Flapper slept in today, even though we lost an hour with Daylight Savings Time.
He was just too comfy on his favorite blankie to get up. And I didn’t mind the extra snuggle time since I am really missing George the goose.
Petunia is making sure that Benson & Reggie know SHE is in charge. They moved from my dining room to George’s outside pen yesterday, and they seem to be enjoying it. They can’t come out of those pens until they are cleared with a vet visit to ensure their parasites are gone. But they have a great nesting area, food, water and a play pool, so they are pretty psyched. They also love being near O’Malley and Petunia.
With Benson & Reggie outside, I decided to move Lester & Flapper to their old spot in the dining room. This way they can have a view of the yard on nice days, and I can have a nicer-smelling bedroom.
I also added a pan under their food and water dishes to hopefully keep the food slop from soiling the blankets and towels.
They each have food and water, a towel on top of a blanket on top of a foam piece, a mirror and a stuffy. Hopefully the new pan system will make it so I just have to change top towels daily, and not the entire blankets until the weekends.
I do miss George. He was a big personality and a great light to be around. It was very quiet in the yard today. No honking or hepping. But Reggie & Benson have added some fun to the yard, which will hopefully be nicer when it stops raining so much. And of course I love O’Malley and Petunia and the chickies. They are always entertaining and full of fun. Unfortunately the rain has been relentless for a few days, so everyone is getting cabin fever. And more is expected through the coming week. That’s spring in Seattle!
In other news, the office building post-it challenge continues.
The neighboring building replaced their PacMan and Tetris displays with Mario!
So on Friday I replaced our Space Invaders with this ostrich knight from the game Joust. We’re all waiting to see what the Dig Dug group does in response.
Today we drove to the Fauntleroy ferry terminal to take George to his forever sanctuary on Vashon Island.
I’ve been telling George about his forever home for a few weeks now, and today he walked right into his carrier like he knew we were going. He was also very good in the car and didn’t mind the ride at all.
When we arrived at the sanctuary on Vashon Island, we were greeted by the security guards.
But once we were inside the gate, they ran to tattle on us and make sure their people knew we were coming.
George immediately walked towards where he saw the guard geese, but Glenda, the sanctuary founder, didn’t think that crew was right for George. They are a little bit like a gang, and they might be too rough with him.
So then George was coaxed back over to take a swim in the pond. He really seemed to enjoy that, and he met a few of the resident ducks.
Then he disappeared. I was really concerned that George might cling to me or be afraid when we arrived, but he stepped out of his carrier with confidence and curiosity, and introduced himself to everyone.
When I found him again, he was trying to find a way to get into the pasture where these geese live. But this group is a very tight-knit group, and they weren’t interested in a new outsider joining their family.
So we coaxed George back past the predator-proof night pens and over towards the pond. These pens have muscovies and some handicapped ducks and some bunnies and all sorts of fun critters. Right now there are some tree limbs down from a few powerful storms that blew through Washington last week, but it is a beautiful set up.
Back on the other side, George got to meet his hopeful wingman, Big Boy. What is hilarious is that Big Boy is actually smaller than George. The fresh air and pond and running around will be great for George, because when I see him next to other geese, he looks like a TANK. He is a chubby, tubby boy who could use some good exercise. I need to stop feeding my kids MiracleGro.
George was very interested in this set of geese, including Big Boy, and they also seemed to be interested in him.
He also briefly considered joining this flock of ducks, but then the geese came over to chat.
George tried to get them to follow him to the pond, but they had already done their swimming for the day.
So he paused for a minute to look at me.
And then he wandered off to hang out with his new-found friends.
Here’s a little video of George saying goodbye.
I think he was asking me if I was going to be okay without him.
As I stood back to watch him for a bit, he looked up from the far clearing to give me one last “hep” and then he was off again to learn all about his new friends.
It’s a beautiful sanctuary, and I know George will be safe and happy there. There are lots of other animals too, including a few sheep and some donkeys.
On my way out, the guards made sure to let me know that I should NOT cross into their territory again, especially without treats.
I asked them to keep an eye on the new kid for me, and they reluctantly said they would think about it.
The name of the sanctuary that took George in is called “Baahaus Animal Rescue Group.” In this photo, you can see Glenda, one of the founders, refilling water bowls and doing chores. Running a sanctuary is a lot of hard work, and an expensive endeavor. If you would like to support George’s forever home, you can learn more about them and find out how to donate on their website here:
I was so impressed with George today. I am going to miss him a lot, but he made the day so easy for me by just being a good goose. He was confident and curious and happy to roam around and discover his new playground. I was very worried that today would be hard on him, but he took the adjustment in stride. It may take him a few days to feel at home, but I have no doubt that he will, and that he is happy to be back with geese again.
Special thanks to Glenda of Baahaus and to Shanti & Christine for helping to rescue George. He left a big impression on my heart and I will never forget him. Thankfully, I will get to see him again in about a month when the scovy goobers Benson & Reggie are ready to join him at Baahaus, and I may also see him in July for a summer sanctuary party.
George goes to his forever sanctuary this coming Saturday. We’ve never had a goose around before, so we didn’t really know what to expect. But from the moment he arrived, he captured our hearts.
Here he is showing just how sweet he can be. He needs to be with other geese so he can form real relationships with his own kind. But I have to admit, I am really going to miss him a lot. Geese are more emotional than ducks and ducks are more emotional than cats and dogs. Geese are like needy toddlers who can be afraid of everything. They are curious and stubborn and bossy and wonderfully sweet and gentle.
Hopefully we’ll get to check-in on George when we take Benson & Reggie to live at the same sanctuary once they are healthy. It will be tough to see George go, but we’re looking forward to him being back with geese and maybe meeting a sweet girl goose or a good wingman.
In other news, Flapper & Lester both went outside today to swim in the sunshine again.
Benson and Reggie did, too.
Olly Astro tried to come in the house again, and spent some time in her indoor nest. But we don’t want her to get too comfy with indoor living, so we kicked her back outside. There’s enough going on in here without Ms. Olly asking for room service and slippers.
In case you were wondering, O’Malley and Petunia are doing well, too. O’Malley comes up to the sliding glass door to greet the indoor scovy boys every day. He knows they are there, and seems to enjoy talking to them.
Petunia could care less.
After a long, tough weekend of napping and swimming, Flapper & Lester Leroy are hanging out on the couch with me and Simon, watching some TV.
Today Olly Astro went to the vet to have her staples taken out from her surgery last Tuesday.
Her incision healed really well, and all the staples were removed.
She wasn’t too happy about being held down and squished, but she did just fine.
No more staples!
OIly Astro couldn’t wait to get all of the human cooties off of her feathers.
Then she waited patiently while I talked to the vet and we left.
She was happy to be back home, and she’s doing really well. She won’t ever have to deal with eggs again, and that’s just great. She gained some weight after surgery, so she must be feeling better, too.
In other news…
Olly Astro may not be laying eggs again, but Janet the Cannibal is laying eggs. Then she eats them. Blech. George thought he was missing out on some special treat, and Janet was not backing down or sharing her egg with some big lug of a goose.
They had a peaceful standoff and then George went his own way and left Janet the Cannibal to eat her egg in peace.
Bum-leg Benson and his buddy Reggie went outside today and had a swim in the baby pool.
They both enjoyed the time in the pool.
And then they enjoyed some flapping and preening time.
Reggie seems to be doing pretty well. He has another week of antibiotics for his respiratory problems.
Benson’s breathing is not as good, and he has at least two more weeks of antibiotics for both his bum leg and his respiratory problems.
You can hear them both coughing and hacking up junk in this little video where they talk to O’Malley through the glass door.
They are both good boys and seem strong. They are eating well and getting lots of rest. Hopefully they can recover and join George at his forever sanctuary in about a month.
Speaking of George, this is his last week here at Flapper’s house. Next Saturday he goes to his forever sanctuary where he’ll get to live with other rescued geese and also some other animals. We’ll take some photos if we can. George has been a joy and a wonder to have around, and we will miss him dearly. He is a slightly shy, sweet guy who is growing up now and needs some friends. So it’s perfect timing. We hope he settles right in, and we’re happy we’ll get to hopefully see him again in a few more weeks when we take Benson & Reggie to join him.
Our other rescued kid, Lester Leroy, also got to go outside today. He and Flapper had a nice time swimming and preening in the sunshine. Lester can stand up really tall now! He still rests on his butt for balance, but he is doing well and can get around pretty good.
Lastly, Petunia is doing well and thinking of nesting. She is probably 7-years-old now, so she doesn’t lay many eggs at all… maybe one or two in the spring. But she is thinking about nesting now and goes through this daily ritual of picking up stuff and tossing it around. She especially likes to pick up feathers and rearrange them. It’s cute to watch her with her busy, important nest rituals.
That’s a BIG update for this weekend. We hope everyone is having a great, relaxing weekend.
Keep quackin’!
P.S. Oh! We almost forgot! In the window post-it war at the office, the next building over finally posted a response to our Space Invaders post-its.
Check it out!
It’s Dig Dug!
Well played… well played. We’ll have to think seriously about what our next move will be. Until then, keep quackin’.
Flapper had a bath first tonight. He really enjoys bath time, but not like he used to. He can no longer oil his feathers well, so he only takes short baths a few times a week. Overall he is doing really well.
Then it was time for Lester Leroy to have a bath. He is kind of in the same boat as Flapper. Not great at oiling his feathers, but he enjoys splashing around for a bit and cleaning his eyes and nares. He is doing pretty good, too.
Then it was Reggie & Benson’s turn in the tub.
They did well for a bit, but then as you can see in the video below, Reggie got a little too excited. (They both have to use the bath last, since they currently have parasites, so the water was a little dirty by then.)
Reggie grabbed Benson on the back of the head, which is the first step in a mating ritual. We’ll have none of that in the indoor pond, boys!
So Reggie went back to his playpen and Benson finished bath time alone, which was just fine with him.
Benson (the one with the bum leg) enjoyed a good splash and then joined his buddy Reggie back in the playpen. Even though they both rinsed off, they still smell like lake water. Blech.
We heard a little more about them from the woman who arranged for their rescue. She said they showed up at the lake on February 14th, Valentine’s Day. Benson, Reggie and a third duck just appeared out of nowhere, which means they were dumped. Then within a week one of the ducks was gone and Benson’s leg was deteriorating. Then the weather turned really cold, snow fell, and they both ended up sick. We picked them up on February 26th. Hopefully now that they’re on medication they can improve and recover. Special thanks to EVERYONE who contributed so generously to their veterinary bills by donating to the rescue fund. Originally we thought their first vet bill was almost $700, but it turned out to be a computer error, and we were credited $300 on Monday. So their current bills are completely paid for with your donations, and the remaining balance will cover their continued antibiotic treatments and their re-checks at the vet. We reset the fundraising thermometer limit from $900 down to $600 because that’s all we think we’ll need. And we’re already above $500!
Your donations have made a direct impact on the lives of these two boys, so again, thank you.
It was a beautiful night in the Seattle area, and we hope you had a great night too.
Introducing Benson and Reggie. That is what the new guys have decided they would like to be called. Benson will also respond to Benny, but not until he is feeling better. Right now he is all business while his leg heals.
In other news, we think we were accidentally over-charged at the vet on Saturday, by about $270. We’ll know for sure tomorrow. Meanwhile we’ve adjusted the fundraising meter on our rescue fund page, and we’re nearly half way to having the new boy’s vet bills paid for, likely through the duration of their care.
A very special thank you to everyone who has donated so far. Every little bit helps Benson & Reggie fight their infections, kill off their parasites and start feeling better.
So thank you, very much, from me and Benson & Reggie.
On Saturday at 12noon we picked up the two muscovy drakes who were dumped at Lake Geneva in Federal Way, WA. Two neighbors around that lake had cared for them as best they could, even buying them the right kind of food. One even gave us a generous donation for their care (thank you, Misty!)
The two boys settled right in and had some food and water.
Here they are eating and drinking before we drove them to the vet.
The healthier boy is very, very attached to his brother who has the injured leg, and he watched over him while the veterinarian did the exam.
The one with the darker head is the one with the injured leg. It doesn’t look like he was attacked, but rather, he has septic arthritis in his leg from a foot wound that probably started from being kept on concrete or other poor surfaces. Duck feet are very sensitive and prone to pressure sores, and these two both have sores on their feet. The septic arthritis means the foot infection spread to the joints and now it is serious. He also has a bit of angel wing, where the bone turns out a bit from the weight of the feathers, but the vet couldn’t find any bite wounds or bruising injuries.
You can see how much the white-headed boy adores his brother. We heard that the dark-headed duck was staying under a boat for protection, and the light-headed brother never left his side. We’re not sure how long they were at the lake before we were able to rescue them, but a third muscovy that was dumped with them was killed by a predator (likely) and these two would not have lasted much longer.
Both of these goobers have slight respiratory infections and parasites as well. Round worm and coccidia I think. So they both have antibiotics and two different anti-parasitic medications, as well as pain medication for the boy with the bum leg.
It is really beyond me how anyone could dump these ducks like trash at a lake and think they could survive on their own. Domestic ducks cannot survive in the wild, and dumping them causes terrible suffering. It is animal cruelty, plain and simple. And these boys are only between 5-6 months old… just little boys. People tend to dump male ducks because they don’t lay eggs and too many males fight with each other and can hurt hens. Dumping is illegal and as I mentioned, cruel.
Thankfully the nice people who were caring for these guys kept calling around until they found a nut like me to come and pick them up. I think they will stay here with us until the dark-headed duck’s bum leg infection is cleared up, and then they’ll go to the same sanctuary that is taking in George. Hopefully we can move them outside once George is gone, and then maybe when they finally leave, it’ll be warm-enough for Lester Leroy and Flapper to move outside.
As you can see, I am already dreaming of the day I don’t have waterfowl inside my house.
Until that day, these kids are more than welcome to rest and rehabilitate along with the entire motley crew. We are accepting donations for their care, and you can learn more by visiting our rescue fund page, here.
Tonight, Olly Astro hung out in the bedroom with the whole crew for a while.
She is doing really well post-surgery, and getting pretty bored in her kennel.
Hanging out in the bedroom was a nice change of pace, and she enjoyed exploring the room.
Then she finally settled down in the very corner of the bed, and declared that her “nest.”
Let’s recap the current in-the-house situation, shall we?
Simon is taking the madness in stride, as long as he can perch right on top of me, a safe distance from any feathered family.
In other news, I work in a short building between two tall buildings. Right now the two tall buildings are having a post-it war of sorts. On Monday, I plan to join in with a colorful display of Space Invaders.
Lastly, we’re rescuing two muscovy ducks on Saturday, if all goes well. There were three muscovies dumped at a park and one has already been killed by a predator. Another is injured but both are apparently friendly and hopefully easy to catch. So we’ll have some new kids around here for a bit, if we can catch them.
That should add a little more fun to the madness here, don’t you think?
Olly Astro is doing really well tonight. She is eating and drinking and talking like a champ.
Here’s a little video of Olly tonight just before bed time. You can see her little chicken butt is naked, but I haven’t looked close enough to see the surgery staples. She has been really good about letting me gingerly pick her up and give her shots for her antibiotics and pain/anti-inflammatories. And she’s so LIGHT now! I can’t believe how light she is. In the video, when she sees herself in the video she tells herself to “go away, chicken!” That growl is a complaint about having another strange chicken around. Pretty funny that even when she’s not feeling her best, she still makes time to tell the “stranger chicken” in the video to go away.
That’s our update for tonight. Time to get Lester Leroy and Flapper in the bath.
OH! We have a date to deliver George to his forever sanctuary now. George will travel to his forever home on Saturday, March 12th. They even agreed to let him bring his girlfriend, “Ms. Atra Turf,” along with him. Hee hee. He’s going to be so happy there. I just know it. I can’t wait until he is back with other geese. Nothing against Ms. Astra Turf, but I hope he meets a nice goose girl and settles down. Or maybe just a great wingman to enjoy the bachelor’s life together.
Seriously, you should stop reading now and go look at kittens or rainbows if you don’t want to see the grossest thing ever.
It will make you lose your breakfast, and you will never want to eat eggs again.
This is your last warning.
Okay here we go with the grossness.
I warned you.
Seriously.
I’m not joking.
Okay here we go…
As you know, Olly Astro had a big operation today. It turned out to be very, very serious, and she still has a few days before we’ll really know if she’ll be okay. She is in a lot of pain tonight.
Olly Astro had an operation today to clean out the stuck yolks in her oviduct. It turns out that she had a whole TON of stuck, partially-formed eggs inside her.
Look how gross! All of those are egg yolks and some egg whites and some partially formed egg shells. The surgeon thinks that the very last egg Olly laid last season, which was probably in October, was mal-formed. This can happen at the beginning or end of any egg-laying cycle for chickens. As they start laying eggs or taper off, their eggs can be oddly formed. So Olly’s last egg of last season got stuck in her oviduct and never came out. Then she was okay all winter because she wasn’t laying eggs anyway (chickens lay less eggs in winter than they do in summer). But in the past few weeks, as she started to lay eggs again, they couldn’t get out!
All of her eggs got stuck behind that last season mal-formed egg, and built up inside her. There were at least TWENTY YOLKS, so this has been going on for at least three weeks.
Poor Olly Astro!
As her belly grew, I knew she should be laying eggs soon, and then when she didn’t, I knew something was wrong. But I had NO IDEA it was anything like this! She must have been so uncomfortable. Plus she just had a respiratory infection, too!
And she is STILL uncomfortable, but hopefully she is on the mend. Her weight before the operation was 2.12kg or 4.67lbs, and after surgery, she now weighs 1.48kg or 3.26lbs. One-fourth of her total weight was STUCK EGG YOLKS!
Yuck.
She is inside for about five days, especially since the weather is so cold. She did have a drink of water and pooped in her carrier on the way home. But other than that, she is very quiet and I’m sure she is really sore. She’s not speaking to me. At all. Hopefully tomorrow she will start feeling a little better. I am sure she is BREATHING better without all those stuck eggs pushing on her air sacs.
Now… we don’t eat eggs anymore around here, because they gross us out. We’re vegan. But you… you just try and enjoy that next Denver omelet or egg scramble.
Mmmmm. Bon appetit!
Oh! In other news, Lester did really well at the vet and will do one more round of antibiotics to make sure his bone infection is gone. They were impressed that he is able to stand up and get around, and he is very happy to be back home with his buddy Flapper.
Please send good thoughts for Olly Astro. She really needs them as she recovers from such a serious surgery.
