Category Archives: Pets and Animals

Christmas Festivities- Johnson’s Corner and all

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This was like a marathon Christmas weekend. Wednesday evening, Christmas Eve, Britton and I  went over to my parent’s house for dinner and we played poker and other card games. Then, Christmas morning we went to Johnson’s Corner, which is probably one of the most famous truck stops in the US for breakfast and it is just off of I-25 in Colorado! Britton thought this was hilarious…a greasy spoon for Christmas. It was actually quite busy! Johnson’s Corner was in the movie “Larger Than Life” with Bill Murray and Matthew McConahey (sp). We met our long-time family friends, the Fitzgeralds, there.

Christmas at home
With my family

Justin and Dad
My Brother Justin and Dad

Britton and Mom with neck massager
Playing Poker, Britton and Mom with a Neck massager

Johnson's Corner

Famous Cinnamon Roll at Johnsons Corner
World Famous Cinnamon Roll -WAY TOO SWEET!

At Johnson's Corner
Sue, Mory, Dad and Mom at Johnson’s Corner

Me and Mom with rings
Magic Rings we won playing at the arcades in Johnson’s Corner

Later that afternoon we went over to Britton’s parent’s house and had Christmas dinner with everyone there. Our gift to our niece and nephew was an afternoon with us on Saturday. We took them out to lunch, to Target to pick out a present, went to a music shop down by the University of Northern Colorado, took a walk around UNC, went to the library, then hung out playing video games at our house.  Then, last night we went over to Matt and Jamie’s and hung out, played cards, used their new juicer and played Rockband. Fun and busy weekend!

Nikki and Schnoodle
Nikki, a Schnauzer and Schnoodle at Britton’s Parents for Christmas

Tree at UNC
Helping give a boost to my nephew up into a tree in front of UNC

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The Black Chicken Laid her first Egg!

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I was surprised to find a little gift from the black chicken today when I went to bring the chickens some water. She laid her first egg! It was much smaller than Ms. Henny Penny the Leghorn usually lays (like Extra Extra Jumbo size). Everything we read about the Sumatra breed of chicken says that they lay white eggs, but no, she definitely laid a brown egg. So now that our Leghorn champion layer is out of commission due to molting, the black one can take over. I don’t think she will lay as many as the Leghorn, but it is nice to know that we have a backup so we don’t have to buy more eggs. Thanks, Black One (no we still really don’t have names for them).

Brown Egg
Small but pretty brown egg

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Chicken Molting in the Winter in Colorado

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Frosty tree against a blue sky
After the sky cleared up it left frost on the trees against a blue sky

I noticed that our leghorn chicken (the white one) was looking a little sparse in the feathers around her neck the other day, but Britton just kind of dismissed it. Then,  I went into the greenhouse to fill up their water and it looked like someone had had a pillowfight in there. There were white feathers everywhere! She is looking pretty ragged and I am pretty certain that she is molting. Why in the world would a chicken molt when it is negative 15 degrees? Don’t ask me, but she is…She has also stopped laying eggs which is common in the winter anyway to conserve energy when it is cold and also because they don’t lay eggs when molting. (We actually had to buy eggs for the first time since August so I could make chocolate chip cookies.)

Chickens and feathers

Now that she doesn’t have quite the same level of “down coat” that she did before, I am a little more worried about her in the cold. We might run an extension cord and a light bulb for heat. My dad says to put a box, even a cardboard box in there with hay and a blanket or towel over it so they can conserve heat. The problem is that they still like to get up high at night and roost on the board or roosting stick we put up there. If we can get through this cold part of winter, I think they will be tougher for it…

Here are a few more pictures around the yard and neighborhood.

Winter Fog over the lake out back
Fog over the lake out back 

 

Schnoodle and Kitty in Greeley
Kitty and Schnoodle follow the path we made in the snow from our house to the greenhouse

Kitty Walking up the Path
Kitty walking up the path to the house

Schnoodle in the snow
Schnoodle with a snow beard

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It’s Fffrrreezing! Arctic Cold Weather in Greeley, Colorado

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It is about 8am and it is negative 15 degrees Fahrenheit (negative 26 Celsius)! That is arctic Colorado weather! Kitty usually sleeps outside, but we took him in to sleep in the laundry room last night because it was so cold. The people on the news kept saying to take pets in, that it is so cold it will freeze human skin within a few minutes, so we were pretty worried about the chickens.

negative-15-degrees in Greeley

I boiled some water this morning and took it out to them and they were just fine. They were not moving much to conserve energy and the black one had frost on her feathers. I think the leghorn has frostbite on her comb, but they were happy when they heard the ice crack as I poured the hot water into their dish. The high today is only supposed to reach about 10 degrees, so the water will freeze again soon!

pine-tree

When I was bringing water to the chickens, Schnoodle ran out with me to go to bathroom (our yard that is). As I was walking back to the house, she just stood there on three legs. I thought maybe she was standing awkwardly as she peed, but she wouldn’t move. I had to coax her back in, but she was slow and looked  like she was in super pain. I think she might have arthritis in one of her back legs, and they say arthritis is more painful when it’s cold (low pressure). 

icy tree in Greeley

As I was coming to work, my car started slowly and the road conditions weren’t too bad until I tried to get up onto “O” Street from 25th Ave. My car slid around and let out a bunch of steam/smoke as I gunned it up there. As I walked from my car into the building, the contents of my nose froze as well as my hair that was still slightly damp from showering. All of this is to describe that it is frickin’ cold!!! Puerto Rico, you are looking especially lovely today! 🙂

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