Way to Go, Timbitts!! Whoot, Whoot!

For the last week or so, Timbitts has been acting curiously like a laying hen. Which is odd considering that she is A) in a molt and molting chickens generally go off laying for a bit and B) she's never laid an egg in her life and considering she's almost a year old I wasn't thinking she would. Be that as it may, I have found her in a nesting box several times lately. I kind of thought she was just staying quiet and wanting to be away from everyone else as she molts. (Chickens seem to get a little self-conscious when they molt, I guess it's their equivalent to me having a bad hair day.) But I thought I'd keep a closer eye or her just in case something was up. Sure enough, something was.

Yesterday, I was in the coop and noticed Timbitts scurry into an empty nest box. I puttered around for a while and then left after checking under her. No egg. About an hour later I headed out again. She was still sitting in the nest box. So I checked under her and lo and behold, I found a little egg. She then started the typical "LOOK, LOOK, WHAT I DID, I LAID AN EGG!!!" clucking. A few chickens congratulated her and she decided all that effort had made her hungry and headed for a food dish. The egg is considerably smaller than the norm but that's not unusual for a hen just starting to lay eggs so all the evidence points to her being the owner of this egg. That's her egg on the right.

Good for you, little hen, good for you.

Old Dusk

Dusk is going to be eight years old this spring. That's considered to be senior for a dog his size, 130 pounds. Actually, his breed mix usually doesn't get much older than five, I have heard, and most don't even make it to three. But Dusk trundles along. He's a little stiff in the hindquarters some mornings but he does have hip dysplasia. Happily, with a natural diet and a couple of supplements, the H.D. doesn't bother him. Or hasn't until now. Dusk still enjoys his romps in the snow and sniffing all the smells. He's still interested in all the goings on here. He's always ready with picked-up ears, a wagging tail and a goofy smile for whoever visits.

It's all about the quality of life, the one he has and the one he gives. Both are going strong :).