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Monday 18 March 2013

How Did A Chicken Get In My Bathtub?

I don't think I have the words to adequately describe how crazy last week was!  Maybe you can get the gist with some hastily snapped pictures.  I think it's become a habit to snap a few and I didn't even know I had most of them until I went to use the camera today.

A week ago today I was revelling in the first mellow sunset since this stormy winter began. ~


Monday morning I had the wonderful surprise of the first spring flowers. ~


By the next day we had this. ~


I've been helping out a friend who broke (completely shattered, actually) her ankle on the wicked ice we've had this year, so I'm making my way to the chicken coop gingerly these days.

Her husband dropped a couple of bags of straw off on the front porch for my chickens. In the morning I see something needed a warm bed and pulled a bag of straw apart right beside the front door. Canine is my guess from the tracks.~


That won't be fun to clean up but I'm glad it had some refuge from the storm.

Not one but two offers came in on my rental property.  A change of real estate agent and we have action! The second offer bumps out the first and wants to close in four days!  This sets off a flurry of calls to lawyers, utilities and tax offices to try and pull this end of the paperwork together in record time.  This is a big house, it's fully staged and all the furniture and accessories have to be removed.  Removed to where? Ekes!  Wait, there is a snag in the financing.  The deal is on hold and the agent doesn't want anything taken out of the place.  At 5:30 on Wednesday the deal is confirmed and everything has to be out by midnight Thursday!  Start hauling furniture and packing dishes and make more calls to start giving a lot of it away.

IT'S DONE!

All I have to do on Friday is pick up my cheque and head to a party friends are holding to celebrate the sale.

Oh, and take my lawyer a couple of jars of my dill pickles.  It's a deal we have going.  My daughter misunderstood me when I said he always wanted pickles when he did work for me.  She said, "Mom, I think it's just weird that your lawyer wants tickles."  Right, Farm Girl, pickles is weird enough but I draw the line at tickles!



Let's tuck the chickens in for the night and head out.  That wouldn't be nearly enough drama, would it? Of course not.  I open the coop and find Gertie bleeding profusely.  How she got the wound, I don't know, but this has given the other three girls the idea that she'd make a nice meal.  I'm holding her up so they don't cannibalize her and frantically dialling my cell to get my friend to Google how to stop bleeding in a chicken.  Did you know the blood will spray out of them like you cut an artery open?  One Google solution is to dump flour on the wound.  Seriously?  Her husband will be right over with some steptic powder.  I dial Farm Girl to see if it's okay to use it on a chicken.  I call it septic and she feels the need to correct me.  Really?  Blood is spraying all over my face and she wants to discuss pronunciation, grammar, syntax ...!

Gertie is in quarantine for the weekend so the girls will leave her alone.  She has to stay in a cramped cat cage and I was debating giving her a bath.

I really don't want to take a chicken in the house and bathe it, but that dried blood is a real problem if I don't want her to get pecked to death. ~


As I'm standing there debating the craziness of putting a chicken in my bathtub, I realize one of my sister's chickens is looking very bad.  To be honest, that chicken is old and probably on her way out but she looks like she might be egg bound.  The only help I know for that is to stand the bird in warm water.  She liked it so much she lay down in it. Now, I'm juggling too many sick chickens. Out comes my phone and I call my sister to come over and help.  The weather is turning cold and I have a wet chicken to warm up.

So I ended up with a chicken in my bathtub after all! ~


Dizzy Lizzy got to stay in the tub to warm up and we moved the unused, little chicken coop into the run so Gertie has a space to move around in during the day. ~


And that, my friends, was my week.  How was yours?

25 comments:

  1. wow--what a week you had! hope this week is boring:) congrats on the sale, maureen!

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  2. Congratulations Maureen on the sale - I know how relieved you must be!!!!!!!!
    And your week just made mine feel boring as hell ( in a good way, sorry lol )
    XOX

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  3. Oh my gosh Maureen....never a dull moment...or is it no rest for the wicked?! I'm so glad your house closed! Congrats! Did you get a camera? (or an airline ticket perhaps??) You have got to be the best chicken caregiver EVER!! You need a break!

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  4. I don't know whether to laugh or cry for you. I am so visual and all these images are flashing through my head one after the other. The sad thing is I have had weeks like that myself. Poor chicken-yes-those others will gang up on the weakest one and take it down. It is a scary thing to watch, isn't it?

    Thank the good Lord your house sold. What a rush (literally) and now you don't have to worry about it any more.

    I hope you have a good week but...dare I ask...what did you do with your spare time last week?;>) xo Diana

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  5. Good lord...I need another coffee. Congrats on the closing and you make me think twice about having chickens. Actually, all chicken posts do that to me. She's lucky to have you..chicken whisperer.

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  6. Wow... what a week! Congratulations on the sale! It must be nice to have that off your mind now. Our winter has been insane this year hasn't it? I'm wishing you a nice calm week this week. Hopefully you get a little time to catch your breath.

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  7. Firstly, congratulation on the sale! Whoopietidoo.
    Secondly- awwwww! Poory. Is that chicken alright now? Had no laptop for a while and hence missed a lot in here. Finally.

    Go enjoy your beautiful self.

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  8. Thank goodness that week is over. Now we can look forward to a relaxed spring - or am I just kidding myself!

    Lynn 2becherished

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  9. I got no chickens in my tub, and I don't know what egg bound is? Is that like being, umm... plugged up?

    Bliss

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  10. LOL...and I was wondering what crazy antics you were up to when you missed a few days of blogging, LOL. I, too, have had chickens and know exactly what you went through. I remember soaking 24 tiny little baby chick butts in warm water and cleaning off their vents one by one when they all got "the paste". Guy at the co-op said to let them die because there was no cure, but I, being a mother, refused to accept his ridiculous solution and followed my instincts. All the chicks not only survived, they thrived. Just think of the wonderful memories you are making. (Imagine your great-great grandchildren reading this blog someday and wondering exactly what magic formula is in their genes...LOL) By the way, have you considered what a great name this would be for a book???

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  11. Poor chickens and yes they are lucky to have you taking care of them. Congrats on the house sale! Yay!! I hope this week is much calmer!
    hugs,
    Linda

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  12. Honestly, Maureen, I'm tired just from reading about your week. I would be exhausted if I were you. Congrats on the sale and hope everyone is doing better.
    Farmhouse hugs,
    Cindy

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  13. Holy smokes, I am surprised you had enough energy to write this post! I sure hope Gertie gets well soon. There really is more to raising chickens than I thought. Not so easy, but still rewarding nevertheless I am sure!

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  14. I am exhausted! Mercy, the life you lead. Hope the chickens are on the mend. Congrats on the sale -- that has to be a huge load off your plate. (Did you make it to the party?)

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  15. Congrats on the sale of the house, FINALLY. Chicken taking a bath, I would pay to see that. Hope next week is just as exciting. haha

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  16. Oh boy Maureen, you really now how to celebrate! Chicken in the bathtub, pickles to the lawyer.... girl you need a break. And after all you have dealt with during the sale of the house, it is time to take one!

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  17. Oh the poor chickens! You have been busy. I kinda wish your lawyer wanted tickles but the pickles look yummy. Yay about the house but I wish you had a little more time. I also wish I was closer so I could get in on some of the staging freebies, knowing you I bet they're awesome! I hope the knee behaves for you to get it all done, good luck xo

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  18. Wow, you're amazing dealing with all that. I applaud you!!
    Mary Alice

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  19. well..it's better than a chicken in your fireplace which is what happened to my hipster daughter...and also on her fridge..whew!

    You are so funny...always such a bright spot here!

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  20. Oh my goodness, what a week! Hmm, once or twice I've thought about getting some chickens. Maybe I should wait a little longer...
    Karee

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  21. You made me laugh out loud. Oh my goodness gracious... what a week! You were totally in a chaos node, that's for sure. You are most certainly a good chicken mommy... and it's sweet that you weren't mad at the canine for making that humongous mess on your porch with the straw! Crazy spring weather, it will jerk one around emotionally alot! And from now on, for goodness sake remember how to spell steptic, or is it skeptic, or stiptic??

    Cindy

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  22. Wow! What troubles you have had! I can't imagine, I don't think I've been in ten yards of a chicken:) Your good to them and that's all that matters!

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  23. WOW Maureen ... your daily life is never boring. Glad you have sold your house and you were able to save the chicken. Thanks for keeping us entertained.
    Blessing,
    Audrey Z @ Timeless Treasures

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  24. Oh wow! First of all congratulations on the sale! How wonderful!!! And secondly congratulations on being such a caring, wonderful person.

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  25. The chicken looks so fluffy and pretty after being in the bath.

    Yee-ikes on that wound!! Glad she's okay.

    'grats on the house sale.

    Danni mentioned you on her blog, so I came over to say hello. :)

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