Another Weekend Has Come And Gone…

It’s sixty-six degrees on this bright, September morning, and I sure do like it!  Finally, it’s beginning to feel a little bit ‘fallish’ here in the south.  It’s about time!!!

Another weekend has come and gone, and I’m feeling tired.  My tiredness is probably due to our flurry of weekend activities–or it could be due to the fact that I’m getting old[er].  Maybe both?

Ed and I managed to have a little family time with all of our children and their families, off and on, throughout the weekend.  Our daughter and her family ate Friday night supper with us.  Then, on Saturday, our youngest son, Brad, and his family stopped by for a quick visit before heading over to visit Jennifer’s family.  Brad and Jennifer were only here for a couple of hours, but, somehow, all of the family managed to stop by and see them for a few minutes, while they were here.  It’s good that we all live so close!

Evan- almost 11 mos.

Little Evan, the youngest grandson, is walking everywhere, and now has four teeth.  He has quite a personality, and the only time he’s still is when he’s asleep.  I purchased two baby gates in an effort to make our family visits with Brad and Jennifer more enjoyable.  I think the gates helped a lot.  Oh, if only we could transfer some of Evan’s energy into Ed and me!

Speaking of energy, even though he had none, Ed managed to get over half of the chicken run covered with tin!  I felt bad for him, but he ‘pressed on’ for several hours before he finally gave in and stopped.  If you’ve never had thyroid issues, let me tell you–they suck!  Your energy level is zero, and I won’t even get into the sleep, body temp regulation, or other health-related issues.

Ed – working on the chicken run

‘Della’, our sick chick, is still with us–living in her own little box, alone.  Unfortunately, she continues to have ‘issues’ with constipation.  I did put her in the box with her sisters (twice) for a short time, yesterday, and she seemed to enjoy that.  She scratched and pecked with the best of them!  Once she began trying to go to the bathroom, I had to remove her, because the others noticed, and wanted to peck her rear end.  (notice Della’s house, next-door, separated by Plexiglass)

Della (front center) – visiting with her sisters for a moment

All of the chicks (except Della) are growing like weeds.  They’ve grown their wing and tail feathers and are beginning to fly, so we had to upgrade them to a larger, deeper, brooder box.  Ed spent part of Sunday afternoon building a ‘chick condo’ out of two cardboard boxes.  (I don’t know what I’d do without Ed’s help!)  We may have to add on to the condo as the chicks continue to grow, but, for now, it’s good.

Ed –  working on the ‘chick condo’

In other chick news, over the weekend, several larger chicks pinned ‘Pixie’ (the runt of the flock)  down in a small space in the brooder box (before we upgraded).  They were pecking and attacking her, when I happened to walk by. Had I not been there, I feel sure they would most likely have killed her.  I’ve noticed that ‘Pixie’ seems to have the opposite problem as ‘Della’, and suffers from diarrhea.  I’m hoping we won’t have to add another isolation box!

I’m a bit frustrated with this chick business!  I didn’t have near this many problems with my first flock.  If I had, there probably wouldn’t have been a second flock!  I must have had some ‘beginners luck,’ back then.  I didn’t know a thing about raising baby chicks, and had very few problems.  Now, I’m experienced and educated, but things keep happening!  It seems there’s always a ‘chicken challenge’ around here.

Speaking of ‘chicken challenges’, you may be wondering about my three older hens, aka ‘the girls’.  They’re free ranging, and loving every minute of it!  Our yard may never be the same, since I’ve discovered chickens love to scratch grass and eat flowers…  It’s a good thing our grass is hardy and I’m not attached to my flowers!

The girls only return to their coop to lay eggs (usually 1 or 2 daily) and to sleep at night. Unfortunately, in addition to eating flowers, ‘the girls’ have developed the bad habit of hanging around the front door to wait for treats! (my fault for starting it)  See what happens if we don’t keep a baby gate up on the front porch…

Do ya’ think I might be a ‘redneck’ from ‘Gooseneck’ since I have a chicken peeking through my front door, while eight baby chicks are currently living in our game room? Nah, I’m just a country gal who loves and enjoys her chicks 🙂

Have a great Monday, y’all!