Sdwd

[speckledhen]

Amy, it's not worth the money to go Delta. There are limits that I'll probably skyrocket over if I have to have done what I think I have to have done. We used to have it, but nah, too expensive for what it covers.

Working on a quilt for my niece today while it rains and my teeth throb, but may have to quit when the meds kick in--wielding a razor sharp rotary blade while impaired could be disastrous! Top needs a pillow tuck area, plus extra length and width added, but here it is in progress:

 

[NellaBean]

Oh lord don't get me started on dental work. I just recently had my first root canal ever. It cost me $250 out of pocket, even though I have dental insurance. The crown that needs to go over it will be another $350 out of pocket, even with my dental insurance. I have ANOTHER tooth that needs a root canal as well. And then a crown to cap it. And really another tooth that needs a crown but no root canal. My insurance will only cover $1200 to 1500 per year, so I may only get the crown and maybe another root canal and be done for the year.

We have an FSA at work so I have it pulling $1500 out of my pay this year just so I can have some dental work done. Ridiculous.

I was taking 17-25 advil a day for over 2 months while dealing with these tooth issues. Of course, I didn't need any root canals until my stupid dentist decided one of my "old" fillings needed to be removed and redone as there was some decay. I was immediately in horrific pain. Because it radiated all over my face and jaw, we thought it was my TMJ acting up again. So they referred me to an orthodontist. Got a special mouth guard made. That was not covered at all. that didn't help. Went back and was referred to a specialist for possible root canals since my dentist wouldn't do them herself. The specialist was an idiot and insisted it was tooth #4 that needed a root canal. But tooth #3 is the one recently worked on and the one that hurts! I told him this but he didn't listen...wanted to schedule me to do #4. To the tune of $1080-$1250 for the root canal alone. The exam alone was $45 and not covered by insurance.

I finally found a large scale dental place....because they are so big, they do lots of things...including root canals! And one office is in the shopping center next to where I work. Once I am in my car it takes 30 seconds to drive from my job to the dentist. They took a look and took some xrays....agreed that if #4 hurt then they should start with #4. Scheduled me for a root canal the NEXT DAY. And gave me vicodin. All of the previous appointments resulted in no pain meds...it was as though the people didn't believe I was actually in pain.

For the first time since AUGUST, i am in only minor dental pain. I went from August to November in horrific pain. I went through probably over 1000 advil. What a crock it all was.

Thank god for the new dentist. I will be going to have the next root canal done now that it is the new year (and my insurance can start again since I used it all up last year)....and then will see how much is left to do the crowns with.

I may be relatively young but have bad teeth. My mom has good teeth and my dad has bad teeth. My sister has good teeth and I have bad teeth. Just genetic......I have filling in nearly all of them....I actually consider just pulling them all and getting dentures.

 

[Inkheart]

Happy New Years all! I need to stay away from auctions which i went to this morning nearly came home with a beautiful EE hen! Have a good one everyone!

 

[NellaBean]

Check out my blue Brahma project boy. He is just prettier and prettier. Unless someone decides to pay big bucks for the breeding quad, I will keep him here to help out the flock roosters and just sell the girls.

Also, do you know what happens when you don't let the chickens out of the coop until 10:30? My girls hate laying in the coop for whatever reason. It was a mad dash to the garage nestboxes.

And the award for weirdest looking cochin ever. She has a pea comb, really strange foot feathers, and just a weird overall shape.

Check out my bumblefoot girl.....she is finally hitting a really serious molt. Her sister did the same thing a couple months ago and now looks GREAT.

Check out the blue bird in the background here. Bantam black cochin hen x Large Fowl Splash Easter Egger rooster. This was what my blue bearded feather legged EE project was going to make, only in bantam x bantam instead of a medium sized bird. She has silver lacing on her neck and face. Very pretty. I expect she and my silkie/ee girl will go to buyer tomorrow.

 

[speckledhen]

Your Cochin hen looks like a Brahma/Cochin cross, Janelle.

 

[Serrin]

HEEEEEELLLPPP!!!! Chief is sick!! Oh God! Please! Not my big boy! NONONONONONONOOOOOOOO!!!!

Breathe Amy! Breathe!

OK. Here's what has happened and is happening now. Y'all know a certain little hen plucked Chief to the point of being naked on his front hackles and part of his chest, right? And y'all know we're in the deep freeze temperature wise out here. Night before last, as the sun was going down, Chief gave one last crow to the day, and that's when I noticed that it sounded like he had a sore throat or something. His voice was deeper and lacked conviction. In other words, he didn't sound like Chief at all! If I hadn't been standing right next to him when he did it, I would have thought I was hearing Red instead.

Yesterday, he gave a funny little *wheeze snort cough* sound and shook his head rather violently. I looked him over real hard but couldn't find evidence of any discharge from sinuses or mouth. So, I thought, maybe, he just got a little something stuck in his throat. He was right in the middle of eating breakfast after all.

Now, this morning he is gurgling in his chest. Actually, it sounds like it's somewhere in the middle of his neck, and not his lungs. Ya know how you get when you have a bunch of phlegm in your throat? And your voice sounds funny? Yeah, something like that. And it isn't constant either. It comes and goes. Right this second he's breathing clearly. Two minutes ago, he was all phlegmy sounding. In another couple of minutes, he'll be sounding phlegmy again.

I've brought him into the pump house to warm him up for one thing. For another, he has cut his comb up pretty badly trying to chip through the ice in their water bucket this morning I think. It's either that, or he put his comb up against the aluminum frame of the big door to the coop. And you know the old advice about never putting bare skin into contact with metal in sub zero temperatures. I guess I forgot to inform Chief.

I'm still not certain how it has happened, but none of the girls have any telltale blood on them. So, he's in here waiting for me to clean that up and get some Neo on it.

So, any ideas of what is going on with my precious boy? Is this pneumonia? Just a cold? What? Thankfully, no one else is exhibiting any signs of illness in the coop. Clarissa's passing was due to old age, plain and simple. Though I do believe this sudden plunge into sub zero temperatures may have hastened her death.

I have penicillin at hand, and could start administering that, if I could remember how much to dose him with. At least I can remember that it needs to be a 5 day regimen, followed by a 5-7 day break and then hit him again if he needs it. Right?

I can give him just about anything to eat that y'all can think of. He had apples and bananas yesterday. His appetite is good. He enjoyed some simple scratch grains and crumble so far this morning. I'm going to fix him up a nice bowl of eggs, oatmeal, yogurt and maybe some more apple and banana mixed in. I might even throw in some tuna for those omega 3's that everyone could use. Not to mention the extra protein that it would give him.

Please, my friends, if you have any suggestions of what I can or should do further, please, please, please, say it! There are no silly ideas. Oh what I wouldn't give for a veterinarian in my area who would treat chickens. We'd be there, banging on the door right now! Even a small prayer for my beloved Chief would be greatly appreciated.

 

[NellaBean]

Quote:
She is supposedly pure.......HOWEVER, I agree that she looks like a brahma/cochin cross. She actually looks more "brahma-y" than some of my actual brahma/cochin crosses.

On a sidenote, here is the "pure cochin hen" on the left and a half cochin/half brahma hen on the right. They could be twins, if not for the age difference.

I tell ya.....I have the perfect quad of girls for blue brahma projects! I wish I had an interest in working on it myself as my girls would be a great start.

 

[kathyinmo]

Oh, they look great, Nella! I do like that Brahma boy! Someday I wanna have Brahmas..... someday! Poor Bumblefoot girl! She looks a fright! One of my Delaware girls looks quite similar! I like the looks of that blue cochin girl! I do, really!

My Mahonri New Years Day hatch is complete.
11 of 12 Marans shipped eggs from cpartist (Luanne)
5 of 6 Cochins shipped eggs
2 of 2 Icelandics (my eggs)
Only had 2 eggs left in the bator this morning.

I did the dumbest thing. I had 24 Cochin eggs, and candled on day 5, like I NEVER usually do. I decided they were all clears, but left them in the bator ..... so I thought. In error, I tossed out 18 of them. Of the 6 remaining, 5 hatched.

 

[X2Farm]

Oh Amy, I'm so sorry Chief is sick!!! I'm prayin for him and you!!! Lots of big

for you both!!! I wish I had some advice for you

 

[NellaBean]

So sorry to hear that Amy

I don't have any real advice.....other than give him good food and lots of warmth until someone else comes along with better advice. I don't know the penicillin protocol so can't help there. Scramble him some eggs and give him as much good food as you can manage.....never hurts to keep the strength up.