And to post these Blogs (a year later), I look at the letters I sent Mom.
Our group that went to Edisto Beach, South Carolina.
I was all excited last Fri. when Dan called us in South Carolina to report on the 20 eggs Carol had given me. He “house sat” the 9 days we were gone. He said there were several eggs with holes in them and he heard a lot of peeping. By Sat evening though, only 6 had hatched and 2 of the chicks
couldn't stand
up. We got home late Sunday...after a 16 hour drive and the first thing I did was look into the chicks. Joe's sister Mary and I hand feed the 2 that could not stand up. (I know...you aren't supposed to do that) But I couldn't help myself. I felt so sorry for them. One of the other 4 is also having issues with 1 of it's legs. It keeps going spread Eagle and can’t walk, nor does it stand very well. Tracy (brother in law who grew up on a farm) said that the bad leg may correct itself over time. He said if the legs are turned wrong while the chick is developing in the shell, it will be twisted like that. If both legs are bad it will not survive. One of the 2 we fed ended up drowning in the water dish during the night and I put the other one out of its misery Monday morning when opening all the un-hatched eggs. I hated to see it suffer any longer than necessary. So, of the 20 eggs, 6 chicks hatched but 2 were unable to survive....3 are healthy chicks and 1 has a twisted leg and cannot stand or walk very well....but it is trying.... and eating and drinking on it's own...so I am going to try to save it. Of the un-hatched eggs: 2 were trying to hatch but did not succeed, 4 others were nearly full term with a little yolk sack, 2 had stopped developing half way through, and there was 1 with a very small embryo....the other 5 were infertile. I am excited to have the 4 we have. They are very cute. Our "chicks" from school are really growing fast. 
Tue....I was still feeling a little blue after the chick loss and end of vacation. And I was tired from the drive. I am still a little overwhelmed with where to start around here with the endless jobs. Today I need to gather up all our Garage Sale stuff to take to town for our Relay For Life Team Garage Sale. It looks like we may get more rain, which I am sick and tired of. Feeling so down Tue morning, I reminded myself that it was the first day of the rest of my life, and I decided that I was going to make something of it. I decided to get into a good summer routine that will hopefully carry into the school year. I have a great schedule next year, even though I don't have morning classes (which was my preference). I teach 3 classes in a row, from 10:00 - 12:40, all in the same class room. So I will be able to leave earlier than last year, and I do not need to arrive at my usual 7am time.
So, here is my new routine....that I am going to try to stick to:
Get up by 7am. Start my cup of tea. Go for a 30 to 45 min walk with the dog. (I saw on TV where a girl lost a bunch of weight, the key was doing morning exercise to get her metabolism going, in addition to watching her
diet.) After my walk I will relax with
Well, Tuesday morning, my first day with my new routine, I got rained on during my walk....but that's okay....I am going to go rain or shine, snow or sleet, and just learn to deal with the weather and dress appropriately. The banana I ate made me burp....so I was thinking maybe I should have stuck with the usual toaster strudel. It was so cold and gloomy I had a second cup of tea after I started a load of laundry. Tuesday's job was to catch up on all of my e-mails and face book and organize photos for my farm blogs. I still haven't figured out how I want to do a blog. I may make it open to the public, and assume no one will want to read it, except for family. But I worry about privacy with all the pictures I want to post. Tuesday night golf league was hot and muggy....making the dinner and beer after wards all the more enjoyable.
Wednesday I kept to my morning routine.I then did more laundry. I had the sheets to wash (Joe's sisters stayed Sunday night). I also did a bunch of weeding....they sure grew during the 10 days we were gone. I burnt the thistle Dan and I had dug up. I worked hard in the yard and also had a riding lesson.
We had a big storm blow through here at about 5am Thursday. I said I was going to walk rain or shine.... but I decided during a severe thunderstorm it was not a good idea. It was thundering and lightening and rain was hitting our windows from three directions. I watched the fern I had hanging from a shepherds hook blow away and the gliding porch swing slide across the deck. I took the cat and dog to the vet for their annual appointment and shots. Came home and did some house cleaning in preparation for Cathy and Ralph. I drove into LeRoy to get groceries and walk Kaysha. There were a lot of trees and some power lines down. Guess we are lucky to just get lots of water.
Oh....Dan has only seen the two female barn cats while we were in S.C. I am guessing the male decided to try his luck else where. I have only seen the black and white cat two times since we have been back. Monday night on the way to bible study, there was a black and white road kill 1/4 mile from our lane. On the way home I had Joe stop so we could determine if it was one of our cats. It was a skunk. (hopefully the one that has been under our corn crib) No cat food has been eaten from the barn for a few days, but the dog chased the black and white cat up a tree by the corn crib yesterday. There was a starling nest and the cat was being attacked by angry parents while Kaysha was barking and jumping up at the
base of the tree. Once I had Kaysha
under control and sitting 20 yards away, the cat scurried down the tree and under the corn crib. Hope that wasn't enough to completely drive her away. This is a photo of a baby robin I discovered one day....making its' parents quite upset.Yet another ground hog has surfaced in the barn...so we need to set the trap again. As many holes as we have, there may be a whole colony of them. Is it possible for the three Daniel trapped and released 7 miles from here to find there way back?
The "crippled" chick is hanging in there. I was pretty worried about it because it can’t bend it's legs normally, they are in the splits position so it has troubles walking and can't lie down. The poor thing gets so tired and sleepy it falls forward on its beak. The other three will be lying down sleeping and the crippled one falls into them. They also kind of pick on it.
It also is not getting enough to eat.
It does peck at food and try to drink, but usually loses its balance. In this photo you can see it falling over on its' side. I found lots of advice on the internet, including this piece on "crippled chicks".“Use some sort of splint, like a toothpick and hold it up so it can stand. If it can't stand up naturally then gradually everyday build up the time you support it and try to get it to move its legs so it builds up a bit of muscle. If it looks like it's doing the splits, it's straddle leg. Just tie some yarn around both legs so they are an appropriate length apart and leave it on until the legs return to normal and the chick can stand up.”
I decided against the yarn because I was afraid it would draw attention and the chick would get picked (pecked) on more than it is already. I have been holding it and working with its bad leg to get it to bend correctly when I feed it. The chick pecks the food out of the spoon. It is eating very well when I feed it, but not keeping up with the growth rate of its fellow hatchlings. (I probably need to feed it more than 3 times a day) I am working on lining up it's legs while I hold it...which seems to be helping.
It falls asleep while I hold it cause it is so tired and can finally relax I think. The “therapy” seems to be helping though. The chick is getting much more mobile.
I still have a lot more unpacking of moving boxes to do. I am not sure it will ever get done. I went through a few boxes to collect stuff to take to the Relay For Life Garage Sale. But there is still a lot more.
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