Thursday - COVID171 and FIRE16

I set my alarm an hour early so I could work on getting the hens into their crate and overslept.  The first thing I noticed when I woke up was that it smelled like smoke.  It has been pretty bad in the morning.  

I spent a half hour in an N95 mask sweating and trying to get the chickens to come out of the coop.  Jon came up to help me load the hens, but by the time he arrived, I had just found out that I couldn't get them in to the vet today as they had a packed schedule.  They were going to try to find a slot for us but it may not be until Saturday.  Barni was likely uncomfortable but not in pain and was acting normally.  Saturday would be okay.

I did some work, all the time wishing I could clean up this house and put away things we evacuated with and find spots to store other things for easy access for the next time.  I've quit saying "in case there is a next time."  

The vet's office called to let me know that they had a cancellation and I could get Barni in.  I was able to catch one of the Americaunas, Brownie, and brought her too to see if there's a physical reason why she quit laying this spring.

Barnie's fluid retention is likely due to cancer or a serious reproductive issue.  The only way to determine the exact cause is ultrasound or exploratory surgery with an avian specialist, such as UC Davis.  Even if we determined the cause, there is really no solution to the problem.  I reluctantly made the decision to let her go and know that our vet's gentle hands and kind nature would be with her when she did.  Brownie is the picture of health with no apparent issues.  We talked more about whether there was anything traumatic - prior to the past two weeks of course - that could have caused emotional upset in the hens.  I told her about the bobcat that appeared on the property at about the same time the Americaunas stopped laying, and she thinks that is likely the cause.  They can stop laying for months after something like that, so I'll be patient and see what happens.

I went to Jessica's for birthday dinner for Q and got back late.  It's been an up and down day, ending on a good note.

We are safe and well.  I hope you are too.