R.I.P Thelma

[Deleted]

Oh, and whatever has been trying to dig into the coop at night broke open the rat poison container and took a whole bunch of it last night.  There were several half finished blocks laying there.  I had been putting out a block a night since the last outdoor cat disappeared and every night it's been gone.  Guess last night he decided one wasn't enough. 

[milee]

May 17, 2016 13:15:04 GMT -5 minnesotapaintlady said:

May 17, 2016 13:12:16 GMT -5 gregintenn said:

Is there a gofundme account set up?

We just tossed her in the woods

I know you don't think there was any disease involved in Thelma's demise, but just in case... when you have other birds die unless you know what killed them and it's clearly trauma and not disease, you might want to bury them or wrap them in plastic and throw them away rather than toss them out where other birds and wildlife can be exposed to potential diseases.  I know I sound hard core about this, but some of the things that chickens get - like bird flu - are incredibly contagious and can spread from/to wildlife and your other livestock.  Be careful. 

[Opti]

May 17, 2016 13:15:04 GMT -5 minnesotapaintlady said:

May 17, 2016 13:12:16 GMT -5 gregintenn said:

Is there a gofundme account set up?

We just tossed her in the woods, but I'd be happy to set one up if there is any interest here.  It could go towards the Thelma Memorial Chicken Coop or something.

My guess is she died of a heart attack so no donations here. I have dead lizards guarding me in several NJ locations.

Maybe one of your boys can make the sign though. I keep thinking of Thelma & Louise, especially since Thelma died wheels up as it were. "In memory of Thelma", and then a drawing. Maybe like this, only of a chicken.

Or the chicken coop idea, since its less silly or morbid.

[Deleted]

May 17, 2016 13:31:56 GMT -5 milee said:

May 17, 2016 13:15:04 GMT -5 minnesotapaintlady said:

We just tossed her in the woods

I know you don't think there was any disease involved in Thelma's demise, but just in case... when you have other birds die unless you know what killed them and it's clearly trauma and not disease, you might want to bury them or wrap them in plastic and throw them away rather than toss them out where other birds and wildlife can be exposed to potential diseases.  I know I sound hard core about this, but some of the things that chickens get - like bird flu - are incredibly contagious and can spread from/to wildlife and your other livestock.  Be careful. 

By "tossed in the woods", I meant she went out with the load from barn cleaning that night and is now part of the compost pile.   A little gross I know.  I contemplated a respectable burial, but it was late at night when I found her and we were in the middle of a heat wave at the time.  Garbage can for a week was a definite no.

I've spoken to family members that have big poultry operations, (like 10's of thousands of birds) and they said most likely heart attack.

[milee]

May 17, 2016 15:30:20 GMT -5 minnesotapaintlady said:

May 17, 2016 13:31:56 GMT -5 milee said:

I know you don't think there was any disease involved in Thelma's demise, but just in case... when you have other birds die unless you know what killed them and it's clearly trauma and not disease, you might want to bury them or wrap them in plastic and throw them away rather than toss them out where other birds and wildlife can be exposed to potential diseases.  I know I sound hard core about this, but some of the things that chickens get - like bird flu - are incredibly contagious and can spread from/to wildlife and your other livestock.  Be careful. 

By "tossed in the woods", I meant she went out with the load from barn cleaning that night and is now part of the compost pile.   A little gross I know.  I contemplated a respectable burial, but it was late at night when I found her and we were in the middle of a heat wave at the time.  Garbage can for a week was a definite no.

I've spoken to family members that have big poultry operations, (like 10's of thousands of birds) and they said most likely heart attack.

OK but only if you're confident it's not contagious.  I compost, too, but you don't put possible contagions in the compost heap because 1) you don't know if that particular pathogen will be killed by normal compost temps and 2) your compost may not reach a consistently high enough temp to kill the pathogen.  Not what you want spreading around your other livestock in the future. 

Seriously.

I know I'm harping on this.      But you have a small enough operation to practice good sanitation.  Don't get sloppy and let something dumb wipe out your flock.   

[Deleted]

Give me three weeks with an incubator and I have a brand new flock. 

[gregintenn]

May 17, 2016 15:52:40 GMT -5 milee said:

May 17, 2016 15:30:20 GMT -5 minnesotapaintlady said:

By "tossed in the woods", I meant she went out with the load from barn cleaning that night and is now part of the compost pile.   A little gross I know.  I contemplated a respectable burial, but it was late at night when I found her and we were in the middle of a heat wave at the time.  Garbage can for a week was a definite no.

I've spoken to family members that have big poultry operations, (like 10's of thousands of birds) and they said most likely heart attack.

OK but only if you're confident it's not contagious.  I compost, too, but you don't put possible contagions in the compost heap because 1) you don't know if that particular pathogen will be killed by normal compost temps and 2) your compost may not reach a consistently high enough temp to kill the pathogen.  Not what you want spreading around your other livestock in the future. 

Seriously.

I know I'm harping on this.      But you have a small enough operation to practice good sanitation.  Don't get sloppy and let something dumb wipe out your flock.   

Calm down! Buzzard's have to eat same as everything else.

[Deleted]

May 17, 2016 16:02:28 GMT -5 gregintenn said:

May 17, 2016 15:52:40 GMT -5 milee said:

OK but only if you're confident it's not contagious.  I compost, too, but you don't put possible contagions in the compost heap because 1) you don't know if that particular pathogen will be killed by normal compost temps and 2) your compost may not reach a consistently high enough temp to kill the pathogen.  Not what you want spreading around your other livestock in the future. 

Seriously.

I know I'm harping on this.      But you have a small enough operation to practice good sanitation.  Don't get sloppy and let something dumb wipe out your flock.   

Calm down! Buzzard's have to eat same as everything else.

Around here it's bald eagles.  When I home I should see if I can find the wildlife cam pictures my neighbor took.  They shot a racoon in the yard and put a camera on it and they have literally hundreds of pictures of eagles chowing down on this racoon over the course of a couple days.

[milee]

May 17, 2016 15:59:17 GMT -5 minnesotapaintlady said:

Give me three weeks with an incubator and I have a brand new flock. 

And if you "compost" a bird that died of something contagious and then use that compost around the farm a few months from now, the brand new flock could croak, too... 

[Deleted]

May 17, 2016 16:48:41 GMT -5 milee said:

May 17, 2016 15:59:17 GMT -5 minnesotapaintlady said:

Give me three weeks with an incubator and I have a brand new flock. 

And if you "compost" a bird that died of something contagious and then use that compost around the farm a few months from now, the brand new flock could croak, too... 

Well, no worries there.  I never actually USE the compost.  I just keep dumping and it keeps decomposing away.    It's about a 1/4 mile from the barn too.  My property is very looooooong and narrow. 

[Deleted]

Found the picture.  Redneck fun around here.  Put a dead animal in your front yard and point a camera at it.