Getting Ready to Travel

I’m getting ready to travel, heading to Blog Paws in Nashville next week. In order to do that, I have to plan for what happens here at home while I’m gone. Specifically, what happens with all four dogs, twelve chickens and a duck. The people can take care of themselves. I’ll walk you through my process. It’s about to drive me insane, so I need to type it out. Good thing I have this blog, eh? 😉

First, the big dogs. Flash and Patches are thirteen years old and have a set routine. Hunny will be home while I’m gone, so he can handle their care without even thinking about it.

Patient senior Aussie mix dogs — Let them out before leaving for work. Let them out when getting home after work. Let them out before bed. Check their food and water at each of those times. Simple. They need to stay home with Hunny, since this is what they know. Anything else would stress them too much. And treats. I’ll have to show Hunny where I keep the treats (over the dryer, where none of the dogs can jump or climb to get them).

Second up, the little dogs. My mom takes care of them in her home. Chewy, Gadget and Honey all get along pretty well. The only complication will be my sister and her family who’ll be staying with mom for a few days.

Snaggle tooth pup — Chewy’s records are somewhere upstairs. Mom has requested I bring his shot records, just in case. I’ve packed his food and harness and leash. He’s ready, whether he knows it or not. I’ll be sure to pack plenty of Jones Woofers.

Brussels mix giving puppy eyes — Gadget is a little tougher to care for. He has a special diet, because of his health issues. But mom knows his diet and will take good care of him. His food is all packed, too. As well as some treats.

That’s the easy part. The stress of leaving my animals really boils down to the chickens. Hunny does a great job taking care of my girls while I’m gone, but it’s the young chicks I’m concerned about. Specifically Roux.

Polish chick in the house — Roux is either a Brabanter or Polish chick. My concern is two-fold. 1) It’s been raining like crazy, no end in sight, and the chicken yard gets soupy. Roux’s crest gets wet and heavy and she gives up on life, falls over in the mud. 2) The big hens pick on Roux. They seem to think that she, of the four, is fair game. I’ve had to bring her in a few times to keep them from killing her. She usually gets a bath, a meal and a blow dry when that happens. Yeah, I’m that crazy chicken lady.

So there are four big hens in the coop/run, and the four smaller chicks, about three months old, in with them. The big hens have established a pecking order, with Roux at the bottom. It’s like they know she’s teacher’s pet and they’re beating the crap out of her for it. Breaks my heart. I’m concerned something will happen while I’m gone. And then there are the four younger chicks.

Juvenile Mottle Japanese Bantam chicken — Meet Lana, the Mottled Japanese Bantam chick. Isn’t she lovely, with her upright tail? The babies are in a dog crate in the middle of the yard, in a high spot which doesn’t flood when it rains. I worry for them because the rains will return this weekend.

Lavender bantam Cochin chick — Etta is in the foreground. I believe that she’s a lavender bantam Cochin. Her lovely feathered legs get wet and muddy in this weather, but she’ll be gorgeous when she’s full grown. Tawny is the chick behind her, and she’s slightly ivory in color. Not sure exactly what she is, but she’s a bantam. We’re going to have plenty of small eggs if they turn out to be hens!

Any help would be appreciated. Words of wisdom. Advice. I tend to work myself up before leaving all the critters. Then I get home to find that everything was just fine. I’m trusting that will be the case this time, yes? And I’ll be returning with treats for the babies. And maybe some ducklings. Heh.

So! Let me know if I’ll see you at BlogPaws? I sure hope that I will! It’s my favorite event of the year! And I’m almost ready to travel. Now go give your dog a Jones Natural Chew and watch it smile! Naturally.

Until I write again …

Flea

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