Thursday 17 January 2013

Emergency Ward/Recovery Room

 
Our utility room is currently the 'Recovery Room' for poor little Caldwell II.
 
We had a fox attack yesterday, he managed to get away with two of our little girl Lavender Pekins and Roadrunner, the smallest of our Lavender Pekin cockerels, bravely Harold, the Light Sussex cockerel and Caldwell defended the flock before he could get any more and the geese rushed to the defence but both Cockerels came off worst for wear.
 
Last night we thought we had lost Caldwell, there was no sign of him anywhere, I walked the paddocks and the edges of the woods with the dogs looking for him or any other survivors but come dusk we had to close up the henhouse with heavy hearts thinking we had lost four birds.
 
 
 
 
This morning after cleaning out the henhouse and making sure Chicken World was fully stocked with food and warm water for some reason I was drawn to walk between the worm beds, something I don't usually do and there I spotted my missing green bucket (it's been gone since the windy day we had last week), as I bent to pick it up I spotted a certain gentlemans tail feathers sticking out.  With a sigh I reached in to get him thinking he was dead BUT he moved.
 
I thought he had had massive trauma to his whole head as it was completely covered with dried blood, it looked like a dark reddish black hood, but after taking him into the 'emergency room' (the kitchen), now after a lot of cleaning with warm water in the kitchen sink I can see most of what has happened.
 
He has had a huge bleed all around his comb and as this area is very rich in blood supply it had completely covered his head, all I can think is that after being injured and while he could still see he made for safety and chose to run head first into the bucket.  Luckily for him it was between the worm beds which are well insulated agains the cold and I think it was this that has saved his life as he has been out in temperatures of  minus 4 degrees all night.
 
As he was getting a bit traumatised I stopped bathing him after I had cleared one eye, so now he can at least see what is going on around him.  I will tackle the other eye and see if there is any more damage to his head when Lovely Hubby is home tonight it will be so much easier with two of us, and I think that for now being indoors and warmer will help him to try and sleep off this dreadful ordeal.
 
He's safe and secure in the cat basket with some water to drink if he wants it, but for now all I can do is wait and let nature start the healing process for him.  He must be feeling slightly better he has just crowed a few times in answer to Harold crowing over in Chicken World.  A cockerel crowing inside your house has to be heard to be believed, it's a good job he's a small bird.
 
 
 
I'm saying lots of chickeny prayers for my beautiful little boy.
 
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Making our own food as lots of us do means at least we won't have to be worried or alarmed at this latest food revelation!!  Shocking I know from a labelling point of view, but something at the back of my mind says if it's okay to eat pigs, cows, sheep etc why do folk balk at eating horse!!  I understand the religious viewpoint but for everyone else if you eat meat....you eat meat!! 
 
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A message for Iris and Fern - Poppy and Daisy are okay and are with our other Lavender Pekin boy who is looking after them wonderfully.
 
 
Sue xx

31 comments:

  1. So sorry you lost the birds Sue, I understand how you must feel.
    Just hope that Caldwell is on the mend. Crowing is a good sign! Jx

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  2. Oh, how awful for you. :( I do hope Caldwell gets well soon, wonderful to hear that he was crowing (though not so wonderful for your eardrums!) Thinking of you. xx

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  3. Oh How awful for you Sue to lose 2 birds...I hope Caldwell is on the mend sounds like he is a toughie xxx

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  4. Blasted foxes, they get so brave this time of year, out at all times of the day and night. Hope they all recover. Shame the geese didn't get to the fox in time.

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  5. So sorry...I hope your boy get well soon.

    Yesterday, talking with my husband about the Tescos horse hamburger, he said the same. It's protein as the other animals so. But we see horses as "pets", I think. Anyway, the point is we don't know what is inside the ready meals...

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    1. Sorry please read about horse slaughter on line. I did not know how inhumane it was until recently

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    2. Oh, please, don't take me wrong...I'm not agree to kill horses and eat them...I know some cultures eat dogs, cats, monkeys..but I'm not vegetarian...I eat meet from livestock... Sorry if I upset you, Marlane...

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    3. It's OK I just needed to get the word out.

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  6. Oh that is terribly sad to lose some of your friends to foxes. I hope Caldwell makes a full recovery and is happily out among his brood again soon.

    xx

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  7. Oh no! Am so sorry - blasted foxes! Hope Caldwell recovers - what a brave lad!

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  8. Caldwell has so many people worrying about him, he's bound to get better.
    I'm with you on the 'meat is meat' issue.
    Jane x

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  9. Damned foxes, at least you do not have mink to worry about. As for Burgers, meat is meat but apart from the labeling issue it is all the "extras" that concern me, we make everything from scratch. Our burgers have beef, onion, salt, pepper and smoked paprika. However at times the beef is replaced by what ever is on offer or offered to us, we have used rabbit and venison, and i really like puy lentils and red pepper mix.

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  10. Poor thing - what a brave bird standing up for his chums like that. Hope he recovers quickly.

    the eating horse thing - to me, they are domestic animals, as I grew up horse-riding, so I would no more want to eat horse than dog, cat, or hamster. In other cultures where this is accepted, I have no issues with it going on.

    The really shocking thing about the current scandal is actually the small proportion of Pig DNA that was found - as for so many folk this has massive religious implications, of course. Just goes to show though - in spite of some folk's assertions, you do get what you pay for and when it comes to food, cheap is often cheap for a reason!

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  11. Hi Sue, thinking of you, that's so sad (I cried), but how brave.
    I hope he gets better soon, what a terrifying ordeal for them.
    Mandy x

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  12. Sorry for your loss too -- and sending all sorts of healing thoughts Caldwell's way. You have brave birds!

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  13. Aww bless I hope Caldwell recovers soon.Regards.

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  14. Phew ..i have just read this to myself..and was hoping they were ok..then i saw the message at the bottom and my heart jumped for joy...poor caldwell..i hope he is ok..we are sending hugs his way.
    sara,fern,iris

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  15. So sorry to hear this - hope Caldwell recovers quickly.

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  16. Oh no! and Fantastic! at the same time. So glad you found him alive at least, sending chicken healing blessings from all the Crivens inhabitants xx

    On the Tesco thing, I have to say that meat is meat! but I am very cringe worthy when it comes to knowing what it is unless it is the usual cow, chicken, pig, game.

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  17. I do hope Caldwell recovers, you are doing a grand job. I know what it's like to 'discover' a fox attack - horrid.

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  18. Brave Caldwell and Harold!! I so hope Caldwell recovers soon...Bless him :(
    I expect he's in a great deal of shock, but what a clever cockerel finding the best place to hide and for warmth. Sending Chickeny prayers to you and all your feathered friends Sue {{hugs and prayers}}. Naughty, naughty fox..Ggrrrrr...

    I'm totally with you on your Tesco comments. If you eat meat, you eat meat. It wasn't any part of carnivore in the burgers, it was horse which is eaten widely in the world. :(

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  19. Hope your chicken gets beeter. It's a horrible feeling when a fox gets in with your birds (only one way to get rid of a fox...).
    As for the horse meat in burgers I have no real concerns about eating horse but what it says on the label is what should be in it!

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    1. Sorry please read about horse slaughter on line. I did not know how inhumane it was until recently.

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  20. Oh dear poor little fellow, hope he will be okay!
    Judy xx

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  21. ooh I'm keeping fingers crossed here xxxx

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  22. Sending lots of love to Caldwell II and wishing him a speedy recovery. xx

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  23. I read your blog in google reader and so until I open each post I only see the title. When I saw 'Emergency Ward/Recovery Room ' I gasped as I thought it was you, LH or another member of your 'human' family. I was so releived when I opened the post to read that all the humans are okay but so sad about all the chickens. I hope Caldwell recovers and if there is a next time the geese get to the fox first.

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  24. I felt I had to speak up about the horse meat. Horses can not be slaughtered humanely. They have longer necks, thicker skulls and non cloven hooves so they slip more easily. Slaughter houses are not desiged for horses.Please read on line about horse slaughter. I am in the USA and they now take horses to Mexico ad Canada on big trucks designed for cattle with out food and water. In Mexico they stab horses in the spine before cutting their throats. It is all documented on line. The meat is sold to European markets. Please educate others about this.

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  25. I missed reading you blog yesterday. How awful, hoping for a speedy recovery.

    Sarah x

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  26. Oh goodness me - what a drama. I am dreading the day a fox turns up here... So so pleased you found little caldwell though - it's like story, hiding in the little bucket - and I hope his recovery continues.

    The meat thing... ah I don't know. It's all awful, all of it. I'm sure we don't know what is behind so, so much of what we eat.

    I'm still not 100% vegetarian, but I'd say 90%, and I'm not happy with myself when I do eat meat.

    xxx

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  27. Sorry to hear about your hens - hope Caldwell is on the mend soon - keep us posted.

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