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Twisted Whisker Farm Sanctuary |
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Welcome to the Twisted Whisker Farm Sanctuary Newsletter. This Newsletter, updated monthly (hopefully) and provides a quick and easy way for you to stay up to date and get the latest information on Twisted Whisker wherever and whenever you want it. |
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Twisted Whisker Farm Sanctuary Critter Update June 21, 2007 Hello everyone, I have had inquiries lately as to where all the updates have been and wanted to try to catch up, if just a little. I am now working weekends at Raffaldini Vineyards in Ronda, NC conducting wine tastings (yes, and sometimes participating). I am also taking my second to last graduate school course and the work load is insane, so my time at the moment is very much stretched to the limit. Happily, I will not have another course until fall and will be able to catch up a bit in about 4 weeks. Of course, there is always mowing, cleaning, feeding, watering, medicating and all the other daily chores to do. So that is just a brief explanation as to where the updates have gone. Last time I think I started with the dogs….this time, how about the rats? The domestic rat population here is down to 5 boys. I previously sent a pic of Squeakers, the rat that had the huge tumor. He has recovered well from surgery and gaining weight. The others are doing okay but all are geriatric…about 4 years old, so it seems pretty soon we will be ratless here. (Except for the 8 billion furry rodents that are running amuck through the fields, on the porch, in the garage and so forth….but those are mice and voles and other unidentified creatures….I have yet to actually see a wild rat outside). Let’s see….next…well, the 3 guineas are doing well. Larry, the one-winged guinea is doing fine but seriously needs a girlfriend. The other guineas would not accept him with one wing and he has lately developed a serious attitude problem. I am going to see if he could possibly fit in with the ducks this weekend, at least temporarily. Roosters: Only 2 real issues. Chik-fil-A is having a foot issue to which someone (maybe my avian vet, not to mention any names) suggested I soak his foot in Epsom salts and warm water….with maybe some lavender aromatherapy and mud packs…(okay, I’m adding the latter)….but these birds try to seriously maim me every day….pecking, spurring…and I am recommended to give him spa treatment….okay. sure. Working on it. The second rooster issue involves Bart, the big black Brahma. He is the largest rooster here and is also the sneakiest. He attacks me when I least expect it, but has not yet ripped my jeans open again. I think he actually notices when I am carrying a stick in my hand….or not. He gets me on the ..or nots. Otherwise…a few minutes of rooster baseball or soccer, and he leaves me alone for a couple weeks…until, like most males, he forgets. Then we start all over again. Hens: Snowflake, one of my oldest hens (around 6-7 years old) hatched one egg recently. The chick is now fully feathered and looks just like her…well, they are both white. I was 99% sure that the chick was a hen – yesterday. Today I put them both outside to have some fun in a pen and now the chick, (who was named April) kind of looks roosterish. Kind of. Still peeping though…so I will have to wait a little longer to see if I hear the first gurgling type baby crow…..please send good wishes that April really is a hen…PLEASE!!!!! 13 roosters are enough. The rule here is the eggs get picked up every day. Unfortunately, sometimes that doesn’t happen, giving the hen the opportunity to think that motherhood is a good idea….I will not remove a hen after she has gone broody. It is too sad to watch. On that note…Bertha, my black Brahma hen, is now setting. She has NEVER done this before. I am overfilled with joy. (sarcasm). I am sure she will hatch a bunch of little roosters. I am sure of it. Another few weeks will tell. All the other hens are enjoying their summer. Time to scratch in the dirt, eat bugs, eat grass, take a dustbath and follow me around hoping for a little cat food…dry or wet…they love it….especially the chicken variety…I think this disgusting. But…it does help if I want them in their coop….I just yell “here kitty, kitty” and all the birds come running. Don’t worry…this does not happen very often. Then we have the house chickens. Chicklet has recovered from her previous severe illness and is stable. In fact, right now she is waiting for me to take her outside for her evening walk. She is still being tube fed two times a day with an occasional jar of baby food, fruit or veggie, thrown in. She just turned 4 years old this spring. Bird, a chick I had to hand raise is afraid of the big outdoors. I tried to put her in a pen and she screamed at the top of her lungs until I took her back to her Wabbitat. She is still very attached to her stuffed kitty and sleeps with it every night. I’m working on this one. Anyone know a bird shrink? Buffalo Wing…one of my favorite hens…(Chicklet’s niece)…does like to go outside, but when it starts getting dark…she jumps out of the pen and walks to the back door and waits, staring expectantly until I let her in. She marches over to her cage, jumps up and then demands fresh, cool water. It can be very convenient though as both Buffalo Wing and Bird lay eggs and I just pick them up and take them in the kitchen. I think everyone should have a house chicken. One egg a day. Ducks: All four duckies are doing well and enjoy their kiddie pool on hot days. Geese: Fred and Ethel are doing well. They have tried setting on eggs this spring but nothing seems to happen. I am really not sure now that Fred is really a Fred. Fred gets chased by Liberace, the drake (male duck who has a poof of feathers on his head)…a common scene here is Fred running for his life, honking, and Liberace making very strange duck noises, chasing him. If anyone wants to send me theories on this, go ahead, I’m sure I will enjoy reading them. Lastly, on the small animal/bird theme, I have a possum in my bedroom. Now, you may ask, why do I have a possum in my bedroom? Well, this of course, would have something to do with my husband, right? Okay…he took Beau (the mastiff) outside one night…without the required leash. I still do not know WHAT he was thinking, as the dog does not like him very much. I walk him without a leash in the daytime but not at night. Especially since I just learned that copperheads hunt at night in warm weather. Oh joy. But that’s another story. So, late one night I get a phone call. It’s the husband screaming that Beau got a possum. I ran downstairs and found a baby possum on the ground. It seemed to have no injuries, surprisingly. After some discussion with possum experts, it was decided that I retain said possum until it grew a little. So…possum is in a carrier in my bedroom for maybe another week. Then, sometime at dusk, I will blast the theme song to “Born Free” and let him/her wander off into the night…never to be mouthed by a mastiff again. So….chickens in the living room, possums in the bedroom….another normal week here at the farm. I will send another update out covering the recent feline and canine emergencies, hopefully this weekend. Please keep the following critters in your thoughts and prayers as they are needing all the positive energy they can get: Dogs: Beau and Campbell (Katrina rescues) Cats: Margarita, Clark/Snark, Tweety, Precious, Prissy, Rose,Texas, Jilly, Fuzzy Wuzzy, Runt, String Bean, Helen, and Tabitha/Tabby. Lastly, thank you if you have sent a donation recently and/or coupons…we can use all the coupons we can get. I am still working on getting my new/cool cards out….pls be patient. (When I get staff, it will be SO much easier!) Thanks for your support. Kris |
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Previous Newletters and Updates |
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contact: Kris@twistedwhisker.org |
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