News from the barn ...

Ok, so what's new in the barn these days.

Plenty of things.

First, we started to sell hens and roosters (well babies) we sold 5 in the last weekend.

We painted one of the coops because it's empty now (tons of deaths due to the chicken cold).

Next weekend we are transferring the first batch of babies we had in the painted coop.

Another batch is due soon.

The cats are all well but the babies. Camille is not a super good mother ... :-(

With spring coming, the lil cats are running everywhere, driving Cayenne crazy.

We started planting seeds for the upcoming season. We hope it will go fine.

The renovation are going well.

We put our city house on sale. We plan on getting some money from it that will be use to get rid of some debts and rebuilding the farm.

I am all excited.

Autopsy on Moutarde's body

Moutarde's body has been autopsied ... She died from a mix of very hard flu virus and probably ingestion of Prestone (should I mention we live next to a garage)

Other autopsy result will enter as my favorite and precious vet will perform an autopsy on Strudel's body.

We are relieved it's not a hard incurable thing that is going on.

I miss Moutarde really much. She was full of life.

I have a hard time going to the barn now ... I hope it will pass.

We are still raising funds and I am thinking about several ideas, not only to go on with the shelter project, but to make it better. Stay tune.

To all of you who supports us, 1st man, especially. Thanks a million.

Me, the chicken and Freud

I don't know how the chicken mind works. To be honest I would love to be able to decode chickens as I can decode cats.

Yesterday we transferred some laying hens in the laying hens sector ...

Fight! ... yeah fight! Between two hens.

The new one and the old one you'll say...

No ... between two that were already there?!

Of course Casanova, our police rooster rapidly intervened so now all is nice.

But why? I mean why the hell suddenly the fact of a new hen will bring too already coexisting hens to fight? And by the way a hen fight is not that nice to check!

I haven't written the end of the vacations simply because ... I ended it in the hospital. I had a relapse of my disease and spend a day and a night in the hospital.

Though, if we made a recap of all we did during the holiday season ... it's good. Three new cages for the rabbits, a water heater, a heating system, some food canned.

Next step will be to plan a cage for that Plymouth rock that is now alone ... :-( I really have to find a "hen for him" ... I don't know where I could go for that really at this time of the year ...

We will also build a cage for the Anconas.

Then, we plan on starting the demolition of the second floor at last. Recently we bought a second-handed bath for the bathroom that will be on the second floor. It's not a clawfoot bath like I wanted at first ... but I came to realize that it won't be that simple. Clawfoot baths are often very expensive or simply too small. I've also been told that they are not very good to keep water hot.

I just have to hold on and it will soon happen.
I have to admit I am a bit tired to live in a constant chaotic place.

That's for the news ...

Day 2-3 ...

Yesterday with had some "party" with the bears pack (aka my best friends) in Magog. We came back at like 2am home and I was totally but totally drained (can someone please tell me how 1 (yeah just one) bailey can do that much destruction?)

When we arrived the rabbits were short of water as well as the hens ... so we had to water (can I say that?) all the animals ... (probably not, but I am sick ... sooooo I won't check for a more appropriate verb)

Today, after we have been waken up by a choir of snowblower ... we got up and tried (key word here) to do something.

I was not well at all. Anyways, husband ... ohhh the hell with it ... Martin, ok my name is Julie, his name is Martin. No need to hide anymore everyone I know is like reading that thing. So Martin build some ... ok I have to find a name for that... he built well ... Some shit blocker (ew!) for the coops. Let say that the Ameraucanas for some reason are pretty good in that area of production.

Then. my friend Evelyne came by and gave me the nicest thing ever. She bought me a painting with poppies on it (Coquelicots being poppies for those of you who aren't fluent in French). I was pretty happy about it.

We also had a pleasant surprise. I was like checking my fridge telling myself that eggs is nice ... but not like 15 dozens of them when the phone rang. Madame Charron our neighbour asked us for some eggs. I was very pleased. Like 5 minutes after, someone knocked at the door. "You have eggs right" ... I was like good lord, I am very powerful when it is time to decide that I have to sell things! haha ... Well, our other neighbor recently sold us 12 hens, well now he is sending us all his clients!!!! I was super happy!!!

Right now, I am trying to clean up the living room (as you can see I am working really hard ... *rolling eyes*). We have to work on the heating soon, 'cause it's like 15 degrees right now. I am freezing!!! Some people I know would be totally nice about it. I am not. I am totally not!

Tomorrow, it's Xmas, so "day off" nothing but normal hen care.

Nothing ventured ...

Saturday - 6:32 pm ...

I am in my kitchen eating raw macaronis. Yup, some do cokaine, some do alcohol, some spend money ... I do macaronis.

I am in TOTAL despair. You know we have a bad moment.

First, Thursday night, I went to see the cats and Cayenne before leaving home (I always do that) and Azul arrived with a bump the size of a bubble gum on her face.

Called the vet, probably an abscess, an appointment was given for the day after.

Went to the vet, heard Azul screaming in pain while they were emptying the abscess ... started to cry, looked like a fool, well I think husband was the only one seeing me.

Saturday morning, went in town to pick some things that was given to us (cement) it was outside and, of course, it was raining like hell.

Started to sneeze.

Went back home at around 12:30, had lunch ...

Decided to make apple/maple jam out of the apple that were left from a previous canning experience.

1. The recipe didn't worked well, when the jam reached 104 Celsius, a huge mushroom of foam formed almost instantly, went all on the oven.
2. When canning, water bath tub was too full, went all on the oven.
3. When putting the last jar in the hot bath tub, it broke and the bottom fell, as a result the whole jar emptied itself in an horrible mess.

Husband started to put back the electricity in the barn (it's super needed as the cold is arriving super fast).

1. Was still raining like crazy making the work harder.
2. Didn't advance that much.

Went to feed the hens, most of them are sick now. Even if we are giving them treatment it doesn't seem to work.

Cayenne destroyed part of the hens' pen.

I am cold
I am tired
I am in despair

I am eating macaronis.

Dealing with Death

Left : Moutarde, Right: Leon, used as a bed : Tom

Leon died tonight.
I don't really know how.
I found him.

It was my first encounter with death. Face to face.

I am scared to life. I still can see his face, eyes open, open mouth in a very strange position.

I am a very sensitive person and I think this incident have scarred me for life.

Now I have tons of questions.

What did I do wrong?
Will my other cats be infected by the thing he had.

Of course, Leon was a dropped off cat. I arrived one day (two weeks) ago and that poor kitten was waiting so dirty and skinny in front of the barn.

I tried to fed him the best that I could. Nothing really worked it seems.

After my friends left tonight, I went in the barn and Leon was not there in his normal spot.
I felt in me that I had to find him, I search everywhere and when I arrive close to the barn, I saw some vomit spot. Plenty.
I saw him then, laying there between the wall and the hay. Dead.

It was a shock, it's still is.
I am sick to my stomach.
I try to forget the image, I just can't.

That's an image I wished never see in my life. Of course being there on a farm put the probabilities to a new high.

I just can't deal with death. As I can deal with mine, I just can't deal with others.

I was telling a lot of people that I was unhappy of never have found Isis's body... well I change my mind. I am very glad to be in ignorance. That's a kind of image I don't want to deal with.

He was 4 months old.
------------------------------------------------

Edit: I talked to one friend who made me realized that the position he was in was probably 'cause he was playing and fell, since he was weak he probably broke his neck. Fast death.