Nella, they're looking great. I'm with Kathy. Love the mottled Cochin's. Would love to add some of those in LF version some day.
Halo, what a beautiful boy! Have you named him yet? How old is he now?
Beth!!!!
Glad to see you back dear! I was just about to send out the blood hounds in search of you!
Kathy, a quick question for you: What was the name of that wormer you were talking about a couple of months ago that has no withdrawal period? Looks like I'm gonna need it and I really don't want to see a dozen eggs a day go into the compost heap!
Now then, Cetawin,
This too shall come to pass. I know you've already been through the teen years with your son, but believe me, the girls are completely different. Stick to your guns and don't flinch for a second. Yes, the drama diva crap is the worst! Especially when she's in the middle of her cycle. We go through it every single month with Annie
Not to mention every DAY!
I like the way you handled her dad. Definitely put your foot down on that one! If Cheyenne goes there [and I'm pretty sure she WON'T be
] that will pretty much be the end of the story.
Kids need to be pushed, constantly, or they will backslide and become lazy, layabout ne'er do wells! Annie will be the first to tell you that she has hated every single time I got on her butt for slacking off, but she'll also be the first to tell you how grateful she is that I did push so hard, especially where it concerns her education.
Kids hate to do chores. There's nothing new there. And like you, I'm a stickler for earning your keep in the household! Kids need the responsibility of chores. It teaches them that there are no free rides in life. That only through hard work and perseverance will they ever achieve happiness and stability in their lives. That starts with having chores at home!
I've seen kids who skated all the way through their childhood without a single chore or even the expectation that they should have to lift a finger around the home. Boy! Are those kids ever suffering through a series of rude awakenings now!!
And their parents have the audacity to be surprised that their kids can't hold a job and are still living at home because of that, at the seasoned age of their late twenties and early thirties!
It's that old saying in action: Spare the rod, spoil the child! That goes for the chores as well.
Of course, you can give a day long list of chores till the cows come home. The trick is getting them to accomplish their to-do lists every day! Just cuz ya tell them, doesn't mean it's automatically going to be done. There has to be consequences for failure to comply. And I'm just betting LadyHawk, that you have some dandy consequences up your sleeve!
Hang in there Lady. I know how trying it is. Go ahead and vent away. I'll always listen. You can even call me to rant if you like!
I know it feels so much better to tell it to a live and sympathetic ear!
On a side note, back to Kathy. Remember our discussion about Diatomaceous Earth and its use as an internal parasite control? You said that you didn't think it could do anything on the inside on account of the fact that it would be "wet" once it's on the inside of the chicken.
Well, I did some digging around and found out that it will indeed help to control internal parasites due to the abrasive nature of the powder on a microscopic level. Apparently, it shreds the worms in the gut and thereby renders them vulnerable to the natural acids in the digestive track!
Note that I said it will help "control" the parasites. It will not, however, completely eliminate them. The larva that are free floating in the blood stream are still viable. Therefore, it is advisable to use it as an adjunct to the chemical wormers, as a daily way to help curtail the development of larger, more aggressive specimens of whatever type of worms one is dealing with.
It also has a ton of trace minerals and such that help the chickens to grow fuller plumage faster. Sounds like it would be just the ticket to add to their feed during a hard molt perhaps.
I'm going to be setting up the dust bath area for mine as soon as I get a break in both the weather, and the work on the house. Darn those little wild birds! I just
KNOW they are the source of the fleas. They come into the covered run all the time and roost on the cross ties of the rafters as well as the roosting bar in there. Rotten little beggars are preening and pooping all over the place!
And with that poop, you just know they've got worms as well!
I so wish there were some way to keep the little blankety blank buggers out of there! They can actually squeeze through two inch chicken wire!
