Update: new chickens
Thought I'd post a pic of the new chickens. This is them after a week of babying. They look a million times better than they did before. I'd post before-and-afters, but I've found that these are the first pics I've taken of them (other than the OMG bloody butt! freak out a few days ago).
First up is a pic of all four of the new chickens. They're squashed over on the far side of the baby house in the big chicken house because I'm leaning in the other side taking their picture... >_<; This was taken a few minutes ago (seven full days after I got them):
And these are Lumpy. From the Front. Her top beak is about twice as long as it was when I got her, so they are growing back.
BTW, that's not the camera giving her red-eye. Their eyes really are that color, with a thin band of gold right next to the pupil. Creepy! Did I get Vampire Chickens?
...At least they don't sparkle... XP
And this is the back of her head. You can see where the growth was picked at enough to get past skin and into I don't even want to know what. It's looking a lot better now, though; less raw.
All in all, they're doing much better. Two of the bald-butts are still bald. One has a 'landing strip' of 1/2" long pinfeathers growing in straight down the middle that's got to itch like crazy. Lumpy's calmed down a little and is not acting quite as psychotic, and so have the others. The scabs and things they had around their vents and bellies are healing enough to know that's what they were.
They're adjusting really well, I'm glad. They eat like pigs and knock their water over at least three times a day just to give me something to do. I've been giving them mostly scratch (mostly oats and corn) and some of the crumbly stuff the feed place mixes in their rations to up the protein content. Also a few handfuls of green stuff (grass, dandelions, clover, etc.) every day. That should help put some meat on their bones and get those feathers growing! There wasn't much to them when I got them and this seems to be helping. Their (remaining) feathers look a lot better too; sleek and shiny like they should be instead of the dull and mussed they were.
Still not letting them out of the baby house until their beaks and feathers are back, but they don't seem to mind their house at all and they do talk to (about?) the other chickens and guineas and seem curious...
First up is a pic of all four of the new chickens. They're squashed over on the far side of the baby house in the big chicken house because I'm leaning in the other side taking their picture... >_<; This was taken a few minutes ago (seven full days after I got them):
And these are Lumpy. From the Front. Her top beak is about twice as long as it was when I got her, so they are growing back.
BTW, that's not the camera giving her red-eye. Their eyes really are that color, with a thin band of gold right next to the pupil. Creepy! Did I get Vampire Chickens?
...At least they don't sparkle... XP
And this is the back of her head. You can see where the growth was picked at enough to get past skin and into I don't even want to know what. It's looking a lot better now, though; less raw.
All in all, they're doing much better. Two of the bald-butts are still bald. One has a 'landing strip' of 1/2" long pinfeathers growing in straight down the middle that's got to itch like crazy. Lumpy's calmed down a little and is not acting quite as psychotic, and so have the others. The scabs and things they had around their vents and bellies are healing enough to know that's what they were.
They're adjusting really well, I'm glad. They eat like pigs and knock their water over at least three times a day just to give me something to do. I've been giving them mostly scratch (mostly oats and corn) and some of the crumbly stuff the feed place mixes in their rations to up the protein content. Also a few handfuls of green stuff (grass, dandelions, clover, etc.) every day. That should help put some meat on their bones and get those feathers growing! There wasn't much to them when I got them and this seems to be helping. Their (remaining) feathers look a lot better too; sleek and shiny like they should be instead of the dull and mussed they were.
Still not letting them out of the baby house until their beaks and feathers are back, but they don't seem to mind their house at all and they do talk to (about?) the other chickens and guineas and seem curious...