A few days ago my husband called me into the garden to see a mouse that was in one of the bird cages that holds square fat blocks.
I got my camera and held it at arms length and randomly snapped some photos. I didn’t want to get closer as I didn’t want to disturb the mouse. The little mouse didn’t seem bothered by me. Only one of the photos was properly in focus though so I am only showing that one.
Little mouse was having a good feed.
In other news Shadow has turned out to be a good layer of little, round, eggs. She is laying two days out of three. Sugar hasn’t quite hit her stride yet and is laying slightly bigger, oval, eggs once every three or four days.
Salmon and Spangle haven’t started laying yet which is quite late as they usually start in February. Smoke is of course broody.
Flame is laying well at two eggs every three days. Ebony is a strange one. Ebony laid two eggs at the end of December. She then laid two eggs in February on the 16th and 23rd and hasn’t laid since. Last year she laid every other day. She looks healthy and has a red comb.
Then comes the difficult bit. Marmite is still the same and I am finding it a real struggle to know what to do for her. I have hope every morning when I give sunflower hearts and late afternoon when I give corn. I sprinkle some in front of Marmite and she eats them but won’t compete if another girl moves in. She then sits with her eyes closed as if just eating has been an effort.
At other times Matmite is preening and she will peck at the lunchtime apple. I find it difficult to make the decision to have her put to sleep while she is still eating but it is like she is in slow motion. She does everything very slowly and doesn’t move very far. She is actually remaining no better but no worse.
This makes it difficult for me to make the decision. I know that Marmite won’t get better and I don’t want her to suffer but this is so difficult. I keep thinking that I will leave it just one more day but I know that I must act soon.
Click here to see the history of my flock.
Oh Carol – what a hard decision to make. Sending you hugs xx
I feel bad about not being able to make the decision but Marmite is still having the corn and pecking and preening and perching at bedtime. She is standing all day looking miserable though and I know her egg laying mechanics are not going to be fixed. I am going to give it another day and then will phone the vet unless anything changes which I can’t imagine it will. xx
With the exception of Marmite, the girls seem to be doing really well. Ebony’s irregular laying pattern is like that of an ageing hen – how old is she? Marmite reminds me of the struggles you had with Amber – such a great pity. It’s almost back to Dickens, “the best of times, the worst of times”. Really sorry.
Ebony is about three years old. We got her and Flame in 2018 and Ebony laid through the winter so I guessed it was her first year whereas Flame moulted over winter and took a break from laying so probably her second year. This will be Ebony’s fourth year laying.
Marmite reminded me of Amber last year but something has obviously worsened this year. She is only three years old which is so sad. She had one good year laying and then last year a summer of struggling to lay. It is such a shame.
A sweet little mouse. Such a hard decision to make with poor Marmite.
I am finding this really tough because she is still eating the corn and preening and perching at bedtime. I know she isn’t going to get better though and I am just prolonging the agony. She isn’t doing normal chicken things and isn’t happy. I wish I could ask her if she is in pain. I think I have to decide today.