The Front Porch Swing

[Beekissed]

I haven't had a chance to post a picture of one of our new chicks!

We bought about 6 chicks this weekend, one of which was actually free because he is kinda...deformed. I was disturbed that the feed store hadn't culled him earlier, but he was bigger than most of the other chicks. Any normal, decent seller of chicks would cull once that sort of injury took place (heck, if the chick came out of the shell with an injury, they'd cull).

Well, this is Mr. Q. He was named by Nivia. She said the name was because his beak was chueco (crooked).





He's cute, but I had a hard time not being sad while looking at him. It's kinda like seeing a neglected dog; you know he'll be fine but you're sad he got that way in the first place.

It's either a congenital defect of the skull or a congenital vitamin deficiency. One lady I read about had one like that and after just 2 weeks of feeding it fermented feeds the beak had corrected itself, so I'm assuming her's had a nutritive deficiency that was corrected by the increased vitamin absorption provided by the FF.

 

[LeslieDJoyce]

I love it!!!  Blooied!  We could even add a prefix of "Ka" and a hyphen to it. 


I tried sand this winter and they wouldn't touch it.  This year I'm going with their native soils, which are primarily clay so when they dust in them it's a very, very fine powder...like silt. 


LJ, you wouldn't believe how much he pouted over my killing the meat chicks this time....he pouted for a couple of hours after the dirty deed even.  Just laid there with one of the big, orange legs sticking out the front of his mouth and a sour look on his face....kept stealing looks at me like I'd just shot his mama but wouldn't look me in the eye and wouldn't come around me for awhile.  Finally, later on in the day, he consumed all the legs I left for him, but he still wasn't happy with me. 

That dog is a fool over "his" chickens. 

:cd


LJ, I just love the looks of this little guy...I've never seen markings like that before on a chicken, even a mutt.  Do you have any idea of the breeds involved in that cross?  He looks to be part Delaware with that bulgy, meat chick lookin' butt of his. 

He is an interesting chick. He really pops out of the group because of he strong coloring.

I don't think DelaRoo had access to too many hens. Occasionally he bolts through the door of his coop to mate a handy hen. But not often.

For full-sized roosters we have a black Australorp, a Cuckoo Marans, a Brown Leghorn, a Speckled Sussex, and one mutt that sneaked through last winter's cull. Then there is a silver laced Wyandotte that is about 3/4 sized. And ruffles, the bantam buff Cochin.

For hens we have all of the above except Cochin, and a bunch of other breeds ... all hatchery stock RIR, black and golden Sexlinks, golden laced Wyandotte, buff Orpingtons, California whites, Easter Eggers of all colors including white, probably some I'm missing, and lots of mutt crosses from last year.

Is it too simple to think it is a cross between a California white or white EE hen and the black Australorp roo?

Other than the Delawre Roo, the meatiest roo is the speckled Sussex, but he doesn't really have a harem.

ETA: I did put some of our nice tilled soil in the peat moss and sand mixture, and some of the fine deep litter. I only had a little ash to add ... I wish I had more of that.

The "Blooied" thing is awesome!

 

[Triple Willow]

Thank you Triple Willow. But learned alot about myself and my walk with the Lord thru all of that.  Saw God's grace, mercy, comfort and love abound!!!

It is amazing where you can find God's grace sometimes - no, ALL THE TIME.

 

[Triple Willow]

Leslie, I think this is a Black Australorp X CMarans.

 

[LeslieDJoyce]

Leslie, I think this is a Black Australorp X CMarans.

Cute!!!

That's more like what I'm used to seeing with B&W chicks ... fuzzier edges, grayish. But the same basic areas of color placement.

I just remembered we have some barred Plymouth Rock hens, and they were B&W as chicks ... A lot like the chick in this photo.

 

[heartsizedfarm]

Thank you for the castor oil suggestion, Bee. Thank you for the addition to the English lexicon, Blooie.

Tonight it is raining raining raining raining raining raining, with a side order of rain. Going out in the *************** rain (betcha can't guess what that word was) to check downspouts, rain barrels, feeds from rain barrels, arggghhhhh, going to get wet.

 

[Beekissed]

Thank you for the castor oil suggestion, Bee. Thank you for the addition to the English lexicon, Blooie.

Tonight it is raining raining raining raining raining raining, with a side order of rain. Going out in the *************** rain (betcha can't guess what that word was) to check downspouts, rain barrels, feeds from rain barrels, arggghhhhh, going to get wet.

Was it "Ka-Blooied"?

 

[heartsizedfarm]

Okay let's get all populist stupid! Who's going to win the Voice?

 

[Triple Willow]

Okay let's get all populist stupid! Who's going to win the Voice?

I like that country boy. He acts like he would be a sweet guy, and he sings good too. lol

 

[Blooie]

Well, I've been blindsided. <sigh> Not quite ready to talk too much about all of it yet. Had a doctor's appointment in Billings today with my cardio/vascular surgeon and my legs are blocked - again. It's more an inherited issue than anything else. I've had stents put in them 4 times since 2009. Linda and I both inherited very narrow arteries and veins from Ma along with a good old fashioned case of Familial Hypercholesterolemia, a fancy term for high cholesterol caused more by genetics than lifestyle. Linda's resulted in a ruptured aortic aneurysm Christmas day, 2012, and the kidney destruction, dialysis, and her recent bypass was the result. Me, it's the legs. And every time they block, they block just a little higher in the aorta and illiac arteries, right above the last set of stents. The last time I was stented was in November of 2013 - 6 months ago - and he used closed stents on both sides this time. He told me then that this was probably the last time I could be safely stented. I'm already on life time Plavix, which is usually used for a year after stenting, aspirin, and looking at doing some Lovonox self-injections again. If my blood gets any thinner we'll have to change the old expression from "blood is thicker than water" to "water is thicker than Ma's blood!"

So now I'm left with some options, none of which appeal to me. That's the part I'm not quite willing to talk about yet. Got a lot of thinking to do. He gave me the options, then sat there like he was waiting for an instant decision. Well, not happening. I told him I needed more time - wanted to talk to my family and then decide what to do. He reminded me not to wait too long. For the first time since I met him, I was actually mad at him today. Isn't that stupid? I like him, I trust him completely, but today his pushing irritated me. I fired the first cardio/vascular surgeon I had. I called him "Dr. Pretty Boy" and that pretty much describes his arrogance. I told him to his face after my first stents that if he'd spent more time studying people and less time admiring his profile I'd be a happier patient. This doctor isn't like that at all and it certainly isn't his fault that this happens. Fortunately there was no aneurysm noted again today. He always checks, especially since Linda had one. I must add, in his defense, that he was as disappointed as I was with the results of the doppler and other tests. He put a gentle arm over my shoulder and said, "We talked about this possibility the last time, Diane. I was just hoping it wouldn't have come up this soon."

Severe PAD is not much fun when I want so badly to keep up with Katie, Kendra and Evan. I know it's probably getting bad again when I have to get in the car and drive across the street to Jenny's because I can't walk that far. We live in old 10x60 mobile home and just walking from the back where the bedroom is to the front kitchen I have to stop and rest my legs a couple of times. I'm such an active person and this is so hard. I've gone from 179 pounds to 163 since my last stenting (and now that I've told you that I'm afraid I'll have to shoot you!) and the doctor was very pleased about that. But I guess it is what it is. Ma passed away at 58 from her heart and vascular problems, so I've done better than she did - I'll be 64 this December.

So that's my day. Now, I've shared it. I have to think about it and I won't mention it again. The decision rests with me, Ken, my kids, and God. Don't have time for pity parties and while it's no secret that I don't mind attention, this is not the way I prefer to get it. So......

Now, "Blooied"?? Oh, gotta love it! I most humbly (well, as humble as I ever manage to get) and gratefully accept the honor of having something so auspicious named for me. Um, do I still get to play? I mean, can I Blooie myself? Wait....I really need to think of a way to rephrase that!