Since we last saw each other (so to speak) on Monday:
The one Buff Orpington hen that went so broody? I gave in and let her have an egg a few weeks ago. It hatched! So I have a single home-hatched chick now. So far Mama is doing a good job of keeping baby warm and fed which I am so grateful for. The store bought chicks have grown too big to need a light in their playpen and I really don't want to put one chick under one. I put Mama and chick in the same playpen and so far everyone is keeping a friendly distance.
The teat tape I was using on Ronnie has left her with a terribly chapped teat. So I've stopped the taping and am not milking her. At feeding time I still put her on the stand and massage some olive oil or coconut oil into it. Hopefully with the departure of cold temps (so the forecast says) she will be all healed up and ready to deliver the dairy goodness soon.
Speaking of cold temps, the tarp that hangs on the front of our rabbit hutch when it's cold blew off in an awful wind. So I spent about half an hour in that cold wind clamping it all back up. And I got a rotten case of frost nip on my fingers. Because I had frostbite when I was younger, I'm more susceptible to getting it again. Fortunately I realized I was in trouble in time to only have minimal damage- but oh the pain when the feeling was returning. I will really need to be more careful in the cold winds!
I lost a baby rabbit. It didn't unlatch from Mama before Mama exited the nesting box and froze to death on the wire. This doesn't happen often here but I've heard of it happening to others so it isn't a rare occurrence either. Still, it's sad to lose one.
I've decided it's time for winter to be over now. I tried calling the Mother Nature Customer Service Center to complain but I couldn't get a representative that speaks English. They're probably all someplace warm!
