Pipd's Peeps!

[pattyhen]

So sorry for you loss of Maebel. It is always heartbreaking when you lose one of the flock.

The babies are getting so big and I love the way they cuddle up to you. They feel safe when their close to Mom.

Sorry I haven't been on for a while I have been sick. I tried to get an appointment with the dr and they said just go to the emergency room. I feel like sending my dr the bill and say since you didn't make me an appointment here is the bill for the emergency room. I was having pains above my heart and I come down with a cold. Everytime I sneezed or coughed it would send a paint threw my chest like a knife. Anyway they checked my heart and did a chest exray. I have a pulled muscle in my chest and I have broncidious. I already knew I wasn't having a heart attack because I had been having the pains for 5 days and I would have died by then.Anyway I'm taking muscle relaxers and a antibiotic for the broncidious.

Thanks so much for sharing the pics with us. Those babies are so adoreable.

 

[pipdzipdnreadytogo]

Thanks for the condolences, y'all. And I'm glad to hear you're okay after all that, Pattyhen! The past few days have been busy and that's helped to keep my mind off of things, but it's still terribly strange not to see Mabel out in the chicken yard, bossing everyone around. She ruled that coop with an iron, err, talon, or so she thought. I think Reuby and Winty are doing a great job in her place, though, so the coop hasn't descended into complete chaos without Boss Mabel around to keep everyone in line...



I've spent the past few days cleaning my room in preparation for the chicks, so it's been something cheerful to keep my mind on. After a lot of work boxing up things that couldn't be cleaned, dusting (both with a vacuum and with disinfecting wipes), vacuuming the carpet, washing my bedstuff and curtains (either in the laundry or with disinfecting wipes), using Oxine spray in the carpet and anything else that couldn't be sanitized otherwise, and finally filling the room with Oxine using a vaporizer to make sure I didn't miss anything, I think the place is now clean after being occupied by chickens over the winter, and ready for delicate little peepers to live in it!

Well, we've had yet another rollercoaster temp swing and it's pretty cold again, which had me worried about the chicks being shipped in it. I was looking around the Sand Hill website for their policies on shipping in cold weather, when I happened to notice that their shipping dates this year do not include this week. So I pulled out my confirmation letter from them and read through it again, and sure enough, the chicks aren't coming until NEXT week. I guess I was so excited to get that confirmation letter that I didn't even notice the date they put on it. After all the work I did to prepare for them this week! But, at least the chicks aren't being shipped in this cold weather... It would have been nice to know what their shipping dates were when I sent in my order, though--turns out, I could have had the chicks shipped during spring break! :/ Oh, well.

 

[shadow rabbit10]

Sorry to hear you'll have to wait another week, but it's been so cold this week it's probably for the best. You must be excited though.

You've probably already said this, so for forgive me for asking again, but what kind of chicks will you be getting?

 

[pipdzipdnreadytogo]

We just had a mink visit the coop. Skua has been killed. We had just gotten things around to help her on her way out, since she has been ailing as mentioned a few pages back. I'm heartbroken that she passed in fear and pain rather than gently as I had planned for her. I feel as if I've failed her on a certain level. This whole event is a complete shock as it is. In the nearly 12 years I have had chickens, I've never even seen a mink anywhere near here, and the only one I've ever seen period was at a nature preserve far from here, beyond the range they will travel. I'm just... shaken.






Editing to add, sorry, just saw your post, Shadow rabbit. I'm getting Colored and Red Dorkings, and Black Copper and Wheaten Marans.

 

[Cluckcluck1215]

We just had a mink visit the coop. Skua has been killed. We had just gotten things around to help her on her way out, since she has been ailing as mentioned a few pages back. I'm heartbroken that she passed in fear and pain rather than gently as I had planned for her. I feel as if I've failed her on a certain level. This whole event is a complete shock as it is. In the nearly 12 years I have had chickens, I've never even seen a mink anywhere near here, and the only one I've ever seen period was at a nature preserve far from here, beyond the range they will travel. I'm just... shaken.

SHOOT THE BLASTED MINK, THEY ARE DEADLY.

I'm sorry for yelling, but shoot it.It will be back for more and more and more, they kill for sport.Not food.

 

[pipdzipdnreadytogo]

SHOOT THE BLASTED MINK, THEY ARE DEADLY.

I'm sorry for yelling, but shoot it.It will be back for more and more and more, they kill for sport.Not food.

Already been taken care of. But I very much agree. The weasels and minks are such a challenging group of predators to deter from everything I've read. I've seen it first hand now. I had to stand guard over Skua's remains until my dad and brother got there, and the thing was still trying to get at her with me right there.

 

[Cluckcluck1215]

SHOOT THE BLASTED MINK, THEY ARE DEADLY.

I'm sorry for yelling, but shoot it.It will be back for more and more and more, they kill for sport.Not food.

Already been taken care of. But I very much agree. The weasels and minks are such a challenging group of predators to deter from everything I've read. I've seen it first hand now. I had to stand guard over Skua's remains until my dad and brother got there, and the thing was still trying to get at her with me right there.

Stupid thing Skua didn't deserve to die that way, even if she was going to pass at some point.
I'm so sorry, Kristen

 

[shadow rabbit10]

I'm so sorry to hear this... Minks are smart and tricky predators. It's always so infuriating and upsetting when things like this happen.

 

[pipdzipdnreadytogo]

Stupid thing Skua didn't deserve to die that way, even if she was going to pass at some point.
I'm so sorry, Kristen

I know, it was just awful. And in the past day and a half since it happened, I've had people tell me that we were going to put her down anyway, or that if she wasn't there, it may have gone after one of the other hens, or other such comments. That's not even the point to me. Skua was a pet, not some sacrificial predator bait to distract threats from the rest of the flock. More so, she was an individual, a personality, a sweet hen with a large appetite who always liked to stay up too late or make me laugh with the funny faces she would make. As if it hasn't been heartbreaking enough.

I'm so sorry to hear this... Minks are smart and tricky predators. It's always so infuriating and upsetting when things like this happen. 

Very much so. Now I'm paranoid about letting the girls out of the coop, even though I know for sure it's gone. It was just so blindsiding...

 

[Cluckcluck1215]

I feel your pain, and fear, Kristian.I'm the same way.We had a family of Ermines 'round here I guess, three of them.Dad shot them, one in the tree, One in the field, one on Cristmas Eve.Called it the Eve Shot that darn thing skidding down the driveway on slick ice, dad killed it one shot.I was like: :cool
Anywho, I still get veryyyyy perinnoid.Even more, I found out that *gulp* we have a Coy-Wolf hanging around *shudder shudder* seen the thing twice, so brazen.Not scared.