Big Red isn't doing well, still

Although I put Big Red back in the coop last night, any progress she'd made Monday in the house, has been lost.  When I took her into the coop she was still swollen but was standing slightly more normal.  In the coop she stood staring at the roost for about ten minutes before I picked her up and set her on the lowest perch.  In the morning, she was in the exact same place and I put her on the ground because I worried about her getting hurt if she tried to get down.

When I got home from work, she was up against the fence in the chicken run, standing completely upright again.  It breaks my heart.

Here is a picture of Big Red's twin sister.

Notice her back is parallel with the ground and her head is across from her tail.

Here is Big Red after she finally made it 20 feet from the chicken run.

Notice how she is almost completely upright like a penguin

I'm really not sure what to do for her.  I don't want her to suffer, but I don't know how to help her.

So I took a bowl of yogurt out to her.  And all of the other birds ran over.  They've never been so willing to eat out of my hand.

The twin was the first to push Big Red aside to get a taste

Clyde was definitely there to get as much as he could

Notice his big head doesn't even fit in the bowl, he was having trouble getting it after awhile

 While it was nice to have all of the birds being so friendly and willing to eat from me, I only felt bad about Big Red being bumped and stumbling because she couldn't keep her balance.  I'll be heading out soon to make sure she makes it back into the coop, picking her up and putting her in a safe spot if I need to.

Deer, Deer, Deer

This is what I looked out the window and saw this morning as I was about to leave for work....

A chick fight

As soon as these two were both out in the chicken run they started going at each other.

 

They finally stopped after just a minute or two and acted like it never happen.

*** Disclaimer: No feathers lost, no blood shed.  You can't break up roosters/cockerels from fighting because it's the way they establish the pecking order. Stepping in doesn't stop it or help.

Finally, daylight and sunshine

The last batch of chicks was finally able to experience the great outdoors today.  After I let the adults free-range, I opened the coop door for the chicks.  A few of them came out, but it took awhile for the rest to get brave enough.

The chickens wouldn't come out... (pun intended)

They sure are pretty birds.

The crazy part is that when I went to put everyone to bed there were six of these guys that were outside the run, under their coop, chirping and scared.  They must have managed to squeeze out of one of the gaps in the fence.

Just in case you wanted to know

It has been all over the news that the 17-year cicadas were going to swarm the East coast this year.  

For those of you that aren't near the East coast, this is what you're missing.

These are the shells of the creatures that crawl out of the ground

 The shells are all over the place.  They cover the walls of the chicken coops, the edges of the goat pen, the tarp over the hay, everywhere.

A small section of the back of the chicken coop

From those creatures, comes these flying things that make a ton of noise.

And here is a ten-second clip to hear the noise they make.

Still growing

Still haven't made the trellis for the cucumbers and squash

Sweet potatoes and Brussels sprouts

Sunflowers

Carrots and Parsnips

Lettuce

Green Beans

Onions

Tomatoes

Potatoes way back there

Apparently the coolest place to hang out is....

This is where I've found the birds each afternoon.