Been a while, thought I would update.
I'm finally getting over a nasty cold that had me out for a week, and then miserable with symptoms for another week. And, of course, school didn't slow down one bit--I had three exams in that time! But I got through it, and that's what's important, right?
On to the chicken world, I noticed yesterday that Elda wasn't acting quite right and brought her in overnight to confirm an impacted crop. :/ So, my weekend thus far has been dedicated to treating and massaging her crop every couple of hours or so, a fact she just thrilled about. She is still herself, and very hungry, poor baby. No food until that impaction breaks up. She also left the single nastiest poop in existence on my bedroom carpet after waiting for the two second break in my attention while I was fixing up her hospital pen.
BLECH!! Still, I can't help but worry. I don't want to lose her, after everything else this year...
Anyway, Elly should be grateful, at least, because she's now inside during the first substantial snow of the year. It's not a huge amount, just a couple soggy inches of wet, heavy snow. It's sticking, but supposedly not for long.
Fingers crossed, anyway! Here's the view from out by the Guineas:
The girls are unimpressed, to say the least.
We get a couple inches of snow and suddenly they've decided they're never coming out of their coop again.
Is it me, or does Marge look angry with me?
It's not my fault it's snowing!
I don't think Tilde knows that it's snowing, she's just staying with the flock.
I really should trim her crest back more.
Kit-kit, the sweetie, she's been wondering where Elly went.
And Reuben the snowman.
He's totally invisible in the snow.
In ducky land, since I've been sick and poor Crash has not been able to get outside as a result, my wonderful mom built her a better pen so that she's not stuck in her little brooder all the time. It's what was left of a rabbit hutch with scrap lumber from the Guinea coop build to patch it up.
It's not huge, but more than enough, I think, for a little pudgy pigeon-sized ducky. (These pictures make it look so much smaller inside--it's about 2x3 feet and Crashie looks eensy in it in person.) She's right behind where I always sit in the living room while I'm at home, and up in her brooder overnight and during class.
This isn't a great picture, but it makes me giggle when she does this. She puts her head in her waterer (which is the bottom 2/3 or so of a green 2-liter bottle) and looks around like a kid with funny glasses or something.
Since the snow is nasty and sticky, I had to go out today to knock the snow off of pens and the crappy shade cover thing in the chicken yard (which, to be honest, probably should be taken down if it's going to be snowing... :/ ), hence the pictures today.
Anyway, I figured it would be fun to let Crash experience snow for the first time while I was at it. She didn't hesitate for an instant--out she flew to check the place out.
"Something's different here..."
"..Oh, well, moving on!"
Crash operates under the belief that water is water.
These pictures aren't great to show it, but she's 'snow bathing'.
She's so photogenic.
Nothing like a walk in the snow...
Webbity footprints.
And meanwhile, Trudi and Malcolm were enjoying the snow as well...
By the way, that's supposed to be their drinking water.
So, okay, that's a picture overload done with. I guess that's how I make up for not posting in 2 weeks.
Yup, that's for sure! I feel like whatever I end up doing, though, will just be in order to pay for what really makes me happy--raising chickens. 
I've been super paranoid since then, too, and check under there every morning before I open any of the coops. I'm thinking I may have to block off that area so that it doesn't become a problem again. Oh, and so I can stop worrying about it!
Anyway, I guess that means I could see eggs from her sooner than I ever expected!
e 
