I have got a bit behind with blogging lately due to being busy with e-bay selling and all the problems that that brings with it.
Today is day nine of the tylan and I am disappointed to say that Salmon is still wheezing. I mentioned continuing with tylan in the comments but I will repeat here for anyone that missed it. During an e-mail conversation with Sophie she said that her vet recommended continuing for two to three weeks if it was taking longer to have effect.
I replied that when my husband delivered a lunch to an exotic bird expert who was giving a talk, a few years ago, he said the same thing. He kept parrots and his wife kept chickens and had also had myco in her flock. He said it was sometimes needed to carry on for up to three weeks. Having had that advice from two sources I am going to follow it.
I have a big bottle of tylan and it has a “use by” date for July so I can feel free to use it whenever I need to. So for the moment I will keep going with it.
In other news Jasmine is looking very miserable while moulting and I worry about her but hope she will pick up when she gets through the moult. Spangle is the one that sneezes the most but she also makes the squeaky, hiccup, sound that Sienna used to make so I wonder if she too has a heart murmur. If so there is nothing to be done about that. Spangle seems well enough in herself so I hope that like Jasmine she can manage it for now. Spangle is also moulting quite heavily.
The other news is that Smoke laid her first egg today since her heavy spell of moulting. Ebony is still laying every other day. Marmite is also laying every other day and now Smoke has started again so that is more eggs than I expected as late in the year as this.
I know I have done this many times but I thought I would show an egg comparison again. Sophie is always amazed that I can tell my girls eggs apart but they are so different.
Eggs
Ebony’s large, beige, egg is on the right. Marmite’s egg in the middle is a similar beige colour and an oval shape. Smoke’s egg on the left is round and white.
Today I took a portrait of each of the girls.
Speckles
Ebony
Flame
Jasmine
Salmon
Spangle
Marmite
Smoke
Ebony, Marmite and Smoke have the white carotene on their heads which seems to last for ages. Both Ebony and Marmite also have white tips to some feathers since moulting.
I will be really glad when they all come through the moult. It would be good to get it over with before the colder weather comes.
I am quite worried about getting these little girls through the winter but I will have to cross each bridge as I come to it and hope for the best.
Click here to see the history of my flock.
I especially like the pic of Spangle – what a sweetie!
Hope Jasmine and Salmon pick up very soon xx
Spangle is such a sweetie. She is so friendly that she is easy to photograph. Ebony and Marmite were most difficult as they are never still. Spangle is easiest as she is happy to be close up and never flinches when the camera is in front of her. She is a lovely character. xx
Your girls still look good, even though moulting.
They don’t look too bad. Spangle only has two ragged tail feathers left. She has white pins on her head but they don’t show against her white feathers. Jasmine is losing lots of fine feathers and doesn’t have much tail. The rest of them are just about through it. Salmon’s wheezing is much quieter now which is a good sign.
It’s always good if they can moult before the worst of the weather. It was really cold here this morning; I cleaned the hen houses and gave lots of warm bedding, as some are at the height of the moult, but they stayed outside until torrential rain started, mid afternoon!
Definitely better to get the moult over before the really cold weather. The furthest part of my run is wet from the constant rain blowing in the sides but do they stay in the top dry part! No they wander through the wettest parts getting muddy feet. I have just put my latest post out with a dust bath in the dry part and loose feathers. Hopefully they will all be through it soon. I too add extra bedding in winter.