Washer's next stage

[Debbie]

Washer knows she has Dales-fans rooting for her, so we wanted to show you her next stage. She's gone through a snotty nose and some ear discharge, but it's greatly reduced and she's now ready to leave her dog carrier. She's gotten the strength that she needs to stand and stretch and move about, but like everyone that goes through a cold (which is what I think she had), she's still fairly weak if she gets rambunctions and over does it. I seriously doubted she could hold her own against the others at this stage.

Sooooo, my Valentine's day was spent out playing with the hens, creating a pen within a pen for Washer.

The girls this morning, HenPen at the back (she's seriously worried about the camera. It might eat her...and only her ), Honey in the middle, and Peach plastered to the door. They're about to get their morning goodies, which was gourmet lettuce mix this morning.


Now for the almight eyesore! Yes, its a temporary construct, but Washer can't get out....she's tried. Nor can the others get in....they've tried. Its chicken wire that's been cabletied to the side of the existing cage, stretched around concrete blocks, and latched in place on the lefthand side. There's more chickenwire stretched over the top to prevent Washer from flying out. That ended badly Or one of the other hens from flying in. I can come and go through the latch on the left. The white plastic bin lids are to prevent drafts.



She's got a brand new heatlamp on the left. This keeps her and her water and food toasty warm. She's got plenty of space (a little less than 1/4th the cage) to spread her wings and move about. She's got her own perch, so she can practice perching again. She's got enough room to move, but everything is still very close to hand in case she gets weak and can't move like she wanted.

And Washer herself sending out a huge THANK YOU DALESFANS!!!!


She knows through our daily talks that there are people half a world away rooting for her to get healthy again. We can't thank you all enough for the Get Well Soon Vibes!!!

[leannwithconnie]

Oh Bless her Debbie! What a sweet little face she has.
Thats a really clever set up you have got there for her too.
Shes a lucky girl to have such a caring chicken Mum

[Debbie]

I think she's an incredibly lucky girl to have so many people rooting for her. Its obviously worked because in the early days I really did wonder if she'd pull through. Each day though, she keeps getting stronger and stronger (knock on wood). And she's such the character!! She adores being talked to, bless her little heart. She doesn't carry on her half of the conversation like my others do, but that might be because she's still got a slightly snotty nose yet. I'm sure she'll find her voice when she's ready.

LOL....a farmer I am not! You should have seen the people's faces yesterday at the feed store when they found out about Washer. ;D I think my chickies are worth it though!

[harveydales]

What a lucky girl Washer is! I'm so pleased she is improving. I must have missed this because I didn't know she'd been so ill. I do remember her being wobbly and you having to seperate her from the others but I thought she'd recovered. So the wobbly thing was the start of a bad cold?

Well done putting together a little pen for her. I have similar for Cookie. Cookie's house and run is inside the ex-bat girls run so they can can chat together but not harm her.

[taffydales]

A very lucky girl indeed, she looks really cute in that pic Deb, I love my girls too, that set up looks like chicken ER lol. x

[PonyGirl]

How wonderful that she is doing better.

[Debbie]

Pam, she started off wobbly....quite literally falling over was the only 'symptom'. Then after I had her in the dog carrier for a bit, she finally got some discharge from her nose and some from her ears. The beak turned slightly darker with the congestion, and she had a snotty nose....sorry for the gross details. She had that for about a week, week and a half more, and then it started clearing up. She was still slightly snotty, but getting far more active in the dog carrier, and she needed to move around and stretch a bit more. The cage within a cage was her next step.

Near as I can tell, she had a cold. No one else had ever heard of a chicken getting a cold, but I think that's because they would have died at the onset. If it hadn't been for me stepping in and separating her to start with, I'm pretty sure HenPen would have killed her off.