Wednesday, February 1, 2012

update from the rehab and maternity ward

I thought you all might like to see how the patients are doing. First, the elephant in the room. Braveheart, who proudly juts out his three remaining tail feathers. He now makes noises at me like a drain pipe glugging. I was looking for where the sound was coming from for a week and it was following me. Braveheart also gobbles, of course, and has started stomping one foot with his wings out and cupped. I do Indian dances with him. I swear he dances just like he is at Powwow. I often think about how silly of a woman I would appear to be if there were hidden cameras up there. Fool woman.


Braveheart the turkey, growing back feathers and feeling his male-ness

I grabbed every duck egg I could when Rain, Happy and Crick (Indian Runners) were in the hospital. Crick died, Happy recovered, then one day just gave up and joined Crick. It hit me very hard. Rain's leg healed, then she took a flying leap down a story of stairs and started hobbling again. She now spends her days inside the uphill barn-house with a flock of teenage ducks who are growing out. I noticed yesterday, she is putting weight back on the foot. I am relieved.

Rain is getting better, again
Rain, silver indian runner

While all of that healing was happening, I had eggs in the incubator. I have to thank my Birds of a Feather Group for enabling suggesting to me to grab all the eggs I could in the event that I might have their bloodlines. Because I was not prepped for hatching in breeding pens, I got a nice little mix.

First came these two:


Jensen (don't be such a chicken) and Hendrie (grandmother of the flock) trying to find the fluff cycle button
Jensen and Hendrie are growing fast

Happy is gone, but we now have Jensen who is a white Indian Runner. Hendrie, a blue bibbed Indian Runner, could be from Rain. She did lay an egg the first day she was in the Hospital.

Jensen and Hendrie out-grow the chicks quickly

Hendrie and... ?
Jensen - not a chicken at all

Then came a few more ducklings...


this one might be related to Squint

actually, baby's daddy (Squint) might have fathered the two darker ones

this one is possibly an indian runner trout or mix

the bigger blue and white may be a indian runner pekin mix

Jensen and Hendrie are not nice to the new ducklings

but the newbies seem to be holding up fine

the black copper maran chicks love them

except this guy (RI Red), who was moved up to the teenager brooder



Marie the French hen, has been resting up from her prolasped oviduct. Luckily, I have not had to treat her a again. She has not laid an egg since, but her and her sister's egg have hatched. Somewhere in the duckling photos above are her children. She doesn't seem to care about them.

Marie Antoinette
I don't have a current picture of Knuckles the hen, but she is completely healed from her foot injury. She kicked off the last shoe and began placing her fool correctly on the ground. Now she is walking with ease. Knuckles is with the Delaware breeding group right now, but soon I will have to put her back with the flock, I need to make sure I am hatching Dels only. Yes, I will be hatching all the way though until Summer!
 
I lost a couple baby rabbits (it breaks my heart), but the rest are growing fast. I will do another baby in the basket photo shoot, and also I want to talk about...
 
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turning 49 and how I feel and don't feel about that. I think I will explore getting older from a tom-boy-ish woman's perspective. I hope to bring a mix of honesty, humor and humility to the table. Pre-Birthday activities include being sent to the cardiologist and the neurologist by my primary girl lady doctor. Which means heading out to the big city. I need to make sure I don't have crap on my shoes. Last time I tracked some in to my doctor's nice white and shiny office floor.
 
Today I am a mess, as well as-- a healer, a funeral director, a farmer, a therapist, a cook, a maid, a farmer, and a woman living wild and wonderfully here in WV.


17 comments:

  1. We've been considering having a few turkeys, but not too sure about it. I think we'd need a lot more fencing. That's a good farmyard you've got there, but it sounds like a lot of heartache as well.

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    1. Well, I am a sensitive girl, so it can be tough. But the joy always outweighs the heartache. I do love what I do. :-)

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  2. Now if you carry on like that I'm gonna have to get some ducks. They are super cute.

    Cro, I'm considering turkeys too this year, light grey/blue ones. Apparently they have a have a habit of 'leaping' high fences. Amazing for such big heavy birds.

    Is that true Crow?

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    1. female turkeys can jump well chris but usually at roosting time...generally mine keep to the ground...
      you also need to watch out for black head if they are being kept on the same ground as chickens...
      turkeys are much more delicate, especially when young, than any other bird!

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    2. What's 'black head'? I thought I'd got through that stage when I was a teenager.

      If my usual Maran hen goes broody again I was going to get some blue turkey eggs for her to sit on and raise, like giant chickens.

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    3. I have my turkeys in their own pen. Black head is a concern, so they have their "virgin" ground that they live on. Black head is a major concern, so living with chickens can be risky because the chickens are the carriers. The organisms can stay in the ground for up to three years. Next year, I will switch pens, place the new ones on more virgin ground, and try to do this organically.

      I clipped my turkey wings, but they can and do go high for nighttime perching. They were perching on the roof of their house, now they are able to make it to a tree limb above their house. But every morning they are down, pacing the fence waiting to be fed. They are very tame and don't seem to want to run away. I have an 8 foot fence. I probably should put netting across, but I like the idea of them being up high in the tree at night.

      I love the slate blue turkeys. My friend has one and is getting more.

      You must get a few yard ducks! Pekins and Runners won't fly away and are quite pleasant. But a warning... ducks make a huge mess. They don't drink their water, they wear it, and that love making mud holes... and the poop... oh, the poop. However, ducks eat flies and larvae and that helps me with keeping my goats healthy.

      Everybody needs to scratch everybody else's back here.

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    4. I really need to start proof reading.

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    5. We had a pair of peacocks that roosted high up in trees.... and boy, did they POOP.

      Maybe we'll leave Turkey rearing to others.

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  3. Glad Knuckles and Rain are on the mend. COuld baby ducks be any cuter?!

    Happy birthday :-)

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    1. Lisa. I swear they could not be any cuter! :-) I had forgotten how darn adorable they are.

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  4. WHEN IS YOUR BIRTHDAY GIRL ????????????? you sooo better tell us BOFG'ers !! haaa..
    we will toast !!
    <3 the blog as always !!!
    Kris

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    1. It is the day after Valentines Day. :-) Yes, we shall toast! :-)

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  5. I love love love this post. Love Jensen and Hendrie on the dryer :-) I've come to re-read and admire a few times today. Your photos never fail to make me smile.

    I hope that you are doing well and not too worried about the upcoming cardio and neuro visits. Sending love and good thoughts your way
    xoxox Linda

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    1. :-) I thought you might enjoy this. You are so funny, and I am so naive! Jensen in Indian means "Don't be such a chicken" I laughed so hard. Dang I believed you, you little pixie from the West! :-) I'll get you my pretty!

      Not worried about my visits. In fact, my Jeep over heated on the way to one today! LOL! Missed it completely. Good Car! ::pats Jeep on the hood::

      xoxoxo

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    2. Ohhhhhhhmygosh! Dddoes that mean you're a wwwwitch????
      :::cackle:::
      xo Winda

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    3. Wicked Winda, I am the Wicked Witch of the West Virginia! I may send my flying monkeys over-- even more Westward.

      Oh you are more West than me. I am afraid you could use your Indian powers to trick my flying monkeys.

      Hmm... Well you are still pretty... and I will get you! <IO<I--<

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  6. Wow, How nice of you to include me. I will enjoy discovering your blog as well! :-)

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