Blossom's limp seemed much better yesterday and today when she got up there was no trace of it. What a relief that was. It was so nice to see them all healthy and happy trotting round the garden. All was well in my chooky world. At least for a little while.
I went out for most of the day today. Shopping, which is not something I enjoy much but it had to be done. When I got back Hairy Hubby was screaming his tractor mower round the back lawn and making quite a good job of it. Oh good less chicken poop for me to pick up in the morning. Yipeee! As soon as he saw me he stopped and turned it off. I knew that had to be a bad sign, it takes a lot to separate that man from his mower! He told me that the as yet unknown new next-door-neighbour had knocked to tell us that all our chickens were in her garden. She didn't mind but thought we ought to know. Oh great! Two questions...how did the little s*ds get in there? and how was I going to get them out again? So there was me out in the wood with a jug of corn clucking my head off trying to get the little devils to come home. Then I realised that they were actually really agitated because they wanted to come home but couldn't find the way out! New tactics were obviously required!
After a sneaky wander around their perimeter fence I found a little part of the wire I could lift up a bit. So praying they wouldn't see me vandalising their fence I pulled it up, rattled my jug of corn and clucked like mad. Luckily the chooks got the idea and all but two came under the fence and into the wood quite quickly. Bessie and Wild Child (Maggie) took a bit longer. I had to walk away to get Wild Child back because she refuses to come within five feet of me! Eventually she followed the other girls and I piled a load of twigs and branches over the hole at the bottom of the fence so that a) they don't get in there by that route and b) the neighbours don't see what I did!
Flushed with success I went in to cook dinner only to spot that Action Dog has gone lame. She was fine this morning and I am sure was fine when I came home. Hairy says all seemed well all afternoon but suddenly she was hopping on three legs and looking very sorry for herself. On close inspection she has a great big red lump between two toes. The worrying thing is that it's on her bad foot, the one she had a toe amputated from earlier this year. I am hoping and praying (yes bigtime) that it is a sting of some sort. That's all I can think because surely she wouldn't have suddenly started limping like that if it had been there before. It would have shown itself before this. If it's still bad in the morning she is going to see the vet, no question. I'd have been tempted to take her tonight but it was too late by the time I spotted it. Why on earth don't they sell Calpol for dogs? You can give your child mild pain relief but not your pet. It does make me cross. There are no first aid creams either. So all I could do was bathe her paw in salt water which she didn't seem to mind too much luckily.
While all this was going on I noticed that Esme was off her nest. So with Action Dog under my arm I went down for a peek to see who was in there. I can confirm that there is one baby who seemed to be just getting his pin feathers on his wings. During all the drama of worrying and paw bathing I noticed that Esme was spending some time on the lawn. Too much for my liking and I was starting to get a bit worried. After far too long for comfort she got back on so I left well alone. I find it hard to believe that she sat on a dead egg yet left her baby for so long. Hopefully he didn't get too cold. I will check on them in the morning.
So that's my dramatic day. Honestly I think someone is going to accuse me of having Munchhausen's by Pet!
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