The strangest thing happened today; at least *I* thought it was strange! Two months ago, one of my Bantam Cochin hens somehow clipped her upper beak and looked like a debeaked bird. No blood, but she was being shunned. I brought her into the house and altho the top beak hasn't grown at all, I've had to file the lower beak once a week.

The hen wears a small figure 8 harness so I can attach a quart size baggie to the harness with large safety pins ~ one on her back to the ring of the harness, and one on her belly. This is her diaper. I take the diaper off when she spends time outside doing chook things.

This hen hatched out some guineas back in September. The guineas were attached to her like glue until I brought the hen in the house. The guineas immediately hooked up with another hen, a Standard mystery bird that had come as an extra in an order. She appears to be an Easter Egger. The guineas have been glued to her for the last 2 months and she behaves just like their mama.

Today, when I put the Bantam Cochin hen outside, the guineas saw her and ran to her. She started clucking to them and they are now glued to her. It's like these past 2 months never existed.

-- ~Rogo (rogo2222@hotmail.com), February 13, 2002

Answers

Response to Memory Retention

Chicken diapers??!! Earth to Rogo, has any body checked the water over there lately??!!

-- mitch hearn (moopups@citlink.net), February 13, 2002.

Response to Memory Retention

Yeah, right, Mitch- aren't you the one who emailed me looking for baby worm diapers, LOL?

-- Elizabeth (ekfla@aol.com), February 13, 2002.

Response to Memory Retention

Jeez, Mitch, the time to start wondering about Rogo is if he had the chicken in the house WITHOUT the diaper. :)

-- Jennifer L. (Northern NYS) (jlance@nospammail.com), February 13, 2002.

Well, there's quite a good deal of logic to making sure an indoor chicken won't fowl (hah!) the floor. It's when people start keeping their very own half ton riding pigs that we need to start worrying.

-- Don Armstrong (darmst@yahoo.com.au), February 14, 2002.

=== Well, there's quite a good deal of logic to making sure an indoor chicken won't fowl (hah!) the floor. It's when people start keeping their very own half ton riding pigs that we need to start worrying. ===

So now, Don, you're teasing me about my pet Hampshire hog, huh!!! He weighs somewhere between 700-800 pounds, his back is about 45 inches off the ground, and he doesn't have an ounce of fat on him. He drives a cart and I've been on him bareback. Altho he doesn't mind a saddle, the ride isn't comfortable enough to do it again! My steer and Mammoth give a much more comfortable ride. Oh, something else, I raised the hog in the house....without diapers! At 4 weeks old, he housebroke the first day.

-- ~Rogo (rogo2222@hotmail.com), February 14, 2002.

Pigs are very smart! But a chicken with a diaper would be sight to see! :>)

-- Cindy (colawson@mindspring.com), February 14, 2002.