Rearranging chicks, coaching, the twins

As soon as I got home yesterday afternoon, Mama and I put the large cage we use while chicks turn quickly into chickens in the west side of the cop and took the chicks that we are raising for ourselves and put them from the totes they were in into the cage. That allowed Mama to separate the chicks into two groups of ten. Getting a heat lamp set up for them turned out to be a bit of a challenge but I rigged up one lamp to be shared between the two compartments. The temperature this morning was in the low forties, but Mama was worried that we did not enough heat for the chicks to be comfortable. She will make the determination this morning and we will make any adjustments when I get home this evening.

The chicks we are raising for Kim Cantrell, we put into the Banty house. When we moved the kennel to the birthing center, we placed the Banty house at the front of the coop. that allowed me to run a heat lamp into the top of the Banty house through the nesting area. Again, we are not sure if the heat we provided was enough for the little chicks but all of them are at least grown enough to have a good start on their feathers. With the feathers at the point where they are now, the chicks were able to fly out of the totes very easily. I had to cut some pieces of fencing to cover the totes to hinder their escape, but that would not have worked for much longer.

One group of fourteen chicks are still in the garage in a tote. That group is about a week behind the other two groups of chicks and the difference in their size is noticeable, so we cannot mix them in yet. Besides, eleven of the chicks in the garage are the Banty chicks that were hatched out on the farm. With those chicks, there is a vast difference in size which will continue throughout their lives, but we have found that the Bantam’s are very hardy and a bit aggressive. The other chickens, though much larger, pretty much leave them alone.

Mama and I had another coaching session last night. I was able to get things ready for the session, so we could steer it towards some of the questions Mama and I needed answered. In our last session we started looking at the state of Arkansas. Mama and I continued with that research on the two nights we were able to get to the office to further the research. (We had a Soul Winning Training Conference Wednesday through Sunday.) In the process of studying the lists we found three properties that we needed a little insight to investigate further. I had those ready for review last night. Mama and I were excited because the two properties we took notice of were on the top of the list our coach was compiling for herself. Our coach was excited also and quickly shared the information Mama and I needed – including a title search and pictures of one property. We left encouraged.

Mama has been a bit more diligent to share with me the updates Brittany puts together for her. Right now, the twins are starting to show an interest in becoming more mobile. They are starting to explore the process of crawling. They are not there yet, but Brittany feels they are getting close. Like all parents before her, she is anxious to see them succeed – knowing the consequences of such mobility. When the two of them finally figure out how to get to the things they see and want, they will quickly discover more things to see and want. Tabletops must be kept clear of breakables or potentially harmful objects, drawers must be guarded, and cabinets locked closed. You have to be mindful of every step you take and careful to close every door behind you; opening the door carefully on your return. Stairs must be gated, and steps seen as a hazard to those moving about on their bellies. Oven doors and dishwasher doors become dangerous ledges and must be kept closed when not in use. The list goes on and on. Some of the hazards they will identify in advance; other’s they will find when a minor injury occurs. With the house she and Andrew have, they will have a challenge on their hands. A fun challenge, but a challenge none-the-less.

Even with that ahead of her, Britany is coaching the girls in their efforts to upend her life with their independent movement. I remember doing the same thing.