Coco, our kitten

I don't really like posting twice in a day, but it make things so much easier, when I have my blog sent to family and friends in one fell swoop. I figure that this is the best place to post what is going on with our dear little kitten that we've only have for a few weeks.

On Good Friday, we were packing to spend the weekend in TN with my husband's awesome parents. As I was doing some last minute checking on our chicks in the garage, I noticed a little black kitten running in and out of the door. Well, at that moment, we didn't have any cats or kittens, and it was completely unexpected. The children immediately fell in love with her and asked if they could keep her. Well, we were about to take off for the whole weekend, and I didn't think it would be safe to lock her in the garage, especially with those little chicks! So, I told the kiddos that if the kitten were still around when we got home after the weekend, they could keep her.

Promises are promises!

On the following Monday, after coming home from our Girl Scout meeting, who should come up the driveway, but that little black kitten! Okay, so now we have a kitten. The neighbors are absolutely tickled, and they are now teasing that maybe a pot-bellied pig or goat should be next in line for our farm. Right. After tossing names around for a day or so, we all settled on the name of Coco, as she is not just black, but has somewhat of brown highlights in her long hair. She is really adorable, and has been a blessing in teaching the children the responsibility of feeding and caring for an animal. The only thing they are not responsible for is the litter box.

This past weekend, on Sunday, our dear little one was attacked by a 3-legged dog. To us, it looked like a pitbull-mix, but the shelter said they entered it in as a boxer-mix. It doesn't really matter, a Coco was really torn up from the encounter. Her left front arm was fractured at all of her major joints: shoulder, elbow (the worst), and wrist. Since she's so tiny at about 8 weeks old, the doctor had to do a closed manipulation of the bones to get them all back in place. Her bones are too small to try to screw back together. The doctor was most concerned about her elbow, as it took the worst of the injuries. If the elbow can't heal in a decent manner, the arm will have to be taken off. Even if it stays on, she won't get too much use out of it, poor thing.

Right now, my wonderful sister-in-law is caring for the kitten, since she works at the animal hospital. The kitten will be in a splint for at least 4-6 weeks, if all goes as planned. I fear when she will be released to come home as these children are soooo rough! We'll figure it out, eventually.

I called the shelter, as the dog was not recognized by any of the neighbors that were present when the incident happened. The shelter said that I have to call everyday to see if the dog has been claimed. If he is claimed, the shelter will give me the owner's information so I can get them to pay the doctor bills. I feel sorry for the dog, as he was pretty nice and social with the humans around. My major concern was that he did start for the kitten while it was still in my son's arms. See, he took her outside to show the neighborhood children up the street his new kitten, against mother's orders. Whew, if ever there were a lesson to be learned!

My babies are growing!

Okay, so who did I get those little chickens for, anyhow? I have been the most reluctant one about getting pets. Why? Because I know that I will be the only one to take care of the critters, and I simply don't have the time. At least that's not on top of my list of things I want to do with my spare time. Now, we have 7 prepubescent chickens, 1 silkie ring-neck dove, and 1 severely injured kitten (story to come). Out of all of these wonderful beings, the chickens are way up there when it comes to getting pleasure in caring for them. Little did I know!

The chickens take the most time throughout the day to care for. We have to go out twice a day to check on food and water, and to check to make sure they are going up and down the ladder okay. For the past couple of days, they all seem to want to stay in the top part of the coop. I don't know if that's because it's been warmer lately, or what. We tried to put them in the bottom, but they all ended up back in the top. I am done trying to figure out the psychology of our chickens, so if they want to stay in the top, go for it. I do know that I prefer for them all to be in the top, as that area provides the best protection from predators. Seems I've been hearing way more owls hooting since we brought the birds home. Hmm...

It is amazing to watch them grow. It was so funny when they started losing their baby feathers. At first, I started to panic that they were infested with mites or something. And then I figured out that they were just going through puberty. How cute! I just wish we could be more sure of their genders. A couple are growing their combs before the others. Although, both male and female can have them, I wonder if the ones growing them now, are male. One of them I am pretty sure is a cock, as he is very vocal, already has been growing his comb on top for a while now, and is the most aggressive. This, to me, is hilarious because he is also the 2nd smallest of the whole bunch. It's like that little man syndrome! Ha!!!

So, we're going out of town for the weekend, the children and I. I have some close friends with children that will stop by everyday to count the chickens and monitor their waterers. I figure that's all they really need at this point. They can go up and down as they please, the feeder holds enough food to keep them for 3-4 days, and there is still some greenery and bugs on the bottom, if they want more than chick feed. I still can't help but think that I'll be thinking about them the whole weekend. I really hope those darn owls don't try to get into the coop. Of course, there are other marsupials and rodents out there that I should be concerned about. Oh, and when we were having our Girl Scout backyard camp out last weekend, just 5 minutes down the road, I could hear all sorts of coyote cries. I better come back to 7 chickens or I'll be pissed!

Enjoy the pictures of our prepubescent babes. I'll try to take more photos along the way, as they get older. I can't figure out how to caption the photos, so here's a rundown of what you're looking at: At the top, are my two little reds, holding one of their little reds. Next, is one of our RI Reds, next to a qt-size Mason jar, for size reference. Third, is our cockiest little one. He is also the 2nd smallest, but very fiesty. The fourth is my son's, and we call her Mohawk Girl. The name was Mohawk Man, but we've since realized that it's most likely a she, not a he. Good thing, since we only want girls. Last one, on the right, is our little Road Runner. She is soooo fast! She is a blast to chase, or at least a blast to watch the kiddos chase. Poor thing.

Have a Blessed weekend!