Poultrygeist Part 2

I finally know why I am losing all of my birds!!!

I received the autopsy and it shows they are suffering from a virus called Marek's disease. It's a herpes virus.  I think I kissed them when they were baby chicks but I am told it does not transfer to humans so I am good to go. BLAH. I am just glad this is over. It's not a mystery anymore. I feel so bad for the chickens who are not even sick yet because they have to be put down. It's only a matter of time before they also get it and they will just pass it along to the others. I have gone through almost 30 birds...ridiculous.

I was told to clean out the hen house and wait six weeks before I brought in new chickens. I have to order pullets that have been vaccinated against Mareks because it's very hard to get rid of. I knew hatcheries mailed baby chickens but I had no idea they would mail teenage chickens.

This will be my last attempt. If they keep dying after this I will hang up the egg endeavor just like I gave up on fish. So far I can't keep plants, fish, or chickens alive. Now my next step is to say goodbye to last three chickens and then start researching hatcheries.
SIGH.................

Baby Talk

I love how Havensong babbles. She sounds so cute because she is SO serious but not one word is real. I had to post a video so you could know what it feels like to be melted. But MAYBE...I am just another mom who thinks EVERYTHING her baby does is hilarious and amazing.

Naaaaaa, I just watched it again.... she really is that hilarious and amazing.

Poultrygeist

I hate that I have become known as the dead chicken lady. But it's really not my fault. I have given those chickens the world and they still die. All I want is to see my dream of farm fresh eggs realized. It's to the point now where I barely look at the chickens I have. I can't because I know their fate. My Mother in Law and I have a different view on how to deal with these sick birds. I tuck them in their little boxes and let them slowly perish because if I was sick I would not want someone crunching my neck. Also while I appreciate her desire to not let it suffer, she is new at it and I don't want a novice killing my chickens. She is brave to do it and has a good point in wondering how she will get better if she doesn't practice. Still, I can't take the thought. I want it swift and sure. I am sure Mary Queen of Scots was horrified when her executor missed the first time on her poor neck and that is all I can think about when I imagine it happening. (By the way, Mary was so unjustly murdered, but that is another story. I just had to have my little say in that.) ANYWAY, we have had more than a few discussions about how a chicken will or will not die. It has been stressful and humorous all at the same time.

I finally got a hold of the head (haha) avian vet of Washington state. He was sympathetic to my situation. He had an Australian accent too so he sounded very sincere when he said he was sorry I was losing all of my birds. He told me to overnight the next dead bird and they would test it to find out what was going on. As luck would have it, the chickens kept dying on a Friday so we couldn't ship them out.

FINALLY one died on a weekday so my mother in law packed it up and we took it to the post office. They were not all that thrilled about mailing a dead chicken through the US postal service. He didn't think it was even allowed. You can view the conversation below. He had to look through the manual to see what the rules were. Believe it or not he had never mailed a dead chicken to anywhere before. Evidently you can mail a dead WILD animal but it didn't say if you could mail a dead domestic animal. He finally asked his manager and got the OK from him. I am not thrilled at hearing my voice on the video but I will share it anyway because I am quite sure that I do not sound so annoying in real life. ha.




Now we wait to see what results come in. I just pray it's not the Bird Flu or all of this will stop being funny really fast.

You Know You're A Redneck....

If your Grandma cuts your hair with dog clippers.

My Mom stopped by today on our way to get a haircut for Chase. She was here to groom Rosie and said she could do Chase too. I thought that sounded wonderful so I drug the kids back into the house. Well, that saved me twelve bucks! In this economy you have to cut corners wherever possible. Chase was a good sport and it turned out great. I think my mom could start a mobile pet/kid hair cutting service.

I got such a kick out her even using the dog combs. She disinfected first, of course. Chase's big eyes were priceless. I am telling you, I felt so happy to not have to leave the house with the baby and go to Great Clips. Ahhhhh....

So if you have Poodles or Kids... my mom can groom them all.

Blowing Blocks

Havensong is settling in so well. It seems that over last few months she has relaxed. She is less worried about where everyone is at and more interested in exploring and playing. I am glad she went through a clingy phase so we know she is attached to us, but it's nice to see her busy with her toys and books too.

I didn't realize how much she had changed until I was looking at videos of he from a few months ago. She has blossomed so much. Not only is she as sweet as can be, she is funny. She loves to laugh, that's for certain. Her new thing is blowing everything over. She will spend hours stacking things up and then blowing them down. Today her blocks were a bit too heavy so she had to help it along. Chase was helping her and laughing his head off and she really loved that. If she has an audience, she really steps up the charm. I am pretty sure she thinks all clapping is strictly because of her.

Lost Tooth?

Many times things are not as they appear. I have been known to freak out about a situation before I have all of the details. ( I can hear hundreds of heads nodding.) It's easy to get frustrated with other people when they jump to conclusions, but we all do it. Sometimes it can make you really mad. Other times it can be hilarious. The other day Chase made me laugh...hard.

I was in my bedroom and I heard him yelling my name at the top of his lungs. It's always a sound that gives me the shivers. I hate that desperate tone a child can get in their voice when they are melting down. You know the scene:
The first thing you do is look for blood..
The second thing you do is look for bones protruding out of their bodies.
This time he had Havensong in his arms and was flying through the house. Everyone looked fine but his eyes were like dinner plates. He was gasping for breath and she was holding on for dear life. Her legs her wrapped around his narrow torso and her arms were around his neck. But she looked pretty happy to be there.

"MOOOOOOOOOOM!" He was yelling. "Havensong lost a toooooooth!"

I grabbed her and held her mouth eye level to me. Nothing. She was just staring at me calmly.

"No, she didn't" I said. I set her back down.

"Yes she DID, it fell out of her mouth and it's right here! She lost a molar!" He said.

Sure enough, in his hand was a tooth. A big tooth. I knelt down and stuck my finger in her mouth to see if her molars were still there. They were intact, and there was no sign of mishap. No blood, no cut lip, to tears. Just her, smiling at me. She was trying to chomp my finger while I moved it over her back teeth. She kept looking back and forth between us as we talked. I think she knew she was the reason for the emotional outburst, but she wasn't totally following. Right about then Autumn came marching up with her hands on her hips. She yelled,

"Chase! That is not Havensong's tooth. That is MY tooth and I lost it like three days ago. She must have found it on the floor and tried to eat it."

Well, that was a good explanation. Chase stood there looking bewildered. All of the wind left his little sails, and he stood there, confused and relieved. And the baby, well she just looked plain amused.

Self Portraits