Cinco De Mayo

We have been spending our time here doing typical spring cleaning stuff...Mike finally finished building our new quail pen. It originally started out as a pen for the pigeons we plan to get for training, but it just ended up being perfect for the quail. We are going to update the old quail pen to be useful for the new pigeons.

Here it is! The board in the front is blocking the recall hole, just to try to keep predators out. The quail really love their new view of the training field. They can sit up on the ledge in the pen and get lots of fresh air.

This is a big upgrade from their former pen,which was thrown together quickly when these quail were given to us unexpectantly. They used to live in a pen made up of old patio doors with one open side for ventilation. Nothing like living in a glass house! We only have 6 quail left currently, hopefully we will get some more shortly!

Jaida has been spending lots of time outdoors lately, thank goodness! She had previously been terrified of our chickens, for some reason. She always yelled at them if they followed her somewhere, and got nervous whenever they came anywhere near her. Well, I was trying to get her over this chicken fear-thing. So I showed her how to hold a chicken properly, thinking maybe she wouldn't be so afraid if she saw Mommy picking them up and she was allowed to pet them.

Well, that was a mistake...

All that Jaida wants to do now is pick up the chickens, constantly...From the moment she wakes up until the moment she goes to bed. "Mommy, can I pick up the chickens?" She will spend hours following them around trying to catch them and carry them around the yard. I came around the corner of the house one afternoon to see her halfway up the ladder to her slide, with a chicken in her arms. Yes, she was planning on giving the chicken a ride on her slide...

Somehow, the chickens are very forgiving to her for chasing them around all the time.

Kyler update: Now known as MHP, short for Missy Hotty Pants. Still nothing on the in heat front...I am waiting impatiently for her to come into season. Her soon to be boyfriend, Duke, is patiently waiting in Indiana for her to come visit. I am getting concerned that if she waits much longer that we will not be able to fly her out there, due to airline restrictions because of the heat. Let it be noted that I loathe the idea of flying her, especially without me. I hate to fly myself. The thought of her flying just gives me the heebee-geebees. But, with gas prices the way they are, it will cost a significant amount more in gas money to drive there and back, twice. (once to drop her off, the other to pick her up, as she will likely stay there for 2 weeks)

On another note, Cedar finally had his toe resected last Tuesday. If you recall, he had a tiny skin tag removed from his toe a few weeks ago that ended up being Hemangiosarcoma. To be on the extra safe side, we (meaning the surgeon, the internist, and me) decided to make a wider margin to ensure that the cancer was completely gone. He is now recovering. We ended up having to bandage his foot yesterday after the incision broke open. A toe is a hard place to have and incision, there is a lot of tension on the suture material. I was not surprised that it opened up. He now seems much more comfortable with a nice bandage on his toe. It is making things interesting, though. We have to put a bag on his foot anytime he goes outside to keep the bandage dry. This means that we have to have the dog door closed, which Kyler is rather ticked about. We actually have to think about letting the dogs out for a few days, which if you have a dog door, and haven't thought about letting them out for a bit, is a weird thing.

Here he is sitting on the couch, taking a nap with his little bandaged piggy foot...

He will be out of commission for a few weeks while the big hole in the top of his toe heals up...