Chickens and Unschooling

We've been here nearly 13 years. We've had to protect against owls, hawks, neighbor dogs, and an unknown predator. Today coyotes became a factor. Our neighbor's entire chicken flock, save one, was wiped out this morning, between 9 and 10 in the am. Way later in the day than one would expect coyotes to be hunting.

Through random luck I hadn't let my birds out of their houses yet.

Our dog has been given free run of every yard, and the birds, much to their displeasure, are still in their houses.

I have no idea how this is going to shake out.

I am full of dread.

Arrow needed his yearly shots, plus rabies. Got to get his paperwork in so we can pay the government it's extortion fee.

I set myself several alarms so I wouldn't forget. H used to leave me little notes all over the house, now my smart phone makes that little ritual unnecessary. Bittersweet.

Arrow came through the surgery fine. He didn't need x-rays or a drain, so his grand total was $597.50. I am amazingly grateful that I was home when he did this, it was during the weekday so a regular vet was open, and that we have been following the ideas of Dave Ramsey for so long that we had the ready cash to easily cover this unexpected expense.


Arrow's stiches a few hours after getting him home.



Groggy Arrow sporting his t-shirt (recommend by the vet to keep him from damaging his stitches with his back legs).



Arrow too loopy on drugs to even care that he has to wear the cone of shame.



This morning, bright eyed and bushy tailed, still sporting his t-shirt.

It took Arrow till about 11pm to recover enough from the surgery drugs to be able to eat. This means his meds will be on an 11am 11pm schedule, which works faily well for us. After being willing to eat, he was finally willing to drink a little. That was a relief.

This morning, while I was fielding a phone call from the vets doing a check up call on Arrow, he peed for the first time since we brought him home. Once he actually poops, I'll feel much better.

Hubby and I took H and C to the outdoor gun-range, that's about an hour south of our house, on December 30th. S didn't go because it involved getting up early. C's favorite was the little bolt action 22 used on the paper hostage targets. He particularly liked making head shots on the bad guy. H's favorite was the semi-auto 22 pistol. She also enjoyed the hostage paper targets as well as Hubby's new knock over targets that go ding and fall over when you hit them. I scavenged about 10 lbs of brass from the neighboring pistol bay.

Our Labrador, Hazel, doesn't like the fireworks folks have been setting off around here since New Year's Eve. The other two aren't bothered by it at all.

The Brittany, Arrow, has been very good about the geese lately. Even though I have accidentally left him and them out at the same time on several occasions in the past few weeks, he has not chased, nor harassed them even once. I don't expect this good behavior to last, but I am relieved the geese have not been harmed by my absentmindedness.

The neighbors invited us to a New Years Eve block party. Fist block party we've had in these parts since we moved here nearly 6 years ago. It was mucking freezing that night.

The three kids have been playing Super Smash Bros. a lot lately, that game has staying power.

I cut C's hair and he is thrilled, because now he has "anime hair".

We gave H a phone for her Birthday this year, and it was met with much surprise and glee.

We have a heat warning for today and probably for tomorrow.

One of our chickens, Snow (aka Ratboy), has been looking poorly for the past few weeks. Something is wrong with her foot, so she hasn't been roosting at night. She'll tuck herself into a corner on the ground somewhere; sometimes she ends up with chicken poop on her back because she's picked a spot directly under the roosts of the other chickens.


(picture from a summer two years ago, she's always been a spunky chicken.)

Yesterday it was hot enough that I sprayed her off to cool her down and wash off the poop. At the time I decided she wasn't likely to live out the summer. Today she looked like she might not live out the day. I brought her inside. I still don't know if she'll survive, but I'm hoping getting her out of the heat will give her a shot. She's in an old dog carrier I bought for Arrow when he was a puppy. If she survives, I'll probably keep her in for at least a week.


ETA: RIP - she died last night after we went to bed. Too little, too late, I suppose. She would have been 4 this October - she was part of the batch of six we got the fall after we moved into our current house. We lost 3 the next summer (thus inspiring the addition of the ducks), but the Buff Orpington, Americana, and small White Leghorn (Snow) made it. Snow was the only white egg layer I had, she used to lay such large eggs for such a small bird. She was feisty - if I tried to shoo her away from the gate, she would puff herself up and try to attack me or, more often, my shoes.

The other day, H told me that it is good to have 2 siblings, because if you are mad at one you can very easily play with the other.

Last night S and C came up with a game involving the Jolly Ball, a tennis ball, and the two boy dogs, Pete and Arrow. They tossed the Jolly Ball in a game of keep away from Arrow. If Arrow got the Jolly Ball, then they had to throw the tennis ball for Pete. If Pete got the tennis ball they could reset for the keep away again. It didn't count if Arrow got the tennis ball instead of Pete. It made me think of Calvin Ball, but with more set rules.

Earlier today, all three kids were playing with C's Pokemon playset and figures.

Right now, C is watching H play minigames on a multiplayer mincraft server.

I found Feather Head, C's Fawn and White Runner Duck, dead today. She looked peaceful, so I don't think it was a predator. She has been off, for over a year now, so it's not entirely surprising that she finally succumbed to whatever was ailing her. I still wasn't expecting this, though, not like we were when she first got sick and I started talking with the kids to prepare them for what seemed like the inevitable. When she got better, I pretty much assumed she would always get better. I was worried about her during the heat wave we had last month, but she made it through, so I stopped worrying about her, again. The last time I let the ducks out into the main yard, she didn't want to go. But the time before that, she did.





Whenever I would open the gate and all the ducks would come running, if she wanted to go out she would head through the gate, if she wanted to stay in, she'd veer off towards the hen house, instead. Then she'd wait patiently till the other ducks returned, so she could join up with them again.

We buried her in the front yard between the shade tree and an orange tree. We didn't want to put her somewhere the dogs could dig up, since the last thing I wanted to see was Arrow wandering around with a dead Feather Head in his mouth.

I told C, when we get more ducks he could get another Fawn and White Runner Duck, but he doesn't want another duck like Feather Head, and I don't blame him. If we get another of the same type (however pretty and nice it was to have a duck of her coloring around), then they'll start to blur together, instead of Feather Head standing alone in his memories.

I printed out some pictures for C, so he could have a Feather Head Book to keep in his room and remember her by.

Two nights ago, C and M went outside after dark (any type of sports this time of year should be done inside or after dark, and since I was definitely not pleased with C playing with his soccer ball in the house and saying things like, "I go the ball this high off the ground with a kick, it landed on Pete and rolled off his back.", after dark was the best choice in this instance) to play with the soccer ball.

As it so happened, Arrow went out with them. Apparently, Arrow loves the soccer ball. He went after it, blocked it with his legs, then pushed it around in giant circles with his nose.

We've played Arrow Ball, Doggie Ball, or (M's favorite) Dogger for the past two nights now. Last night the girls joined in the fun. Arrow didn't push the ball as often with his nose as the first night, more often he'd block then wait for a human to kick the ball again so he could take off after it and block it again. Sometimes he still rolled it, though, and made little bark noises at it as he did.

We may just have to make a tradition of playing Dogger after dark during the summer.

My In-Laws are out for Memorial Day Weekend. Pretty standard time for them to visit, actually.

Yesterday M took Grandma and the girls to a yarn shop, leather shop, lunch, then Hobby Lobby. I was told the most time was spent at Hobby Lobby - the girls spent a long time in the beads section. Later we had a barbecue with brats and burgers.

Today was flood day, so we spent more time outside than is normal this time of year (too hot) playing with the dogs and chatting with Grandma.

Now the kids are clustered around the living room computer watching Gmods (minecraft mod videos) on YouTube. M, Grandma and Opa are watching golf, of all things, on the living room TV. I wandered out of my room a few minutes ago to try to be social, but come on - Golf?

I think M bonds with his dad over the trees he's planted in the yard and sports. We watch more football, baseball, and now apparently golf the two times a year they visit than during the whole rest of the year.