Good Morning! in 2018

[ross]

Warm here 11 degrees . Gonna go sit in bush this aft . Probably last chance for me to fill deer tag .

[Jaye]

Yes, really icy here too. I had to sprinkle "safe paw" as I went, but it was still a challenge getting down to the coop. On the plus side, it's much nicer, temperature-wise, than it's been over the last few days.
The Brabanters were only out in the covered part of the run for a short while before heading back to their junior coop. I wish the hens would stop being such mean girls and let them into the main coop.
Lost one of our old quail girls, G2 (Ginny II), yesterday. A few days ago I noticed she was doing poorly, so brought her into the poultry infirmary (cat crate in the laundry room). She was eating and drinking well but sleeping a lot. Yesterday she seemed not to be able to see well enough to find her feed and water, and was locating both by pecking in the general area until she connected. She was gone this morning.

[kenya]

Yes thats the thing with the quail, short life span. Sorry for your loss.

[Happy]

Aww sorry Jaye. If it’s any consolation it sounds like she had the best quail life possible with you.

[Ontario Chick]

Well...i survived...I don't really know why we do this to ourselves yet we do, every year..it ia wonderful of course, great food, good friends, and most importantly, family...love 'em or hate ' 'em we need them to be there...its the prep time and effort that drains me..and it seems to be over in a flash...a bacchanalian burst of activity which might be better suited to a four day feast but we squish it into basically a half day...oh well...it was grand and I will readily do it again next time...but right now, I need a nap..

Funny, I am glad you posted this, because I caught myself replying to the question
How was your Christmas???
with the same answer..... well, I survived
After I said that couple of times, I thought it may be possibly sign of advanced age (mine, not yours)
when all the effort of putting on a good meal and enjoying company of all the dear to me, sign of true success has boiled down to survival.
Considering a study in Sweden , where the finding was that incidence of hear attacks over Christmas holidays is up about 12% , it may indeed be a question of survival.
Have a safe one!

[Killerbunny]

Sorry about your little girl Jaye. RIP Ginny II

[TomK]

Sorry to read that Jaye..

[Ontario Chick]

Good morning,
Grey snowy and slippery out here,
just did the annual budget so also depressing.
Amazingly enough, every time I take the dog for a walk in the afternoon, the girls and I mean Wyandottes are out in their quonset dust bathing and otherwise having a fine time, doesn't matter what the temperature as long as there is a sliver of sunlight reaching them.
The Ameraucanas are slacking, must be starting to show their age I guess.
Have a safe one!

[Jaye]

Yes, slippery here too. And grey. We too have big dustbathing wallows in the covered part of the run where the sun hits. Funny birds.
Had a paisley quail do something dastardly to her wing yesterday and was bleeding quite a bit. I brought her in, tended her wound, applied iodine and left her in poultry infirmary to warm up and maybe start healing. I was surprised at how fast it started to heal after she stopped picking at it. I think she stopped picking at it because it was warmed up? Anyway, I put her back with the gang yesterday and today she's right as rain.
Thanks to all of you for condolences on the passing of G2. I need to get a thicker skin. Kenya is right; they don't live very long. Makes me wonder why I got into quail. At least chickens live a little longer. The tradeoff is that with more time, deeper attachment, more difficult to say goodbye.
If it's any consolation, @Ontario Chick , only one of my hens is laying ATM, and she's not even finished moulting! My Ameraucana is a slacker too.

[Farrier1987]

Bright and sunny here. I was even digging in the garden a little. Not frozen, and not super muddy. Digging borders and weeding around berry bushes, skimming the top with the shovel. Found some red Russian kale that is edible right now, amazing really, but we have not had any real cold weather so far this year. Getting about six eggs a day.