I have been picking the broccoli shoots as they come and putting them all in a ziplock in the fridge to keep them perky and fresh. We finally had enough to make a meal so we picked some good sized carrots and cooked them together for a side to a new lentil recipe that I thought was pretty good topped with some eggs.
We used the new toaster oven with rotisserie that we found new at DI for 12$. It cooked great and the chicken was delicious. I cooked it at 300* for about an hour - the little oven blew the fuze about halfway through and the timer got messed up - but we got the internal temp up to 180 and I think the time was pretty close to an hour.
My little hunters/knights/fighters - I made a little sheath for Blain out of a paper towel roll and some string and he wore his sword all day. I got the bow for .50 at DI which they both have been playing with a lot. I love how little things make them so happy!
The horses have made a big mess out of the previously stacked straw. The good thing is now Chloe and Blain have a new dungeon to play in as there is a curved piece of fencing behind the stack that they use for the jail.
The Downs: I guess Betty's arrival back to the homestead is both an up and a down. We really don't think she looks any more pregnant than when she left and we were hopeful because the old owners thought she was looking bigger. It's hard to tell. Nate even tried his hand at pregnancy checking her. He said it was really hard to feel around as the canal was so tight but I was so proud of him for trying.
The plan for mean old Betty (it took us a good hour to catch her) is to preg check her by the vet in a month or so and if she's not pregnant try to sell her to someone with more experience. If nobody wants her then she will fill our freezer for the winter. Sad because we SO want her A/2 milk and love her tiny size, but we would rather have milk sooner by starting over with a new cow who is already in milk with a calf at her side than keeping her and trying for another year and still not get her pregnant. I don't know. It's a tough decision.
Nate preg checking Betty - he said he could find the cervix but he couldn't get any further to see if the uterus was full or empty. I hope she's pregnant!!!
R.I.P. Star: I went to collect eggs yesterday and noticed Star was standing in the nesting box with her neck outstretched and breathing very weird. I picked her up and she was very lethargic and continued the wheezy breathing. I made her a little box and gave her some garlic/apple cider vinegar water as I read that is good for respiratory problems. She jumped out of the box twice during the day and was standing shakily in the kiddie pool both times. I kept her inside in the mud room overnight and prayed for her to get better.
This morning there was no improvement and she wasn't standing anymore. Her breathing got worse and eventually her comb started turning bluish. She passed about an hour after we got home from church. I feel sad that I couldn't make her better but I think I just noticed her having the breathing problems too late to make a difference. It teaches me to pay closer attention to each chicken, making sure I see each of them everyday. With the wet weather I should probably change the bedding more frequently too. I wonder if that had anything to do with it. I just hope I can learn from this experience and that it will make me a better chicken keeper for the future.
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