While tucking the chickens in the coop the past two nights, I noticed one of my Golden Penciled Hamburgs in a nest box. I thought she might be starting to get broody, but this morning when I let the chickens out of the coop I found her – dead in a nest box. She was one of my soft shell layers, and I checked her vent just last night. There was dried yolk and egg white on the feathers under her vent, but the vent itself was clear. I was upset that I lost her, and absolutely baffled about what could have caused it. So, next to sticking my finger up chicken butts on a routine basis, I did something I never thought I would. I cut her open. Her abdomen was filled with yolk and egg white, but other than that, I saw nothing that would raise a lot of concern. I’m no necropsy expert by any stretch of the imagination, but I’ve studied the subject a little and was hoping something unusual would catch my attention. It didn’t.
You may recall I lost another Hamburg that died quite suddenly last year. I have no idea what happened to her either. It makes me sad to lose a chicken, but I know that sometimes these things happen. I hope this is just a rare, odd, occurrence.
On a lighter note, the pups and I walked down to get the mail today and on the way, I noticed this in one of our cedar trees:
How very odd. When I flipped one of them up, it looked like an alien blob.
A little later, I found the same thing on another cedar.
In a weird and scary kind of way, I thought they were actually quite pretty.
And I noticed this slime on the trunk of the trees:
I carefully backed away and ran in the house to google this orange/slimy/spaghetti looking goo. As it turns out, those big orange blobs are Cedar-Apple Rust Galls. And that goo on the trunk? That’s Cedar-Quince Rust. These are both a type of fungi. And they are neither one cool to have. Both can eventually kill their host. The Cedar-Apple Rust Gall is especially worrisome. It is a two host fungi. It depends on both the cedar tree and the apple tree. We have many cedar trees, and only two apple trees – which is apparently enough for this fungus to live. In the early nineteen hundreds, the Cedar-Apple Rust fungus was apparently decimating the apple orchards in Virginia. So much so that the Cedar Apple Rust Act of 1914 was passed. This act required any land owner in Virginia that had a cedar infected with the cedar-apple rust fungus, and living within two miles of an apple orchard, to chop the tree down. I am not kidding. It was an official ordinance. As far as I can tell, this ordinance was never repealed and remains in effect today. Not that it pertains to us. We live no where near an apple orchard. But it is rather disturbing that we have trees with this fungus. It’s cute and all that, but it’s still a fungus. And it’s still not cool. I mean we do have two little apple trees that were likely the result of a bird pooping seeds out of it’s little butt. And now I learn these orange blobs of gall are a threat to our little apple trees. *sigh*
Mother Nature can be a real buzz kill sometimes. But she happens to rule around here, so I’m trying to figure out a way to live peacefully with her. And I’ve learned she doesn’t negotiate. At all.
Bee Free,
Penny
Tags: cedar apple rust gall, cedar quince rust, chicken sudden death
Oh no…no, no. Im sorry, Penny. I know you loved that chicken with all your might. Im not sure that I would have been brave enough to cut her open…maybe I could have stood there and watched you do it, (maybe)but I need more baby steps I think to get me any further.
That gall stuff is amazing and gross all at the same time. Its like it draws you in and then makes you want to look at it and check it out….then you find out what it really is and what it can do……mean ol gall stuff.
How sad about your chicken…… I dont know what I will do when Janet eventualy dies….. as pathatic as that sounds lol I most certainly wouldnt beable to cut her open, nor eat her…. and as much as I love skulls I wouldnt be able to keep her little head either lol
Wow it looks like a sea urchin and should be in a rockpool…… aint it strange that deadly things can be so beautiful…. as regards the slime…… that I dont like lol…… you sure the urchin didnt sneeze on the tree hence the slim?
x
Frugalmom – thanks for the kind words about me losing my chicken. It’s really heartbreaking to lose one, especially when I feel like I should have been able to tell something was wrong. I’m not sure I could have saved her, but I would have tried. As for cutting her open, I struggled with it for a little while before deciding to do it. But I lost two Hamburgs at laying age with virtually no symptoms, and wanted to see if they were possibly internal layers. I am really praying this is something that was just specific to them. I would be devastated if this is contagious. I don’t believe it is, but….. And I know what you mean about the gall. It really is pretty – and it really is mean.
Marmitetoasty – Oh, I just dread for you when your babies go. I pray it is a long way in the future. I certainly understand about not being able to eat her or cut her open. I struggled with cutting open this little Hamburg. But I guess I really was hoping to find that she had some sort of internal issue and it would have given me a measure of comfort knowing it wasn’t contagious. I’ll keep a close eye on the others and I’m praying it was just one of those things. And I’m with you on the slime thing – pretty gross. If that gall wasn’t so deadly I wouldn’t mind having trees full of it! Very unusual looking and pretty stuff!
I am so sorry about your chicken dying!! I know that’s part of the life cycle, but still, it’s saddening!
Is there nothing you can do to treat your cedars?? Short of cutting down and burning them?
Hi LisaAlso – thanks for the kind words. And yes, it seems there is a spray you can put on them to kill off the fungus. So far, I’ve only seen two trees infected with it – but I honestly have not walked the entire property. It’s interesting though that these cedars are right next to several others, that do not have it. I suspect it will eventually spread to them. Right now I’d like to just remove those two and then see if it shows up again on others. If that would solve it, I would be happier than spraying stuff. But if it doesn’t, we may not have a choice. The good news is that the two we cute down will not go to waste. Bernie will cut them into boards with his saw mill.
So sorry about your chicken! Hope you figure out what the problem is. And that orange stuff on the trees would have made me run…far away! I think I really need to get out more…
Thank you Nicole. And that orange stuff was pretty freaky – and somewhat alluring all at the same time. Kinda drew me to it in a spooky way. It really looks like it could be the subject of a B rated sci-fi flick.
Ok, who let that LisaAlso in here, dont you know she is trouble LMFAO…… and she loves beavers
x
Now, now, MarmiteToasty. Don’t be besmirching your friend Lisa – at least not on MY blog! I need all five of the readers I currently have!
Penny, so sorry for your chicken loss. You are one tough lady…there is no way I could have cut her open, but I understand why you did. Fingers crossed that what killed the Hamburgs was nothing contagious.
As for that tree fungus….when I first saw it I thought is was pumpkin guts!
Hi Lilla – pumpkin guts! That made me laugh. Good description! Up close they look like those little hairy ball toys I’ve seen before and have no clue what they are called. I’ve just been googling about getting rid of it – I’m thinking I may be able to snip off the gall – there are only 2 trees with it that I’ve seen. Apparently it spreads when it dries out and the wind blows spores from those pumpkin gut things to other trees…… I may be able to just nip this for now.
Thank you for putting that Marmite gal in her place!! I thinks she follows me around the internet making snarky comments!! LOL Can you tell i just love her??
I know how much you love Marmitetoasty – I met her through your blog and it would be hard not to love her! You two are too funny – I’m glad I found you both!