Michigan

[chicken grandma]

It's cold outside and I'm pouting.

Don't worry Olive! The sun will be back soon!

 

[babigyrl22]

Sarah, of course this is just my opinion, but if you have a chance to go see your dad now I would go. Although it is very likely he will be fine, you will not regret seeing him to be sure, and maybe help your mom out a little too. Hope he is doing great.

I also agree with Mutt, Sarah. If you do have the chance....go see him and hug on his neck. I hope he's doing better!

 

[Olive Hill]

Don't worry Olive! The sun will be back soon!

You must be reading a different forecast than I am. It's supposed to briefly warm up Sunday and Monday, but be stormy. The rest of the days in the extended forecast are cold and cloudy. I need to move south.

 

[sarah92480]

Thanks everyone for the thoughts and prayers. I would like to go see him but it is a really long drive, like 5 hours. That being said, I'm waiting for another call from my mom on what's happening, and depending on what she says, I will make my travel plans from there. I will have to go by myself if I go, because the chickens will need to be taken care of.

Where do you get the pelleted type? Anything that is less dusty is a good thing.

You can get pelleted pine lots of places, I actually use that for my cat's litter box and it is so much better. Doesnt stink and you can just dump it in your yard; that clay cat litter stays in landfills forever and being the tree hugger I am, I've switched and love it. You can get it from places like Meijer, TSC, Walmart, in the cat section, but in feed stores and stuff you can buy larger quantities.

Sarah - First, prayers for your Dad. I hope he's OK.

Here is a picture of my poop boards. This is an old picture, they are now suspended by chains and covered with linoleum. I sprinkle PDZ on them every couple of days to keep them dry and make them easier to clean off. I clean them every day and it really does keep the smell down and cleaning the bedding under the roosts to a minimum. Just to give you an idea of how they work. With your coop being so small, I don't know how you could make them fit. Also a thought about the roof of your run. If it's not covered you might want to figure some way of doing that or you may lose your hens to coons and other predators.

Thanks for the visual. I may have to try and fabricate something similar to that, but yea it'd be smaller. The outdoor run part will have a "roof" but I haven't made it yet. Oh trust me, I've been worrying for weeks about how to predator-proof their living area lol.

 

[RaZ]

I'll try to post this while I'm still lucid.
I threw out my back yesterday while doing some yard work. It started as a little warning twinge so I stopped working and came in to rest so it would not get worse. Well it was worse this morning when I woke up. I took one of the pain pills they gave me for the gout but I don't think it is working.

I need to be stretched on a rack.

 

[chickflick]

Sarah, Prayers being said for you dad.
Raz, Hope your back feels better soon. Backs are complicated. One wrong move and you're down for the count.
It's colder than I thought it would be. If the sun would come out, it would be so much better.

 

[Elliemae 77]

Hey Olive,
Or anybody else that can help....Explain the silkybator to me....I mean what do I do? Do I stick her in a crate and stuff a few eggs under her? Haven't found one yet, but I'm on the hunt. If I find any, I'll be sure to share the contact info.

Raz, sorry to hear about your back. Hope you feel better soon.

 

[sarah92480]

Raz, hope your back feels better soon. I know the feeling, I threw mine out a couple years ago and had to lay on the floor on a frozen bag of peas on and off for like 3 days. Getting older sucks!

So I talked to my mom, my dad had 100% blockage in one artery and they put a stint (sp?) in it and he is doing great now. She had just walked out of the room when they did it so she hadn't really talked to the doc too much yet. He had a couple other arteries partially blocked that they're just gonna watch for now I guess. Glad he came out of that ok. Thanks for the thoughts and prayers from everyone.

 

[RaZ]

Raz, hope your back feels better soon. I know the feeling, I threw mine out a couple years ago and had to lay on the floor on a frozen bag of peas on and off for like 3 days. Getting older sucks!

So I talked to my mom, my dad had 100% blockage in one artery and they put a stint (sp?) in it and he is doing great now. She had just walked out of the room when they did it so she hadn't really talked to the doc too much yet. He had a couple other arteries partially blocked that they're just gonna watch for now I guess. Glad he came out of that ok. Thanks for the thoughts and prayers from everyone.

My back has been wonky for a long time. The last time I was able to see a doctor was 1998 and he told me that I have 3 herniated discs then. So I try to take care of it. I figure it was using crutches over the weekend that triggered this episode. I would lay on the floor but there is so much dog hair that it would be like floating on a cloud.

My Mom has had several stents over the past few years and they seem to be working just fine for her. Her doctor makes a video of the procedure and it is pretty fascinating to watch.

 

[Mom 2em All]

Feel better RaZ! Back pain totally messes a person up.

My daughters colonoscopy went well. Then my other kid got suspended and I just went into one of those not proud to be me rants...she just knows how to push my buttons and drive me crazy.

I tried to take some pictures of the four week old chicks..didnt work out too well. They mobbed me, and it was impossible.

Do you think the fourth picture, the first grey chick is a roo? Because that is my stalker..