The Front Porch Swing

[lovingmyhens]

rrrmamma... I am so, so sorry for your loss and please know that you and your family are in my thoughts and prayers. May The Lord bless and keep you close and wrap you in His loving arms.

Thanks to all of you who asked and were concerned about Hurricane Arthur. We got struck dead on, the storm made landfall literally 10 minutes from where I live. By the time it reached our shores here in Nova Scotia, it had been downgraded from a Cat. 2 Hurricane to a post-tropical storm, a very potent post-tropical storm at that. We had winds here that were sustained around 60 mph with gusts to 75 mph - one wind gust recorded in the province was clocked at 87 mph. Lots of downed power lines and trees around here. We only lost power for a few hours and praise the good Lord for that, however there are others in the province that are still without it since Saturday morning. The clean-up in the area is well underway with folks clearing and cleaning up lots of downed trees and some minor damage to buildings.

Once again, thank you all for your prayers and concerns. God Bless.

Very thankful that you all were safe. It is hard to see the devastation around you but I am thankful your family was spared!

 

[Tomtommom]

Looks like a lovely time! The grins on the kids' faces are priceless!

Got two eggs today - Ida laid her usual little brown grape. When I went in to clean the poop board this morning (or the "poop deck", as Katie calls it!) there was a perfect little blue egg waiting to be discovered! I have no idea which of the 5 Easter Eggers laid it during the night, but I suspect it was Mathilda since she's been acting like she was the closest to laying. I was so excited. Oh, I giggled....I almost danced a jig! I oohed and ahhed at it's beautiful color and perfection, even though it had poop and PDZ stuck to it. Then I broke it.

Yep, I did. I was trying to pick up between my thumb and forefinger so I wouldn't get too yucky and it squirted right out, hit the edge of the poop deck and then the coop floor, and that was that.

You can check their butts. There's quite difference between a chicken that laid an egg and one that hasn't yet.

And what is so funny is that when I first got interested in chickens, I heard on and on about the amount of poop and I had second thoughts that maybe I didn't want to get into such a dirty hobby. 10 months later I probably have it in my hair.

My garden loves all this poop

composted first, ofcourse.

If I crack an egg just a little, I usually go ahead and crack it all the way and put the yolk in a container in the fridge so I will remember to use it first.

If I bust an egg or find one busted I scoop up as much as I can and toss it to the girls. Waste not, want not.




Anyway. Thomas is sick. It looked like Scarlet fever on Sunday, but yesterday the rash faded some, fever gone, cheeks only slightly pink. took him to the Dr just in case, ofcourse they had us waiting a freaking hour grr Dr barely listening to what I had to say, brushed it off as a random virus. They did take a strep culture just in case. I don't go to the doctor often, and when I do, they always make me regret it. He fell asleep around 5pm and woke up at 630am this morning.... hardly wants to eat or drink. Sunday he slept all day off and on. Didn't play at all. He's cranky and overly emotional. *sigh*

Eggs are due to hatch Firday... I need to build a small coop or something.

One of the young birds has started crowing (foghorn). Only once though. Thank goodness.

 

[lazy gardener]

And what is so funny is that when I first got interested in chickens, I heard on and on about the amount of poop and I had second thoughts that maybe I didn't want to get into such a dirty hobby. 10 months later I probably have it in my hair.

I think about how low my poop standards have slipped, every time i slip an egg into my pocket.

Thank God this is not our home and that our real home will be free of all this heartache.

And, all His people said AMEN!!!

My garden loves all this poop

composted first, ofcourse.
Anyway. Thomas is sick. It looked like Scarlet fever on Sunday, but yesterday the rash faded some, fever gone, cheeks only slightly pink. took him to the Dr just in case, ofcourse they had us waiting a freaking hour grr Dr barely listening to what I had to say, brushed it off as a random virus. They did take a strep culture just in case. I don't go to the doctor often, and when I do, they always make me regret it. He fell asleep around 5pm and woke up at 630am this morning.... hardly wants to eat or drink. Sunday he slept all day off and on. Didn't play at all. He's cranky and overly emotional. *sigh*

Eggs are due to hatch Firday... I need to build a small coop or something.

One of the young birds has started crowing (foghorn). Only once though. Thank goodness.

Did they just do a rapid strep, or did they also do a culture for the lab? The rapid strep can often be negative, while the lab culture grows out strep... or perhaps something else. If he's still sick today, and if he's running a fever, i'd take him back to your regular doc. I find that i get the brush off when i go to walk in care, but not with my reg doc.

You sound like me... get birds, figure out where to put them... later!

You just wait... you ain't heard nothing yet. It starts with the occasional gargle, then revs up to a non stop opera with a blast every 15 seconds that lasts from 4:30 - 7:30... that's AM!

 

[Alice28]

Duck question:: I'm thinking of adopting a welsh harlequin duck about the same age as my duck and drake. Is this going to totally mess up their mojo?

As long as your getting another duck it should be fine, just slowly start introducing her and keep an eye on them at first. Post pics!

 

[Tomtommom]

Did they just do a rapid strep, or did they also do a culture for the lab? The rapid strep can often be negative, while the lab culture grows out strep... or perhaps something else. If he's still sick today, and if he's running a fever, i'd take him back to your regular doc. I find that i get the brush off when i go to walk in care, but not with my reg doc.

You sound like me... get birds, figure out where to put them... later!

You just wait... you ain't heard nothing yet. It starts with the occasional gargle, then revs up to a non stop opera with a blast every 15 seconds that lasts from 4:30 - 7:30... that's AM!

They sent it off to the lab. They sent one off in February and it came back as strep. The thing with strep is that a lot of folks carry it without issues. He just had fever for two days in february... by the time the results came back the fever was gone. He had no other symptoms, so I never gave him the antibiotics. Didn't see much point in it. I don't do preventive antibiotics. Not sick? No meds. The only reason they caught it is because he was supposed to get his Hep A shot and the nurse took his temp and he had a fever. We agreed to have him checked out.

I don't like his pediatrician much... doesn't stop to listen, keeps wanting to finish your sentences for you.. that sort of thing. Very rush, rush.

He's actually fairly miserable now, so perhaps it's still strep.. a flare up? If that's possible. I'm no doctor, just an educated patient

No fever anymore, the rash is fading.. but he's still cranky and sleepy. He did eat a sandwich for lunch, so that's good. He only wants to drink milk, no water. So keeping him hydrated is a bit tough. I can't keep giving him milk all day.


I've got a large coop for all my birds.. room enough. This time I'm having a broody hatch the babies though, and while she's in a pet carrier and doing fine, the pet carrier is up 3 ft off the ground in the coop...... Seems like a bad idea for the little chickies. I need to make a little enclosure for her.. I have a brooder, but while that works for chicks, I don't think mama would enjoy it much.

This is my fourth cockerel. My first one was crowing day and night at 12 weeks old. The two after that didn't crow until 20 weeks, and sparcely at that. This one crowed once at 5am three days ago. It helps that I have a VERY dominant top hen... she doesn't put up with rowdy boys

Gotta say though, this one is busy trying to sow his oats... I watched him grab a mouth full of feathers from one of my hens yesterday.. He's welcome to stay if he keeps his trap shut.

 

[rrrmamma]

First I want to thank everyone for their prayers and condolences. I am doing some better today. The pastor from the church I went to Sunday stopped by today. He was on vacation Sunday so I didn't meet him. I like him very much. I will be going back this Sunday.
I went to Veteran Services yesterday and if I can obtain a copy of a divorce decree from Denver they may be able to get me a pension. I tried before to get it and they said I had to come in person or send a courier to get it. I will try again tonight to do it online.
We are doing a celebration of Doug's life on August 9th. It is the soonest all the immediate family can be together .Just keep me in your thoughts and prayers and pray that Doug is in God's embrace.

 

[lazy gardener]

Praying for you.

 

[bruceha2000]

First I want to thank everyone for their prayers and condolences. I am doing some better today. The pastor from the church I went to Sunday stopped by today. He was on vacation Sunday so I didn't meet him. I like him very much. I will be going back this Sunday.
I went to Veteran Services yesterday and if I can obtain a copy of a divorce decree from Denver they may be able to get me a pension. I tried before to get it and they said I had to come in person or send a courier to get it. I will try again tonight to do it online.
We are doing a celebration of Doug's life on August 9th. It is the soonest all the immediate family can be together .Just keep me in your thoughts and prayers and pray that Doug is in God's embrace.

Keep checking in with us on the porch Deb. I'm sure you will have a ton of things to deal with over time. With the cross section of people on the porch, I am sure someone can give advice on how to start to solve them as they come up.

Bruce

 

[Tomtommom]

First I want to thank everyone for their prayers and condolences. I am doing some better today. The pastor from the church I went to Sunday stopped by today. He was on vacation Sunday so I didn't meet him. I like him very much. I will be going back this Sunday.
I went to Veteran Services yesterday and if I can obtain a copy of a divorce decree from Denver they may be able to get me a pension. I tried before to get it and they said I had to come in person or send a courier to get it. I will try again tonight to do it online.
We are doing a celebration of Doug's life on August 9th. It is the soonest all the immediate family can be together .Just keep me in your thoughts and prayers and pray that Doug is in God's embrace.

 

[Alice28]

First I want to thank everyone for their prayers and condolences. I am doing some better today. The pastor from the church I went to Sunday stopped by today. He was on vacation Sunday so I didn't meet him. I like him very much. I will be going back this Sunday.
I went to Veteran Services yesterday and if I can obtain a copy of a divorce decree from Denver they may be able to get me a pension. I tried before to get it and they said I had to come in person or send a courier to get it. I will try again tonight to do it online.
We are doing a celebration of Doug's life on August 9th. It is the soonest all the immediate family can be together .Just keep me in your thoughts and prayers and pray that Doug is in God's embrace.

I will keep you in my thoughts.