Month: May 2022

Signs You’re a Crazy Pet Parent

Post author By KS
Post date May 14, 2022
1 Comment on Signs You’re a Crazy Pet Parent

Photo by RODNAE Productions on Pexels.com

We spend a lot on our pets. Not just in money, but also in time. Americans reportedly spend ~$2300 annually just on their cats and dogs alone. And that doesn’t even take into account chicken, rabbit, and reptile lovers. But there are more signs you’re a crazy pet parent than spending money on your pet.

While there are plenty of “crazy lady” memes, I use the term crazy a bit more endearing. Additionally, I don’t single out just women, because I’ve found that men can be just as fond of their pets. However, what does “pet parent” even mean?

The term pet parent is considered by some people concerned with the rights of animals to be more acceptable than owner
Collins English Dictionary

But it’s really just someone who looks after and cares for their pet.

Now I’ve broken this up into three sections. And the first set of signs you’re a crazy pet parent that we’re going to examine is the cat lover. Cats are mysterious. And they can be elusive or playful. Maybe you’re guilty of being crazy for cats. Or you know someone who’s heading down that path? Just continue reading to find out.

Signs You’re a Crazy Pet Parent: for Cats

You might be a crazy cat person if you

hardly go on vacation, because…what would happen to your cats?

may even read fiction books about cats with your kids

talk to your cats, and reply to them when they meow

have more than a couple of cats

gladly make room for your cat to be comfortable on your bed; BUT if some human tries the same, you push back

This is Meow Meow, when she still lived in the house and there was only Moses to deal with. She liked to sleep on me.

buy your cats presents

don’t get mad if your cat steps on your laptop keyboard, because she wanted to be near you and get your attention; however, now you just anticipate her and close your laptop to prevent any mess-ups

Whenever I’m working, Poppy joins me. But sometimes she tries to get me to stop.

sleep with cat food on the nightstand so the kitty knows where it is; cats are creatures of habit, right?

This is a daytime shot, however Poppy’s food does stay on the nightstand all night for her to find. It’s been like that since she was little.

don’t mind if the cat scratches the furniture

get them special treats

have cat themed items

FaceTime your cat in the event you’re ever away

celebrate your cat’s birthday

sing to your cat or make up songs about your cat

and if your cat takes your chair when you vacate it, it’s ok; you just take another one and move all of your stuff over

calico cat looks at camera from lounging on an orange cushioned chair next to a workstation — I just went to check on the chicks.

calico cat bathing itself on an orange cushioned chair next to a workstation — I just went to check on the chicks.

The second set of signs you’re a crazy pet parent that we’re going to investigate is the chicken lover. Chicken popularity has been going strong since Covid. So that means more crazy chicken parents. And the newer parents you are, the crazier you are. Trust me, I know. But that doesn’t mean that old chicken parents stop being crazy for their backyard birds. We just share our joys with fellow crazies.

Signs You’re a Crazy Chicken Parent

You might be a crazy chicken person if you

talk to your chickens

don’t run the chickens out of the garden even if you’re spouse tells you to

make special treats for them

cook oatmeal for your family; and then make extra for your chickens, because they love it

thank the chickens after they eat the treats

name all of your chickens

Percy, Sakura, Astrid, Sunshine, Dopey, Rex, Plo, Chopper, Smiley, Megs in the distance, Monday, Tuesday, the guinea Kurapika, and Soundwave. But I can’t really tell who’s on the other side of the fence besides Tiny Nuts.

have chicken t-shirts and wear them proudly

read chicken blogs

have chicken themed items in and out of your house

save food for your birds, and ask others to do so as well

encourage the rooster; and believe that he actually listens

This was Baby Nay a week after he beat up Megatron; and immediately after they both continuously fought. We had to separate them, then re-home Baby Nay. Hardest decision I had to make.

are happier seeing and watching your chickens than TV; and they think you’re pretty darn special too

talk about your chickens to anyone who will listen, but you’re starting to notice their eyes glaze over

might have even let a weak baby chick sleep in your bed, snuggled in a hand towel

and when you go outside, your backyard birds flock to you

Finally, the last signs that you’re a crazy pet parent we’re going to consider is the dog lover. Dogs have been man’s best friend since, what seems, the beginning of time. They’re faithful, loving, and trustworthy. What’s not to like?

Signs You’re a Crazy Pet Parent: for Dogs

You might be a crazy dog person if you

set up play dates with your friends’ dogs

Photo by Hilary Halliwell on Pexels.com

FaceTime with your dog when you’re ever away

leave TV or music on for your dog when you’re ever away

buy your dog toys

Photo by Mathew Coulton on Pexels.com

flavor your dog’s food, because they don’t like plain dog food

take your dog on outings

This was when we were moving from Dallas; of course he wasn’t really driving!

let your dog sleep on your bed, even if they take up most of the bed

spell words out so your dog won’t understand

don’t mind dog hair on your clothes, furniture, or the occasional fur in your food

baby-talk to your dog, no matter their age

love giving your dog belly rubs, and your dog loves it too

let your dog chew on you, because it’s how they say, “I love you”

Before I knew and loved Sophie as much as I do now, this behavior bugged me; now I know she’s just trying to hold my hand and get as much of me as she can when she’s excited.

have birthday parties for your dog

Photo by Sam Lion on Pexels.com

usually don’t go out of town for long, or go far

ignore anything your dog does that could be construed as bad behavior, because you love your dog; and “they’re such a good dog,” you say in the baby voice

and if you’ve ever stayed at a non dog-friendly hotel before, you might’ve snuck your dog in. Don’t worry. I won’t tell, if you won’t

There are some common traits all of these pet parents have in common that I have yet to list. Therefore, if you have cats, dogs, and chickens, please keep reading.

You Might be a Crazy Pet Parent if

On occasion, you’ve been known to spend more on pet food, bedding, litter, etc, than on your own groceries.

Photo by Karolina Grabowska on Pexels.com

Furthermore, you have more pictures of your pets than your children.

And you talk more about your pets than your kids. In addition, you’re more animated when you share about your pets.

Additionally, you post more on social media regarding your pets.

Also, going out of town for any type of vacation is difficult, because of all of your pets. So you don’t even know what a vacation is anymore. But it’s worth it, because who will love your pets like you do?

Photo by Polina Tankilevitch on Pexels.com

And you admit that the word “fret” is in your vocabulary regarding your pets occasionally.

Finally, you might be a crazy pet parent if your neighbors are constantly trying to bring you strays.

Conclusion

This concludes the signs you’re a crazy pet parent. And I confess that I’m guilty of 98% of them. But it’s ok, because I love my pets. And if it turns out that you’re a crazy pet parent, it’s perfectly ok. Because, you’re accepted.

Also, I’m going on vacation next week for 10 days. So I might not post. We haven’t had a real vacation in 4 years. But back then we didn’t have the extra cats and our dog that we have now. We had Moses, but he was allowed to come on vacation with us then.

Photo by Julia Kuzenkov on Pexels.com

In addition, the place where we’re going now is not pet-friendly. Although, that hardly matters, because Sophie would need tranquilizers to go on vacation. Anyway, this will be the first time that we left Sophie and Poppy for an extended time. So we have some anxiety about that. Therefore, if you think of it, please pray for our pets and neighbors. We have a lot of pets. Over 30, and some chicks that we’ll eventually sell. Thus, it’s a huge responsibility, however we have great neighbors.

Are you a fellow crazy pet parent? Do you struggle with going out of town because of your fur or feather babies? Or do you have awesome neighbors who help you out? Let me know how you handle these issues in a comment. And thanks for taking the time to read this post. Also, if you enjoyed this piece, please like, and follow for more.

Tags crazy cat lady, crazy chicken lady, crazy dog person, signs you're a crazy pet parent

Chicks raising happy, healthy chickens

How to Revive a Baby Chick

Post author By KS
Post date May 12, 2022
No Comments on How to Revive a Baby Chick

We often trade nice spring temperatures for severe spring storms. And for broody hens and their chicks outside, it can be a dangerous time. Because, if a chick gets wet, it can suffer hypothermia. Therefore, you need to know how to revive a baby chick.

If you have chickens for any number of years, you’ll see many things. And sometimes it can be all at once. Like broody hens, chicks, illnesses, near death, and even revival from death.

For example, we have 4 broody hens with only 2 hatched chicks right now. And that’s not including the chicks we incubated and hatched recently. Well, the last set of thunderstorms we had flooded an area near the back of our coop. And for some reason, one broody hen and her chick stayed out in the rain. So, when we went to check on the birds, it was lifeless. Or it appeared that way.

Thus, I’m going to cover different methods to revive baby chicks, since you might find chicks at various stages of weakness.

How to Revive a Baby Chick:

Weak and Dehydrated Chicks

The first time you might need to revive a baby chick is if you order chicks from a hatchery. That’s because the nature of shipping chicks includes lack of temperature control and long shipping times. And the lack of temperature control raises a chick’s body temperature, causing it to pant, thereby resulting in dehydration.

Signs of a Weak and Dehydrated Chick

Difficulty breathing, such as panting
Isolation
Sleepiness
And refusal to eat and drink

The first thing to do when you get mail order chicks is put them in the brooder that you prepared ahead of time. Next, provide lukewarm water, because they had a long trip. You don’t want to give them cold water, since it could shock their systems. And as they’re getting settled, do an assessment on them. Do they look healthy? Are any of them showing symptoms listed above?

Solution for Weak and Dehydrated Chicks

In the event you have a weak and/or dehydrated chick, do the following:

Remove the chick from the brooder, and wrap it in a hand towel
Next, provide electrolytes; you can give this to all of the chicks
If the chick is too weak to drink on its own, assist it every ~ 10-15 minutes for an hour. (You’ll know a chick is drinking when it tips its head and smacks its beak. Don’t force anything down its beak; it can go into the lungs and cause more issues.) Then, steadily extend the time between assisted waterings. And keep it away from direct heat, since this could keep it dehydrated. However, keep it warm in a hand towel.
In addition, after ~ 2 days, you can give a chick some egg yolk
Chicks who were simply chilled should rebound within an hour

How to Revive a Baby Chick:

Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

Wet and Hypothermic Chicks

If you incubate and raise your own chicks, it’s possible you won’t ever have to revive a wet and hypothermic chick. Although, if you have chickens that tend to go broody, that’s another story. Especially with spring weather and the threat of flooding.

But spring weather isn’t the only cause for concern. Sprinkler systems and chicks falling into waterers can also cause baby chicks to quickly fall prey to hypothermia.

Signs of Wet and Hypothermic Chicks

Your first sign you have a wet and hypothermic chick is that the chick is wet; it’s pretty obvious. And the other sign is that it might look dead. It may even flop lifelessly, when you pick it up, but all is not lost, if you’re quick. And you don’t give up.

Solution for Wet and Hypothermic Chicks

First, bring the chick inside
Next, gently dry it with a towel to get rid of the extra moisture
Then, blow dry the chick on the lowest setting; but holding it, making sure the air isn’t too hot to burn the chick

Some sites recommend putting the chick straight under a heat lamp after this. However, I think it should depend upon the severity of the symptoms. If your chick was conscious when you found it, then after it’s dry, put it under a heat lamp. But, if your chick was unresponsive, then it will take you a while to get it to waken. It will be weak and tired, although persevere, so it doesn’t die.

This is the day after the storm. And you can see the small one is just fine.

When we rescued the chick, the momma hen was so distraught; it was storming, and we took her baby away. So after we revived her chick, and it was in the clear, we brought the momma hen inside. (We didn’t want to risk putting the baby back out in the wet and cold. And we didn’t want the momma hen to needlessly suffer.) Then, after getting it situated and set-up, we put both of them in a dog crate. Just looking at the chick the next day, you couldn’t tell it had almost died.

Have you ever had to revive a baby chick? Or did a baby chick ever get caught in the rain or waterer?

Thanks for stopping by! If you enjoyed this post, please like, post a comment, share, and please don’t forget to follow!

Tags Chicks, dehydrated chicks, hypothermic chicks, weak chicks

Hens raising happy, healthy chickens Roosters

Can Chickens Fly

Post author By KS
Post date May 5, 2022
4 Comments on Can Chickens Fly

When we were younger we learned that feathers and hollow bones allowed birds to fly. You may be curious to know that chickens also possess those traits. And yet, can chickens fly? Well, yes and no.

When chickens are only a few weeks old, they can fly or flit around. And that’s the closest they come to resembling flying around like other birds. But when they’re older, they don’t fly so much as use their wings to propel up and over objects. So they don’t cover much distance. That’s because not all of their bones are hollow.

Chicken Origins

Photo by Paul Harrison on Pexels.com

Modern poultry descends from the Red Jungle Fowl, which has the ability to take off and fly away from danger. However this amazing bird isn’t suited for long flights. And present-day chickens have had this capability bred out of them with heavier body mass.

But still, there are backyard birds that have maintained this talent.

Chicken Breeds that can “Sort of” Fly

The following is a list of breeds that can manage the art of flying better than their counterparts.

Megatron, the rooster boss.

Heavier birds, like Wyandottes and Black Sex-links, can’t even get off the ground. Although, why would chickens want to fly in the first place?

Reasons Chickens Might Fly

The Grass is Always Greener.…

In this picture, Tiny Nuts just flew back over the fence, while some of his hens stayed in the front yard. And one hen is on the fence, about to cross over to the other side.

Chickens love to explore and will go in your neighbor’s yard, because the grass and bugs are way better than what’s in your yard! Or maybe they just think the fence is some cool obstacle they’re meant to cross, and your yard and your neighbor’s yard just belong to the birds.

Henhouse Bullying

Introducing new birds, chicks figuring out the pecking order, and 2 adult roosters can and will cause some birds to seek out new territory.

I noticed that’s what Tiny Nuts has been doing with his harem, while it was raining yesterday, and he wasn’t allowed in the run. I figured out that he just wants his own place where he and his girls can live in peace.

Tiny Nuts the Roo

Predators

Photo by Andrey Yudkin on Pexels.com

And the last reason backyard birds will fly away from their own yard is if there is a threat, such as a predator.

How High can Chickens Fly

Our neighbor’s 6 ft tall fence. (The yellow yard stick isn’t truly a yard stick, as it measures 48 inches. It’s for comparison purposes.)

A four foot fence is not a deterrent to the breeds I listed above. For example, on separate occasions, both my Ameraucana rooster and his hatchery mate flew over my neighbor’s 6 foot fence. While their dog attacked Soundwave, Megatron slept in their barn overnight. But both were recovered and are fine.

Since having Megatron, I have seen some amazing aerodynamics. Also, his genes have been passed to all of his offspring. In addition, he inspires the other chickens to take risks as well, even if they can’t quite fly. They’re convinced the grass is greener.

How to Prevent Chickens from Flying

I have seen material that suggests building a covered run or a taller fence as the right option. And though neither is bad, they just aren’t going to stop your backyard birds from flying over your fence if you have one of those “flying” breeds. None of mine have ever “flown the coop”. But when they’re approaching adulthood, they fly over the fence all the time. Further, you might not want to build a 10 foot plus tall fence all over your yard. And if you have a very big yard, it could be cost prohibitive.

Rather than building a bigger fence, another option posed by cleverpetowners.com is to trick their eyes with stakes and fabric. You can find their suggestion and instructions here.

And the final option is wing clipping. Despite being somewhat controversial, if done properly, it is not painful to the birds at all. Furthermore, it isn’t permanent. The controversy stems from the idea that it promotes irritation, feather-picking, starting a vicious cycle. And that the birds whose wings are clipped are hindered from exercise and can’t get away from fearful situations.

From my own experience of raising chickens on an acre for 7 years, I can say that none of that exists. The birds whose wings we clip just seem to be expanding their territory. And usually it’s their rooster leading them into danger. Once the wing clipping has commenced and is finished, the only thing the birds find is that they can no longer go where they wish to go. So they have to be content in their own yard. There’s no feather picking and no irritation. And they certainly aren’t hindered from exercising, because they can still walk just fine.

As far as the fearful situations go, we only live on an acre; and the only predators that lurk around us are dogs or hawks. And the dogs can’t get to our birds with our sturdy fence. Additionally, our birds know to run to their coop at the first sign of danger. Or they use burst flight to get away, unless their wings are clipped. Therefore, if you live on a lot of land, you might not want to clip your chickens wings. I don’t think my in-laws do, and they live on 40 acres. Thus, they get a lot more predators. So, in that case, wing clipping could put the birds at a disadvantage.

In Conclusion

Can you see Tiny Nuts fly vertically? It’s not the best picture, but none of my birds need a running start to fly. And he was never in danger from Sophie.

We learned that chickens descend from Red Jungle Fowl, which can fly. And many chicken breeds can still fly vertically. We also learned that they fly to get to greener pastures and to avoid conflict and predators. In addition, most backyard birds that fly can easily clear 6 feet, while some can fly over 10 feet. Further, the suggestions to prevent your birds from flying include building a taller fence, tricking them with stakes and fabric, and/or wing clipping.

Thanks for stopping by! If you enjoyed this post, please like, post a comment, share, and please don’t forget to follow!

Tags breeds that can fly better, chickens fly, flight feathers, Red Jungle Fowl, wing clipping