Dusk

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I just have a little chicken report.

I was at the barn till nearly dusk last night soaking Echo's hoof so when I got home I quick checked my chickens and they had gone into the coop and were on their roosts all by themselves : ))

I locked up the coop and said goodnight.

Good little girls!

Happenings of the Day

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Today started out very early.  The bricklayers that are redoing my fireplace chimney outside got here about 8am.  I said hello and had my breakfast.  I really don't have to be here for them.  Today they took the part of the chimney down that had broken bricks and the next 2 days they'll be replacing and matching bricks.  Well, about 10am we lost all electricity!  I called and it was out for about 79 people and would be back on before noon.  The guys took an early lunch.

The electricity was restored about 11:45.  At 1pm the Culligan man came to replace my filters for the "good water machine" under my sink.  (reverse osmosis)

They have to take it down about to the roofline.

About 3pm we left for the barn to soak Echo's hoof and redo his bandage.  Yes, I remembered photos this time!  Here they are.  I know . . . such a bad angle, it makes his head looks even bigger than it is!!

It's a fight to get this bandage on, believe me.  My back is killing me!!  Since my sister is visiting me, she can hand me things.  It really is a 2 people job!!

After the barn was grocery shopping.

We came home to a crockpot meal of chicken and biscuits.

Then I relaxed in the run watching my chicks!  They didn't go into the coop at dusk till I went in there and called them!!! They have to learn to do that!  They are all locked in tight now!

Goodnight!

Shirley

Updates on Animals (and chicks)

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Echo

Echo is driving me nuts because he has another hoof access which means he's out of training for awhile.

He came up lame on Friday and that was the day the farrier was there, so that was good!  He found the ouchy spot in his left front toe but was unable to get to it.  So it was 3 days of a soak bandage but no improvement.  Vet came on Monday and said it was for sure an access and was going to come out at the coronary band.  Which takes forever  : ((

So he is being soaked in epson salts and warm water twice a day plus Ichthammol on the soft spot to help draw.

The first day of bucket soaking, he kicked over 3 buckets before he stood still.  It was windy that day and noisy in the barn and he was spooking but since then he's been good.

Good at holding his hoof in the bucket but not so good at the bandaging part!!!!

Tonight's bandage is a mess!  It was the third try and my back gave out!!

I have forgotten to get a photo every darn day!  I'll try to remember tomorrow!!

Chickens

They are in their coop!!

They are doing fine and today I opened their chicken door and, after an hour, they ventured down the ramp into the run!  I haven't gotten the sand as yet but that is coming.  I raked some old leaves in there for them to scratch through.  They are roosting on their roosts in the coop at night without a "lesson"

  : ))

The first two nights they spent in a large dog cage in the coop.  That was way too much trouble to do things in the cage so today the cage came down and the chicks are free!!!  (Sort of)

Here is the coop.  I'm using my toboggan as a poop board till I think of something better.  It has PDZ in it and I can slid it right out the door when it gets stinky.  I'll just scoop it like kitty litter in the mean time.

I have to hang up the water container yet.

Here's the scary ramp to the big outdoors!  The container out there is for their dust baths.  Part dirt, part wood ash and part Diatomaceous Earth.

Here they are out in the run

That's Martha.  She was the first one to venture down the ramp.

Lily

Tomorrow I have to put a tarp over half the run and add another bag of shavings inside the coop.

Good night all.

Shirley

House Bound Because of Heat Wave!

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Well, not entirely housebound.  I did have to make some trips to the store.

I am going to my sister's to see my niece's daughter dance in a dance recital.

I'll only be gone 2 days but even leaving for that long requires planning.  Mostly because of the animals.

I have Carol from my old barn, who is also a petsitter, coming in to take care of the dogs and chickens!

(It's ok, she does farm sitting too!)

My sister is coming back with me for a visit here for a couple weeks.

This is the last week for the chickens in the bathroom.  I'll be moving them to their coop when I get home.

I let them out from their little brooder for long periods during the day.

Yes, they make a big mess.

The top picture is after I brought them some yogurt.  They love it and it helps keep their poop from being too runny.

This is Martha, every time I sit down, she's on my lap!

This is Mollie.  She's a little shy but looks a lot like Martha the other buff orpington.

This is another shy girl.  It's Lilly, she's a light colored easter egger.

And here's Dottie.  She's very friendly and probably the head of the pecking order.

She looks a little rough now but will grow into a beautiful Silver laced Wyandotte.

Eggo didn't want her picture taken today.  I think she was having a bad hair day.

Shirley

OK, I'm Paranoid

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I've decided to give the chicks another week in the house in the brooder.  Probably more for me than for them!

I know they are getting a little crowded in there but I let them out for a couple hours to have the free range of the bathroom.

I read some things on a chicken forum about raccoons getting into the chicken coops so I got worried and exchanged my carabiner closers with regular padlocks!  I know those little buggers can't go find the keys and open them!!  I put them on all doors!

The cage is ready for them.  All I have to do is put the food holder in there.

They'll probably be in the cage for only a week or so then I'll let them into the coop space.

Once they know that's their home and where they are to roost them I'll open the door to the run.  That will be fun!!

We had a little rain so my little chicken garden is doing good.  Yesterday I cut up a little of the lettuce and sprinkled it around when they were loose in the bathroom.  My one easter egger chick, (Eggo), grabbed a piece and was running all over with it!  She didn't know what she had but she didn't want anyone else to get it.  

They are so funny!

Shirley

My Home Boys

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A lot of times I eat in the family room off a lap tray while watching the news.

This is what I have to contend with!

I feel guilty eating!  Mind you that I've fed them first!!!

My Boys!!!

Shirley

No Music Again

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Sorry!

It took me 3 days to get back on my blog.

It just keeps loading and loading and doesn't work. 

When I did get on tonight, after much waiting . . . I removed the MixPod music thingy.

That was the last thing I added before it went fluey so I'm hoping that's it.

It's still slow but maybe it will get better after I do a complete shutdown tonight.

Let me know if anyone can get on to see this!!!

I hate computer problems!!!!

A frustrated Shirley

Thinking of Satire Tonight

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What a beautiful soul he was.

Shirley

New Music and Other Updates

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I finally found another music provider that will do, I guess.  But now I've got to add my music back on.  My last playlist had 172 songs on it.  It took me forever to collect that many! Now I've got to search all over again.  

The one thing about MixPod is that you can turn the music on if you want.  It's not just automatically playing when you come to my blog.  (Some people don't like the distraction of music.)

So it's up to you.  I know I only have a few songs on there but it's the little iPod or iPhone looking thing there on the right hand side bar.

Thanks!

Monk

Monk got groomed again yesterday.  He has an ear infection and his ears needed cleaned so he sure didn't like that!  He has to go to the vet tomorrow probably for some antibiotics.

One good thing is, he doesn't seem quite so itchy and his hair has stopped falling out in patches!

I hate allergies!!!!!

Chickies

My now 5 little chicks seem fine.  I spread newspaper and towels down on the bathroom floor and let them out of their little brooder everyday for about an hour for a little run-about.  They are growing fast and already seem crowded in the brooder.  It will soon be time to move them to the big wire dog cage.  That will be inside the coop, out in the garage, but they'll still have a heat lamp on when they need it.

A couple can fly out of the brooder when I take the lid off!

They are so curious and so busy all the time!!

I have video on my iPhone.  Does anyone know how to upload it to blogger??

Bye,

Shirley

What Music!!

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Where Has All The Music Gone???

Evidently, Playlist and some other music "providers" are no longer "providing" off sites with music!

This included blogs!  

I'm sorry, I liked my blog music and am now on a search to figure out a way to get some music back on!!

Does anyone know a provider that will work with a Mac and with Blogger???

This stinks!

Sad News

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This evening I lost little Millicent, my 15 day old chic.

She couldn't eat and got weaker and weaker no matter what I did.

It wasn't any disease.  She had an impacted crop and nothing would move through her.

She finally just slept away.

It's sad to lose any living thing.

Millicent

Shirley

Sick Chic

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Sorry, I haven't been keeping up with my blogging.  I'm nursing a sick chic.

I'm pretty sure it's not anything contagious.  It is some problem internally.  Her crop isn't emptying.  That's her stomach where things go into and mix up with grit to digest and then should pass through but the little bit she is eating and drinking seems to be staying in her crop.  It gets distended and mushy feeling.  It's easy to detect.

So she's lethargic and not running around crazy like the rest of the chicks.  It happened all of a sudden!  Something's stuck and I don't know what to do!

So if there's some chicken people out there that has had this same problem let me hear from you!!!!

This is her.  I named her Millicent.  She is at the bottom of the pecking order, maybe just because she's not strong right now.  Millicent means "strong, strength", so I'm hoping she can overcome this.

She's a Barred Plymouth Rock and will be beautiful hopefully!

I also named my others:

 This is Martha

She's the bossy one  : ))

This is Molly

Those two are Buff Orpingtons.

This is Dottie

She's a Silver laced Wyandotte

 This is Lily

These last two are Easter Eggers

They're the ones that lay blue and green eggs.

They come in different colors.  (the chickens!)

And this is Eggo  : ))

Please say a little prayer for Millicent!

Shirley

Outdoors

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I'm starting out with some pinks from my garden.  I don't have many pink things in my house so I have to wait till something pink blooms outside!

I love foxglove.  I started with 3 or 4 from the garden center and then I make sure I let the seeds dry on the stalk and reseed where I want them.  I've got lots now.  Nothing says old fashioned perennial garden like the foxglove.

This is a New Dawn climber by my kitchen porch.  The problem is that it's very thorny.  Not a good place for it.  I have to keep it pruned back.

My gardens are flourishing a little early this year

This is the one end of my brick path in my front garden.  I laid all those bricks a few years back.

With the early warm temps and the rain, I am getting overgrown!!!!

My little chicken's garden is coming right along.  Pole beans in the back, to climb on the run fence, nasturtiums in the middle and lettuce in front.

I also have a sad report about my 5 blue bird eggs.  Something got them, they're gone and there was evidence of foul play!!

The blue birds are still around though so maybe they'll try again.

I'm linking up with these parties:

http://howsweetthesound.typepad.com/my_weblog/

http://www.bystephanielynn.com/

Shirley