I found my first Bantam White Leghorn, Snowball, at a poultry swap. Actually, my son found her and insisted we bring her home. I said, “This chicken is trouble.” I could see the spunk. Snowball inspired Tillie Lays an Egg. She died right before the book came out, but by then I already had two actresses, waiting in the wings, to play her part – Eggers and Betsy Ross. They were (and Betsy remains) good little birds, but neither matched Snowball’s aplomb or attitude, so I went looking for another. I found her at a poultry show. In a line-up of almost identical small white pullets, I recognized that look in Coco’s eyes. Spunk. It took quite a bit of cajoling, but I convinced the owner to sell.

Coco was gorgeous.

Coco was independent and self-assured. We traveled to NYC to go on the MARTHA show, and she was calmer than me while waiting to go onstage.

Coco maintained her stately airs in front of a live studio audience.

But, more important than her star turns was what she did at schools and libraries.

Coco was the perfect chicken ambassador and more than one child now has hens in their backyards because of her. Coco died this week and is buried in the meadow.

Did Coco (or Snowball) touch your life?

It’s been a difficult couple of days. Good Dog Lily, in her effort to rid the yard of a scourge of blackbirds and a curse of squirrels, has been in chase mode. Her sprints are cheetah-worthy. She killed a squirrel on Friday! But, yesterday, she ripped her dew claw, so today we spent a few hours at the emergency vet clinic getting her patched up. Scooter, left home, yowled and yowled. Lily will be fine, but is presently bandaged up and will be on leash for a week.

Also worrisome, I noticed that Coco was looking tail-down Thursday. On Friday she looked worse and so I gave her a soothing soak in epsom salts and warm water. It perked her up for a few hours, but wasn’t the hoped-for cure, so now I have her in a cozy crate. Yesterday she ate blueberries and yogurt out of my hand, but today she is quietly shutting down. Whatever is ailing her, it isn’t something that I can fix. It’s not respiratory. It’s not an impaction – she’s able to drink and produce manure. She hasn’t laid an egg for ages, so it’s unlikely to be a problem there. There’s nothing that I can do for her other than to keep her comfortable. I think it’s just a matter of time. I have a theory that many gorgeous purebred birds are so inbred that they don’t last long.

But, in the midst of all of this worry and trouble, look at who graced the water feature. It’s a Baltimore Oriole about to take a bath in The Beast’s pond. There’s always beauty. Sometimes it’s a glimpse out the corner of your eye, but it’s there, nonetheless.

At the start of the game, the game ball drops onto the playing field.

The scrimmage.

Goal!

Chickens are fairly simple animals to take care of. The day to day flock management takes only a few minutes. Overall good health can be maintained by keeping the coop clean, dry and well-ventilated, and by giving your hens plenty of space, good food and clean water. Enclosures should be as predator-proof as possible. Still, birds get injured, they get attacked, and they get sick. When that happens, you want to have the tools at hand to care for them.

It’s always useful to have scissors. You never know when you’re going to have to cut off a tangled string, trim some feathers, or cut a piece of duct tape. I also keep a pair of sturdy gloves within reach.

Almost everything else in my coop emergency medicine cabinet fits in this case. I keep it in the barn.

Rubbing alcohol, gauze, and vaseline have a multitude of uses. Disposable gloves not only protect you from handling gross stuff, but they help to prevent the spread of germs. Duct tape is essential! Among the many uses, I’ve made it into hats to protect pecked-on heads, and fashioned sturdy band-aids out of it to cover wounds.

Two other essentials are blu-kote (gentian violet) and povidone. The povidone is the expensive version of betadine. It effectively kills germs and does wonder on red, irritated bottoms. The blu-kote, also a topical antiseptic, (though not as powerful) has the added benefit of darkening red skin which reduces pecking. Both are permanent stains, which is one more reason to have those disposable gloves on hand.

If you do have a chicken with a wound, then topical analgesic and antibiotic creams can be used. The other product that you should know about is the calcium alginate dressing. If your chicken gets a puncture wound (a dog will do this) then you can pack the wound with this dressing. Don’t buy these items ahead of time, as they have a limited shelf-life, and storage in a hot and/or freezing barn limits their effectiveness. But, once you do have them and use them, don’t put them back in the house with the products you use on yourself!

If you’ve been reading this blog for awhile you know how much I believe in epsom salts, which can be used both internally and externally. The “spa treatment” of a warm epsom salt soak helps with laying issues, abdominal swelling and irritated skin. (Follow the package directions.) Epsom salt, when ingested, can neutralize toxins, help get the intestinal tract moving, reduce runny poo and treat vent gleet.

Olive oil is also one of those cure-alls. When a hen looks poorly and isn’t producing manure, I want to get things moving. A dose of a tablespoon, poured down the throat, can sometimes loosen blockages and help.

Lastly, there are times when the only thing that will save your flock are antibiotics. These can be purchased online, at feed stores and from your veterinarian. There are many on the market, and you’ll read that some are better for certain respiratory diseases than others. This is true, but unless you take your chicken to a vet and have blood work done, you won’t know what you have. Symptoms can be deceiving! I dose with what I have, and if symptoms don’t improve in 24 hours, I reassess the drugs that I’m using. Don’t purchase ahead of time as they have a limited shelf-life. But, once you have them, store in a safe place (preferably with a cool, steady temperature) and use when you need them.

It’s a simple medicine cabinet. It’s most effective is you know your animals, thoughtfully observe what’s amiss, and use the products with common sense.

On Saturday sixteen people arrived here at Little Pond Farm for a Chicken Keeping Workshop. One came from just two miles up the road, and another from New Jersey – 300 miles away! There were young boys and grandparents and people in-between. Some attendees already had chickens, and some were planning on getting them. Everyone came with a happy enthusiasm, and that mood of good cheer lasted the entire afternoon.

Here Agnes is showing how calm a chicken can be, despite laughter and being in a crowd of on-lookers.

It was hot, so we discussed coop design while standing in the shade.

Siouxsie provided a live example of one of the breeds that I talked about.

I showed how to look for lice.

I checked several hens but didn’t find any. No one seemed too disappointed.

Buffy showed how placid and gentle an old Buff Orpington can be. Lots of people held her.

And then we had the iced tea and cookies as promised, (including cranberry-blueberry shortbread that I made on the spur of the moment to round out the menu) while I continued to expound on such topics as what to keep in a chicken medicine cabinet and what makes a broody hen broody.

After the workshop, people who wanted to stayed awhile longer visited the goats. Pip and Caper said it was about time that they got the attention.

I’ll run another workshop in a month or so. Which is better to schedule it on, Saturday or Sunday?