I let Mina out with Atlas during his time outside to dustbathe yesterday afternoon, his favorite pastime these days. I knew that if he even tried to go toward her, his "flex and step" on each leg with every step he takes from the stiffness in his hocks would prevent him from being able to catch Miss Mina, who is very fleet of foot even at over 10 years old. She was curious about him flailing around and singing while he enjoyed the cool dirt and watched from a little stand of trees nearby, mostly sassafras. He glanced her way, but made no attempt to get up. I think this may work out, them being out together. She had already been allowed outside for awhile, but she refused to stay out and was hanging out in the barn aisle when I went to put her back in her pen. If this works out, Atlas may feel like he has a hen to watch out for, though not sure what he thinks of her chicken-nugget size, and she won't feel so alone. Now, the best thing would be if he could share a pen with her, but I'm not going to push that.
The other day, the day before June died, I was watching Mina at the hanging feeder when she had a little episode, almost missed it and most would have missed it. She did a thing with her neck and eyes, sort of leaned her neck to the right briefly and her eyes sort of glazed over, but it was so fleeting, I wasn't sure I even saw it. It reminded me of when Carly began having balance issues, then seizures and then, it got so bad, she couldn't eat or drink without seizing and we had to euthanize her. She could go the same way or maybe it was nothing, but if you recall Spike began having neurological issues himself, lolling his neck and throwing his head backward to drink water, and went downhill until we had to euthanize him-he was Mina's son.
