Finally, one of Sebastian's eyes opened and his head started to heal.  He was becoming restless inside, so we let him have some time in the sun with Jareth.  

It's hard to believe we almost lost our boy. Jareth already experienced losing his long-time companion Billy, and we would hate for him to go through that pain again.  But today, both Sebastian's eyes are open and he looks almost completely normal!  One of his eyes (the last to open) is slightly misshapen, but it's barely noticeable and if that's the worst to come out of this situation, then so be it! 

Hi, Jenna here…

I don’t really understand why everyone doesn’t automatically get me as their secret Valentine this year. I mean, what’s better than secretly knowing you’re getting a Valentine while also secretly knowing it will be me?!? 

Exactly.

I would be an excellent Valentine. I am warm, loyal, emotionally available when not distracted by carrots, and I show up every single day needing hugs. The surprise alone would be worth it. You’d spend everyday wondering who your Valentine is and then BOOM it’s me. Best day ever.

I have been told, however, that Valentine’s Day is about sharing love, and that I cannot keep all of it for myself. So fine. I will reluctantly agree. And mom and dad tell me this is very wonderful for me to do. They seemed surprised… likely because they know how right I am about my original thinking.  

Still, let’s be honest with ourselves. In spirit, I am still everyone’s Valentine.

Sebastian had a bad day yesterday.  Probably the worst day of his life.  It was a very bad day for us too.  When we found him, he was unconscious.  We genuinely thought he was dead.  Tia the turkey had snuck into his area with her kids Rachel and Betty - something she had never done before.  Tia and Sebastian have had a long-standing feud for reasons we still don’t fully understand. While these tensions have existed for some time, we have taken steps to mitigate their ability to see each other through fences, which has helped tremendously.   However his outcome was far more serious than anything we had ever expected.

Ryan scooped him up, holding his limp, unconscious body. Sebastian’s face and head was completely swollen and bloody, and he was unable to open either of his eyes (one is still swollen shut even now). We initially thought he was dead.  When we realized he was still faintly breathing, we immediately put him on oxygen, suspecting that we were just trying to give him the most peaceful ending possible. Being a weekend, an emergency visit would be our only vet option, and no guarantee they would even accept a chicken.  We knew that keeping him calm and comfortable was more important in that moment than a stressful car ride without oxygen (that might actually kill him) to a vet office that in all likelihood would turn him away. 

Over the next 20 minutes, we watched as he stopped gasping and started taking fast but steady breaths.  We realized that he might actually have a chance of survival and we dared to hope.  We contacted our farm vet's emergency line, and luckily our regular vet who also sees farm birds was on-call and nearby.  She came within an hour, and by this time Sebastian had regained consciousness and stood up! He quickly went back to sleep, which his body badly needed.  Our vet came and administered fluid, antibiotics, and an anti-inflammatory.  She told us that she thought he would make it, though he wasn't out of the woods yet. There was still a decent chance that his brain swelling could become to severe for him to overcome as the hours continued.  

Before bed we transfered him to a crate where he could get comfy in soft blankets, and offered him a small piece of banana.  To our immense relief he took a few small bites.  We checked on him a few times throughout the night, and in the morning, we heard the best sound - a crow!  We knew he had pulled through the most dangerous period and was on the mend.  

There was someone else affected by all of this, too.  Jareth,  Sebastian’s best friend, witnessed the attack and us carrying away his limp friend afterwards. So the next day, we brought Jareth inside for a brief visit so he could see that Sebastian was alive.  He clucked softly around him for a minute. Sebastian, still swollen and recovering, stood up when he heard Jareth’s voice, like he wanted to seem tough for his friend. 

It was a short visit so Sebastian could continue to rest and heal, and Jareth is spending some quality time inside the house with mom today while Ryan ensures all the fencing around the rooster area is completely impenetrable to prevent any future situations.  

Sebastian is not out of the woods yet. His swelling is still significant, and recovery will take time. We are following veterinary guidance closely and giving him plenty of time to rest.  We will keep you updated but for now, we are hopeful.  

Dear Diary,
​
Today, I saw Huckleberry standing there. 
Soft, round, unsuspecting.

​I told myself, “Edna, you are new here. You must resist.”

But then he turned.
And his fluffy sheep bottom shifted ever so slightly.
And, Diary, something inside me whispered, 
"What if… just one little headbutt?"
I tried to walk away.
I truly did.

But before I knew it, I was charging.
Not out of anger…
But out of the need to feel that velvety, wool-wrapped cloud against my forehead.

I understand this is wrong.
Probably.

The humans are beginning to notice things. 
This morning they found wool stuck to the tips of my horns. Again.
They looked at me with suspicion.
I looked away with shame.

Huckleberry is a gentle boy.
Sweet, even.
He does not deserve a life of constant rear-end vigilance.

And yet…When I see him, I lose myself.
My heart says, “Friendship.”
My horns say, “Collision.”

I am conflicted, Diary.
I wish to do better, be better.

Perhaps tomorrow I will restrain myself.
But if I fail…
I hope he understands it is not personal.

It is simply that his derrière is… too soft.

​Deeply conflicted,

Edna

Today began with promise.
The sun was soft, the air was calm, and Edna was… momentarily occupied.

I allowed myself a flicker of hope.
A dangerous indulgence, I know.

For several minutes, I grazed in peace. 
Perhaps, I thought, Edna has turned over a new leaf.
Perhaps she has discovered the importance of personal space.
Perhaps... No.
She had simply been chewing.
And gathering momentum. 

I continue to believe Edna possesses many fine qualities.
I have just not had the chance to observe them while upright.

At one point I attempted to hide behind a bucket.
It was, in retrospect, more symbolic than effective.

Still, I refuse to abandon hope.
Perhaps she is simply expressing her admiration in a language unfamiliar to me.
Perhaps her forehead, and my rear end are, mysteriously, destined to meet across time and space.

Or perhaps (and this is my sincerest wish) she will one day realize that friendship does not require acceleration.
Until then, I will remain vigilant.
And keep a friend between us.

Huckleberry

Annie:
One morning we noticed Annie's right eye was bloodshot.  We first suspected pink-eye and treated it as such, and of course this was over a weekend and right before Christmas no less.  We got the vet to come out for a same-day appointment right before holiday closure as her eye was not improving.  She believed that it was actually a corneal scratch rather than pink-eye.  We kept a close eye on it and several times a day put ointment in her eye (she loved that - not).  Anything to do with Annie's eyes is extra concerning to us due to her being mostly blind.  Luckily after a week it improved and now she is feeling herself again!

Odin:
Out of seemingly nowhere, we heard a bark, and it was from Odin!  He has barked several times now, and it sounds normal-ish, though a bit strained.  His whine is still gone and it sounds hoarse and breathless, but the bark is back.  He is staying on prednisone a little longer as he started to worsen again when we began to wean him down.  His back seems ok-ish, not great but manageable with pain medication.  And of course we still have to block off the couch, stairs, bed, etc. so he doesn't decide to do gymnastics on them... our silly boy.  

Edna:
Edna's enlarged udder has gone down some.  It still does not appear infected, and though she isn't a fan of us touching it to check, we are keeping a close eye on it for now.  Hopefully it will go back to a normal size on it's own without any further intervention from us, now that we know she is not pregnant!

​Fiona:
Fiona was struggling with a return of her arthritis back pain, but we believe it was due to her being due for her next Librela shot (a shot that is given to her every 1.5 months to reduce pain) and to her cheeking her pain medication pills given to her orally.  She has received her shot, and we are working on watching a long time to make sure nothing gets spit out later!  Dogs are surprisingly good at cheeking their pills.

Bonnie:
Bonnie's arthritis pain has been much more controlled since her Meloxicam (pain and anti-inflammatory) was significantly increased.  We are holding off on any steroid shots for now in light of the improvement.  She still needs her brace and still has a limp, but she isn't laying down all the time anymore like she was before. We'll take the win!

Quincy:
Quincy is heading back for his shoe-fitting on Monday January 5th.  We will have more updates then but we have found that a pain medication every other day seems to be allowing him to move more comfortably while he waits.  Stay tuned!

Over the past few weeks, many of you have been checking in about Odin, and we wanted to share an update on how he’s doing. Odin has been dealing with a combination of back pain and laryngeal paralysis, which has meant a period of strict activity restriction, pain medications, and steroids to help his body heal and reduce his discomfort.  Because of his kidney disease, he is limited in the medications he can take, which complicates things a bit.

Quincy took a trip up to Bionic Pets (the same place that made Bonnie's leg brace!) to see if they could help him walk more comfortably with his amputated toe.  Derrick was happy to help and straight away began making a mold of his foot.  The mold will be used to create a silicon "shoe" to help distribute the weight across his two other toes and his foot pad to make sure his remaining toes don't have too much pressure on them.  He is still taking a daily pain medication and we hope that with the right footwear he can come off of it.  When the shoe is ready we will be taking a trip back up to see Derrick for his fitting - so stay tuned!

It’s that time of year - orange noses and happy munching everywhere.
Thanks to so many generous pumpkin donations, pumpkin season is officially in full swing around here, and no one is complaining. Pumpkins are being enthusiastically devoured and stolen.  Manners are out the window.  There have been pumpkin heists, sibling disputes, and more than a few “that was my piece” moments.
Fall has arrived, and it tastes like pumpkin. 🎃🧡

Our Kindness is the Bass-line campaign with Rachel Bolan of Skid Row was a huge success!  We raised our goal of $20,000 and Rachel and his wife ditched turkey this year, in honor of his feathered namesake Rachel the turkey.  They got to try the Field Roast celebration roast and loved it!  It's a win for animals all around.