It's Coming

Spring.  A few signs.

The snow is melting.  Really.

And daffodil sprouts have been spotted.

The chickens have been running around.  Here is our Lakenvelder;  Bonbon.

And one of my orchids bloomed recently, adding some color inside our house.  This is a rare occurrence for me;  having an orchid bloom again.  I'm surprised at how long lasting those blooms are!  There were three of them and they were greatly appreciated.

It Really is Still Just Fall

Oh August!!!

May Happenings

Winter All The Time

Snow.  

That's it folks.

Don't look for anything else.

Granted, sometimes that snow can be very beautiful.

We've been doing some snowshoeing on our property.

It's an easier way to get around.

I really enjoy seeing animal tracks.

Jessie enjoys being outdoors.

But all the cats like to join me in my warm knitting room.

The hens are adjusting well to the snow.

Kim keeps the paths shoveled.

I continue to play.

View of our back yard off the porch;

There's just no denying that snow and winter can be very beautiful.

But spring will arrive soon enough and we'll get out and get more active and there will less time for this:

Another Hen Injury

I'm surprised how long it's been since I posted.
Stuff happens I guess.

Like injuries to hens.
Proceed at your own risk.

Around 5Pm on November 22 our hens were enjoying some free ranging time when I saw that the neighbor dogs were on a rampage.  Now these dogs are not bad dogs.  In fact only one of them is larger;  a lab.  The other two are ankle biters.  And all three are extremely timid and have always run away whenever we approach them.  We don't see them on our property often.  But that evening for some reason they decided to head over and found our four hens out and about and, to our discredit, unattended.

I saw Brazil being chased down by the dogs and immediately ran to her rescue.  Kim checked on the other three hens but they had all made it safely back into the coop and up onto roosts, unharmed.  We guessed Brazil had run the wrong way.

Poor Brazil had a tear on her back that was about 6 inches long.

She was quite shocked, too.
We brought her inside and set up a dog kennel for her.

The next day I decided that to stimulate her recovery stitches might be in order.
I can't say I would necessarily recommend this.  But we decided to give it a try.
I cleansed her wound well with a weak iodine solution.  Then I soaked a slim needle and strong thread in the same type of solution.  I washed my hands well and doused them in the same type of solution.

I put six stitches in her wound.  I could have used twice as many stitches but I needed to get through it as quickly as possible for my own queasy stomach.

The stitching closed the wound well.  We cleaned it again with the iodine solution (which looks like weak tea when mixed with water), and applied neosporin.

Kim kept her still for this "operation" and she only really balked at the last two stitches.

From that point on we kept her indoors in a warm room (my knitting room), in the dog kennel and treated her wound with the iodine solution and neosporin for the next few days.

We knew infection from the dog bite would be her worst enemy.

We also knew that when we saw her start eating and drinking that the worst had probably passed.

We took the stitches out after about six days.  (I would recommend using black thread.  The strongest thread I had on hand was white but it was also very difficult to locate to remove it.)

And now look what we have....feather growth!  Yay!

Brazil will need to remain indoors until her feathers grow in completely so the other hens don't pick at her wound area.
The next challenge will be to introduce her back into the flock.

She's doing well and keeping me company while I knit.  She may even be learning a few Christmas carols!  Hahahaha.   She gets some nice treats;  apples and lettuce, and we talk a lot.  She's quite the "talker".

I realize that she may have recuperated on her own without the stitches.  I also realize we were really lucky and it was a lesson learned without too many consequences.

I'm just happy she's alive and doing well.  Silly chicken.

Random Stuff

Pictographs just a few miles down the road from us.

We seem to have six regulars;  deer, hanging around our house.  They provide a lot of entertainment.

Very curious about Felix who was out chasing squirrels.

Yes, Scarface may be gone, but Chelsea is still hanging in there.  (Minus 10 teeth).

We've had foggy mornings.

And frosty mornings.

We've had some snow on close hills.

The hens are roaming and seemingly becoming more comfortable with their new surroundings.  Still no eggs though.

We're relieved at how well the cats are adjusting.

I've been doing a lot of knitting.  Felix thinks too much.

But so far so good for our retirement.