Poorly Pussy & Homeless Hens = Empty Wallet!

Posted on Saturday 11 April 2009 at 09:57 - Post Comment

Well today has sure been an eventful one when it comes to our menagerie.  If you can call 3 hens and a cat a menagerie..?  Well either way, it's a good word to start a blog so it'll do for now :-)

We noticed a couple of days ago that Oscar was being very quiet, and sleeping a lot.  Then last night when I went to pick him up to go up to bed (he sleeps on our feet - our very own foot warmer :-)) he got all arsey and was basically telling me to f*ck right off and stop touching his chest and front right leg.  Whilst I pinned him down, Ton has a rummage through hs fur and found a hefty puncture wound.  Yikes!  Whilst he is always scrapping the locals, and has had a few scuffs, this is the worst we'd seen.  As it was 10pm, we figured we'd have to wait till today, and so when the vet was open this morning we dropped him in for a professional look-over.

3 hours and $316 (!!!!!!!) later, it seems he is OK but has a bad joint infection, and is also a bit of a fatso!  So not only has he been shaved, anaesthatised, injected and x-rayed, but he's been told his arse is too big.  Not a good day for poor Oscar - still he seems to feel a lot better from the drugs, and both vet and nurse commented on what a great cat he is and so I'm sure he got an ego boost after that. 

Apparently we should put him on a diet, but that can wait till next week - you can't put a poorly cat on a diet - that's just mean!

Here he is - as unimpressed with my phone photography as with the hole in his arm:

So, what else?  Ah yes - A few weeks ago we got three chickens!  At least, I thought they were chickens however it now turns out that they are pullets.  Now - pay attention class.  There are - apparently - three types of 'chook', and which type depends on their age. From little fluffy yellow things to things with feathers, they are actually chickens.  Then between that stage and when they start laying eggs they are 'pullets' and then - and ONLY then - can they be called hens.  Thrilled with that?  Well so was I when I was sternly educated by the local livestock feed company after I admitted my lack of knowledge.  Ever wish you hadn't bothered...?

Having never had any chickens before, it's been a bit of a learning curve but nothing too drastic.  I mean, they're chickens right?  They cluck a bit, wander around aimlessly all day, eat what ever is thrown at them, shit a lot, and then go to sleep, in order to be fresh for the next round of the same thing the next day.  We are keeping them down the side of the house, which is a good move for proximity to eggs (if and when they start laying) and a bad thing because of the smell of the aforementioned chicken poop.  We'll see how it goes eh?! 

They have been ridiculously easy to tend to so far.  Food in the morning, ensure they have fresh water, then food again in the evening and that's that.  They get themselves up, and put themselves to bed, and in between times look very cute.

Today I have been starting the process of builiding a proper run for them so that they get some sunshine when it's nice, and we can see them during the day time.  I went to Bunnings (local DIY store) with a 'short' list and $70 later I am home again and getting stuck into the build.  All good so far - so I expect the screws will fall out, the post fall over, and the chicken wire fall off overnight after all that I've done today.  It's never easy when DIY and I are united - something always breaks.  Either me, a tool, what I am making, or more usually it is something completely unrelated to what I am doing but means I will have to fit it at some other point once I've finished fixing the thing that I had started to fix in the first place.  I just did the sums on how many eggs we need to break even - and believe me it's a LOT of eggs.  Them chickens/ pullet/ hens - whatever - are gonna get the hard word and be threatened with the stock pot if we don't get eggs int the next month or so.

Well, I say that but I'd keep them anyway - funny, feathery, freindly little buggers that they are.

Loads of other stuff going on - when I have the time and inclination I may even get some of it onto here.

Happy Easter everyone!