Does anyone else remember that song? Star Trekkin' ... slowly going forward, things are getting worse! lol
I definitely had to show my kids that YouTube, after all their cultural education would not be complete without Star Trek and Star Wars, would it? Oh, and Grease, and Labyrinth, and The Never Ending Story.
Ahh, the good ol' days. Can't even trust Disney movies these days.
Anyway back to our scheduled post.
The boys have been going to a morning holiday activity put on by a local church this week. They love it each year. Even my 13 year old has been enjoying it. He is so quiet though that he finds it easier to relate to the girls than the boys. The others are loving the craft and games. Overall a good event for them all, and free.
We have also bought ourselves a pool, only 12 foot across and about 2 foot deep but quite good for getting cool and having a little exercise anytime we want. Of course the security for it cost more than the pool itself but having a secure gate and back door are very important when you have little ones.
Rosie the chook is recovering well. Her crop is not getting so stuck. It seems I do still need to massage it at least 3 times a day to keep things moving along but I don't mind. Chasing her around each time (why she can't just come like a dog when I call her I don't know!) gives me some exercise and amusement anyway.
We had to move a bookshelf to get to some Telstra wiring the other day so while one was empty I thought I may as well empty all my shelves and paint them white. They are Billy bookcases from Ikea that I bought about 12 years and are still going strong. Couldn't say the same for the Billy bookcase I got about 3 years ago. They were a dark red brown but we needed to lighten up the room so white they will be.
It could take me a few more days to get them finished so there are boxes all over the place filled with books. Bit messy but then you do have to break some eggs to make an omelet as they say.
Best wishes
Jen
Showing posts with label chooks. Show all posts
Showing posts with label chooks. Show all posts
Friday, January 20, 2012
Tuesday, January 10, 2012
Chooky affairs!
One of my bantam chooks has not been well. She looked really good but after doing some research on why chooks have a lump on their breast we learnt a lot about chicken anatomy.
Rosie had a lump on her chest about the size of a tennis ball each night. We learnt that chickens fill their crop (the first stage of their digestive system) really well just before going to roost so they "last" the night without food. Usually by morning the crop is empty and they happily go off and eat. Rosie's crop was not empty in the morning. After some extensive "natural learning" (lol) I started some simple therapy of massaging her crop in the morning and isolating her so she didn't get any food for 48 hours.
It was not looking good. After a visit to a not-so-local vet who was very good with chickens I found out that her nervous system had probably been affected by a virus similar to Herpes called Mareks and that her crop could not empty.
All of this, of course, had to happen over New Year's and all of its associated holidays. I have since been very busy giving her anti-biotics morning and night, syringing 10mls of apple cider vinegar solution into her 4 times a day, giving her fennel tea once a day and massaging her crop every time I hold her for one of these events. It has been very busy.
The good news (fingers crossed, prayers said) is that she has gained 65g in the last 5 days, her crop has gone down to about the size of a bantam egg and she is looking a bit chirpier. She is also becoming quite tame and cuddly. :)
I had intended to start "formal" school back last week but instead we have been doing a little formal school and a whole lot of natural learning about chickens and their digestive system and the responsibilities of owners towards their animals.
Ironic, isn't it, considering my rant a month or so ago?
Best wishes
Jen
Rosie had a lump on her chest about the size of a tennis ball each night. We learnt that chickens fill their crop (the first stage of their digestive system) really well just before going to roost so they "last" the night without food. Usually by morning the crop is empty and they happily go off and eat. Rosie's crop was not empty in the morning. After some extensive "natural learning" (lol) I started some simple therapy of massaging her crop in the morning and isolating her so she didn't get any food for 48 hours.
It was not looking good. After a visit to a not-so-local vet who was very good with chickens I found out that her nervous system had probably been affected by a virus similar to Herpes called Mareks and that her crop could not empty.
All of this, of course, had to happen over New Year's and all of its associated holidays. I have since been very busy giving her anti-biotics morning and night, syringing 10mls of apple cider vinegar solution into her 4 times a day, giving her fennel tea once a day and massaging her crop every time I hold her for one of these events. It has been very busy.
The good news (fingers crossed, prayers said) is that she has gained 65g in the last 5 days, her crop has gone down to about the size of a bantam egg and she is looking a bit chirpier. She is also becoming quite tame and cuddly. :)
I had intended to start "formal" school back last week but instead we have been doing a little formal school and a whole lot of natural learning about chickens and their digestive system and the responsibilities of owners towards their animals.
Ironic, isn't it, considering my rant a month or so ago?
Best wishes
Jen
Sunday, December 4, 2011
A photographic update!
The chook pen built by Chris and some friends over several weeks.
Hope these are all there. I am new to this linking to photos elsewhere on the web.
Best wishes
Jen
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| My girls, two of each breed. |
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| My new-to-me car. Yay for boot space! |
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| Our garden beds and to the right a large rhubarb patch, thanks to a co-worker of DH. |
Hope these are all there. I am new to this linking to photos elsewhere on the web.
Best wishes
Jen
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