Hi Sandra, yup my family is pretty much into our chickens, the kids have seen baby chicks hatch and watched them grow into adults. My dh did the turkeys this year, he took a class in processing birds at a working farm a few years ago. He processed one of our turkeys but we brought the rest to a processor and payed $10 each for the job (well worth it considering they were 30+ pound birds). Flogging is when a rooster attacks, they sort of jump up in the air and land on you w/their feet to scratch etc. it's the way they fight each other. I'm sure someone else can describe this better. Charles got threatened when we were trying to round him up, he did what comes naturally to many roo's. I do have one steady egg customer, I charge $3 per dozen, I used to buy organic chicken feed but found it not to be as fresh as the reg. feed and many times ended up finding bugs in the bags probably due to it not moving as quickly. The higher price also was a factor, about $8 more per bag. Claire, I love the pavilion your dh built you! it is very impressive. Your girls are very pretty, what are the gray hens? Americauna? Hi Susan, the covered pen is mostly for my bantams and crested birds, they live in the front coop with the attached pen. My standards (larger birds), live in the back coop (divided w/the recessed sliding door) and have a fenced chicken yard that they free range in. The only loss due to predator came this fall when a fisher cat pried open my back coop door and ran off w/one of my pullets. This was about three weeks after he ate our beloved cat. My dh promptly installed a dead bolt on the coop and trapped and disposed the fisher so he won't be bothering anyone anymore. The covered pen is great for young birds, bantams or crested breeds that can't see overhead which makes them easy prey for hawks around here. -Sheila

I can relate to not wanting to visit. Although I don't have to get into the circular one-note conversations like those you have with your aunt; my mother carries on a conversation, I just have no idea what it is about and her responses will have nothing to do with anything I've said! Plus she usually doesn't quite know who I am either; most often might say that I am her sister, sometimes her mother, often not sure at all. I don't know if she gets anything out of my visits, or remembers them in any way. she's been like this for over a year now and I find it harder and harder to go to the nursing home to see her. It is like a chore to cross off my to-do list, like anything else I have to get done on my days off. I wonder if we had had a more loving relationship would I be more or less eager to visit? As it is, I am the only one of 5 children who sees her regularly since I am the only one in town. One brother never visits or even inquires about her; the others have come about twice each in the past year. She had a personality disorder and was not the best mother (to put it mildly). Other than keeping an eye on her care and filling societal expectations, my visits don't seem to have much purpose for either of us. I was lucky in that her mental and physical status deteriorated so quickly from a series of strokes that caregiving at home was never an option that I had to seriously consider. She went from living independently to rehab to extended care to nursing home in short order. The worst time was in that first nine months when I had to repeatedly contact the nursing supervisors to address the fact that they weren't noticing as her care needs increased. Well after all that, I guess I don't have any suggestions, but at least you know that you are not alone in your feelings either. It is a funny thing about those fingernails. My mom has lately become combative about being bathed, and has slapped and pinched me when I try to trim her nails. Even just *gently* using a washcloth on her hands produces cries of "you're hurting me". Strange that seems to be a common phenomenon--others have mentioned it too.

Wow so glad you brought that back up Ms Glenda. I have been seeing their commercials on tv and wondered if anyone has ever recieved one...should have known to look here LOL how thought of Linda to do that for you!! Now wonder if they deliver something like that in my area...I would love to send one to my neighbor who owns the flower shop and what do you send to someone who already has flowers LOL STacy

You might, instead of checking for other emergency clinics, since you are in a metropolitan area, check to see if there are any practices who have vets who will take on-call cases. I live in the boondocks and my practice will cover any emergency day or night with a set 'emergency' surcharge on top of the normal bill. I much prefer that because the practioner knows my pet, has access to the records and I suspect it is just simply more economical even with the surcharge. I am not condoning filthy-looking waiting rooms, but unlike a conventional practise, an ER situation is a 24-7 clinic. It's not like they can stop and attend to tidying in a non-surgical setting when they're swamped with clients..........all of whom are bad enough they need to be seen immediately. It can get pretty gross when there is no kennel worker or tech free to police up the area as it's being dirtied, and sometimes just doing the patient care takes up all the available time. I suspect you were the victim of being there at a 'bad' and stressful time. Doesn't make it any more pleasant for you, however.