Phaedra's 2021 Garden

[Phaedra]

You may already know this but when I have a weak chicken that won't eat or drink on its own I give them sugar water. I actually use hummingbird liquid. You can buy booster packs at the feed store here, probably in Germany too, but I always have hummingbird liquid on hand so I use that. I take a medicine dropper and put a drop on the end of the beak so they can swallow it. Don't force it down their throat, you might drown them.

The water hydrates them and the sugar gives them energy, hopefully enough that they can eat and drink on their own. Keep putting a drop on the end of their beak until they stop swallowing it. Good luck.

Thank you for sharing, much appreciated. I have Electrolyte in the pet first aid kit and will look for the hummingbird liquid here. The hen slept till this morning and ate some scrambled eggs but drank very little. When I cleaned her wound, she began to bleed again. 😢

I quickly ordered some stuffs that could handle such wounds more effectively. Till this moment, I realized our first aid kit is far less practical than I thought.

 

[baymule]

I hope your hen pulls through and is ok. She is in good hands.

 

[Phaedra]

Bravi is doing so far, so good. Bright eyes, warm body and feet, smooth breathing, strong desire to eat and drink, normal poo.

I gave her diluted homemade juice last night, and she tried to grab the tissue paper from my hand and almost swallowed it. Then I realized that she wanted food. I soaked some toast inside the juice, and she finished everything!

This morning and afternoon, she also tried to eat and drink as much as she could. Toast soaked in the broth, a piece of melon (she was crazy about that), a little bit of quark, several baby mustard greens, diluted juice, tiny amounts of salmon and omelet, and some smashed peas.

But, I dare not touch her wound again; at least today, I don't want to make her bleed again.

When I touch her foot, she will catch my finger like this. Okay, my young lady, let's make a pinky promise - Live long and prosper!

 

[Phaedra]

The greenhouse planting seems quite lovely. I removed the containers and let those veggies grow freely in the deep tray (no holes at the bottom, 8cm high).

I have tried a similar method in the spring - in the beginning, I just ran out of the seeding trays, so I had to remove those young plants and let them stay together in the deep trays. But they grew even quicker and better when their roots could develop a bit more freely. The prerequisite is, they are short-term leafy greens.

I cut some mustard leaves (the variety: Green in the Snow) for my sandwich this morning. They are young and tender, without a strong mustard flavor yet - very delicious.

Yummy!

The primary leaves for the broad beans. Isn't such green extra lovely in the wintertime?

Propagation area - if 10% survive, I will have at least 15 new plants.

Volunteer plants - young spruces and firs dug out from the garden - landed in the pond area and would cause unnecessary troubles. So I tried to relocate the stronger ones, either transplanting somewhere else or making them into bonsai in the future.

Young scallions will also stay in the greenhouse until spring.

 

[baymule]

I'm so happy that Bravi is doing so well. Under your care, she will be back to her old self in no time! Haha, she will go back to the coop and tell the other chickens about the marvelous Hen Hotel she has been to with gourmet meals! They will run out in the yard and start calling the hawk!

 

[Phaedra]

The germination area in the boiler room is done. The cover helps hold moisture; otherwise, the humidity in this space is usually lower than 40%.

I used the sprayer to add further moisture, then closed the cover about 90%. There is a chargeable LED light inside, as a few seedlings have already developed tiny leaves.

Although the temperature here is a little too high and the humidity too low for growing mushrooms, I put one oyster mushroom set in it.

Good night.

At the same time, I started two shiitake mushroom blocks in another room, where the temperature was about 15°C (no heating), and humidity was about 60%. I use the laundry baskets with some bubble wrap to temporarily seal some holes to hold more moisture. The air still can go through, so the ventilation should be ok.

So, if the boiler room isn't good enough for the mushroom, I will either use similar baskets or make a small tent in the greenhouse (10°C/62%); let's see.

Bravi is doing well, too. I gradually removed the gaze on her neck. She finished all food and water I prepared for her: spinach, cooked peas, melon, salmon+eggs, toast soaked in yogurt, nothing left. She could stand up today and eat by herself. I also tried to let her stay in the greenhouse for some fresh air. If her recovery progress continues like this, we will set up the broody cage in the greenhouse, where she can have much more space, fresh air, and sunlight.

I didn't pay enough attention to our young roosters recently, and today I suddenly realized that they have become so handsome now.

Odin

From a tiny furball to such a cute guy!

Dogs are also so cute - they cuddled together on our IKEA armchair.

I am about to start part-time, home-based work again soon. Besides copywriting, this time, I also proposed some projects of gardening tools design and development. What's past is prologue - everything that happened in the past became something like the tractor bean and brought me to the point to initiate a new journey.

It might be a bumpy ride, but let's fly.

 

[Phaedra]

The plastic cover works, the humidity is improved a lot.

 

[heirloomgal]

The germination area in the boiler room is done. The cover helps hold moisture; otherwise, the humidity in this space is usually lower than 40%.
View attachment 45485
I used the sprayer to add further moisture, then closed the cover about 90%. There is a chargeable LED light inside, as a few seedlings have already developed tiny leaves.

Although the temperature here is a little too high and the humidity too low for growing mushrooms, I put one oyster mushroom set in it.

View attachment 45487

Good night.
View attachment 45493

At the same time, I started two shiitake mushroom blocks in another room, where the temperature was about 15°C (no heating), and humidity was about 60%. I use the laundry baskets with some bubble wrap to temporarily seal some holes to hold more moisture. The air still can go through, so the ventilation should be ok.
View attachment 45488

So, if the boiler room isn't good enough for the mushroom, I will either use similar baskets or make a small tent in the greenhouse (10°C/62%); let's see.

Bravi is doing well, too. I gradually removed the gaze on her neck. She finished all food and water I prepared for her: spinach, cooked peas, melon, salmon+eggs, toast soaked in yogurt, nothing left. She could stand up today and eat by herself. I also tried to let her stay in the greenhouse for some fresh air. If her recovery progress continues like this, we will set up the broody cage in the greenhouse, where she can have much more space, fresh air, and sunlight.
View attachment 45489

I didn't pay enough attention to our young roosters recently, and today I suddenly realized that they have become so handsome now.

Odin
View attachment 45491

From a tiny furball to such a cute guy!
View attachment 45490

Dogs are also so cute - they cuddled together on our IKEA armchair.
View attachment 45492

I am about to start part-time, home-based work again soon. Besides copywriting, this time, I also proposed some projects of gardening tools design and development. What's past is prologue - everything that happened in the past became something like the tractor bean and brought me to the point to initiate a new journey.

It might be a bumpy ride, but let's fly.

Your care for your chicken is just so sweet and touching

 

[Phaedra]

Day 5 after the Hawk attack

Bravi is doing well, starts to make some sounds to express how she feels and shows a firm willingness for food.

As her two major wounds are on the neck, I used a container as her temporary table. She can stand well while eating.

Bravi: Both look yummy; which one first?
Left: a fine mixture of chopped cooked turkey breast, egg, veggies, carrot
Right: toast in yogurt, spinach, cooked peas, and beetroot.

I could feel how hungry she was.

She stayed most of the day time in the greenhouse. The weather in the afternoon is okay, so I brought her to say hello to her flock. Her sisters didn't forget her, and all came together behind the fence.

Her rehabilitation starts today, although it lasts only 10 minutes. I believe it will be helpful for her recovery and return to the flock.

 

[baymule]

That is one very lucky hen. Not only lucky to not be carried off by the hawk, but very lucky to belong to you!