It's been a busy week this week for us. We went to Windsor on Saturday morning with a heavy heart, because some of our chickens had been dying. We had lost three chicks and our Frizzle hen Dizzy. One of the chicks was only two weeks old, so it was really sad. To top it all, on Saturday morning, Poppy, my favourite chick, was barely alive when I opened up the coop to feed the chickens. We had realised that the excessive heat recently had caused the red dust mites to multiply to enormous levels, and they were literally sucking the blood out of the chickens, killing them smallest first. Dizzy had been vulnerable because she was sitting on some eggs and so had not left the coop.
I left Poppy in the downstairs bathroom, (emergency chicken ward), after syringing some water into her. Megan, my daughter then looked after her until I came home Sunday tea time, and she pulled through miraculously. Terry and I picked up some white all in one protective suits, an old hoover, some gloves, and some Jeyes Fluid from his workplace on the way home. We hoovered out the coop, and dusted every chicken with mite powder. They obviously had some way of communicating to each other that they should not come into the compound from the garden, because we had a devil of a job to catch them! They were all making a terrible din, I'm sure the neighbours must have thought that we were having cockerel pie for tea one night this week!!!
On Monday, because we were exhausted by then, and I needed a whole day for the coop to dry out, I scrubbed the coop from top to bottom with the Jeyes Fluid solution, yuck. So, hopefully, the dust mites are contained for this year at least. We have had no more fatalities, and Poppy has made a complete recovery, thank goodness.
Last night I went to Art Club; I go once a fortnight, as a social event, not because I'm any good. Anyway, this week we were doing gothic sculpture in clay, like you do. My attempt is not great, but the kids thought it was hilarious, and have christened it my 'Migraine Gargoyle' because I am a migraine sufferer. Saying that it looks like I do when they are making too much noise. Probably right, that's al
l for now folks, Judith x
l for now folks, Judith x
6 comments:
Oh poor little chicks. Good to see they're on the mend though. I love your gargoyle, and the nickname the kids gave it. They're so inventive children aren't they.
Hugs Debbie xx
Your poor chickens Judith. They are lucky to have such good parents who knew what to do in an emergency. You must be worn out.
I love your gargoyle too!
Hope the chicks continue to keep well.
Lisax
your gargoyle is lovely1 hope your chicks recover ok
Your gargoyle is great and I can appreciate your children's name for it as I suffer with migraine too but more than likely my hand would be holding the top of my head on.
Your poor little chicks. Hope all your hard work has paid off and they are well on the mend now.
Lesley Xx
Oh, Judith, red mite is just horrid. Poor chooks, poor you. I'm itching in sympathy :).
Love the migraine gargoyle. Have you noticed, when you get a migraine, the mirror reflects an asymmetric monster? Or is it just me... :)
You must have been distraught to see those poor chickens suffering like that. Hope all is well again now.
Your gargoyle is great. Don't suppose he is warding off the migraine demons for you?
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