We have been eagerly anticipating the arrival of Lilli's kids (Ripley is not due until March 6). She is due today and hasn't shown any obvious signs of labor yet. I have been going out to the pasture more regularly the last few days to check on her to see how she is doing, hoping for labor signs.
One thing I have been told, is that as the does get closer to kidding (getting ready to have their babies) they get very affectionate. So, yesterday while I was in the pasture, I watched Lilli go up to Dalai (our llama) eat some of the hair on his neck, then they nuzzled each other for a while. It was super cute...and so awesome to see. Dalai is such a great guard animal, and it was so cool to see the open affection between the two animals. Yes, it was definitely one of those few moments when I did not have my camera...and when I wished I had!
This last weekend, while we were preparing for the coming births, I noticed Lumpy, one of our chickens, had something hanging from her bottom. Since I was working in the garden, I had gloves on, so I picked her up, took off the clump of (I'm pretty sure it was poop), and as I flipped her over, I noticed all these bugs crawling all over her. It was one of the most disgusting things I've ever seen. After putting her down, I ran inside and googled what on earth those could be. Come to find out, poultry lice was what I found.
So, after reading that it is not contagious to humans (praise the Lord!) and what we needed to get to treat the nasty poultry lice, off to home depot and the feed store we went. We got some diatomaceous earth and cleaned out that coop as best we could. We dusted each chicken, since poultry lice will spread from chicken to chicken (it was very helpful that they all start roosting fairly early in the evening since it's winter) and hoped it would work quickly.
The next morning, I watched Lumpy to see how she was doing. Unfortunately, she seemed worse as she was limping now. Thankfully none of the other chickens noticed yet. After giving her a once over, I noticed a large piece of wood stuck in her foot that had gotten infected. This confirmed my concerns for Lumpy. It was a tough decision, but for the health and well-being of the flock and also because of the concern for the up-coming kids being born, we decided Lumpy needed to go. By far, the hardest part about learning animal husbandry has been seeing Lumpy suffering and knowing that she could not be helped.
I'm hoping to post soon how things go with Lilli's birth! I'm looking forward to meeting her baby (s). We're pretty sure she is having two, but maybe she will surprise us with just one. As we learn how to milk her and make different cheeses and ice creams, soaps and gels with her milk, I'm looking forward to sharing recipes, experiences, and lessons we're learning!
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