Stress in organic chickens - Part Three continued - Power Games - strategies to prevent and stop stress

Solutions then and now

The first thing I did (and still do today), was to instigate  'time-out', I firmly believe in this procedure for both the perpetrator and victim in cases of bullying and stress and that they should be kept apart for at least some hours of the day. Most importantly this should include the key periods when stress levels can become elevated, so, if you have them, set feeding times and the hour before they go to roost. When you finally decide to regroup them as a flock, you may have to make yourself the dominant 'bird', so as to ensure that the victim gets well-fed. You can do this either by policing the food plates or more easily getting her/him out first thing in the morning. At night you may have to physically arrange everyone on the perch. Not only does this help the 'stressed-out' but also the 'stressor' as it puts you firmly above him or her in the pecking order. 


I would not under any circumstances put either bird in a cage within view of the other or any other member of the flock. In fact I would cut out the idea of cages altogether. A cage to a hen is what it would be to us and just furthers the idea of division and difference in status. If you do not have the room to move birds about then try to find a friend to take one of the birds for a day or so. If the worst comes to the worst, although if you have a homestead this probably means no big deal, bring your bird inside your house.

Giving a bird some tlc, at any difficult part of its life not only boosts its confidence but helps it when it returns into the flock. You have by allowing it into your domain, given it a little edge, a bond between you. Hastings (left) had a dreadful fight with his brother over a hen and the time we spent just calming him down and giving him a big hug probably did just as much for his stress levels as the electrolyte and wound treatment achieved.

I made sure of it then and it is a rule I have followed ever since, that at night everyone can perch at the same height. I always construct my perches to be at one level and  ensure everyone is positioned on them. I now instinctively know who will not get on with whom and which hen or cockerel can act as an intermediary. Again, I think of my chickens as individuals, hens have off days, particularly if broody, relationships with others are fluid and thus can change. Any chicken who is broody or maybe through age or injury can not/or just won't perch is given a cardboard box. This box has seemingly some significance in hen house shibboleths, it seems to stand for a separate entity within the house. Whereas, sitting on the floor or perching on a lower level than the rest signifies lower station.

Birds are very much a cohesive group at night, they preen and chatter and presumably 'chill out ' from the tensions of the day. The cockerels flap and crow together in the morning so any indication that one bird has more height advantage i.e. status, than the dominant hen and cockerel, can begin to cause problems and therefore result in stress. Sneezy the Silver Sebright hen, perched left, is in fact dominant!

Physical Fights, Flock and Family Feuds, Stress, Problems and Solutions

 

The worst fights with resultant elevated stress levels I have witnessed in my flock have been duels between brothers over a single hen. The rest of the altercations between cockerels have been purely ritualistic and with no actual physical contact.  In 14 years these brotherly feuds have happened 3 times and have always ended in blood and tears or rather tears to the wattles. Although we have normally been able to sort these out by implementing the above strategies, I was once obliged, in the case of three brothers, to finally give one away and interestingly he became the dominant cockerel in that new flock. Mostly however, time out, tlc and staggered feeding and supervised perching times works. In addition letting one of the duellists out early in the morning amongst  the hens also allows him to meet other partners and often solves the problem.

Similarly, I have hens who fight over nest boxes. In the old hen house,  we had a three compartment nest box, which Dorothy and the Ardenners squabbled over now and again but not with any real elevated stress levels. However, these two Polish x Ardenner sisters got into such a fit of pique with each other over the middle box, that I took the partitions out. Sometimes the simplest solutions are the best!

Food, in particular insect and invertebrate protein and the competition for it can sometimes cause conflict and stress. So siting a compost bin within each territory and regularly having digging sessions within the same, really helps sort this out. The requirement for the amino acid methionine has a direct effect on the nervous system and something we need to provide for. Hen fights over food can be nasty affairs, with hens pulling feathers and pecking at each other. Making adequate provision for a whole raft of foodstuffs but in particular wild protein and greenery seems to me to be of tantamount importance. This is never more pressing than when a hen has chickens, lack of protein for the babies just adds to the stress. Luckily and for reasons only they could tell you, my four flocks allow passe-partout in all territories for mothers with chicks and even later in their development, there is some leeway allowed when these same chicks leave the nest. 

Territorial boundaries, the siting and design of hen houses and how they affect the nervous systems of the flock, predator stress and forest gardening solutions will all be dealt with in the next post.

If you enjoyed this article and found it found it useful, feel free to share, comment and ask questions. All the best and thanks for dropping by,

Sue

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© 2014 Sue Cross

Stress in organic chickens - Part Three - Power Games - strategies to prevent and stop stress

In the following two part article I explore the problem of stress triggers from dominant birds. This includes general hen house arguments, from romance to food fights and delving back into the past as well using present events to share my opinions, analyses and solutions.


At the initial stage in a conflict or situation, if you can find find the reason for stress, then you can start to implement some strategies for prevention as well as cure. In my experience stress is not only a problem in itself but can cause, malabsorption and depletion of nutrients, depression, suppression of the immune system and can easily, if untreated, lead to serious illness and death.

Right from the start of our chicken keeping adventure, here in our garden in France, I was made aware of how much stress could be engendered by situation, environment, behaviour and relationships. It was in fact a mirror of the human condition. From that first happy day when we were presented with Poulie and Chicklette, I realised that we were going to be in for a bumpy ride. The first year taught me so much about hens, life here then was a lot simpler, no internet, no house renovation, just gardening and observing and learning valuable lessons for the future.

Changing group dynamics can be a recipe for stress

Butter wouldn't melt in their mouths but Chicklette, above right, quickly began to dominate this tiny flock of two, even going so far as to crow. When I added another hen, Big Dorothy a standard-sized Wyandotte cross, Chicklette became even bossier, preventing Dorothy from perching, keeping her away from oyster shell and causing difficulties at feeding time. Poulie was much more pragmatic about Chicklette's dominion, she got quietly on with her life, however in so doing, this left Dorothy open to the full force of Chicklette. My initial feeling was that, as I was introducing another hen to two sisters, there would be difficulties.  What I wasn't expecting to happen, particularly with such a large hen as Dorothy, was how quickly she began to show in her behaviour and  demeanour 'learned submissiveness' when around both the Ardenners.

A word of caution....

Flock dynamics are a vexed question for humans, I've been watching my birds for years and the conclusions I have come to about them is as follows:
- that they are so complex and fluid that they are beyond human understanding
- that interference can create a power vacuum and lead to worse problems. 
- that humans can really mess things up!

Therefore if you are not sure, always deal with the victim first and let the flock decide who the dominant birds should be. Things often sort themselves out and in most satisfactory ways. 

Here Squeeky, recovered from a bad bout of stress due to cold and loss of status as dominant cockerel, has not only bonded with Bubble to create a mini fiefdom but is already on the way to creating a new flock. All I did was treat him for an emergency stress attack and give him some time-out in the house and front garden, where he met up with Bubble. To intervene in the benign minor power struggle, which is still apparent some 2 years later, between a frizzled Cochin and three Polish brothers would have meant endless problems. The flock decided on this action themselves, they actually stood round and watched as Squeaky and one of the Polish carried out a ritual fight, after which they all seemed to agree that he was deposed. Since then we have had a coalition of some sort and Squeaky has just got on with his life, in the full knowledge that no one was big enough to take his place!

 

Dominant hens in flocks without cockerels  and vice-versa

I however, was well aware that my main problem with Chicklette and Dorothy was one of overweening dominance within a trio of hens. Once I began to expand the flock and include a cockerel or two, things began to get even better for Dorothy (front) and Chicklette calmed down to the level of just dominant hen. A lone dominant hen, from all I have observed in my flocks, will take on the mantle of dominant cockerel too. In doing this she makes herself a superpower, with the potential to cause permanent stress within the flock. Witnessing the power struggles of our neighbours' poultry, where they often have  separate single sex flocks of 14 to 20 'meat' cockerels, the same holds good where there are no hens, nor dominant hen. 


It is very true, as Lord Acton famously remarked, that 'power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely'. However, before this happened with my three French hens, there were things I could do to alleviate the situation.

What if I can't have/don't want a cockerel in my flock?

 

No flock is ever the same, sometimes you can get the mix just right even without the addition of a cockerel. My first pair of pullets had come from a flock with both a dominant hen and cockerel. I inferred that, left to their own devices as a pair, they had just created their own version of this rule. It would be interesting to observe if a flock made up entirely of hens, who from hatch had never known of a cockerel, develops the same problems. I do know that people who have flocks of hens but with a well-balanced dominant hen have found that a challenge to her rule and take-over by another hen, can have similar results to mine. Therefore, maybe supreme dominance in birds it is a mixture of nature and nurture and/or personality traits. Whatever the situation all is not lost even without the possibility of a cockerel. 

In the next article I will share some of the ideas I implemented for Dorothy, Chicklette and Pouldini and which I still use to this day.

to be continued...
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© 2014 Sue Cross

Treating wounds, cuts and abrasions - first aid for organic poultry

As I had to deal with the aftermath of a cockfight today, I thought I'd share the treatment. In my experience 'the female of the species is more deadlier than the male' and whereas cockerels tend to fight in a non-contact ritualistic manner, hens tend to have quite violent and even bloody battles. There is however, one exception and that is when you have brothers fighting over the same hen.

The feathered femme fatale in question - Sugar Plum creating havoc in the Hen House.

Fortunately this doesn't happen very often, in fact the last time was almost a year ago and it was also two Cochin brothers albeit over a different hen. 

First Aid - Shock

First things first, remove either one or both cockerels from the field of tourney. Psychologically, it is better to make a very positive intervention, as in this way neither of them will feel they have either lost or won. The next step is to ascertain if either or both of the combatants are suffering from shock. In an extreme case symptoms will include, a loss of balance or an inability to stand, heavy breathing and/or shivering. It will do no harm to give both of them a home-made electrolyte, which you can find here. Without this essential 're-boot', a bad stress attack can be serious and the bird may die within 24 hours of onset. You may need to remove your bird into a quiet place to assess if he/she is suffering from stress. Most birds, like humans, are affected in the aftermath of the situation, whereas during its progression they often appear to be coping.

Déjà vu, this is Hastings after a fight with his brother Cuckoo in October last year...

..and this is Brandy Snaps today feeling sorry for himself after a bust up with Snowball.

First Aid - Cleaning Wounds

The whole area is firstly cleaned with pure warm water using a piece of organic cotton wool. In the case of Brandy Snaps his one eye is stuck closed so I open it by carefully applying a pad of cotton wool soaked in water.

Treating wounds with essential oils 

The treatment I use for all wounds, cuts and abrasions is a warm bowl of water containing the following essential oils: five drops of True Lavender (Lavendula angustifolia) two drops of Tea Tree (Melaleuca alternifolia). Lavender oil has properties which include being a powerful skin healer and regenerator, relieving anxiety and is also an antiseptic. Tea tree's properties include being a very strong broad spectrum antibacterial as well as a great support for the immune system and it is also an anaesthetic.

As these are oils they naturally float on the top of water but I use my cotton bud to break up the drops and spread them across the surface.

I then gently pat the solution on to the affected areas, making sure to keep away from the eyes and ears. You will find that your bird should now be relaxed and probably close the eyes automatically. My birds are very tame, although Brandy Snaps is usually not this domesticated but he's in need of TLC and reacts accordingly.

Follow-up treatment

Organic pure virgin coconut oil is a magical substance, which contains lauric, capric and caprylic acids, these have wide ranging properties, such as antimicrobial, antioxidant, anti-fungal, antibacterial and soothing qualities. It is a great support for the immune system and has both healing properties for the skin and promotes the regrowth of feathers/hair. We use it in cooking as well as in making cosmetics and I always give it to the birds when they are off-colour or stressed. 

Brandy Snaps gets some to eat....

..and he gets some smoothed into his injuries.

...and a big hug! 

Now if you'd like to, sit back and watch how Hastings coped with his treatment.


If you enjoyed this post and found it useful then think about sharing it using the icons below and please feel free to ask questions, comment or share your own experiences of treating your flock.
Thanks for dropping by and all the best,
Sue

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© 2013 Sue Cross

Stress and Organic Chickens Part Two - Emergency Treatment, Follow-ups & Keeping Calm.

Stress is a potential killer, so it's important to treat it quickly, in particular if concurrent with any kind of injury. Your bird's system needs to be functioning at optimum to deal with both the physical trauma of the wound and the potential for any kind of infection. The great thing about this emergency treatment is that it is concocted from simple foodstuffs you probably already have to hand in your kitchen cupboards. It is also an excellent treatment for extreme fatigue, such as in the case of finding an exhausted racing pigeon, which I have done on a couple of occasions.

Easy home-made electrolyte solutions

The simplest of all remedies and much akin to the old treatment for shock you'd find in 1930's detective novels is the ubiquitous warm sugary drink. Just take a fraction of a teaspoon of raw organic cane sugar, a tiny amount of salt and dissolve it in a egg cup of warm water. The technical term for this is an electrolyte solution and your objective is to rebalance the bird's system and thus get the bird's body back up and functioning as quickly as possible. As suggested by the name, an electrolyte carries the electrical impulses which the body uses to 'communicate' within itself, in essence to tell itself what to do. Thus a sudden shock, stress attack, overheating, hypothermia, sudden or prolonged physical exertion can cause electrolytes to be rapidly depleted. The effect of this imbalance on the functioning of the muscles, heart and nervous system, no doubt explains the nature of those symptoms I have observed in birds under stress. These latter I outlined in my previous blog.

This remedy I have used not only on my own birds but on other rare occasions such as when rescuing an exhausted homing pigeon. In fact if you look on racing pigeon web sites you will see a similar emergency treatment (using a greater proportion of sugar) advised for those who find displaced birds. 'Hubert' as we called him, was on his first race and had been thrown off course by a storm. I also used the treatment on a stressed out sparrowhawk, who became entangled in our hedge after having been surprised by me whilst she was attacking a fantail.

WARNING You can only use this method however, if the bird is breathing normally. If your bird is gasping for breath, trying to get it to drink can be highly dangerous, as it can choke or 'drown' by breathing water into its lungs. My solution for this is to get a small piece of fruit such as orange or banana and dip it lightly in the sugar and salt mix. The fruit is then introduced just into the point of the beak with the bird's head in its normal position. The electrolyte is thus absorbed even if the bird is not able to swallow the fruit. If the bird is hardly responding at all and/or you have a problem opening its beak, then with your fingers coated with sugar take the tip of the beak and gently try to introduce some sugar into it.

Another great kitchen cupboard electrolyte is organic unpasteurised apple cider vinegar, which also contains enzymes beneficial in giving the bird's system the 'kick start' needed post shock. You will only need a few drops added to an egg cup of warm water.

I have found, although I can not explain why, that stroking the back of a bird's head whilst lightly dipping its beak into the liquid will get it to drink. I obviously have very tame birds, who trust me and are easy to treat but we recently rescued a moorhen, who had been run over and was exhibiting signs of stress. I gave the same emergency treatment and got it to drink in the way described above. The moorhen's case is a good illustration of why treating for shock should be the first treatment given. As you can see from the photograph, it is holding its wing down and leaning against the orange box. These two factors were in effect due to stress and righted themselves over 24 hours. It actually had concussion and a wound in its side but no breaks. After a week of recuperating, we were able to return it to the wild.

What to do if the symptoms still persist or get worse?

Sneezy my Silver Sebright, as explained in my previous blog, had what I presumed to be a stroke after having witness close-at-hand a sparrowhawk attack on one of our fantails. I had immediately given her the electrolyte  but her condition continued to deteriorate. All I could think was, that I needed to get some nutrients into her to support her nervous system. The ones I chose were turmeric, Brazil nut and coconut oil. Turmeric for curcumin, traditionally used to prevent and treat neuron damage and the amount I took was just enough to cover the end of a teaspoon. Brazil nut for selenium, again to support the nervous system and coconut oil, which contains a multitude of nutrients and essential trace elements, to support and strengthen the immune system. The turmeric and Brazil nut were mixed into a teaspoon of melted coconut oil.

It was quite difficult to treat Sneezy. By now she was paralysed all down one side and she was losing control of her neck but on the positive side, I had the knowledge of her being very tame and trusting of me. When I finally succeeded in getting the teaspoon into a good position for her, she made a supreme effort and managed to suck the mixture up. I was worried about the amount of selenium, as it is toxic in large amounts and it is quite difficult to gauge in such a small bird (Sneezy is about the size of a thrush). However, I just finely grated the end of the nut, took just a couple of these gratings and hoped it would be enough.

Well it worked and I have used this mixture again for extreme cold stress and have been just as successful. I was amazed how quickly (less than 24 hours) Sneezy regained the use of her wing, leg and neck and made a full recovery.

Keeping calm - you and your bird

To complete and complement the treatment you will need to keep the bird warm and calm.  I have always found that birds are very receptive to the reaction of others. So even if you feel like panicking, don't. I talk to my birds all the time I am treating them, explaining what I am doing and they certainly respond to the tone of my voice.; Poulie and Chicklette, the first hens I ever had, taught me so much about how my own stress levels impacted upon theirs. They say the Ardenner breed takes on the personality and comportment of the breeder, so I cannot thank them enough for holding up that mirror!

Even the moorhen was calm and receptive, whilst it was recovering. The day it pecked me whilst I was feeding it, was the day I knew it was ready to be released! It is interesting that I find the same pattern occurs with wild birds in stress or injury. They will trust me until they get better, which is as it should be.

I have made two films, one on the subject of Squeaky's cold stress and the other in which Sneezy demonstrates how I administer the emergency treatment. They were made on my old camera so are not in the HD of my more recent films. However the main thing is, I hope, that they will help by sharing what I did.

The next article on stress can be found by following this: LINK

If you have enjoyed this piece and found it useful think about sharing it with your family and friends, on social media and also maybe about joining this blog and/or subscribing to my Youtube, Odysee  or BitChute Channel or even supporting us on Patreon or

It all helps to keep me going!

Until next time, all the very best from sunny Normandie! 

Sue

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© 2013 Sue Cross

Stress in Organic Chickens - When? Why? Whom? Identification, causes and those most at risk.

Stress comes for all sorts of reasons to an organic flock and if not treated within 24 hours there is a good possibility, if it's a bad attack, that it can be fatal. Over the years I have dealt with stress triggers such as,  predator attack, problems in laying, loss of status, fights, bullying and overheating but if like us you are living in the Northern Hemisphere, then, at the moment, your most likely problem and cause will be the cold.

"Now what do we do?" Cochin brothers in adversity.
 

This is such an important and complex topic, it can't possibly be dealt with in a single post. I truly believe, from all I've experienced, that stress lies at the very heart of most if not all the health and behaviour problems encountered within the organic flock. In this first post I will look at the identification of stress, its underlying causes and how to identify those birds most at risk.

The first time I encountered stress in a bird was on bringing home a new Ardenner cockerel from an exhibition. He was young, only just in full colour and my eight year old niece, who was staying with us at the time, attracted to him as a lovely gentle bird, named him Dark Cloud. We were very careful to keep him cool on the way home, as it was a hot May day. Unbeknownst to us, as he had not been on show, he had been kept in the breeder's car throughout the morning. On arrival, although he seemed rather nonplussed, which was not unexpected, he appeared to be fine. However, after an hour he suddenly started to eat and drink rather manically and after another half hour or so, he was unsteady on his legs. The next morning he was dead and we were all very upset. When I rang the breeder and told him what had happened and explained the symptoms he recognised it immediately for what it was, heat stress brought on by the morning spent in his car.  That was ten years ago and having sworn at the time to find out all I could on the subject, despite predator attack, serial broodiness, extremes of cold and heat, difficulty in laying and general internecine battles amongst both hens and cockerels, I've always been able to treat this condition.

How do I know if my bird is suffering from stress?

This is Ruffles, a calmer and more phlegmatic Ardenner you could hardly find, he is the son of Raffles the cockerel I was given as a replacement for Dark Cloud.

Here's Sneezy our 8 year old Silver Sebright she looks a picture of tranquillity  but she suffered from one of the worst cases of stress, due to predator attack, I have ever had to deal with. It was easy to diagnose because it came on so quickly after the event and with dramatic symptoms including complete paralysis down one side.

This is Squarky, a Sebright Frizzle cross, showing distinct signs of cold stress. I know him well enough to see the signs but even at first glance you can tell he is not at his best, in fact he even looks miserable!

In my experience, the symptoms of stress have two ways of manifesting themselves, there is a severe form, which appears quickly and dramatically after a given event and is therefore easily diagnosable. Then there is a more measured build up of stress, in which the time or even exact nature of the trigger may not be obvious. In this latter case, knowing your bird's normal behaviour and comportment are the key to early and successful diagnosis. For, if allowed to go unchecked, this latter case may possibly develop into a severe stress condition and may like the former, prove fatal.  

Perhaps literature and country lore has been correct in associating cockerels with pride and position. They seem to suffer much worse than hens from stress brought on by more psychological reasons, such as loss of status and the aftermath of a fight. However, if you don't have a cockerel in your flock, you will probably have a hen who takes on the mantle of both cockerel and dominant hen, in her case therefore, stress caused by loss of status may be equally as dramatic.

Harmony within a flock is something we all strive for but each group's dynamic and its rules are often complex and unfathomable. We have three hen houses within our garden, all with a dominant hen and dominant cockerel(s) (we have three sets of brothers). Although I have some understanding of where the territorial boundaries have been drawn, certain groups seem to have passe-partout. There are also bands of 'marauders' leading ritual skirmishes which result in nothing but mutual bravado. The occasions on which tension and stress have occurred has often been by our intervention, such as our removal and eating of a cockerel, thereby causing a power vacuum and serious conflict.

So what should you be looking for

Severe stress  Comprising, sudden loss of motor function after the event, loss of balance, complete inability to move, lying on the ground, prone with legs often sticking out the back, complete or partial loss of 'voice', inability to focus, bewilderment and in extreme cases, paralysis.

Stress build up This in my experience follows a pattern in which, your hen or cockerel stops talking, eats erratically and voraciously, drinks incessantly, stands huddled with feathers fluffed, stops eating altogether, gasps when breathing, loses balance, can no longer stand. This is why at the start of this post, I mentioned that knowing your hen is key, Squeaky and Sneezy are very 'chatty' birds, the minute they stop talking, I start taking notice.

Proviso  In the case of specific stress particular in laying hens, I would be again noticing a progression; comprising, an occurrence of soft-shelled eggs, the hen experiencing difficulty walking and constantly stretching one of her legs out at the back as she walks. In extreme cases, I would expect, difficulty in standing, 'rubbery legs', sitting down constantly and if untreated, a  progression to difficulty in breathing, gasping and a change in colour of crest and face.

Identifying those most at risk

You would think this would be the most stressful job in the flock, but the mother hen and resultant chicks are often the most carefully guarded, respected and often feared, group of all.

Poultry when left to their own devices, given enough space and food, have a fine understanding of continuance. I do wonder if this very capability of the hen to cope with so many beaks to feed is also why, unlike her male counterpart, she seems far less prone to the forms of stress engendered by loss of status.

 However, broody hens can sometimes get themselves into a vicious circle of stress by becoming so intent on being broody that they forget to eat and drink. It's a good idea if your hen goes broody, even if you are not putting eggs under her but just letting her 'practice', to make sure that, she is getting off the nest at least once a day.

The most likely candidates for stress are the young and old and their lower rating in the pecking order, may thus be key in depriving them of necessary nutrients and trace elements. Stress and nutrient depletion make for a vicious circle, thus stress caused by jostling for a place, or inherent in the loss of a long-held position, may serve to deplete the system even further and engender yet more stress. Young pullets and cockerels are also more prone to chasing and being chased, something again which increases levels of stress. To add to their problems, the young and old are also often less well-feathered and thus more likely to become susceptible to heat and cold stress.  Amongst my own flock most susceptible to cold stress, are my older birds, in particular the light-feathered breeds I crossed with my light feathered Frizzle. Yet again, mea culpa, in my craze to get a Frizzle line going, when I rehomed an old Frizzle hen, who suddenly started to lay I didn't think of the consequences of old age....but that's another story...

Next Up - Simple, organic emergency treatment for stress and how to administer it without stressing out yourself or your bird. Follow this  LINK

If you have enjoyed this piece and found it useful think about sharing it with your family and friends, on social media and also maybe about joining this blog and/or subscribing to my Youtube, Odysee  or BitChute Channel or even supporting us on Patreon or

It all helps to keep me going!

Until next time, all the very best from sunny Normandie! 

Sue

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©2013 Sue Cross

Using Green Clay, Organic GSE & Essential Oil to Successfully Treat an Infected Wound

This is a beautiful female sparrow hawk, which I had just disentangled from the hedge after she had taken a low flight path to escape from me, when I caught her pinning down one of my fantails.

Sparrow hawks - damage limitation

It is the distinctively coloured female of the species, who preys on much larger birds than her name suggests. The male lives up to his name, preying on sparrows and smaller birds. I have witnessed the way the male attacks, launching himself at groups of sparrows perched in the bay tree in our garden.  It's a strange tactic, he slams into the tree scattering the poor sparrows in all directions. The female uses the same approach on my fantails, she waits until there is a group displaying on the roof and then swoops in scattering them and knocking one to the ground.

The Female of the Species 

'deadlier than the male'

Birds of prey are protected, here but I wouldn't want to harm them anyway. By the time this second picture was taken, I'd managed to get my gloves on. As the bird was in shock, I'd given her a little organic sugar in water. She repaid me by coming round and squeezing my fingers with her claws, ouch! We then took her in the car to a beautiful wood away from human habitation and let her go.

 

Birds of prey, like rats and other predators of poultry are opportunists and my fantails parading up and down the roof ridge are invitation enough. The whole of our garden has been planned to give our birds as much protection as possible to free range. My strategy has always been to plant up our garden in such a way as to prevent easy access by fly-through and thereby also give my fantails, if ever attacked, the chance to escape. Knowing my birds as I do, I am well aware of that avian memory retention is better than that of most humans. A sparrowhawk, may return after I have scared her off, alerted by my hens and cockerels, to see if she can get the abandoned prey but she rarely makes a third mistake with the hens and I on duty.

The brave little pigeon who got away

There's not much comparison really when you think of the fighting capabilities of fantail versus sparrow hawk. I hadn't associated this young female seemingly sitting on eggs under the workbench with the drops of blood and few feathers on the stone path in front of the workshop. Unfortunately I just presumed this was evidence a new sparrowhawk had carried off one of my birds and so I left her alone for a couple of days. By the third day however, as I hadn't seen her come out to eat, I thought I should remove her from the nest. Young birds can become fixated on sitting and forget to look after themselves. It was then that I found that she had been badly injured under her wing and this left untreated had become infected. Perhaps if she had been out and about instead of cowering under the bench the wound would have begun to dry and heal, even though deep, but now it needed intervention. This is what I did and I hope if this ever happens to one of your birds it will be of help. 

Interestingly enough she had obviously not been affected by stress, although a previous attack had left a fantail flat out on the ground and completely unable to stand purely from stress. In this case I had administered emergency stress treatment, you can find that HERE It can be used on all sorts of poultry and I have also used it with great success on rescued wild birds.

Step-by-step treatment

Montmorillonite - Illite or (French Green) clay is one of the most amazing natural minerals, its primary use is as a detox for the body. Always choose a good quality sun-dried, powdered clay from a reputable source, it is not expensive.

 

It can remove bacteria from wounds and also pull heavy metals and even radiation from the body, with both internal and external application. I have also used it to great effect on sprains and a friend has used it to successfully set her dog's broken leg!  

In the case of my pigeon, she was in such a bad state that I didn't consider how I would remove the clay. Normally a clay compress is only left on until dry. I just knew I needed to pack the wound in her side. This was both to seal it from further infection and remove that which already was within the wounded tissue.

Clay is always mixed by putting the powder into the recipient first and then adding water, this is the easiest way to gauge exactly how much water to use. Due to the clays ability to remove toxins, only stable substances such as glass or porcelain should be used to mix the clay, above all do not use plastic.  You should also use good quality water too!

Update - I have since found, that the metal spoon will have an ionic reaction on the clay that is in direct contact with it - a tiny amount but even so in future I will use a wooden, glass or ceramic spoon.

In this case of an infected wound I would also add a few of drops of organic grapefruit seed extract to the clay and mineral water mix. This is a powerful relatively recently-discovered naturally occurring antibiotic, it is one of the few things which can control MRSA. Mix this in well to your clay mix so it is evenly distributed.

Just a word about this pigeon, I knew from the start, despite the gravity of her wound that she was OK  because she was eating and drinking and responding to  me in a normal manner.

There are essential oils which can be used as an initial cleanser for wounds, these are Lavender (lavandula angustifolia)  and Tea tree, which I will deal with in another post, these also have the ability to anaesthetise and deaden pain. For the post on cleansing wounds follow this: LINK

I wasn't sure, as the wound was so deep and infected, if it would clear just with the one treatment. On the next day after treatment, I could still smell the wound, therefore, I decided to follow up with Essential Oil of Tea Tree. This is a powerful broad spectrum antibacterial agent and a good one to have in your first aid kit. Always get a good quality pure oil, mine is organic from a local company. It is worth paying a little extra and remember you are only using so few drops for each treatment, a small 10ml bottle will contain approximately 200 plus drops.

Following advice from my sister, who has used Tea Tree on her cattle I fed it directly into the wound, a couple of drops on the clay and one down the side. Tea Tree is one of the few E.Os that can be used neat in an emergency. Personally, I would never use more than three drops of E.O. on a bird per day. Most of my birds are bantams thus with low body weights. Also and as with human adults I would not treat for longer than five days at a time without a break. I have never in my experience had to treat after the five days.

My next problem, when after three days of treatment with Tea Tree the wound was clear of infection, was how to remove the clay. Luckily the problem was solved for me as the pigeon cleaned it off herself! She was left with a scab a fraction of the size of the wound surrounded by healthy looking pink skin. I was so pleased that something so terrible and deep had healed so well and that she could still and does fly.  I did notice however, that she was quite careful about bathing for some time even after the wound had healed.

Here she is at the pigeon lido wondering whether to go for a dip!

If you'd like to watch the film.

Thanks for dropping by and do feel free to share experiences or ask for further information in the comment section. If you have enjoyed this piece and found it useful think about sharing it with your family and friends, on social media and also maybe about joining this blog and/or subscribing to my Youtube, Odysee  or BitChute Channel or even supporting us on Patreon or

It all helps to keep me going!

Until next time, all the very best from sunny Normandie! 

Sue
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© 2013 Sue Cross

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©  Sue Cross 2016