tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-79673040703497141882024-02-19T21:06:49.676-05:00Crack N' EggEnjoying the Sunny Side!TMCrack N' Egghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06635135265991460040noreply@blogger.comBlogger30125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7967304070349714188.post-55366347198177229322011-05-20T14:18:00.000-04:002011-07-19T14:27:25.491-04:00WALL-E Missed EVEAs it turns out, I guess WALL-E couldn't live without EVE. We found our dear Easter Egger in a nesting box where she breathed her last breath.<br /><br />This year has just been devastating for us. We are going to try to keep this from the kids. I'm all for them learning loss, but this is just too much :(<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;">Love you WALL-E. May you be reunited with EVE =(<br /></div><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMNGvLLEhH9a6Cg5xln678CEW2PBSDaLqh7N_vciTsayLqMA5W3eT5Yi-x-1qbYGnUP-CxbXm0NNdJ-OiqkEszG_NbPdoO3tWTGrGaQ1GACPQwMaPuEQTYbV14RhL8GiJKBnUYJvt-wRs/s1600/DSC_0177-4.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMNGvLLEhH9a6Cg5xln678CEW2PBSDaLqh7N_vciTsayLqMA5W3eT5Yi-x-1qbYGnUP-CxbXm0NNdJ-OiqkEszG_NbPdoO3tWTGrGaQ1GACPQwMaPuEQTYbV14RhL8GiJKBnUYJvt-wRs/s320/DSC_0177-4.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5631130841944906898" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTBkphR1Nx1u2MfadcJ-xd4MfOhvgJF0ovEltHWOXDn6T7WCflkMFSOjvUgGVOxaNN7Y7sCt3ReevsBwW-ibR5tJyiz_vHCeB4mkWC4suo93IaNz73_9p5ib1xb4fYtbDk0KCUiRMDeTg/s1600/DSC_0077-7.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTBkphR1Nx1u2MfadcJ-xd4MfOhvgJF0ovEltHWOXDn6T7WCflkMFSOjvUgGVOxaNN7Y7sCt3ReevsBwW-ibR5tJyiz_vHCeB4mkWC4suo93IaNz73_9p5ib1xb4fYtbDk0KCUiRMDeTg/s320/DSC_0077-7.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5631131297568975890" border="0" /></a>Crack N' Egghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06635135265991460040noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7967304070349714188.post-36032290398075183342011-05-15T11:26:00.021-04:002011-05-20T20:38:53.163-04:00Swiper Has Swiped AgainPardon my spelling, punctuation, grammar and so on. I am no proof reader! Oh and the fowl (har har) language!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9T2Hmwhq38Us6Xh1nqMeG0y_ZYR1dcaMePK1SxsVW3pP3_jLuBRPN3kS1wWB-KVjKNXX1I56NQlIGtxmwTRNUz0A4deROhGe_GPATdaUt8sBcV2LcoJCzQ5qnwZUYJBcImXfbh32rhyphenhyphen8/s1600/P8300168.JPG"><br /></a><br />We haven't had much luck this spring with our chickens. They seemed to have gotten lax about staying close to their protectors. Even though we have enough girls to go around for both Mr. Roo and Gru, boys will be boys. One gets irritated at the other and the fighting begins. It's quite comical to watch. They chase each other all around the house, then stop to stare at each other...put on a little cock fight scene and then continue about the day. But unfortunately, while they are doing what they are doing the girls tend to separate and wonder in different directions.<br /><br />I decided the other morning that before I had to pick Cooper up from the bus I would let the chickens out. It was sunny, warm and absolutely beautiful. I wanted them all to be able to stretch their wings and eat some grass and bugs and enjoy themselves. Little did I know it was going to be a fatal mistake.<br /><br />When I picked Cooper up from the bus I decided we needed to go to the grocery store. Now I don't usually let the chickens out to free range unless I'm home...but like I said before it was gorgeous out. I have done it before, just not regularly. And I wouldn't be gone for more then an hour. Tops!<br />Coop and I went on our way, did our shopping and were home within that time. I did my usual routine by leaving Cooper to watch his DVD in the car (i know...bad mom) while I unloaded the groceries. Unloading groceries in my house is a step by step process. It's never easy...or stress free for that matter. It goes a little something like this:<br />Groceries go from car to inside garage doorway into house<br />Then Cooper gets out of car and goes inside..(all while I'm yelling at him not to sit on the groceries to take his shoes off)<br />I proceed to take my shoes off to go inside...(all while I'm yelling at Cooper not to pick up the heavy bags that are filled with glass or gallon containers)<br />Then I take the groceries (you know how it is...with as little trips as possible so you weigh yourself down with as many bags as possible) to the kitchen...(all the while I'm yelling at Cooper not to do the same)<br />oh ya, the reason I'm writing this blog...so anyway...as I'm walking past our living room which the windows face the back of our property I notice a pile of feathers. White feathers. I stop. I put down my bags and run to the window. The pile of feathers were not 15 ft from the house. Right next to our bird feeders. Then I look off to the left and I notice another pile of white feathers...and yet another. I run out our back door and I can't find my chickens anywhere. Then I heard them in the coop. Now in my mind I was trying to work out whose feathers they were. We only had two white chickens. Eve (which is my daughters baby) and Eve's hatch-ling named Luna. That's when I ran to the coop. At that point I didn't even care how many chickens were missing. I just wanted to know...needed to know..........NO!!!...NOT POOR Eve!!! I saw Luna roosting on the post and knew right then and there that it had been Eve. Of all the f'n chickens, it had to be my daughters baby. The little yellow chick my daughter cared for and played with everyday. The chick that started growing in white feathers that made my daughter immediately name her Eve after her favorite Pixar character from WALL-E. The sweet affectionate hen that would stand next to my daughter and wait for a treat of worms while she collected them in her bucket. The one that layed a gorgeous large light brown egg for us everyday.<br />I was speechless. My mouth probably hung open for some time as I walked to the pile of feathers. Then to the other pile and then the other.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU_1YcnykgzIhLHYl9t4YX9J-yitrIgoHeBIMsn2zKa3xelHwIqrNcX_nTNRpL1MDpKTsGmAwa3xFlnb1J0bD0O6zWSDoq8QeaZNhAk-UFeR2ITG8mO6mdH6Jh1xLTmy8GGUdvbR2IO4A/s1600/P5100110.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 176px; height: 133px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU_1YcnykgzIhLHYl9t4YX9J-yitrIgoHeBIMsn2zKa3xelHwIqrNcX_nTNRpL1MDpKTsGmAwa3xFlnb1J0bD0O6zWSDoq8QeaZNhAk-UFeR2ITG8mO6mdH6Jh1xLTmy8GGUdvbR2IO4A/s320/P5100110.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5608950466570253778" border="0" /></a><br /></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlt1TLjsjd7grQbSj40TsVWbgx0aZtDD8egSHBAWqzoruyvLvDCaoTe_5NP7To0rWhxe5-ZpG3MbkdKy_qJm0XYL-XJl0luJtgcfzlyrWJ5GjhcMXNIR0YS1bf-Jqqqo8vcceOLVJqlxo/s1600/P5100107.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 215px; height: 161px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlt1TLjsjd7grQbSj40TsVWbgx0aZtDD8egSHBAWqzoruyvLvDCaoTe_5NP7To0rWhxe5-ZpG3MbkdKy_qJm0XYL-XJl0luJtgcfzlyrWJ5GjhcMXNIR0YS1bf-Jqqqo8vcceOLVJqlxo/s320/P5100107.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5608951075039388210" border="0" /></a><br />I came to the conclusion that she was first taken at the feeders, then she must have gotten loose and ran to where her second pile lay. Then got loose again and darted to the brush line where she was caught for the final time. The third pile of feathers trailed off into the woods. At that point my jaw finally closed, and if I was a cartoon character steam would've come out of my ears. I yelled into the woods "you fucking piece of shit, I will fucking kill you if I have the chance"!! Was that a little extreme, I thought? Hope my neighbors weren't watching. But then I turned around and saw my son standing on the patio..."Mommy?... Fox eat chicken?... Mommy?...Fox in woods?... Mommy?... Eve?"<br />My heart sank as it hit me that my poor daughter will be scampering off the bus in a few hours with a huge smile on her face, and I was going to have to break her heart. My poor little six year old girl is going to experience her first feeling of loss. At that point I started to tear up. Walking back to the house Cooper just stared at me. "Mommy? Eve gone?" "Yes honey, Eve is gone. The fox took her." And I guess when he saw me tearing he realized something. What exactly, I guess I'll never know. Does a three year old understand that something is gone and never coming back? But at that moment he hugged onto my leg and looked up at me and said, "ok mommy? I love you mommy. No cry mommy..be happy mommy." Which of course made me blubber even more.<br />So we went inside and Cooper was so cooperative after that. He did his part in putting away the groceries. Helped make his lunch and went down for a nap without resistance. I took my camera and took pics of the crime scene and decided to collect some of the feathers and put them in a ziploc bag to have a family burial service later. I thought that it may help Payton have closure in some way.<br />I sat on the couch constantly looking at my watch waiting for the dreadful time to come. When it came, I got in my car and drove down to the pick up point. It felt like eternity. Watched pot(watch)never boils(ticks). I tried to think of the best way and time to tell her. I decided that I would not tell her in the car and I would wait till we got in the house. The bus finally came and like I said before, down the bus stairs she came with her flowing dress, sunglasses and a huge smile plastered on her face. She got in the car and back to the house we went. I asked how her day was and if she was hungry for a snack. Had our normal getting back to the house conversation. I closed the garage door and Payton opened the door to the house. I didn't think anything of it until Payton said "hi Cooper"! Oh shit! What if Cooper blurts it out first. Damn it!! I forgot that my now three year old is the biggest blabber mouth! I grabbed Payton's hand and told her I wanted to talk to her. Her immediate response was, "I didn't do anything!". (geez. guilty conscience. we'll have to address that at a later time) "No, you did not do anything. Payton, something bad happened today. I let the chickens out this morning and then Cooper and I went to the grocery store. When we were gone a fox must've come onto our property when he saw the chickens were out by themselves." Ok, at this point her mouth opened a little. Ok, Jen...deep breath...you can do this...don't start crying yet...damn it! "Payton, the fox got Eve". "I am so so sorry." Well, she just stood there, what felt like forever, just staring at me. Then I noticed that her eyes started welling up. And then the monsoon hit. She just kept repeating Eve's name in between her uncontrollable violent sobs. I lost it. I just sobbed with her, hugging her, holding her, wanting to take the pain away from her. Then she turned and walked over to the window where the remnants of the crime scene still lingered. Shit! I thought to myself..I should've tried to get rid of all of the feathers. But then again, I think she needed to see them too. Help her realize what it all actually meant. Poor Cooper was just sitting on the couch staring at us. Then the sweetest words came from his mouth. "Payton? Cooper sorry Eve gone. Bad fox in woods. Cooper want Payton to be happy". Ok, more sobbing continued. And Cooper actually got off the couch and wrapped his arms around his sister to give her a big hug and kiss. Um...melt my heart a little more!<br />Anyway, after about 40 min Payton calmed down, but she just kept looking outside. Then the denial came. "Well, maybe Eve will come back". "Maybe she just ran away". "Maybe, maybe, maybe". Then the anger set in..."Well, where were Mr. Roo and Gru"? "Why didn't they protect her"? "Why did you let them out"? "You know the fox live in the woods"!<br />Just lay the guilt on...I can take it =o(<br /><br />So the evening went on and we went out to play. Surprisingly both Payton and Cooper started collecting the rest of the feathers. They actually picked up almost every little feather. And put all of them in the ziploc. As of yet though, we have not buried them because it has been a different kind of monsoon lately. The rains have been relentless. Our property is just muddy and squishy. Kind of like our moods that terrible day.<br /><br />Last Wednesday Jason and I purchased 300 ft of fencing material and began to build a 72" high enclosure for our chickens. We're hoping that it will at least deter the fox from coming in. The chickens will have plenty of room to run, eat bugs and grass and the roosters can continue to be boys. They will only be allowed to free range when we are home and outside. No other time.<br /><br />It has been almost 2 weeks since the incident and Payton is doing fine. She still talks about Eve and how she misses her, but no more tears. But she does think that Luna misses her mom. It's strange because you almost feels like we're going to see her pop out of the woods one day and say "here I am", but I know it's not so.<br /><br />Ugh!! Who would've thought that chickens would become like family.<br /><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:180%;">EVE</span><br />We miss you!<br /></div><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn255M9-SrlyGaXjR4XHZiVyha0WXqFjQbrU7AOVhPsKmHD1hTSHI9btMSAXMP1wbRHS3T9t7nuE-qpJhlk1YcoRM6F40YTNDrd3Cqtn3xoXJ1qh6dVf1HukCUMF-aqIBv5Vxd3kv6V80/s1600/P8300149.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn255M9-SrlyGaXjR4XHZiVyha0WXqFjQbrU7AOVhPsKmHD1hTSHI9btMSAXMP1wbRHS3T9t7nuE-qpJhlk1YcoRM6F40YTNDrd3Cqtn3xoXJ1qh6dVf1HukCUMF-aqIBv5Vxd3kv6V80/s320/P8300149.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5608928224836231810" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtdTYlrLKVH7UJrQFaQzhxlipKvTHHwgJSg9lAI91xFYdPQ8YxQIUVI9cFjoAvy-94YTePww44rJqhv0q0_euSBK4bttHMS1LUrmOYEUHGNiduKRvGMTl32kK-2P4ZtAGBtUibbQUvbrM/s1600/P8300202.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 242px; height: 181px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtdTYlrLKVH7UJrQFaQzhxlipKvTHHwgJSg9lAI91xFYdPQ8YxQIUVI9cFjoAvy-94YTePww44rJqhv0q0_euSBK4bttHMS1LUrmOYEUHGNiduKRvGMTl32kK-2P4ZtAGBtUibbQUvbrM/s320/P8300202.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5608928522903874674" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9T2Hmwhq38Us6Xh1nqMeG0y_ZYR1dcaMePK1SxsVW3pP3_jLuBRPN3kS1wWB-KVjKNXX1I56NQlIGtxmwTRNUz0A4deROhGe_GPATdaUt8sBcV2LcoJCzQ5qnwZUYJBcImXfbh32rhyphenhyphen8/s1600/P8300168.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9T2Hmwhq38Us6Xh1nqMeG0y_ZYR1dcaMePK1SxsVW3pP3_jLuBRPN3kS1wWB-KVjKNXX1I56NQlIGtxmwTRNUz0A4deROhGe_GPATdaUt8sBcV2LcoJCzQ5qnwZUYJBcImXfbh32rhyphenhyphen8/s320/P8300168.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5608928928177693410" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpgTNdXg_joov9EbXlRLCS-VIxRTKwj2n5d2vETzaxW-ObCUFY5an62Z7zMua6JdxP2UXgR_juXxnm1RLAc3EbIf82YquP6LDDO4fWiRAnsEk5x4qmW7ge36wQuRqT2Gt47pTcEWdSTmQ/s1600/DSC_0149.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpgTNdXg_joov9EbXlRLCS-VIxRTKwj2n5d2vETzaxW-ObCUFY5an62Z7zMua6JdxP2UXgR_juXxnm1RLAc3EbIf82YquP6LDDO4fWiRAnsEk5x4qmW7ge36wQuRqT2Gt47pTcEWdSTmQ/s320/DSC_0149.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5608929808383869746" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSwwNxqCNsUr22yWIjlb0we6a1Bwd7nOJcqjSkYtfIUdRLpBcjxR9Kw_aR_ujV3dPHVOCBUpHrv5L5BBFFsYTMnIVnJBKJIY7aeV-wa0-Ni0j_fwOsawLqdJFmURyw2F359Q_KZO_1Jw8/s1600/DSC_0173.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSwwNxqCNsUr22yWIjlb0we6a1Bwd7nOJcqjSkYtfIUdRLpBcjxR9Kw_aR_ujV3dPHVOCBUpHrv5L5BBFFsYTMnIVnJBKJIY7aeV-wa0-Ni0j_fwOsawLqdJFmURyw2F359Q_KZO_1Jw8/s320/DSC_0173.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5608930300147013650" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUvqG4b4aVctqCwhCcpJwPDYNRzFOtF_IKbEfvfA3H09PzxSf6NRgvn4vUMQaaTGHiRSMS0iORqpTCgn3xWeboP2ILnqbInFtpJQ9_LyhidJ96BXzAhmzMyxQvaMlldD03iO_e8cE79Ik/s1600/DSC_0089.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUvqG4b4aVctqCwhCcpJwPDYNRzFOtF_IKbEfvfA3H09PzxSf6NRgvn4vUMQaaTGHiRSMS0iORqpTCgn3xWeboP2ILnqbInFtpJQ9_LyhidJ96BXzAhmzMyxQvaMlldD03iO_e8cE79Ik/s320/DSC_0089.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5608930844299619762" border="0" /></a>Crack N' Egghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06635135265991460040noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7967304070349714188.post-59078558805663794572011-05-07T14:05:00.003-04:002011-05-07T14:15:33.318-04:00I Think I Found RosalieDon't get confused about the title. I may have found her, but certainly not whole. First grass cut of the season in our back field I came across a pretty decent sized pile of feathers that looked like they belonged to Rosalie. Then 3rd cut (which was just the other day) I found (what are definitely her feathers) between my property line and our back neighbors. With a little investigative work I came to a conclusion. The scene of the crime must have happened by our neighbors property. Probably a fox. Then later she was eaten in our field. Where we always see fox playing around in the early morning hours. (which is absolutely beautiful to watch..no hatred for the sneaky four legged animals) Then I found a cleanly licked chicken breast bone. Crime solved!<br /><br />Wish the others in the flock would be bright enough to learn from Rosalie's mistake, but judging by the size of their heads I don't think they have a brain large enough for that kind of data. <br /><br />In the meantime, we have a couple girls misbehaving! They seem to trail off from the rest of the flock and migrate towards our neighbors property. These two girls are hysterical. As I watch their fuzzy ass's walking away from my property and onto Randy's, they walk side by side like they are having a conversation. They look like two teenage girls shopping at the mall! I swear!<br />They have me so damn frustrated that I almost think I'm going to have them for dinner. They don't come home until all the others are nestled on their roosts and it's almost dark. <br /><br />How do I ground a chicken??Crack N' Egghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06635135265991460040noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7967304070349714188.post-92012118309740566902011-04-09T09:42:00.004-04:002011-04-09T10:56:57.068-04:00Didn't Come Home to RoostSo it seems that we have lost one. I usually am a little hesitant about leaving the chickens to free-range when I'm not home, but I figured they'd be ok for just a few hours. We haven't seen any fox around and the hawks haven't been very successful in their fly by's.<br />But a couple of days ago one of our girls didn't come home. I didn't think anything of it because she is usually one of the the dirty little stay outs that sometimes doesn't come home to roost until it is almost dark. I sometimes find her laying on the protective mesh above the coop door. Unfortunately, it has been 3 days and still no sign of her. Jason went out yesterday morning to walk around the perimeter a little and found a large orange and red fluffy tailed animal running away in our neighbors yard. With that description it had to be a fox...either that or a large easter bunny that fell in some paint.<br /><br />Well Mr. Swiper the Fox...I hope you had a nice dinner!! Because if I see you come around here again you will be facing a double barrel!<br /><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;">RIP : Rosalie<br /></div><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrmTecfKx0x_zBRT6FYZOjpHlVpFj0g8FRRiOjMGeY37pkYDi1SQuUHKkk-wjglQw5QEQfLWXnYicykOsI7M_SmIkiM_CiOssI6RZY0SCEHqKkOKdhB6e7WRm8PcWCXyv2g03qwnnxZj4/s1600/DSC_0099.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrmTecfKx0x_zBRT6FYZOjpHlVpFj0g8FRRiOjMGeY37pkYDi1SQuUHKkk-wjglQw5QEQfLWXnYicykOsI7M_SmIkiM_CiOssI6RZY0SCEHqKkOKdhB6e7WRm8PcWCXyv2g03qwnnxZj4/s320/DSC_0099.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5593581309575009154" border="0" /></a>Crack N' Egghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06635135265991460040noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7967304070349714188.post-73663175891493922542011-03-07T13:00:00.001-05:002011-03-07T13:40:47.306-05:00It Was Bound To Happen...So I write today with some sad news. In our chicken endeavors we have only lost a few of our chickens. Two were to a predator and one was a day old chick who just wasn't strong enough to push forward. The two we lost to a predator were very young chickens, so it really didn't affect us.<br /><br />This Saturday we had to cull one of our chickens. Nutmeg was a Rhode Island Red Hen, probably about 2 years old. She never was a terrific layer and the reason why was she had a reproductive defect that caused her eggs to come out very deformed, watery and very easily crushed. On regular occasions our nesting boxes would be gooey with egg yolk and whites and would stick all over the other eggs. We kept her anyway because she was a healthy, affectionate companion to all her coop mates. She was also quite affectionate to us as well. Always let us pick her up and hand feed her treats. She would follow me around the yard like I was her mommy.<br /><br />About 3 weeks ago I started noticing that she was not herself. She would go out with the rest of her family and eat some grass and scratch around, but then she would just puff herself up and sleep the day away. I've also notice that someone was pooping strange liquidity stuff, but couldn't figure out who it was. Well, weeks went on and I noticed a rapid decline in Nutmeg . I also noticed that there were no more messy nesting box incidents. Starting to put the pieces of the puzzle together I came to the conclusion that the weird poop was actually coming from her. Her thin eggs must have broken inside of her which in turn blocked the ability to lay. The condition is called 'Egg Bound'. We finally came to the decision that she would never recover fully with the treatments that were available. She would always lay the type of eggs that would cause her this same problem later down the road. She was very thin, light and it looked like she would probably not have made it, even if we had tried the treatments. The best option was to put her out of her misery and put her in a better and happier place.<br /><br />Never did I think that having to put a chicken down would have affected me this way. I was sad, and I did shed tears. I never could handle nor wrap my head around a life just ending, animal or human. I could probably put myself into a psych ward just thinking about it for too long.<br /><br />So to Nutmeg, I hope you are in a better place. We know we gave you a good life with lots of love and freedom to flap your wings. Your friends miss you too. Mr Roo has been crowing non stop and looks as though he has set a search around the property. =o(<br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;">NUTMEG<br />you will be missed<br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUOTKvSHqyHavaYeZ0fRFyGMyQrug8J8D1OuMlQJHFDWfLYs9jphWLnBMiLEDLcWbAYuwWB87aWypiOdKcz_YT-T2qaku4SM9uvE9ABkwJBebPJbWrER0z3VwzcapTZ8tQ6-v_S07Nob8/s1600/DSC_0087.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUOTKvSHqyHavaYeZ0fRFyGMyQrug8J8D1OuMlQJHFDWfLYs9jphWLnBMiLEDLcWbAYuwWB87aWypiOdKcz_YT-T2qaku4SM9uvE9ABkwJBebPJbWrER0z3VwzcapTZ8tQ6-v_S07Nob8/s320/DSC_0087.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5581407888777377234" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAnLl68VQIwFIxXn8HzofPzjlXlK2djwMRbKbofo2-4T994O9jPH8BW90MLMH0aj6KlUzwYMgalzZd5gKCEwW7vTaOmR2agikVbdvg9NcYKWigm5lHHhAIs7svpm7fVRtyKZw_769dapY/s1600/DSC_0094.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAnLl68VQIwFIxXn8HzofPzjlXlK2djwMRbKbofo2-4T994O9jPH8BW90MLMH0aj6KlUzwYMgalzZd5gKCEwW7vTaOmR2agikVbdvg9NcYKWigm5lHHhAIs7svpm7fVRtyKZw_769dapY/s320/DSC_0094.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5581408075026452658" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiubel_11rJh9Vh-QzebgizivUdV6vwEpMg6K6WxxJ3Dh8WgZ9ekAqCE87VdvhGrp_6_jbp2Zbwlm6T0FxuEFCStQJe9GRyP0wK4CTiW4L2jWLsYFtJGPxAapHyHIqxZyx2ZJ8vRZCvU4Q/s1600/P8010061.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 216px; height: 162px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiubel_11rJh9Vh-QzebgizivUdV6vwEpMg6K6WxxJ3Dh8WgZ9ekAqCE87VdvhGrp_6_jbp2Zbwlm6T0FxuEFCStQJe9GRyP0wK4CTiW4L2jWLsYFtJGPxAapHyHIqxZyx2ZJ8vRZCvU4Q/s320/P8010061.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5581409470188597218" border="0" /></a><br /></div>Crack N' Egghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06635135265991460040noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7967304070349714188.post-32904265749690906152011-02-22T10:32:00.003-05:002011-03-07T13:00:42.302-05:00Spring TeaserFinally some nice weather made it's way to NJ. Thursday and Friday (Feb. 17 & 18) were beautiful! It was in the 50's on Thurs. and 60's on Friday. Can't get any better than that. Now, as much as I LOVE winter and oodles and oodles of snow, I start getting a little bit of the winter blues around this time. But, the warm sun and peaking green grass made those little winter blues disappear. At least for two days...came Saturday and it plummeted back into the teens. What a teaser!!<br />I bet my flock was thinking the same damn thing. If their tiny pea brains actually think about those things. Well, if they didn't I'm sure they do now. Thursday was their first day out of the run in about 2 1/2 months. They don't like the snow much. But they had no choice this year...if they wanted to have some (freezing) sun on their faces they had to become tolerable of the frigid weather. And for the most part they did. <br /><br />March is up next and we all know how that month can be...In like a lion out like a lamb?? Isn't that the saying? I bite my tongue when I say that the month of March can still bring on monstrous snow storms. Let all pray for warm weather!Crack N' Egghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06635135265991460040noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7967304070349714188.post-84848973525154791672011-01-10T13:17:00.003-05:002011-01-10T13:23:55.063-05:00Worth their weightIt's been about a month since I've installed the christmas lights into the coop. I'm hear to say that it does work. We are now up to 10-14 eggs a day. Double edged sword in a way because now we may end up with a surplus of eggs. Ya, ya, I'm never happy. But actually I am. With our 'regulars' buying their normal quantity of eggs on a weekly basis we will definitely be able to keep the chickens fed and happy. (and off the chopping block) just kidding! <br /><br />Also in the past month I come to notice some new colored and sized eggs. Which means that our babies that were hatched in July are finally laying. Someone is laying the cutest oliveish colored (new word meaning not quite olive, but not quite green or brown) eggs. They are so perfectly shaped they almost look fake. And someone else is laying the largest eggs we have had yet. Light brown in color and are pretty much the size of my palm. HUGE!! Ouch that's gotta hurt. Just imagine having to give birth everyday...a....hell NO!! <br /><br />On that note...I thank my girls everyday and give them much love and treats.Crack N' Egghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06635135265991460040noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7967304070349714188.post-32492151906938225102010-12-17T14:12:00.000-05:002011-01-10T09:58:58.375-05:00Woo hoo!Who would've thought that a couple of strands of christmas lights would actually work??? Well, it did. Slowly our egg production seems to be increasing. <br /><br />I'll keep you posted!!Crack N' Egghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06635135265991460040noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7967304070349714188.post-31256585916389409842010-12-07T11:45:00.000-05:002011-01-10T09:56:49.686-05:00Christmas in the coopWell, the meeting was held and it was a unanimous vote. The girls opted to have a couple of strands of outdoor christmas lights hung inside their coop, rather then one by one meeting their demise. Just kidding...I've decided that unless absolutely necessary (ie: a zombie apocalypse) our chickens will not be executed for food. <br /><br />Two strands of christmas lights were hung yesterday and stapled along the ceiling of the coop. They were put on a timer to go on at 3pm and off at 8pm. The additional light will stimulate the girls to start laying again on a regular basis. Now normally I am against this. Being that the winter time is a time for chickens to rest their reproductive systems. Chickens are born with a set number of eggs that they will produce. So unfortunately by inducing egg laying in the winter will shorten their long term laying. Meaning you either get more eggs now and less later, or you let nature takes its coarse and you have eggs longer. Makes sense?? Last winter we only had 9 chickens. 9 chickens don't eat as much and poop as much as 21 chickens. So last year egg production didn't matter. This winter, with so many mouths to feed. I need to sell more eggs to keep their feed bucket filled.<br /><br />Besides, every one of them loves the new look to their coop. Very festive :0) Now lets see if it works....Crack N' Egghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06635135265991460040noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7967304070349714188.post-13306225157961235022010-12-06T09:41:00.000-05:002011-01-10T09:45:07.495-05:00Workin 9-5Well, tis the season for egg production to go down. Shorter days, cold weather and the never ending molting of my girls. It is all starting to take a toll on the girls pulling their weight to pay their way. <br /><br />We went from 10 eggs a day, to 6 eggs a day and now we're down to 3. What's a chicken mamma o do. These girls need to make some money or they won't be eating this winter. I think it's time for a sit down with them. Chicken meeting will be held in a couple of days :0)Crack N' Egghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06635135265991460040noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7967304070349714188.post-59151082331384713542010-11-13T09:18:00.002-05:002010-11-13T09:37:41.092-05:00What in tar-nation???After my 5.6 mile jog yesterday I went inside to finish my cool down stretch. I had left my garage open and of course my chickens love to hang out in there looking for stink bugs and other creepy crawly treats. Suddenly I heard Dirty Girl (she is my little chihuahua) started sqwauking (sp?) away in her normal alarm mode. When I opened the door I noticed her and another one of my (un-named) girls hiding under my van. Then I proceeded to look out the side window and noticed that all of my girls and boys are hiding under our little silver spruce. I had to giggle because it looked like 50 clowns fitting under a teeny umbrella! When I walked over to the end of the garage I suddenly noticed a Cooper Hawk (little hawk, really it's name, not my son) sitting on the ground and when it saw me it took off into the trees. Now Cooper Hawks are not big, but they are bold and quite a nuisance. I knew at that point it was time to go outside and do a head count. On my way out I noticed a huge pile of feathers by our 'for sale' chicken coops. I ran over to investigate and see a large collection of about 4 different birds feathers. Eyes wide I ran over to my clowns under the tree. I began to count and kept coming up with the right number. Scratching my head I counted again and again. And every time I came up with the right number of birds. Then I started to inspect the birds to see who is missing feathers.....nothing!!! I literally stood there for about 20 minutes trying to put the 'pieces' together. Well, around that time Payton's bus pulls up to drop her off from school. I greet her at the bus and sadly told her what had happened and for the life of me can't figure out what was going on. On the walk back to the house I showed her the pile of feathers. Her response to me..."mommy, don't you remember when you cleaned the garage yesterday you told me to empty all the feathers I collected out of my 4 wheeler?" "Those are my feathers mommy!" "you told me to do it!"<br /><br />Well, I guess she told me! <br /><br />The moral to this story...Pay attention to the things you tell your kids to do!Crack N' Egghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06635135265991460040noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7967304070349714188.post-87361551028710428882010-10-26T14:46:00.002-04:002010-10-26T14:56:54.095-04:00Sienna HobbleThat's going to be her new name. Our poor Sienna is still hobbling along. She is much, much better then when the injury first happened, but still limping. She's living in separate quarters in the chicken coop with everyone else. This way my car can return back to it's home in our garage and Sienna has social company but can still rest peacefully. (ironic...my car/van is a Toyota Sienna) (i just noticed that...Sienna...Sienna) LOL<br /><br />Too add insult to injury, the girl looks like she's been plucked and then tarred and feathered. She looks so pathetic (so do a few others) during her molt. She does finally have some nice new shiny feathers coming through though. <br /><br />Another poor pathetic soul is Wall-E our Easter Egger. She has the worst of it. She literally looks like she has been going through chemo-therapy. I do have to take some pics and post them so you all know what I'm talking about. <br /><br />But all in all everyone seems to be doing well. The weather has cooled considerably, with the exception of the past couple of days where I feel like it's June. <br /><br />Halloween is right around the corner, so we'll have to treat the chickens to a pumpkin or two :)<br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.cracknegg.com"><span style="color: rgb(255, 102, 0);"><span style="font-family: times new roman;"><span style="font-size:180%;">Crack N' Egg<br />Enjoying the Sunny Side!<br /></span></span></span></a></div>Crack N' Egghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06635135265991460040noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7967304070349714188.post-11514485869740475752010-10-08T09:17:00.004-04:002010-10-08T09:23:14.847-04:00And the Molt ContinuesUGH!!!! There are sooo many feathers everywhere! Sienna is still in the garage...doing much better might I add, but still limping some. I'm hoping with continued R & R she will make a full recovery. Since she has been away from Mr. Roo her bare back is starting to feather out. Unfortunately though, every other feather on her body is falling out! Looking at my garage right now you would think I have a down factory.<br /><br />Egg production is still hurting a bit. Can't tell who is laying and who is not, but hopefully it will be all over soon. Mr. Roo looks awful...poor guy. He looks like he has been through the ringer. But his attitude sure hasn't changed with it. He is still as ....ahem....rambunctious as normal. He has finally accepted the remainder of the 'teenager's' by showing them how things are done. Poor girls!!!<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: rgb(255, 102, 0);"><span style="font-family: times new roman;"><span style="font-size:180%;"><a href="http://www.cracknegg.com">Crack N' Egg<br />Enjoying the Sunny Side</a><br /></span></span></span></div>Crack N' Egghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06635135265991460040noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7967304070349714188.post-13020139907320215332010-10-08T09:09:00.003-04:002010-10-08T09:16:56.979-04:00Teens Moved OutOn Wednesday this week we packed up the family and went on to deliver a Q34 chicken coop to a wonderful family in Clark, NJ. Along with the coop they also took 3 of our teenager chickens. Well, technically they were not teenagers anymore because they already started laying eggs. Payton was very sad to see them go, but she also saw that they are in a very nice home with lots of property to play on.<br /><br />I love setting up families with their own backyard chickens. Especially when this family has a huge family breakfast on Sundays and go through about 20 eggs. Now they'll be having their own eggs ;)<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: rgb(255, 102, 0);"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family: times new roman;"><a href="http://www.cracknegg.com"><span style="font-size:180%;">Crack N' Egg<br />Enjoying the Sunny Side</span></a><br /></span></span></span></div>Crack N' Egghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06635135265991460040noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7967304070349714188.post-34971118415249842072010-09-23T09:38:00.002-04:002010-09-23T09:46:14.753-04:00Our Poor SiennaHaven't posted in a while, and unfortunately today is not a happy post. One of our original girls named Sienna injured herself yesterday. Not sure exactly what happened, but she lost all function of her left leg. She was out free ranging all day with the rest of her family and sometime late in the afternoon when I rounded them up to give them their afternoon treat I noticed her hopping around and using her wings as crutches for balance. Her leg is completely limp. She was fine all day and then all of a sudden this. It looks like a strain, but it also could be a dislocated hip or break. When I palpate the area, I can't find anything out of place or broken. I know that she is Mr Roo's favorite girl. She has a bare back to show for it, so maybe he got a little rough with her and sprained her leg. <br /><br />I would hate to see her go, so once again my minivan get's kicked outside. The brooder cage has to get set back up and another chicken will be living indoors for a while. <br /><br />I hope she pulls through :(Crack N' Egghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06635135265991460040noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7967304070349714188.post-21723546216161705422010-09-04T10:23:00.004-04:002010-09-05T10:45:26.398-04:00Feathers, Feathers Everywhere!I have to say that this is probably our first "official" molt to date. Chickens molt their feathers usually twice a year. Some molt in patches, some just a feather here and there, and then there are some that end up looking like they belong on a serving plate at the dinner table.<br /><br />Now we've had feathers before...but never like this!! As a friend best described it.."you have enough feathers to make another chicken". So true, but at this point it's enough for a few chickens. None of my chickens are completely bald, but they do look like they have been through the ringer. They look pretty funny. My beautiful Mr Roo has no tail feathers, so it seems that all the girls are turning away in laughter.<br /><br />So unfortunately molting is a natural part of a chickens life. They all have to go through it to make way for nice new feathers to keep them warm for the winter. The thing that sucks though, during a molt they won't lay an egg for anywhere between 6-12 weeks. I'm getting hungry just thinking about it....Crack N' Egghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06635135265991460040noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7967304070349714188.post-68426262536334049602010-08-21T11:13:00.000-04:002010-08-22T11:27:47.527-04:00I Feel So Proud<span style="font-family: times new roman;font-size:130%;" >I am so happy today. I went out at my usual 5 pm to round up my chickens to bring them into their fenced area. Usually around this time they know I come baring treats. Today was bowls of yogurt with smashed blueberries and raspberries. One of their favorites! As soon as I stepped foot outside the garage door, they all came a runnin! It really is too cute how they all come full steam ahead, wings spread, waddling from side to side as fast as they can towards me. Well, low and behold...I see Tic Tac full steaming ahead with everyone else towards me. No limp present! All I could do is smile. I felt an incredible sense of accomplishment! Her feet look great...no swelling left and healing very nicely. I seem to hold a special place in her heart too. Every time she sees me, she comes to my feet and looks up at me and begins to talk to me. She loves when I pick her up and give her special hugs.<br /><br />I never thought that chickens would be so dear to me, but they really are great animals. We care for them so much, that when someone came to the door wanting to buy some I felt offended and violated. This man was eyeing up my chickens as they were walking all around him. All I wanted to do is bring them all into the house until the man left! LOL!<br /><br /><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: rgb(255, 102, 0);"><span style="font-size:180%;"><a href="http://www.cracknegg.com">Crack N' Egg<br />Enjoying the Sunny Side!</a><br /></span></span></div>Crack N' Egghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06635135265991460040noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7967304070349714188.post-91007069924168834772010-08-19T09:37:00.004-04:002010-08-19T09:50:31.833-04:00Store Eggs<span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family: times new roman;">So apparently yesterday they had the largest recall, I think they said in history. I hope they got the recall information out fast, but I know it wasn't fast enough for many people to not get sick. I'm not writing this as a "I told you so", but it certainly is an eye opener for consumers to give a thought to having their own food source. Especially with something simple as eggs. Sure it depends on where you live and if your town allows for chickens, but chickens are really the easiest pet to have. They require such little maintenance (</span><span style="font-style: italic; font-family: times new roman;">my previous posts are not the norm</span> :D)and the results you get everyday with fresh and healthy eggs is so rewarding. So long as you feed them right and keep them happy and clean, there is virtually NO fear of salmonellae, e coli or any of the sort. <br /><br /><span style="font-family: times new roman;">I'm saddened when I hear of things like this. It puts fear in all of us when our forks meet our mouths. </span></span><br /><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times new roman;"><span style="font-size:180%;"><span style="color: rgb(255, 102, 0);"><a href="http://www.cracknegg.com">Crack N' Egg<br />Enjoying the Sunny Side!</a><br /></span></span></span></div>Crack N' Egghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06635135265991460040noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7967304070349714188.post-19550716953158962332010-08-18T11:06:00.001-04:002010-08-22T11:28:54.114-04:00She's Back With Her Family<span style="font-family: times new roman;font-size:130%;" >This morning I thought it was time to put Tic Tac back with her family. She was so excited I could barely hold onto her. Everyone came to greet her at the door when I let her in through the fence gate. And Mr Roo, oh he couldn't wait. It took him a whole 20 seconds to keep himself contained. Poor girl...not back 20 seconds and she has her beak buried in the dirt with Mr Roo on top of her. I guess he really missed her. LOL!<br /><br /><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:180%;"><span style="color: rgb(255, 102, 0);"><a href="http://www.cracknegg.com">Crack N' Egg<br />Enjoying the Sunny Side!</a><br /></span></span></div>Crack N' Egghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06635135265991460040noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7967304070349714188.post-60816786330791732822010-08-18T09:57:00.007-04:002010-08-19T09:51:21.161-04:00Looking Good<span style="font-size:130%;">Well, Tic Tac is looking good. She has been confined to our brooder since I got back from VT. I re-did her surgery when I got back, but only on her one bad foot. I packed it with Neosporin and lightly wrapped it with vetwrap. I took the advice of a 'forum friend' that says once it's wrapped I should leave it alone for about a week. So I did. I finally unwrapped her foot a couple of days ago, and it looked amazing. Her foot is still a little swollen, but the surgery site was clean and healing. I decided that I would leave the bandages off and let it air out now.<br /></span><br /><span style=";font-family:times new roman;font-size:130%;" >We're on day 3 of no bandages and it looks like it's coming along nicely. She still favors the foot, but I think we are past the bad stuff and she will make a full recovery (fingers crossed). She's been getting a steady dose of Duramycin (antibiotic) in her water daily. A few more days and I think she'll be off that and she'll be able to go back to her home and rejoin her family.<br /><br />Never a dull moment at the Crack N' Egg farm!<br /><br />Until next time...<br /><br /><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: rgb(255, 102, 0);"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-size:180%;"><a href="http://www.cracknegg.com/">Crack N' Egg<br />Enjoying the Sunny Side!</a><br /></span></span></span></div>Crack N' Egghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06635135265991460040noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7967304070349714188.post-3433047794605940162010-08-10T15:00:00.005-04:002010-08-10T15:16:47.338-04:00Taking A TurnSo I went away on Thursday to visit my family in VT till Sunday and it looks like Tic Tac has taken a turn for the worse. When I came home on Sunday and let all my chickens out for some fresh grass and bugs, Tic Tac was limping pretty bad.<br /><br />I was unable to soak her feet and change the dressings for over 3 days and it took it's toll. I removed the bandages and one foot is really swollen and looking infected. The other foot doesn't look so bad. I prepared the cage brooder that we have for baby chicks and put fresh soft bedding and food and water for her. I soaked her feet good and kept the bandages off and then placed her in isolation for now. It will keep her from having to struggle with the other chickens and walking around in the dirt and poo. Other then her feet, she is eating well, drinking and pooping normal. Her comb and wattles are still nice and red although her comb is a little floppy. But that could be due to the excessive heat we are having.<br /><br />Right now, my dilemma is this. I went to Tractor Supply and picked up Penicillin G for injection. I'm hoping it will help fight the infection. So now for my dilemma....In the wonderful state of NJ it is illegal to sell syringes to the public. NJ passed a law that farm supply, drug store & etc, can no longer sell syringes. Thank you drug addicts...like drug addicts aren't going to find other ways to get their needles!!! So now if you are a farmer and need to administer medication to your animals you're (pardon) fucked!!<br /><br />So now I have a phone call to a vet up the road in the hopes that he can sell me some syringes. If not, I will have to travel all the way to the border to purchase the contraband. God I love NJ!!!! The state only gets better...but this is my blog for my chickens, not politics! LOL!<br /><br />So I'll keep ya posted!<br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center; color: rgb(255, 102, 0);"><a href="http://www.cracknegg.com/"><span style="font-size:180%;">Crack N' Egg<br />Enjoying the Sunny Side!<br /></span></a></div>Crack N' Egghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06635135265991460040noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7967304070349714188.post-61758886123600802052010-08-02T21:07:00.005-04:002010-08-04T16:05:40.373-04:00Tic Tac Update<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinMqy6EX3rRDnQ41vlw82ZsmwYzBw2G5zmyhyfL_Ljv_gMFiR3mcDG8OYO4cKFsLDMukXrC6H2EckK8PFxKmK0mz39vrFD3jX19-CfrhcjZLskoq4q2_jhJvTwhEYugGOSKv9gXQfGejI/s1600/P7310045.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinMqy6EX3rRDnQ41vlw82ZsmwYzBw2G5zmyhyfL_Ljv_gMFiR3mcDG8OYO4cKFsLDMukXrC6H2EckK8PFxKmK0mz39vrFD3jX19-CfrhcjZLskoq4q2_jhJvTwhEYugGOSKv9gXQfGejI/s320/P7310045.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5500986248413173458" border="0" /></a><br />So, I think Tic Tac is going to make it. I still have my fingers crossed though. It was my first and I'm sure not my last surgery on my chickens. I've been changing and redressing her feet everyday as well as soaking them in epsom salt and warm water.<br /><br />I'm a little nervous though, I am leaving for a couple of days and won't be able to change her wraps. All my peeps from the BYC tell me she should be healed and fine by then. Let's hope.<br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.cracknegg.com"><span style="font-size:180%;"><span style="color: rgb(255, 102, 0); font-family: times new roman;">Crack N' Egg</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 102, 0); font-family: times new roman;">Enjoying the Sunny Side!</span></span></a><br /></div>Crack N' Egghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06635135265991460040noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7967304070349714188.post-77914171349965375562010-07-30T14:39:00.009-04:002010-07-30T21:05:37.169-04:00Tic Tac's Surgery<span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family:times new roman;">Well this was a first. Tack onto my long list of job descriptions...now I'm a vet too. Well, I'm nothing like a vet, but as a 'farmer', there are things that you just gotta do.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;">I noticed a couple of days ago that our poor Barred Rock hen Tic Tac started walking a bit gingerly. I also notice something hanging from the bottom of that foot. She wasn't roosting with all the other chickens and she was laying down often to rest. After much research I found out she has whats referred to as "Bumble Foot". Apparently it's quite common in bird species. She must have had something stuck in the pad of her foot that eventually turned into a Staph infection. YIKES!!!!!</span><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;">Well, most chicken owners take it upon themselves to resolve the problem with the hopes that they don't kill their chicken in the process...Double YIKES!!</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;">After scouring the internet and chicken forums it seemed easy enough. I just needed an extra pair of hands...Now being a mom, that would really be nice to have, but unfortunately I don't see that happening within my lifetime.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;">So after a quick trip into town to pick up some surgical supplies, I hired my dear hubby to portray the role of surgical nurse. I scooped her up this morning (after breakfast might I add...maybe not a good idea to have breaky first) then wrapped her up in a towel and handed her off to my surgical assistant. It was then I noticed that she had 'Bumble Foot' on both of her feet..That is my triple YIKES!!! Now I really started to feel the pressure (forehead wipe please). After a good soak in warm water with betadine and epsom salt I was ready to make the first cut. Surprisingly my hands were steady. The goal of all of this is to remove the scabbing and pull all of the 'crap' out of the padding of the foot. Then soak in more betadine, epsom salt and warm water, then triple anitbiotic cream and wrap. So here are some pics...not too bad, but maybe not for the squeemish!</span></span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA8M4PzB0YfCEBK0i1uzP3toO3zyNdXI7Idoc8hUG4xPe9RRSHqGhsEBjzzP-poylUvEDixWbtkPQqQntxinun1k95JZp2uJ8sHW6GW97Nl1tNO_3tWLYBBPUhwhynEtkktWNMKPMIsZs/s1600/P7300013.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA8M4PzB0YfCEBK0i1uzP3toO3zyNdXI7Idoc8hUG4xPe9RRSHqGhsEBjzzP-poylUvEDixWbtkPQqQntxinun1k95JZp2uJ8sHW6GW97Nl1tNO_3tWLYBBPUhwhynEtkktWNMKPMIsZs/s320/P7300013.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5499774976774347314" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRLCsGIfzFDYqgAsNCknrRVt-Hl51G0wGmJT7TcF0zOrm_340XuJ6c0F6WY-qktC-vIhg5PPRqcraABSdXjkRVyoNWxjxbbqY0bn_MnRts3tMC7391lF0EcFZjnfPEnpRbyCreNmI2jWY/s1600/P7300014.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRLCsGIfzFDYqgAsNCknrRVt-Hl51G0wGmJT7TcF0zOrm_340XuJ6c0F6WY-qktC-vIhg5PPRqcraABSdXjkRVyoNWxjxbbqY0bn_MnRts3tMC7391lF0EcFZjnfPEnpRbyCreNmI2jWY/s320/P7300014.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5499774982120636930" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDQ2dU_91LeanffYDr2G2NWRcXBwWBaw6D9gPsfcMfKHNEmTLN1P_U5v794SNUuRca08dHK5zotxL2QclGHBSIpmm_terI-fSlAkYj8l7XTmc7klN8S3yRkk6FMzqkpMCMPhuQWvAtXEo/s1600/P7300016.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDQ2dU_91LeanffYDr2G2NWRcXBwWBaw6D9gPsfcMfKHNEmTLN1P_U5v794SNUuRca08dHK5zotxL2QclGHBSIpmm_terI-fSlAkYj8l7XTmc7klN8S3yRkk6FMzqkpMCMPhuQWvAtXEo/s320/P7300016.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5499774987284949362" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIIH6vXWhyphenhyphenOL4-pdZOk5_3MTaPd4q5GhrjleoyWCC9PUmgS3W2Cx2mXZJohieD9NCyp9WrTrhRp2Lzc0MJrfa-aS_sM9y2WUNSONv5t7AusnrSeXzxBU0ixlSgpC5GZjbA0_0JwkqLBJY/s1600/P7300017.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIIH6vXWhyphenhyphenOL4-pdZOk5_3MTaPd4q5GhrjleoyWCC9PUmgS3W2Cx2mXZJohieD9NCyp9WrTrhRp2Lzc0MJrfa-aS_sM9y2WUNSONv5t7AusnrSeXzxBU0ixlSgpC5GZjbA0_0JwkqLBJY/s320/P7300017.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5499774997817818738" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_fVkyxRaQ7Nq7TIvKSPloxb7siZ9rX7bLYCi-iau-ZW5wpXobsb0SgElgJfAU8D3EHrxi4kTez7yD02CGMofy6hRk9busUbF8bIbuihYxcKuTzDCwDp8uHOwY5icunoticFVqAObPafo/s1600/P7300018.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_fVkyxRaQ7Nq7TIvKSPloxb7siZ9rX7bLYCi-iau-ZW5wpXobsb0SgElgJfAU8D3EHrxi4kTez7yD02CGMofy6hRk9busUbF8bIbuihYxcKuTzDCwDp8uHOwY5icunoticFVqAObPafo/s320/P7300018.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5499775004835678818" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiLnLniGOGoM34jAOXdthztJDbTMVRKSuCoc3vtJnG_Ij0TSW6_ZwtkOuURYD-JdrS6UkYp-N0aaDJkjf-IAp_EPjGi4dKcVkUSWucMswGCdVsfEddTgsBV4aW2shY0T1wx3LCvPkoX7w/s1600/P7300019.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiLnLniGOGoM34jAOXdthztJDbTMVRKSuCoc3vtJnG_Ij0TSW6_ZwtkOuURYD-JdrS6UkYp-N0aaDJkjf-IAp_EPjGi4dKcVkUSWucMswGCdVsfEddTgsBV4aW2shY0T1wx3LCvPkoX7w/s320/P7300019.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5499778176778918914" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyXpfUuK2AyxalKvSJYp0WHpjynBfjlGtHHEwQNC4atWqyJLWy1OvUULPrcUgeV621bgkeQBkbf-b6BUFXrV2AGJofArq6wfgamftM-nLxMYkrqmx1SXbDs4W831-hPNQIjHxg3DeLWag/s1600/P7300020.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyXpfUuK2AyxalKvSJYp0WHpjynBfjlGtHHEwQNC4atWqyJLWy1OvUULPrcUgeV621bgkeQBkbf-b6BUFXrV2AGJofArq6wfgamftM-nLxMYkrqmx1SXbDs4W831-hPNQIjHxg3DeLWag/s320/P7300020.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5499778182432753602" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiztCLM8kuNDf5Y6phIgBbcc6A8VObxbPbkOXgh9Mg91REMTr7IMvQjx2_JQAFwJB8Bj6xFgc1pi5Aem9yyfzqYuNwXk6mOAy3FbRzriRly8A0tEv8X5dsVXVPqAtMUt4A9KVfaQzRurEs/s1600/P7300021.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiztCLM8kuNDf5Y6phIgBbcc6A8VObxbPbkOXgh9Mg91REMTr7IMvQjx2_JQAFwJB8Bj6xFgc1pi5Aem9yyfzqYuNwXk6mOAy3FbRzriRly8A0tEv8X5dsVXVPqAtMUt4A9KVfaQzRurEs/s320/P7300021.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5499778192508197538" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family:times new roman;">So hopefully she will make a full recovery, and I hope I never have to do this again. It really wasn't bad at all, but you never want to have to do stuff like this. It was quite cute watching her get use to her new kicks though....</span></span><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6XMdUlV5EDZAEGxqXV2jxERaPq4SbPNW9tXT-7KT3Bc-Gq6N6cMNmLsGpbvgMUE-CuOldhmtfUAMLGU-EZnbP783ieE4yshlH5hEmM8UHJ0io8AZVsp9oLUXmMjvBZ9NfCLssVTNw-wg/s1600/P7300023.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6XMdUlV5EDZAEGxqXV2jxERaPq4SbPNW9tXT-7KT3Bc-Gq6N6cMNmLsGpbvgMUE-CuOldhmtfUAMLGU-EZnbP783ieE4yshlH5hEmM8UHJ0io8AZVsp9oLUXmMjvBZ9NfCLssVTNw-wg/s320/P7300023.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5499776868347000514" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj128JTomTZSk3SC9AtCf81zkgdU-aDVJcEkOee7sIPkrqEKoGf2Jfxr4oG3XiKeVyQuhCSGsYUm3ceEy6RKRAI1uNmeQUhKTXsl1yfNPS1UNMkBUdH-0ADIcKzlXYQAO5BPknrjKQ5Pv8/s1600/P7300026.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj128JTomTZSk3SC9AtCf81zkgdU-aDVJcEkOee7sIPkrqEKoGf2Jfxr4oG3XiKeVyQuhCSGsYUm3ceEy6RKRAI1uNmeQUhKTXsl1yfNPS1UNMkBUdH-0ADIcKzlXYQAO5BPknrjKQ5Pv8/s320/P7300026.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5499776879471267058" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYnW8cs-VEdBuFNm3nxN0EdkDYWV8zu6hjgQyJapDqhUHgS-CGCePzPrZDM2LDv-9Nm1c38SvkHQq6UG5EQUqayEYtDlhrHx_atVqFzpwOngufbKSMWOrW9x2pIHHj1lu1DTsKzP37uTU/s1600/P7300027.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYnW8cs-VEdBuFNm3nxN0EdkDYWV8zu6hjgQyJapDqhUHgS-CGCePzPrZDM2LDv-9Nm1c38SvkHQq6UG5EQUqayEYtDlhrHx_atVqFzpwOngufbKSMWOrW9x2pIHHj1lu1DTsKzP37uTU/s320/P7300027.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5499776881220119778" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">All in all, I think it went really well. Although when I put her back with her family, they all (including Tic Tac) started pecking at the blue vet wrap. I had to put her in a separate pen so she can rest and not get chewed on. LOL!<br /><br /><a href="http://www.cracknegg.com"><span style="color: rgb(255, 102, 0);font-size:180%;" ><br /></span></a></span><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.cracknegg.com"><span style="color: rgb(255, 102, 0);font-size:180%;" >Crack N' Egg<br />Enjoying the Sunny Side!</span></a><br /></div>Crack N' Egghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06635135265991460040noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7967304070349714188.post-33784981635790106832010-07-28T20:26:00.006-04:002010-08-04T16:06:39.587-04:00We Got Another One<span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family:times new roman;">Well, we have another little fluff ball. This afternoon I found that the Easter Egger egg hatched and there was a dark ball on the floor of the coop. Actually she was under Mo, my other mommy Silkie. I guess she was babysitting for the moment.</span> <span style="font-family:times new roman;">So here is the unveiling of the newest and youngest.....</span><br /></span><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW6PtesSil4Q6tUguEKXykZoEDDkQgh4G_El_wUmE3FrDB2XTNVZu4V3dNImT87dN4a7QNWczsN815yGZ_n-ULN6p-3E3uSF8PJ95Q8hveB6f2VGiBYabgr0WR4Dpov1Kbq_1bfB4Zjuo/s1600/DSC_0057.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW6PtesSil4Q6tUguEKXykZoEDDkQgh4G_El_wUmE3FrDB2XTNVZu4V3dNImT87dN4a7QNWczsN815yGZ_n-ULN6p-3E3uSF8PJ95Q8hveB6f2VGiBYabgr0WR4Dpov1Kbq_1bfB4Zjuo/s320/DSC_0057.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5499123075755042338" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1JLpHWs1045jiPf2BR6bADnnizyfxz9svKYwE4PPqLWY0VStdu-O90vqy5DbWbDW2gCgB_nFq8J0KicHTApVkMZwRw6iRhzau4i1Jgol5-Fvc80QILoN2GlJ-lL2I3UkjBlKK2mqsGH0/s1600/DSC_0061.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1JLpHWs1045jiPf2BR6bADnnizyfxz9svKYwE4PPqLWY0VStdu-O90vqy5DbWbDW2gCgB_nFq8J0KicHTApVkMZwRw6iRhzau4i1Jgol5-Fvc80QILoN2GlJ-lL2I3UkjBlKK2mqsGH0/s320/DSC_0061.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5499123079627511874" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: rgb(255, 102, 0);"><span style="font-size:180%;"><span style="font-family: times new roman;"><a href="http://cracknegg.com">Crack N' Egg<br />Enjoying the Sunny Side!</a><br /></span></span></span></div>Crack N' Egghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06635135265991460040noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7967304070349714188.post-42119644588569630282010-07-28T10:25:00.009-04:002010-07-28T10:44:27.879-04:00Now It's Shammy's Turn<span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family:times new roman;">Good morning!!!</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;">And what a morning it is. Went to let our chickens out this morning and when I checked in on our mom's and babes, Shammy had a little surprise for me.</span><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;">I noticed there was a perfectly split shell laying in front of her. Couldn't see any little peep so I decided to check under her. And this is what I saw.....</span></span><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF2F2989yR9ovrAsKtGTi8OfXhkcrq9bAeL-KWcINlMQqj0NtxVAlaH4CCAcAcGqwX9neQ2zOBNxSmq_bkEdmxQOPLh2tC8KswftocvIfWW8L1vVVP82Nhyphenhyphenp6cZ1RX9Nl6rVxDkiTFglw/s1600/DSC_0055.JPG"><br /></a><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCFSl9C0Y3ZvYHvqd57wVtpOgr04A0rZ4QtTF4R1Y99zhXuo2jVpdOLaF2YAZhtv6bankkcO2uqUixfZeoh3C6ubWj0QESD1g5nhRqwJEe-YEQlrrWxbXr2jH7wSsF5aNCsHr7C2RWoYQ/s1600/DSC_0045.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCFSl9C0Y3ZvYHvqd57wVtpOgr04A0rZ4QtTF4R1Y99zhXuo2jVpdOLaF2YAZhtv6bankkcO2uqUixfZeoh3C6ubWj0QESD1g5nhRqwJEe-YEQlrrWxbXr2jH7wSsF5aNCsHr7C2RWoYQ/s320/DSC_0045.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5498963787265563890" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family:times new roman;">A tiny little pair of legs! How these fluff balls can breathe under their moms really baffles me. So I lifted her just a little more and.....</span></span><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF2F2989yR9ovrAsKtGTi8OfXhkcrq9bAeL-KWcINlMQqj0NtxVAlaH4CCAcAcGqwX9neQ2zOBNxSmq_bkEdmxQOPLh2tC8KswftocvIfWW8L1vVVP82Nhyphenhyphenp6cZ1RX9Nl6rVxDkiTFglw/s1600/DSC_0055.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF2F2989yR9ovrAsKtGTi8OfXhkcrq9bAeL-KWcINlMQqj0NtxVAlaH4CCAcAcGqwX9neQ2zOBNxSmq_bkEdmxQOPLh2tC8KswftocvIfWW8L1vVVP82Nhyphenhyphenp6cZ1RX9Nl6rVxDkiTFglw/s320/DSC_0055.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5498964509657644146" border="0" /></a></div></div></div><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">What a cutie!! So this is Shammy's first little peep. Congratulations to her. She may actually have some more coming. By the looks of it, there is one more egg that has pipped (meaning cracked through). So maybe I'll have another update today if all goes well.<br /><br />Here is some more of that cuteness!</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSatMWSq5emYY2pMbJAN3_FazpNL8Fb0QiaBYXiWud9qy5bc4V722KT6AJBwwnaySByXB1qyz3bS4hfXT7uktQ9-kwagOJbf73j0eQYrUfBhXnpW6xznfw0y7oKDA4_UxeWNRlqXPX-Ew/s1600/DSC_0061.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSatMWSq5emYY2pMbJAN3_FazpNL8Fb0QiaBYXiWud9qy5bc4V722KT6AJBwwnaySByXB1qyz3bS4hfXT7uktQ9-kwagOJbf73j0eQYrUfBhXnpW6xznfw0y7oKDA4_UxeWNRlqXPX-Ew/s320/DSC_0061.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5498966057482928194" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWugbzGEi9ZMGvIPsaYpxxTWyHHAptJ4RGAjVYvaHZofYjz30nwkZR56y5HOgqRlaae8QnSbeuSbnvzm56_TXmBLCHAprcaQnPJdT6PUoDWxBhFZ-SwhYZALjVoJCGueUNY2t1EMaf0D4/s1600/DSC_0064.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWugbzGEi9ZMGvIPsaYpxxTWyHHAptJ4RGAjVYvaHZofYjz30nwkZR56y5HOgqRlaae8QnSbeuSbnvzm56_TXmBLCHAprcaQnPJdT6PUoDWxBhFZ-SwhYZALjVoJCGueUNY2t1EMaf0D4/s320/DSC_0064.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5498966064186877058" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(255, 102, 0);"><span style="color: rgb(255, 102, 0);font-size:180%;" ><a href="http://www.cracknegg.com/">Crack N' Egg</a></span><span style="font-size:180%;"><br /></span><span style="color: rgb(255, 102, 0);font-size:180%;" ><a href="http://www.cracknegg.com/">Enjoying the Sunny Side!</a></span><br /></div></div>Crack N' Egghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06635135265991460040noreply@blogger.com0