Chickens, goats and more

We've been so busy that I haven't blogged, and didn't even check e-mails until just tonight. Very busy weekend.

Finished the baby-chick coop for the garage, and got all 10 of the 3-week old chicks in it late last night. At first, they just sat there all confused, then ran around in circles in one little spot, some of them poking their heads out of the poultry netting (thereby scaring me silly). By this morning, they had slept in complete darkness (I checked on them at 4 a.m., and spied them all spread out on the ground). Today they discovered the roost, the holes in the concrete block, the little house we built, and so forth. I added lots of hay and grass clippings to the coop during the day, which are all mashed down now.

Pecka, the girl quail, got very scared yesterday. We thought she was going to die. Kept flying up and hitting her head on the top of the cage. Didn't put out an egg yesterday. For that matter, neither did Henny Penny. Hmmm.

Shoot, just remembered I didn't turn the quail eggs today (in the incubator). Ok.. In a minute.

Tried to finish the goat pen, and nearly did. Still need a better way to fasten the gate. Got the water bucket over there and filled. Added 2 bays of hay in the back of the goat house. Then, just 5 minutes before we planned to move the babies to their new home, the new next door neighbors' dog came up and scared them. Terrified them, actually. Moved them anyway, but they started panting and panting. We showed them around, where their water was, etc. Didn't stop panting until we gave up and moved them back to their indoor pen. We'll try again in a day or two.

It got quite warm today. So warm that when I walked into the workshop to check on the critters, the poor angora rabbit was laying down. Gonna have to move her back in the garage.

Ok, the big news. The 13 yo Kid had ingrown toenail procedure on Friday. Didn't go well. The doc didn't do it right, and didn't catch the infection. Once the numbing agent wore off, the Kid was in the most intense pain I've ever seen with him. Not since he had major surgery when he was 9 months old. It got so bad.... not even a half of one of my percocet or anything else I tried, helped. Ended up making the hour trip to the closest hospital (one of the downsides of living in the country). The doc had said the Kid didn't have an infection, but the ER pediatrician said he did, and a few other things. Put him on antibiotics, and stronger pain meds. Finally feels better today, Sunday.

A neighbor 2 houses down, who we hadn't met before, drove his tractor up our driveway. We greeted him. He was just grading his driveway and wanted to know if we'd like him to do ours. Just a neighborly thing. We chatted. He graded. I gave him 6 of Henny Penny's green eggs. We made tentative plans for cocktails some time during the Summer.

And the house next to us closed last week, with the new owners moving in. This is a very tiny house, so small that the neighbors call it "the doll house". Owner Don and wife, plus their 5 children. In that tiny house. But they seem nice. Plan to have a mini donkey and chickens. The 12 year old wants a bmx track but the father poo-pooed that right away.

The neighbor behind us ... with the turkeys, chickens, goats and ducks ... the turkey had babies a few weeks ago. Three of them. And one by one, they got eaten by the neighborhood fox. Now the turkey is going around, depressed, looking for her chicks (is that what they're called)? She came over several times today, visiting, looking around. Wanted to be petted and picked up. First time I've ever touched a turkey. So sweet. We introduced her to our baby chicks because the garage was open, but she wasn't interested. Poor thing.

We planned to cut the grass this weekend, but every time we got ready to, the wind kicked up. Fun fun. Finally did tho cut the weeds that surrounded the front door area. Poor UPS guys trying to find a foot-hold to leave packages there on Friday did it. (BTW: the chicken and baby chicks loved the clippings!)

I'm burnt. Sore. Hands cramped up and can barely type. My left arm is so messed up that I really need a sling. Did WAY too much. Didn't cook at all this weekend. Didn't clean this weekend. Finally took a bath but .. feels like, although I got a LOT done this weekend, I guess, I actually didn't. I hate that.

Gonna go take some meds and go to bed.

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Please plant a nut or fruit tree today. Thanks.