Wednesday, January 30, 2013

Another Quiet Day

First off, I want to apologize to all of you for not getting around to read your posts in the last few days... I have had flu-like symptoms for over a week... was tested for strep and found negative, but still couldn't seem to get over the hump.  I'm feeling much better today.  I know many of you have had it, too, as I've seen it on your blogs. 

It snowed today about one inch here at Calamity Acres.  Chores went on, however. 

This is not a dead bird, just one staying warm.  She doesn't see very well anymore, and she likes to hide in the bottom row of the old wood nest box that is sitting on the feed room side of the big henhouse.  The heat lamp hangs here, you see, and I think it keeps her toasty... she'll need that, as it is going down to the very low single digits tonight. 


This was taken in very, very low light, all we could see of the chicken (Buffy, our Polish girl) was the end of her tail sticking out.  I switched the camera to low light, and crouched down to take it. 


This, however, IS a dead chicken, one of our home-bred silkie/cochin crosses, about 4 years old.  She lived all her life in the little henhouse, until November, when I moved those little hens into the new henspa.  I knew something was going on the last three days, she got "stiller and stiller".  I don't think it was a blocked oviduct, I think it was just "Chicken disease".  Sometimes things happen. 

She did not have upper respiratory. 


In the annals of Strange Eggs... here is an entrant from today. 
A regular sized egg is above it. 
Despite the cold and wind and blowing snow today, I got 17 eggs, including this tiny one. 
I got 17 yesterday, and 18 the day before.  Way to go Girls!!!!


Even the Intrepid Lil wanted to be inside... and was ensconced on our bed with a toy to lay on.  I found her sleeping with the toy between her paws just before I took this. 

For those of you who are planning to have treats for the Super Bowl on Sunday, one of my favorite cooking blogs sent a big ole list into my email yesterday and you can find that here, and it has TONS of good recipes. 
Thanks, Brown Eyed Baker! 

I ran out and drained all the waterers tonight, and we'll have to carry warm water in the morning.  Brrrrr..... but we're used to it.  Granddog Jester the Boston Terrier is sick, too, and I may have to make a run tomorrow in the cold morning to pick him up and run him to our vet, who happens to be HIS vet... so very convenient.  I'm glad to be able to do these things for our kids who work so hard to take care of their families. 

And last, I've been poring over the seed catalogues these last few days... we are very close to ordering the polypropolene inserts for our greenhouse... if I haven't managed to lose the sheet Keith figured everything up on.  He told me he would re-do it tonight if he needed to... but we'll have to wait til it gets a little warmer again before starting the actual work. 




11 comments:

  1. That tiny egg you found, have you cracked it open? I found one just the other day, it was barely bigger than a robin's egg. When we cracked it open it was the egg white only, no yolk.

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  2. Love the dog on the quilt! Glad you're feeling better.

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  3. The temps have dropped back into the 20's here and we have new snow on the ground. At least the old stuff all melted before we got more. Just staying in and keeping warm here. It's good you are feeling better.

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  4. Sorry to hear you're still feeling under the weather. After having bronchitis in December, I still don't feel 100% either. This stuff going around right now is nasty with a capital N.

    I'm curious...where do you get the polypropolene sheets?

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  5. After reading your blog the other day mom made us scrambled eggs for supper as a treat...yummy!!! Stay warm!
    stella rose and mag's

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  6. We had high 70's for several days in a row, then it dropped to the 30's yesterday. The wind was blowing 30 mph.

    When ours were laying, we had one of those tiny "egg farts" once.

    Hope you get to feeling much better.

    Am off tomorrow. Taking Jolie to the MS Coliseum to ride around for fun.

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  7. Mary Ann,

    Hope you continue to feel a bit better each day. It sounds so very cold, think Spring thoughts to help warm you up.

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  8. I'm so sorry you haven't been able to shake that bug. One son sick would flu here but that's all so far. I hate seeing that pretty little hen didn't make it and hope you don't have any more losses for a good while. Lily is so sweet on the pretty quilt and there's a nice stack of books close if she gets bored!

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  9. I'm glad you are feeling some better, it's never any fun being sick. You guys stay warm!

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  10. I'm sorry about the chicken! :( I really hope you are able to get feeling much, much better soon. Too funny about the eggs!

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  11. Sorry about the chicken but it happens.

    We have all had the crud here, just climbing our the other side of it this week.

    Feel better soon.

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