Getting the flock out of here - a diary of a crazy chicken man

[Sweetpea3829]

Sweatpea, have you considered pulling the horses into some of the concepts you're trying to teach? I taught therapeutic horseback riding for several years back in Raleigh, and we would always work with the parents to incorporate whatever the kids were learning into the lessons. Counting hay bales, measuring stalls, learning left and right - I'm sure it's something you've thought of, but it seemed worth tossing out there.

Eventually we will try to incorporate math skills into her riding. I would love to hang giant numbers along the wall of the arena, from 1-100 for her to see as she rides past. But right now, its just for fun. And plus, riding hasn't come easily for her, lol. It was many lessons of learning how to turn Jolie left or right (which was a lesson in itself) before she finally got it.

I was friends for a brief time of a woman who was sooo dyslexic she came to the stables in a taxi. Or her boy friend drove her. Through riding instruction and eventually horse owner ship she learned techniques to be able to take her drivers test and pass.

Horses brains functions differently than ours for one thing.... What ever you teach while moving to the right.... has to be taught again moving to the left. The hemispheres dont communicate freely. So what better tool to teach a young person ....


soo many horse people...

deb

Riding has already been of benefit to her cognitively. Her core balance has improved quite a bit. And in the past, she constantly had to have sensory feedback...whether it was oral sensory, or just leaning against a table, she had to have SOME part of her body touching something else. That has lessened considerably.

The left/right aspects of horseback riding are excellent for her. Using both sides of her brain is so important for her development.

 

[Wisher1000]

soo many horse people...

deb

Count me in to those horse people. I got my first horse at 13 and my last (probably) horse died two weeks ago. He was over 30 and I raised him from birth. I had his mother and his younger brother. They are all three buried in my pasture. Had that mare given me a filly, I would likely have one of her grandfoals right now. Since she only threw colts, they were gelded young and the line ran out. Just as well, none of my boys cared about them, much.

My daughter rode a donkey for a few years, but the horses intimidated her too much for her to enjoy them. She rode the hair off that donkey, until she started driving. They were so good together. He had never been broke and she had never been taught to ride. They learned together (I would never have let her do that with a horse) and both had fun doing it. He was a largish standard (intact) jack that was given to me. He was delivered after having been loaded into a stock trailer with the bucket on a front end loader. He arrived trembling and having filled the trailer floor with nervous diarrhea. The men that brought him backed up to the barn and shooed him into a stall and left. I thought, what have I taken on?

It took about two hours of me standing in the stall, talking softly to him, for him to decide that I was not going to eat him. It took another hour of him taking one step at a time towards me and reaching out is muzzle to snuff me before he touched my hand. It took five minutes for him to stick his head under my arm once I started scratching behind his ears. From that point on, if I was inside the fence, his forehead was on me. I didn't have to teach him to lead, he followed me everywhere. He would let me do anything to him once he understood what I wanted. He was so smart and loving. DD started out leaning on him and then laying across his back on her stomach. If he got nervous, he would stand stock still and not move. When he relaxed, he would walk and she would pet him. That is all it took to train him to ride. He and DD became fast friends and went exploring the neighborhood together. He went slow or fast, would stop and look at something new until he was convinced it would not eat them, then he went on. She even taught him to jump small obstacles! All this riding bareback with a halter and two lead ropes.

I miss him. Maybe one day.......

 

[ozexpat]

I like horses too

Great eating but they get stuck in my teeth

Just kidding. We had our share of great horses and some pretty nasty brutes as well.

Its vaccination day for chickens. We are playing catch up with Mareks. The 5 day olds will get it - they remain isolated from the rest of our birds, as well as the teenagers and somepoint of lay birds. I might as well hit everything that has nor been vaccinated - there vial is 2000 doses.

On Sunday we will do Newcastle Disease

 

[Bulldogma]

Count me in to those horse people. I got my first horse at 13 and my last (probably) horse died two weeks ago. He was over 30 and I raised him from birth.

I'm sorry for your loss.

Its vaccination day for chickens. We are playing catch up with Mareks. The 5 day olds will get it - they remain isolated from the rest of our birds, as well as the teenagers and somepoint of lay birds. I might as well hit everything that has nor been vaccinated - there vial is 2000 doses.

On Sunday we will do Newcastle Disease

Hope all goes uneventfully. I'm sure Bernie is getting a workout today! LOL!

 

[Wisher1000]

Quote: Oh, thanks, but it's fine. He had a long, happy, healthy, easy life. He had his brother as a companion from the age of 2 until the brother died last summer. He was spoiled rotten and never had to work hard in his life. He died peacefully (from the evidence of the bedding not being disturbed much) during the night in his stall. I hope my life (and death) is comparable.

 

[ozexpat]

The Goat Palace complete with a lanai style landing for his lordship to sun himself on.

 

[rolito tabujara]

Its so nice to hear success stories. <3 My husband is severely dyslexic and cannot spell at all. I think his spelling issues stem from auditory processing issues, but its hard to say for sure. He grew up thinking he was "dumb". Dropped out of school in 9th grade, got in trouble, the whole classic story. Turned his life around in his 20's and then in his 30's we met and married. Ironic, because he HATED teachers growing up and who did he marry? A school teacher, lol!

He is very embarrassed by his difficulties. But eventually, I talked him into getting officially diagnosed and then seeking his GED. He ended up completing the NEDP program and earned an actual high school diploma. It was hard for him, accepting and acknowledging his weaknesses and then accepting help from tutors. But he did it! And slowly, he is learning to share more about his struggles and to not let his "labels" define him.

Hearing success stories like yours, and my husband's and Deb's son...gives me hope for my sweet girl. It can be hard to think of her future when we're in the thick of the woods right now. The tunnel seems endless and there's so little progress, but we keep digging and plugging away. We celebrate the successes and we work through the brick walls...sometimes with tears and frustration (on the part of both of us), but we work through it.

I hope that horseback riding continues to be a source of joy for her, lol! There's just something special about horses, kwim? They just "know". Someday, we will have a horse for her...I will move heaven and earth to make it happen, lol.

God knows what is best for each of us. We can not be master in all endeavor, but I believe we will be known even in some small way. Our aim as parents is to see our children happy for whatever he/she be. What they need is just our endless love & support. God bless!

 

[ozexpat]

The chicken mission will have to be postponed.

Basically, due to the power outages caused by Typhoon Yolanda, we lost all the chicks earmaked for the mission. We were then halted by a all out molt and no egg production.

I am currently incubating every egg being laid but they wont be point of lay till June.

I will leave it up to the people who would like to go to decide if they want to go in July - tickets will be more epensive or wait until September.

My apologies but mother nature is more powerful than all of us.

My trips will continue but I feel that the mission wont really work without adequate chickens.

Oz

 

[perchie.girl]

Oh Oz I can read your disappointment....

Its only a small set back.... in the grand scheme.

deb

 

[Phage]

The chicken mission will have to be postponed.

Basically, due to the power outages caused by Typhoon Yolanda, we lost all the chicks earmaked for the mission. We were then halted by a all out molt and no egg production.

I am currently incubating every egg being laid but they wont be point of lay till June.

I will leave it up to the people who would like to go to decide if they want to go in July - tickets will be more epensive or wait until September.

My apologies but mother nature is more powerful than all of us.

My trips will continue but I feel that the mission wont really work without adequate chickens.

Oz

Pretty sure this was a difficult call, but the right one if there are not enough POL chickens to give out. And if too young, the pullets may never make it to lay age.

It will work out in the long run OZ.