***OKIES in the BYC III ***

[Kassaundra]

The pants are awesome. Do you think baby clothes (sleepers), with a few adjustments, might work?

How is Parrot? I hope she and her new brothers get along. She's a cutie!

Yes, I mostly make the clothes from onsies. I prefer the long sleeve, so I can make pants out of the sleeves. I need to make Rudy another set or two. The sweaters (wool) make the best winter wear though. I can make pants from the sleeves, and separate the front from the back and make a "coat" from each 1/2, then use the top of the sleeves for a sleeve set. It is hard finding wool though. I find seperates work best tunic, pants, sleeves. Making them loose enough to put on and off and for them to move in while being snug enough to stay on is a constant balancing act. Individual stretchy pants make excellent sleeves also. Rudy wears a 2 T size mostly, but the young nakeds are all over the place from 9-18 months.

 

[Kassaundra]

Oh and Parrot and the boys are doing well.

 

[NanaKat]

Quote: no, the rest is essential to healing whether it is a sprain or stress to the joint. An Epsom soak in warm water wouldn't hurt. Hope you see improvement soon.

 

[BlackBriars]

Those nekkid chickens blow my mind! You must get really attached to them with all the extra care it seems they would require. Heck I do with just normal care, especially the ones with good chicken personalities!

My little buckeyes are all on lockdown. They have been free ranging for a couple months now without loss until yesterday. I had a huge wolf /dog hybrid show up stalking my chickens. I tried to run him off but he just kept coming back. All my chickens scattered everywhere trying to hide so I couldn't pen them up to keep them safe from him. Eventually he found a pullet and caught her. I grabbed a leash intending to take the still live pullet from him and try to lead him to the chicken pen and lock him up but unfortunately he bowed up at me.

My dogs had been having coyote confrontations for the past week or so and I had been trying to kill the coyote. He's a big dominant yote and very crafty. He has shown up here for several years every fall to raise his pups and there is always a boundary dispute with my dogs at first. Anyway, a couple hours after the wolf/dog incident, Mr. Coyote managed to grab my most promising cockerel, so I lost 2 birds in one day and of course they were two of the best foragers. So today I cut firing lanes in the very thick brush and I hope to get him soon so my birds can go back to being chickens instead of inmates.

I'm also wanting to purchase a decent buckeye rooster if anyone knows of one. He wouldn't have to be anything like near perfect but I think body type would be more important to me than perhaps perfect coloration.

 

[NanaKat]

Had to take Red to the vet today.


Nearly 8 years old and suffering from degenerative disc in his lower back, Red has been crying out in pain and lifting his right back leg. Both legs in back now shake a lot. He just isn't his normal self these past few months. Went to the vet this morning to see what can be done to ease his pain besides what we have been doing for him..
The vet visit went well...at least there is some hope. His weight has dropped from 85 in June to 63.6...almost 22 pounds. Part of this is due to a change in diet to get some weight off to help his back. Red can go back up to 67 pounds safely...so that is good.
An anti-inflamatory script for now too.
The degenerative disc while a big issue is not as pressing as his right hip and knee. The ligaments have stretched and Red doesn't have a very big socket...so the right femur is slipping in and out of joint. The knee is arthritic and swollen. She showed me how to move the femur back in place so that will be helpful.
Best case scenario is surgery to repair the ligaments ....worst is total hip replacement with some arthroscopic work on the knee. This would also be in the future for the left side.
Both OSU Vet School and the OKC Pet Surgical Center now do hip replacements. Our vet is an OSU grad. She will do some research for us and let us know next week.
Red is a very special dog and we will do what is necessary to give him a long healthy, happy and active life

 

[BlackBriars]

Poor Red, and so young. Hope he gets by with ligament surgery. Their lives are too short .

Veterinary care for canines has come so far in the last 25 years.

 

[Matt in Okla]

I just found out I'm bout to be known as PaPa With the Chickens!!!! My daughter is pregnant and I can't wait to teach'em bout chickens, shooting, fishing n hunting and stuff woohoo

 

[CLSranch]

Good luck with the 'yotes Black Briar. Congrats Matt, And Nana sorry to hear about red.

 

[darrel]

A few years back my flock was hit by fowl pox and before I could identify it had run rampant, I lost my best and favorite hen that I had had for at least 10 years, it hurt so bad I am still missing her as she was my baby. Any how if you are not quick enough to vaccine your birds I found out later by accident if they develop the wet pox the deadly kind, you can mix 2 ounces of ordinary store bought apple cider vinegar into one gallon of their water and it will get them through it but you must catch it before it stops them from drinking. I have had excellent results with this. It also works well to de-mite pigeons especially feather mites which I have spent much money on cures that don't work. Hope this helps someone. Darrel PS I keep apple cider vinegar in my birds water at all times for safety insurance.

 

[BetsyOK]

This has been a really strange gardening year! My green beans didn't even start blooming until mid summer, and didn't seem to be setting. However, NOW they are producing quite a bit. I don't have a very big garden, but have picked two 5 gallon buckets of green beans and three dozen tomatoes in two pickings this week. I didn't heed NanaKat's advise about preparing tomato plants for fall tomatoes, but just left both tomatoes and green bean vines in place. Haven't even been watering. The green beans are really very nice--much nicer than in the correct season last year. The tomatoes are smaller, but more flavorful and prettier (less broken skin because of too much water) than they've been all season. They've produced quite well. Imagine what they would have done if I'd followed Katheryn's advice! I'm amazed at green beans in October--sown in early spring!