborn chicks is certainly disappointing, but it's no one's fault. Just nature being cruel, more or less. The injured chick has been separated from Charming and the three chicks that she approves of, and hopefully it'll be able to make a full recovery. Once the fifth chick hatches, it'll be going in with the injured one. Depending on how things go the next few days, those two may go in with Salula for her to raise. (By the way, The Salula is doing great!)

Anyway, I apologize for the influx of depressing poultry posts lately! For the record I don't normally have this much mortality in such a short stretch of time (one duckling and three chicks, plus one serious chicken injury and one supposed chicken death that wasn't actually one). I really do love my poultry hobby and I take excellent care of my birds. Sometimes tragic things happen, after all when one has several dozen birds and is trying to breed a notoriously small and fragile breed inevitably there will be losses, but for the most part raising poultry is fun, wonderful, and my birds are spoiled and loved. On average I only lose one bird every few months, if that. Usually those losses are due to old age, or, if I'm raising chicks, normal chick mortality rates.

Going to go hang out with Honey because she feels neglected! I'll post more later.

(no subject)

Back from Tahoe! I just got home not long ago so I'm still settling back in.

The good news:

- I did a pretty good look-over of my chickens, and as far as I can tell none are missing! Meaning, unlike what the petsitter thought/said, no one got killed--YAY! I'm so relieved about this. I was certain it was going to be Rio (my splash cockerel) or my little blue pullet who doesn't have a name yet and I was braced to mourn them. I love all my April chicks, I'm so happy they're all safe and sound.
- Another serama egg is hatching!

The bad news:
- Two dead serama chicks when I got home, and one injured (skin missing from head). :( I figured out why, though--the mother rejected the chicks that hatched after I left because she was no longer brooding eggs and so newborn chicks looked ill/injured to her. I'm sad about it, losing three newborn chicks is certainly disappointing, but it's no one's fault. Just nature being cruel, more or less. The injured chick has been separated from Charming and the three chicks that she approves of, and hopefully it'll be able to make a full recovery. Once the fifth chick hatches, it'll be going in with the injured one. Depending on how things go the next few days, those two may go in with Salula for her to raise. (By the way, The Salula is doing great!)

Anyway, I apologize for the influx of depressing poultry posts lately! For the record I don't normally have this much mortality in such a short stretch of time (one duckling and three chicks, plus one serious chicken injury and one supposed chicken death that wasn't actually one). I really do love my poultry hobby and I take excellent care of my birds. Sometimes tragic things happen, after all when one has several dozen birds and is trying to breed a notoriously small and fragile breed inevitably there will be losses, but for the most part raising poultry is fun, wonderful, and my birds are spoiled and loved. On average I only lose one bird every few months, if that. Usually those losses are due to old age, or, if I'm raising chicks, normal chick mortality rates.

Going to go hang out with Honey because she feels neglected! I'll post more later.