Day 12 - 16

So I'm breaking my normal pattern of a daily post here because I was out of town for a few days.

I have a security camera in my yard that allowed me to remotely see if the hens are up and moving.  I was also supposed to have a friend come by one day but that didn't happen.

I came home to find all 3 remaining hens alive though their water was empty.  I refilled it and added in some more ACV and Duramycin.

They roamed for a a few hours in the yard scratching and decided to put themselves in a little earlier than normal.

I now get freaked out when they leave their mouth open and one of the wyandottes appears to be hoarse.  Of course its the same debacle as the Ameracuna ... normal or a sign of an issue?

Aside from that issue it was scratching, eating, and drinking.  So hopefully the treatment will help.

Still no eggs.  I'll probably add another hen or two soon as well to replace the one that was lost and to help ensure constant production come winter time.

Day 11

I added a tablespoon of Bragg apple cider vinegar to a gallon of water for the hens.  This is really a preventative measure following the passing of the Ameracuna yesterday.

My reading says that this type of apple cider vinegar (unfiltered with the mother [gel like bacteria] included) has many health benefits.  The highlights were aiding in digestive health, a worm preventative, aids calcium absorption, kill germs that cause respiratory illness, repel insects, etc.

It seems like the alpha Wyandotte has picking on the Barred Rock more today but otherwise they all seemed fine.  Still not eggs yet but I would expect any day now they will start laying.  

Day 10

And then there were 3.  The Ameracuna died this evening.  I opened the coop and shortly after the Ameracuna was passed out on the lawn.  I went to the feed store to get some antibiotics and in the hour I was gone it expired.

It had been so flighty and lively there were no indications of a problem.  From what I could see when I inspected it (it was so weak I could handle it) it had what looked like canker sores.

The seller claims that chickens sometimes get sick due to new environments however the other 3 birds were just fine.  So I wonder if the Ameracuna breeds are just not hardy as other breeds.

I'm going to put the chickens on some Duramycin (antibiotic) tomorrow as a precaution in addition to apple cider vinegar (immunity booster).

Day 9

Interesting development the other day.  A friend called me and told me one of her chickens was killed by a bobcat.  She had two new chickens in a metal carrier she was introducing to the flock. They had been there about a week.

She spent several hours chasing it off after the initial kill but apparently it wasn't deterred enough to stay hone long.

The carrier probably had 2" wire and while it was enough to keep the bobcat out it allow it to reach in and grab one of the chickens at start eating it through the cage.

We began to build a makeshift enclosure for her ducks when the bobcat came back looking for the chicken.

A coop/enclosure can really be as simple or elaborate as you want.  For makeshift one below we used part of the fence as the back wall.  We used leftover wood, mesh, and hardware to start building the enclosure shown below.  The open side was later secured with hardware cloth.  We made a removable plywood roof for the top.  This "emergency coop" took about an hour or two to build.

Per my coop/chickens below is the normal sight I was talking about.  The chickens lineup by the door when they see me and ready to get out.  They also as I've mentioned wander back into the run at sunset and tuck themselves into the coop for the night.

The Ameracuna has been acting a little funny.  They're allegedly a quiet breed but it has been squawking a lot.  It then opens its mouth like it wants to squawk and sometimes nothing comes out.  Of course you read online that it might be gapeworms but its rare.  Other Ameracuna owners have reported it is normal.  Who knows. I've checked the coop for any signs of abnormal poop/worms and nothing.  So I'll have to wait and see.

I ended up adding mulch to the run to cover up the mesh on the floor and saved me from trying to rake up waste.  The rake was getting caught on the mesh.  This way I can churn the mulch and with enough depth it will turn to compost.  This was advice from a friend who keeps chickens as well.

I also added some additional pine shavings to the coop.  It didn't look like the chickens littered in the coop too badly.  A little surprising because I read that chickens do most of their business at night in their coop.

Lastly I screwed a 2x3 into place sideways and then screwed some branches to it.  The coop has a perch in it but I wanted to add something outside that simulated being in a tree.  We'll see if they use it.  The first few days they were sleeping on top of the coop and on the ground but quickly took to the coop.

They're still shy.  They will come right up to me and sort of follow me around the yard but will quickly flee if they feel like I'm getting close enough to touch them.

Day 7/8

Not much to report for Day 7 or 8.  Pretty typical.

I did put down 3 bags of mulch into the coop based on a fellow chicken keeper's advice.

Day 6

Chickens were still in the coop when I checked on them at 6:30a this morning.

Came home for lunch and was happy to see the Ameracuna had her voice back and the Wyandotte that had some mucus issues looked better; no mucus.

This evening let them out again and gave them some strawberry pieces.  So far I haven't found anything they go nuts over but they're interested and instantly go peck at whatever I throw out to them.

Except for the Ameracuna the Wyandottes and Barred Rock seem to have little issue with me standing or sitting within a foot of them.  They get a little flighty if I reach my hand out or crouch down.  The Barred Rock and the Wyandotte I can catch are calm once I get them picked up and cradled.

It is only a week in and I'm seeing progress so its just a matter of time.  They do line-up near the door when they see me knowing its time to go out and mostly wander back to the coop/run on their own at sunset.  And they seem to be using the coop more instead of laying in the dirt.  No eggs yet but I'm expecting in the next few weeks it will happen.

Day 5

Got home late about 20 min till sunset and the hens were in or near the coop and reluctant to leave until I threw out some strawberry pieces.

The Ameracuna came out for a bit and went back into the coop's nesting box.  The breed is very broody and I wonder if she will start laying soon.

The other three came out and I was able to handle two of them once I got them trapped in a corner of the coop.  I wanted to inspect the Wyandotte that had the mucus and the Barred Rock who has progressively gotten more docile.

The Wyandotte from what I could tell just has a little saliva or mucus.  It seemed to be ok otherwise.  Eyes still clear, no runny nose, and I checked her over for mites and didn't see any.  Also been checking the poop in the coop for worms or anything that looked off and no issue.

Hopefully tomorrow I'll get home at a more reasonable time and let them out of the coop a little longer.   I also normally work from home once a week which is a good opportunity to sit on the patio to keep half an eye on them while working.

The feed seems to go slowly but the 1 gallon waterer was down to about half.  I think a lot of it is evaporation in the 90+ degree heat.