Our little mud hen, Grandma, Kobe

Friday evening as I was working on the pig building, I noticed something odd. One of the pigs was flopping in the mud hole on the far side of the little shelter I had put up when I ran the pigs out of the building. She would stand up and flop against what I thought was a stone or a price of wood. About the third time the process was repeated, I realized what she was smashing into the mud. It was a chicken. The chickens often fly into the pig pen to get tiny scraps of food, worms, fly larvae, and edible droppings. We say “Yuk”. They say “Yum”.  This time the chicken had chosen the wrong place to land in the pen and was mired in the mud. Once her feet landed in the mud, she was doomed. When she tried to get herself out of the mud, her wings had gotten covered in the mud as well. By the time I got to her, the pig had almost buried her in the mud. Fortunately, it had been several says since we had any rain so the top of the mudhole was a little more firm than it otherwise would have been.

I was able to stretch over the fence and reach the muddy hen but I did not have enough balance to hang onto her when I got her onto terra firma. She made a mad dash away from me, the pig and the mud. Some of the mud was flung off in her haste, but she as still thoroughly caked. I went back to working on the building so the pigs would have a dry spot the next day. When Brittany, the twins and Mama got back from visiting Grandma I enlisted Mama’s help in cornering the hen so we could bathe her. Unfortunately, she was mobile enough that at the first hint that we were interested in catching her, she ducked under the coop. That was it for Friday night. Saturday night we saw her in the coop, but it was too late in the evening to get her bathed. She was safe so we let it go. I was finally able to catch the hen Sunday evening and put her in a cage so she could be dealt with properly. That bath finally happened last night.

It took me thirty minutes or so working with the clods of dirt that remained on her wings and underside to get them removed. The clods were hard as little pieces of concrete, but eventually they began to dissolve, and her feathers were visible once again. All the time I worked on the mud balls the hen was immersed in a tub of water. She did not fight too much. Maybe she realized we were helping her. The amount of dirt that had accumulated in the tub we washed her in amazed Mama when she rinsed it out so that we could rinse the hen. Once she was clean enough to satisfy Mama, the hen was put back in the cleaned cage so she could dry out a bit. Later that night, as Mama closed up the chickens, she let the hen out of the cage so she could roost. She was able by that time to fly up onto the roost. All that work for a chicken. No wonder Mama’s chickens love her.

As I worked in the shop, Mama got an urgent call from Grandma. Grandma had called a couple times earlier in the evening but with this call, Mama felt compelled to go to Bowie and spend some time with her. I am still unclear of the urgency, but Grandma was having trouble, and a good deal of pain, with her acid reflux. Mama went to comfort and coach. It was one of those difficult times that nothing that was tried produced the results Grandma was looking for. But together, Mama and Grandpa got Grandma to a point of at being able to rest. While Mama was on her way home Grandma called to tell Mama she thought she was allergic to whatever oil or lotion Mama had used on her because she was itching. Mama assured her that was not likely, but she could wash off what had been applied of that would make her feel better.

Grandma has had some troubling episodes lately. We are never sure if there is true medical need or not. No matter what test is run or what doctor sees her, there is nothing uncommon in the diagnosis presented after all the results are evaluated. The healing process for her esophagus would be a long, patient, bland, disciplined road to travel and so far, Grandma has been unwilling to make that commitment. I am not sure she even understands what would be required. What will follow this morning is anybody’s guess. But I hope Grandpa and Grandma were both able to rest last night.

Storms rolled in this morning. Those thunderstorms that produce high winds and lots of lightening but little rain…thankfully. We do not need the rain right now. Mama is scheduled to take Kobe to Kim Cantrell’s this morning to visit Leo. The storms should be well away by the time she is ready to leave for that trip. This will be the last puppies we will have. If Victoria does not change her mind. Kobe’s puppies sell very well and Mama and Victoria love caring for baby animals – especially puppies. The birthing center is ready, if there is a successful breeding, we should be able to handle the offspring.

Such is life on the farm.