http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=236x86096Oh my.
It's an early spring late afternoon, and I just came back inside and was wondering what acts of treason, sedition, and stupidities the cooking and baking primitives were up to.
This campfire's a little old, but still burning. I have no idea how I managed to miss it until just now.
hippywife (1000+ posts) Sat Mar-05-11 06:23 PM
MRS. ALFRED PACKER
Original message
No dinner for me tonight.
Not because I can't eat, just because I don't wanna. Life keeps handing this former city girl new challenges all the time. Today I was in a lovely museum enjoying a couple of new exhibits, and this evening I found myself oiling my fingers and sticking them up a chicken's butt.
It didn't make me sick or even nauseous, I just can't bring myself to find anything terribly appetizing at the moment. Bill has agreed to fix his own simple dinner tonight.
Seriously though, we think she's egg-bound but I couldn't find anything so hard to know. I hope she will be okay by morning. But she may very well be dead. If she's still alive but not any better, Bill is going to put her down.
One suspects Wild Bill's going to put the poor chicken down, because he had to fix his own supper all because of it.
grasswire (1000+ posts) Sat Mar-05-11 06:33 PM
THE PIE-AND-JAM FARMERETTE PRIMITIVE
Response to Original message
1. oh a LIVE chicken
Oh dear. Poor thing. Poor you and poor her.
It all puts a new meaning to, uh, chicken being "finger-lickin' good."
Denninmi (677 posts) Sat Mar-05-11 06:35 PM
Response to Original message
2. I'm sorry. Been there, done that.
If they're egg bound, it's usually pretty easy to tell once you do the "exam".
I guess you probably already know this, but for those that don't, if you have a sick bird and don't know what the specific problem is, the best you can do is keep the bird warm, give it vitamins and electrolyte solution, antibiotics if you have them, and hope for the best.
I hope she pulls through for you. I've done the above treatment to birds that looked bad, and they perked up considerably overnight. Of course, some haven't made it, as you know.
hippywife (1000+ posts) Sat Mar-05-11 06:42 PM
MRS. ALFRED PACKER
Response to Reply #2
4. I'm just really amazed that in the four or five years we've been keeping chickens, this is the first time this has happened. I couldn't feel a thing, nor could I feel anything farther up when palpating her belly. Could be something else, but the symptoms are so classic, it's hard to think that's not what it is. I couldn't get my finger any further, so we're just going to have to wait and see what happens. When I was massaging her belly some white thick stuff did release, so who knows.
They aren't exactly pets but we don't butcher them. Did a rooster once, but the hens get to live as long as they will.
Warpy (1000+ posts) Sat Mar-05-11 06:36 PM
THE DEFROCKED WARPED PRIMITIVE
Response to Original message
3. Raising livestock animals is not for the faint hearted or squeamish but putting her down is probably the best policy if she's that poorly. She'll be honored tomorrow by turning her into a fine Sunday dinner.
It's just hard doing it to a critter you know. It's why I don't have that backyard sheep for my spinning and weaving. Too many hard decisions have to be made. Well, and I'm too past it to wrestle one around at shearing time.
My next door neighbor lets her hens die of old age and cussedness long after they stop laying. I'm not convinced that's particularly humane, either. Old age aint for sissies and a quick death followed by a chicken stew might be preferable, even to the chicken.
hippywife (1000+ posts) Sat Mar-05-11 06:44 PM
MRS. ALFRED PACKER
Response to Reply #3
6. Well, on the off chance that she isn't egg bound, we don't want to cook and eat her since we won't know what's wrong with her. We usually don't eat our hens, anyway. And ours will live as long as they are doing well, laying eggs or no.
Warpy (1000+ posts) Sat Mar-05-11 06:49 PM
THE DEFROCKED WARPED PRIMITIVE
Response to Reply #6
7. Proper cooking (and I'd use the pressure cooker for an old hen) will kill anything contagious except prion diseases and chickens don't live long enough to accumulate a lot of prions and besides, you don't eat the brains, anyway.
I grew up watching my sweet old granny off her chickens for Sunday dinners, so I'm OK with the concept.
trud (404 posts) Sun Mar-06-11 05:05 AM
Response to Reply #3
9. what are your plans for your old age, warpy?
Warpy (1000+ posts) Sun Mar-06-11 07:56 PM
THE DEFROCKED WARPED PRIMITIVE
Response to Reply #9
17. I'm going to be a recluse who only comes out on Halloween to scare children.
You?
I dunno; the defrocked warped primitive, who's 100%
femme alas has the body and shoulders of a football defensive back and considerable body hair, probably already scares children.
It appears from clues in further comments by Mrs. Alfred Packer that hippyhubby Wild Bill got the chicken dinner he wanted.
