photo of Lil Bear
I am sitting here on the couch in front of my laptop. Slim, the best dog in the world, is curled up next to me. She just scooted over a little closer to remind me she is here and I paused to scratch her ears.
We have fed the cats this morning. I never know if we will have five show up or twelve show up. I recognize the ones that were born in our barn, but often we have complete strangers appear for the one feeding of the day. We must be on some cat map for good rest on a long journey.
Soccer Ball had two new kittens. One was paralyzed and died. It was very sad. The other is perfect. A perfectly round and fluffy gray kitten with only slight white markings. It has the biggest blue eyes and is not afraid of me. I have named this kitten Lil Bear.
Also, for those interested in David and Goliath, the are doing very well. It is amazing how suddenly David took a growth surge and is now twice the size of Goliath.
Elenore Hen has hatched a second batch of chicks. Sadly Mr. Gibson and Rachel from her first batch were killed. A coyote got Mr. Gibson. The female guinea fowl killed Rachel. Chicklet still stays close to Elenore Hen and is helping her care for the new three. Since they once again are two blacks and one yellow, I have named them Mr.Gibson II, Rachel II and Chicklet II.
One of my grown black hens is in our chicken infirmary. She is egg bound and that is very dangerous. I gathered her up and soaked her bottom in a pan of warm water. It was easy to sense the relief as she settled down immediately at the comfort the water gave her. Next she went into the nursery box with her own feed and water and a warming light. I added some extra oyster shell to her feed because I read that lack of calcium sometimes causes them to become egg bound. She seems to be improving. Maybe she will make it.
The Autumn weather is so lovely and it is nice to go out first thing in the morning to see our glistening estate. I carry my walking stick even just to go to the barn because I need it to clear the spider webs out of my path before I end up with a spider web hair net.
Such is life on the farm this cool Wednesday morning.
Don't miss Jamie Dawn's most recent post.
Be sure to get in on Soccer Mom's captioning contest.
From a non-chicken owner: Is it possible to kind of "crack" the egg so she can pass it?
ReplyDeleteDana -- I wondered about that but couldn't find any recommendation to try and crack the egg. I did attempt to massage the are gently but don't know if that helped.
ReplyDeleteThat is such a cute picture! And what a cute name!! I love the Little Bear books.
ReplyDeleteThere is something special about this time of the year. Autumn mornings smell so fresh and as you say, everything glistens.
ReplyDeleteSorry about Mr. Gibson and his demise. I'm glad that you renamed a new Mr. Gibson II.....
ReplyDeleteWe have HOBO kitties living in our garage...It started out with a mama cat and two kittens. Now we have the two kittens, two cousins and assorted friends... Some days I see four and others days I see eight cats eating from the cat bowl.... It is a different experience for us.
BTW: What does "egg bound" mean?
What a year this has been/still is for spider's webs! It never ceases to amaze me how they spin their webs over quite a distance, and we had a programme last week on TV demonstrating how strong the spider's silk is!
ReplyDeleteRiot Kitty -- I usually don't get real impressed with new kittens around here but this one could be a keeper. I try so hard not to get attached because it seems coyotes like cats as well as chickens.
ReplyDeleteJoe -- It is a special time but today we'll go from glistening to dripping as more storms head our way.
Lucy -- We like the name Mr. Gibson so much we may just always have one around the place. The term "egg bound" means just what it says -- an egg is hung up inside the hen and I guess other eggs keep forming. I can't find anything very hopeful about helping the hen other than taking her to an Avian Veternarian (meaning one who treat birds not one who IS a bird. LOL) and there are none around here. So far she is doing well in the infirmary here.
Olive -- I have always told about the spider webs around here being so strong that they make you bounce back if you run into one.
aw. i love cats. i take issue with people who classify them as independent, aloof animals. sigh. they are the best!
ReplyDeletewww.bluntdelivery.com
Enjoyed the post,lovely to hear about your world, sorry about the ones that didn't make it.
ReplyDeleteYvonne.
Lil Bear is so cute! Kittens are so adorable, and I know you enjoy all the animals around your place so much.
ReplyDeleteAutumn weather is GREAT! I wish winter would just decide not to happen anymore. I'm not a fan of cold weather. The cooler, mild temps of fall are sublime!
Soon the fall colors will be on display. Such beauty!
I have to talk about Fit, just a bit. I'm one of those people who are so animal oriented that most of the time I prefer their company to that of my own species. Fit was one of the most beautiful cats I've ever seen. I'm sure he was more beautiful "in the fur." I'm so sorry he's gone from the Earth.
ReplyDeleteI lost two this summer, my wonderful Harley and my sweet Princess. They were brother and sister and were 11 years old. Harley succumbed to cancer and Princess just disappeared. I miss them muchly and wait for the day they meet me on the other side, along with all the sweeties I've lost during the past 62 years.
Now I must comment on the young beauty of Lil Bear. What an endearing pose he strikes. Makes me want to pick him up and make funny noises on his tummy. So cute!