Thank you for your prayers. And Happy, I'm adding your family to mine. No news yet. As Ken says, that's probably good. We are looking at maybe leaving early Monday morning. The kids did a great job this morning. Evan came with Katie, and they had it all figured out in no time. Evan wouldn't clean the PDZ in the poop tray though, so Katie did that while he got all the feed and stuff set out and ready to use. I've put the feeder back into the coop and told them I'd fill it completely to the top just before we left. That way they don't have to worry about emptying and cleaning the feeder if we get a rainstorm or two.
Got a question, though. The one thing they both struggled with was watering the chickens. The container is heavy and with the nipples on the bottom they can't just set it on the ground, fill it, then hang it back up. And it was also heavy for Katie to rehang. She got it done, but pinched her fingers hard between the handle and the hanger. Evan is even smaller than she is. I know there's no set answer to how much water 22 birds will need, but an approximation would be great. Right now I'm using a 2 gallon container for water. I usually only top it off, unless it looks kinda nasty. Then I dump it completely, clean it up, and refill it completely. If I were to hang a 5 gallon bucket in there, would it be unreasonable to assume that they could top it off every other day? If that's the case, and I fill it completely with clean water, would having them just top it off on that schedule be okay? I don't anticipate being back in Sioux Falls any longer than about Friday or Saturday.
I'm trying to make it as easy as I can for them. Jenny won't go near the chickens - I didn't realize until today that she's scared to death of them, and that's okay. They aren't for everyone. Tam works all night from 6 pm until 7 am, and sleeps while Evan is in school, so it's kinda unfair to expect her to give up one minute of her recovery time to take care of the birds. Evan and Katie get home from school around 5 on Monday - Wednesday. So Evan and Katie are the logical choice. But I have to remember that they are just children, so the fewer things they have to remember the easier it will be for them. I did write them a Step 1, Step 2 type chart and they followed it exactly, right down to tying plastic bags over their shoes and washing well when they were done with the chores. It's just the watering that has me stumped, and we just don't have time to build a different system right now. I showed them how to toss a little scratch in the run or the coop to get the chickens' attention away from the doors when they are open. They were surprised and very relieved to see how well that worked and how much time it gave them to get in, get done what they have to, and get back out with no escapees.
Can you think of anything I've forgotten? I just can't seem to think right now.
Edited to add: Linda, you're in my prayers right now too. I guess I didn't realize I'd be a Dotty Downer here on the porch, and that's not fair when so many of us come here for a relief from stress and some friendly smiles. So party up, you party animals with your lemonades and teas and Diet Cokes......chow down on those goodies too! Life goes on - and it's always better to smile than to be down in the dumps. What will happen with my sister will happen. I can't change it or prevent it - if I could I'd have already switched places with her. Hugs!!!
