Hanging with the Flock
Here’s a little video of Toro the Great, Cindy Buttons and Persephone Kerfuffle hanging out together in the yard last night.
And here’s a short video of Lester Leroy. Look how good he gets around now! (Well if you haven’t met him before, this might look bad, but he had a crushing bite injury to his spine before he was rescued that was left untreated for over a week, resulting in one of his legs being nearly paralyzed. So he has come a long way!)
That’s it for today.
Keep quacking,
Tiff & the flock
Turkey in a Sling
This weekend started with a cup of coffee and lounging on the lawn with the flock. Cindy Buttons has decided I am her favorite perch, and she climbs on me whenever and wherever I sit down.
After lounging with the flock, we went out to gather supplies to make a sling for Persephone and Toro roo. Persy’s leg has really given out and she has trouble standing and turning. It’s tough to see her struggle.
Toro could also use a sling so he can stretch his legs. He can walk a little bit, but it is a big effort for him so he spends most of his time sitting down. These two poor kids are a mess.
We went to the fabric store, the hardware store and the used baby goods store. We ended up taking a baby bouncer chair and modifying it to fit Persephone Kerfuffle. The height is adjustable, but we got it pretty close right off the bat.
Here’s a little video of Persy in the sling.
I think it was pretty comfy because she fell asleep. Hopefully the chair gives her a little stability in her legs and lets her stretch them. She’ll get to spend about an hour a day in the sling, depending on when we’re home.
Toro tried the swing next, and he was able to stretch out his legs and rest them a bit. It works well for both of them, so we’re pretty happy.
We’re going to make a few adjustments to it and add some larger elastic, but for a first try, it works pretty well.
In other news, we added some new paint and polkadots to the birdhouses that decorate the duck pens.
And we learned a new secret about Carol.
That’s it from the ducks and clucks (and kerfufflers).
Have a good week.
Get Out, Goobers
Today we bought a new, proper chicken coop for inside the aviary.
If you’ll think back, we never meant to have chickens really. Two chickens came in with the handicapped duck we rescued back in 2009. And since then, chickens just keep showing up. They usually sneak friends in too. Never trust a chicken. This is what we’ve learned over the years.
But the ones that are here, we love them. They’ve never had a proper coop because all our predator-proof pens are built for ducks. And right now we don’t have any space to keep Persephone Kerfuffle the turkey outside. So we decided to put a coop inside the aviary, specially-designed for the chickens.
It’s a beautiful coop by a company called Saltbox Designs. The owner, Berg, came over and built it on-site for us today, on short notice.
Little Cindy Buttons tested out the nest boxes, and she approves. She’ll be rooming with Ramona duck for a little while longer though, until the other chickens stop giving her such a hard time.
Aren’t the nest boxes cute? That’s a fake egg we put there so the chickens can get the idea. We bought some paint for the coop, and hopefully it works out okay. We’ll take another photo when it’s done.
“Thank you for the real coop.” You are most welcome, Olly. You kids deserve the best. It’s about time you had a proper coop.
And this means Toro roo and Persephone Kerfuffle are out of the dining room. Yay! They are spending their first night outside tonight, and the neighbor has decided to set off fireworks. Wish them luck.
Lastly, Simon is hanging in there. He’s still not himself, and he has lost 2lbs in recent months (which we found out at the vet’s office). The note from the vet today said, “His labs indicated that he has inflammation or infection of some type… which we knew. While I cannot rule out something severe, like cancer, it is less likely, particularly since this came on suddenly. We should recheck his values in 1-2 weeks to make sure all is back to normal, presuming he is responding to treatment.” He really isn’t eating that well, and he is at least 15-years-old, so we know he isn’t going to last forever. But his purr machine is working well and he seems to be out of pain (he was in pain Thursday morning which is why we went to the vet Thursday eve).
That’s it for today! Whew! Special thanks to Saltbox Designs for building a beautiful coop for the hens, and helping me get the turkey and roo out of my dining room!
Quacks, clucks and kerfuffles,
Tiff
Weeky Stuff
Remember when turkey and roo were little tiny things?
Exactly one month later they are no longer little. Toro the roo is doing pretty well. He is beyond the age he would have been slaughtered for food, but he is still comfortable and enjoying his little rooster life. We know he won’t have long with us, but we’re in no hurry to say goodbye. He will let us know when he’s done.
Turkey has changed her name. She says we heard it wrong before. It’s not Penelope. It’s Persephone Kerfuffle. She is my first turkey, so I’m still working on perfecting the language. Persephone really seems to fit her, and she is doing really well.
Cindy Buttons did not want to come out of her nest this morning, and that had us a little worried about her. But tonight we realized she laid her first egg today! Little Cindy Buttons is growing up, sniff sniff.
Poor Simon woke up this morning feeling crummy. He was fine last night, but by morning he was uncomfortable, not purring, vomiting and hiding behind furniture. So he went to the vet this evening and it seems he has inflamed intestines and all that comes along with that. We’re not sure why yet, it’s possible it’s because he’s just getting old. But he has pain meds, fluids and other meds, so he is feeling a little better tonight. His purr machine even started working again, and he’s sitting on the couch with us instead of hiding behind furniture. We’re hoping it passes and he starts eating again soon. We’ll keep you posted.
Lastly, here’s a little video of Persephone Kerfuffle taking a dust bath. You can hear lots of her special turkey noises, and there’s a cameo by O’Malley and Simon.
Quacks and clucks,
Silly human
It’s a Girl!
Turkey’s DNA test came back, and it’s a girl!
Her name is officially Penelope Kerfuffle Turkey.
Toro Update
Toro the baby broiler rooster had a good weekend. He climbed to the top of the shrubbery and proclaimed himself “Toro! King of the Shrubbery!”
Toro is getting pretty big. As you know, he is a broiler chicken. This means he is a breed that was genetically engineered by humans to be excessively large and grow very fast. 95% of all chickens eaten in the US are broilers. I had heard that before, but until you see what that means and hold it in your hands, it doesn’t really hit home.
Toro is getting so big that he needs to move around and lay in different positions to stay comfortable. Each evening he sits like this in my arms so he can stretch his legs out good and take pressure off his keel and belly.
He can stand up and walk, but it is hard for him. So he mostly sits all day. His legs get a little tired of being in the sitting position so much, so he loves to stretch out.
Broiler chickens don’t have as many feathers as normal chickens. They are bred that way on purpose so they are easier to pluck when they’re dead.
You can see how naked his belly is. That isn’t because he sits all day, that’s just the way he was made.
Good stretch, Toro.
Toro usually falls asleep when we’re sitting together, but I don’t take it personally. He’s good company, even when he’s snoring.
I’m not sure how much longer Toro will be with us. As long as he is comfortable, he’ll be here. If he starts to struggle to breathe or if he gets keel sores, it will be time to say goodbye. I can only guess how much longer he’ll be comfortable, but I guess it is less than two weeks.
It’s really sad to know that he won’t be with us for very long. It is truly shocking and traumatizing to see what humans have done to these baby broiler chickens. They are genetically manufactured to suffer and die. It’s a terrible mistake to genetically modify them this severely, I have no doubt. It feels so wrong when I hold him, especially when he looks at me.
So I just tell him he is “Toro the Great!” and that I love him. I also tell him how very, very sorry I am that humans have done this to him.
He is such a good baby roo.
Sleepy Turkey and Cindy Buttons
Turkey was really sleepy this evening.
See? Yaaaawn. Big wide turkey yawn.
Baby broiler roo Toro was sleepy too, and is also a great lap chicken.
Lastly, Cindy Buttons has decided to go into acting. She is really good at showing up on cue, but she runs off before her scene is over. I think she was mad that I didn’t stick to the script. We’re working on it. She has great stage presence though, don’t you think?
Quacks and clucks and ker-fuff fuff from the turkey.
Names for Some New Kids
Foster baby broiler roo has chosen the name “Toro!” He is a strong baby broiler roo and it is a fitting name. I imagine his voice if he spoke English would be something like Antonio Banderas. “I am strong roo! My name, it is Toro!” He is doing well for a broiler chicken, and enjoys his days with his turkey buddy.
Speaking of turkey, she hasn’t chosen a name yet. I don’t even know if she’s a she. I don’t know enough about turkeys to tell if it’s a boy or a girl. That makes it hard to tell if a name is going to be a good fit.
So foster kid turkey came with me to the vet for a quick blood draw so we can find out if she’s a boy or girl. Sorry turkey… I know being wrapped like a burrito isn’t very fun, but it was only one minute. Turkey got some peas as a treat and was just fine with the car ride. Turkey is super sweet and very affectionate and personable. Plus, turkeys make more interesting noises than ducks or chickens, so it sounds like they’re better conversationalists. We should have the gender results in 10 days and then give turkey a proper name.
Lastly, the other new rescue, who is a permanent resident, chose her name yesterday. She would like to be called “Cindy Buttons.” She is doing great and is slowly working her way into the flock. Janet still thinks she should be pecked to death, but even Carol is letting her roam the yard without too much harassment.
So that’s it! Two of the three new rescues have names. And turkey should find one soon, once we know if she’s a boy or girl. Have a great weekend and keep on quacking and clucking, or kerfuff-fuffing as turkeys do.
Baby Broiler Roo and Turkey
This is baby broiler roo and turkey cuddled up together this afternoon in the sunshine. See how baby broiler sleeps? He has to lay on his side to breathe well. This is because broilers are genetically modified to have extra meat. A lot of extra meat. So much extra meat that they are unable to walk well and have trouble breathing. Here’s a little info on broiler chickens from wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Broiler See the part about how they don’t have feathers?
Broiler chickens have been genetically modified by humans to be insanely larger than normal. I would argue they are inhumanely larger. Frankly, we have bred suffering into them. They are born, and they grow so fast that within days they are unable to stand well. Then they start having trouble laying down comfortably and sitting normally. Eventually they have trouble breathing and they overheat really easily. They’re slowly suffocating in their own flesh. In a factory farm, they’re killed for meat then. But this baby broiler will likely live a few months and then need to be humanely euthanized when he is too uncomfortable to live. Here’s a link to the history of the genetic mutations we’ve made to these little babies from the much-celebrated 50th anniversary of the broiler chicken:
I’m not trying to bum anybody out, but this broiler baby is a living, breathing sweet baby life. He is a feeling, talking, emotional character who loves to snuggle with his turkey. And look what we’ve done to him. It makes me so sad. But my sadness is nothing compared to how it must be to LIVE as a broiler chicken.
In other news, baby turkey is becoming a little chicken stalker. She sneaks up on them and tries to pick fights with them. Baby turkey needs to learn to stay out of their way.
Here is a video of turkey settling down for a nap on my lap. Turkey loves to snuggle and talk. “Whoop? Whoop? Fsha fa fa.” I am learning a lot of new turkey words. We’re looking for a forever sanctuary for turkey that has other turkeys. That would be ideal. Baby broiler roo is not going to have a long life, but turkey could do well with other turkeys. We’ll keep you posted when we know more. Both of them are fosters here, and as you know, we cannot keep them all… even though we love them all dearly.
NOTE: I’m not sure on the gender of either baby turkey or baby broiler yet, but my guess is that turkey is a girl and broiler is a boy. So we’ll correct that later if we’re wrong.
Quacks and clucks,
Tiff and the flock (and furball Simon)
