Chicken baths, heat, moving news

Of the eleven chicks still being kept in a tote in the sunroom, Mama is having to wash the butts of all eleven to keep the orifice open so that the chicks do not die from such pluggage. The one that did die from being backed up by the poop caked across the “vent” has Mama keeping a very cautious eye on the tiny ones. So far, so good, but one or two more are touch and go health wise. This extra care may be required for an additional week or so. By that time the chicks will have grown to the point that they will be past the need for the extra care.

Also, yesterday evening Mama as able to catch the chick whose brood mates are still in the Banty house. As she was tending to the oldest brood of chicks, the tiny one approached her to be picked up. I suppose she was hungry and tired from constantly being on the run for the past couple days. Now all four of the middle brood are back together, safely housed in the Banty house. What we will do to integrate all three broods of chicks of various ages when the time comes remains to be determined, but somehow it will all work out. There will be thirty-three to get mixed into our laying hens in a few months. That should be fun.

Mama has been faithful watering the vegetable plants in our garden for the past weeks, but we are at the point that we will be giving up on some of those plants. The hot and dry conditions are causing the plants to abandon their efforts to produce the edible parts we raised them for. The green beans are withering on the plants as are the Brussel Sprouts and squash. The zucchini and cucumbers seem to be able to handle the heat as do the watermelon and pumpkin plants. Our pumpkin plants look like some sort of invasive plants as they spread their thick vines and huge leaves over their areas of the garden. Mama and I even picked a watermelon last week. It looked and sounded ripe, but when I cut into it, it was nowhere near ripe. The chickens enjoyed it. Next year, Mama and I will concentrate on using tubs or planters to grow most of our vegetables since those containers seem to do far better in these very hot conditions, allowing us to prolong our growing season and produce a better harvest.

Though our grown chickens pant through these hot days, seeking every shady spot they can find, the chicks revel in the heat. In fact, they appear to be uncomfortably cold when the temperature drops below 85 degrees. At 100 degrees, they are finally sufficiently warmed up to be comfortable. So, the current conditions are perfect for them in their infant stages. Once they get their feathers and a little down, they will be less tolerant of the heat, but that is weeks away.

Meanwhile, our nanny goats are all doing well. They too love the heat. All six of them are showing signs of successful breeding. Several, mostly our older girls, are looking quite swollen already and Mama and I are anticipating another crop of twins with several triplets in the mix. We hope our first-time mommies have only single births, but we have little control over that. So far, we have had only one female give us a single kid. When that happens, that lone suckling far outpaces the twin and triplet groups in the early months of growth. They all catch up later, but it is interesting to watch the difference.

Brittany and Maggie respectively have gotten successfully placed in homes. There is still the issue of getting all their stuff relocated and set up, but that is in the works for both families. At least, the housing issue is settled for the moment. Praise the Lord! In each case, it was wonderful to see the Lord intervene to supply that need. In this current housing market, finding and securing a rental property is a very expensive challenge. Timing is everything. Instant cash is required. Competition is fierce. But now both families can settle into a residence and begin applying their emotional energies in more normal ways.

As for Grandma and Grandpa, Mama and I drove to an RV park in Sunset, TX to investigate potential spots to place their RV. It is a location of choice for Grandma and Grandpa. It is a good thing we went when we did because the same competitive rental issues apply to RV parks as well. Of the several spot available Mama and I chose one, conferred with Grandma and Grandpa, and put a deposit in that spot. Normally, the deposit would hold the spot for only one week, but the manager is working with us to hold the spot until July 1. Located on the back side of the park, as far away from the highway as possible and backed by woods, it seems perfect for Grandma and Grandpa. Time will tell. The park is about twelve miles from the farm. A ten-minute drive for Mama. Praise the Lord!

Please pray that Norman does not delay in getting them hauled over here.