Tennessee

The last week of last month we went to mass to pick up my Grandmother Dee and Uncle Luke and all eight of us drove to Tennessee to pick up two puppies! We made a lot of stops on the way and had a great week! we went through eleven states. New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Connecticut, New York, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Verginia, Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana, Tennessee. We went to the Louisville slugger factory, drove around Lexington Kentucky. We saw many of the film sights from the movie Dreamer. and we went to the Creation Museum. That was without doubt the coolest museum in the world! I'd highly recommend it!

Look familiar? 

They had a petting zoo there with a zorse and a zonkey (zebra crosses with horses and donkeys) 

And they had Camels...I RODE A CAMEL! It was Awesome! 

Zorse

Zonkey

 

And we finally made it to Tennessee and picked up our puppies! Lexie and Rain. Rain is Forestt's and Lexie is the Family's 

 

The puppies are full sisters with Sadie, the dog we lost. They have been so much fun. We Love having dogs in the house again. And yes it's been a little hectic. But they are worth every second. and no I don't enjoy cleaning there messes up off the floor but id rather clean it than not having a dog again. And I can't wait to start agility training again. They've got a little growing to do before that first. They turned 9 weeks old Wednesday. 

Crowing Hens

I discovered the other day while I was carrying water to the goats that I have a crowing chicken! I thought "Great. on of my new chicks is a rooster...." so I put my buckets down and went into the barn to hopefully see who the culprate was. I looked into the coop, they were all just standing there looking very innocent. I looked to Molly, thinking "she's got a rather large comb and bossy demeaner..."  I crowed hoping to provoke a reaction and it did. but it was coming from around the corner. My first thoughts were "who ever it was escaped." then "maybe one of the neighbors roosters got out and came to visit my hens" I rounded the corner into the them empty goat stall.....It was BABY! My Productive hen! I was dumbfounded "baby did you change gender on me!" I can not explain the thoughts that were running through my head. I googled it and sure enough if there is absence of  a rooster one of the hens may "take over" the position of rooster and start crowing. I've seen her do it since then and it is the weirdest thing having a hen that crows! 

Chicks

I got more chicks! I was only going to get three but then my hen Sophia died so I got four. First I got Grace (the most photogenic hen in the world) and Molly (she's my sister's)  Grace is a Buff Orpington, and Molly is a Brown Leghorn (Sophia was a White Leghorn).

Grace

Molly and Grace 

Easter Chicks!

Goose and chicks

Then I got Zoozoo and Jade. Goose was broody so I put easter eggs under her and when the chicks came in replaces the eggs with these two and she was possitive they were hers and she hatched them! They are both Americaunas

Baby Goats

I had seven goats born this spring!

Pippi was my first to kid. She had twins, a girl and a boy. Apollo and Pixie.  Pixie came out one leg first then Apollo decided to come out backwards! Silly boy, he was just fine though. I have been wanting a girl from Pippi for about two years now, but sadly pixie was a bit of a disappointment in the fact that she actually had four teets, thats pretty rare, I've seen goats born with three, but never four, teets. oh well though, not much you can do. Pippi not only didn't want her babies...she wanted them dead. I am convinced if left alone with them she would have killed them. She immediately started to stomp them so we took them away from her and they were fine.

Pixie

Apollo

Azariah 

London

The next to kid was Tilly, she also had a boy and a girl, London, and Azariah. I loved London and planned on keeping her but ended up selling her. When they were borne Tilly (the great mom that she is) accepted them very well but London set herself aside in the corner and wouldn't go near her mom or brother. I took her inside because it was too cold for her without the shared body heat of her family. She wouldn't settle down in the crate or box so I actually slept with her on the couch wrapped in a towel for three nights in a row. she got very attached to me and couldn't just sleep on the couch, she had to be on me! Then when she was disbudded one of her horn scab things started to bleed, so she was really babied then too. she got so she was very attached to people...too attached. she didn't think she was a goat and she HATED being with the herd. at first it was cute, she'd follow me every where, help me with chores, follow me inside and back out again but then when she got bigger and she was mad at "mom" (me) for leaving her in the pen with all the goats, she'd break my fences to come and see me. That was not cute. So I sold her. She was getting out far too often.

The next was Annika, a boy I named him Robin but sold him right away I also sold Annika, sorry to say this is the best picture I have of him:

Robin

Then Faye kidded, like her mother, one boy. I named him Guy of Gisborne, to go with Robin. He was really cute and SO SO friendly, wished he was a girl actually. He was boring in color but so cute. And my Friend Brittany was up from NY when he was born so she got to see that, so that was cool too. Sold him too though...sadly. And for some reason I don't have any pictures of him. 

Then! Leibchen Surprised us all with a baby girl! I didn't even know she was pregnant till just a couple weeks before she kidded! She had Laura. And I'm so glad she had her because she made the decision to sell Londen so much easier. Laura's a sweet heart. I had her mom raise her because by the time she was born there were no other babies herr size to put her with, so unlike most other babies I've had she thinks she's a goat, and I'm another member of her herd, not her mom. She's quite silly and so much fun to watch. and she's HUGE because she was nursing forever she got big FAST. Shes eight weeks younger than Ellesmera (who I will discuss in a moment) and she's the same size if not bigger than her!  

Laura and my new chick "helping" me milk Leibchen

 Ok, Ellesmera (El es MEAR a) I bought from Larissa when I discovered I couldn't keep Pixie. I was feeling awful about Pixie and I met her and she lifted my spirits the second I saw her. So when I heard that Larissa wasn't keeping her I was quick to claim. Then Larissa told me (about a week or two later) that she was also selling her mom, Varla (who is also Tilly's mom. so Tilly and Ellesmera are sisters.) so I traded Annika for Varla. So I have seven goats now (one more than I had planned) but it works nicely.

Ellesmera 

Ellesmera

Pixie, about ten minutes old

Apollo

Pixie

London, Pixie, and Ellesmera

So I ended up selling all the babies but Mera and Laura, but my friend Eliana (who has Tilly's sister Ally) bought Apollo and Azariah. So I get to see them all the time. I'm going to take some more pictures tomorrow of the four babies so I can post some more recent pictures.




P.S. I also sold Leipchen's sister Leia. 

Updating

Ok. I'm very sorry, I lied. I said "I'll keep you posted" and I guess I didn't really.
We couldn't find the charger to our camera so all the pictures I've gotten for here were on my phone, I didn't know how to transfer them and of course my dad shows me how easy it is just today... We haven't really had a computer for me to use. We have my mom's but she's always on it. and I've been VERY  busy. but, excuses excuses...will you ever forgive me?
I'm hopefully going to do like a million and one posts tonight updating you on all that you've missed. baby goats, puppies, new birds, camels,  paintings, you know...the usual. Better get to work!

Prolapse Vent

My friend's chicken has a Prolapse vent. I helped her clean t it up and put it back into place (though she's still not 100%).  Mom said that what we did could count as school if I did research and wrote a report on it and what to do...so here I go.


Prolapse Vent
A Prolapsed vent is where the oviduct (where the eggs are made) comes out of the vent. This prevents the chicken from pooping and laying eggs. There is often chicken poop oozing out and all over the feathers around it. There may also be blood present. The hen will most likely be calm.
The area around the vent needs to be cleaned with warm water and the tissue coming out has to be disinfected. (We used Dial disinfectant soap)
Next you can put something on it to help with pain and swelling. I have read many different suggestions for this, we used antibiotic cream and Vaseline because that's what was available. You can also use Preparation H cream or honey.
Then (the fun part) You need to use your finger to push the oviduct tissue back into the bird. Gloves come in handy here! Once it's in you might want to hold in there for a minute until she stops trying to push it back out (you can tell by feeling it against your finger), Put more cream on the outside once its in.
If it wont stay in place (we had this problem) you can diaper her over night. and that should cure it; although is is common for the issue to arise again later so keep an eye out for it.
Only bandage/diaper the bird over night! if it's on during the day she wont be able to lay her eggs making the problem worse. Here's a link on how to bandage the prolapse: http://www.littlehenrescue.co.uk/Pages/Medicaladvice.aspx
 A Prolapsed vent may be caused by a number of different things; it could be because the hen started laying when she was too young, or maybe the chicken laid an egg to big, soft or weird in shape, if the chicken is old and over weight it can also cause it. Or there might be an egg stuck. If you think the last is the case you can gently massage around her tail and vent to see if you can feel and egg.
Another possibility is the chicken is deficient in calcium.

After the treatment add vitamins, electrolytes  and/or liquid calcium to her food or water; and keep her away from the flock until the issue has cleared up completely.
If the other chickens are able to pick at her vent they could make it worse infecting it and possibly causing her death.
Your chicken may also need antibiotics if it's really bad.

Pregnant Goats

I have a couple very pregnant goats...then some not too pregnant goats.
Pipi's due date was the 26th, n she looks like shes going to pop! Tilly is due on the 5th of March. She and Pipi could kid anytime . I'm very Excited. Annika and Faye are also pregnant but not due till the end of March and the Beginning of April. I'll will keep you posted.