Wehner Homestead

[Wehner Homestead]

Been busy here. Keeping up with goat kids and growing the chicks. Done with kidding until one in the fall. Still waiting on two cows. Weather here is crazy! It’s blown snow off and on all day! It’s April 16! I tried to capture some pics with no success. The snow hasn’t stuck for evidence. We are under a freeze advisory until 10am. Heat lamps and heated barrels are all functioning and plugged in!

I’m attaching some picks of the growing chicks. Their crests are cracking me up. DH keeps calling them Mohawks! I’m also interested in seeing their adult colors and genders. I hope to keep one more rooster...

Note: 12 chicks total, straight run, Rooster: Swedish Flower Hen, Hens (possible mother’s Swedish Flower Hens, Mottled Orpington, Americauna (3 eggs hers for sure)


The wildest ‘hawk of the group. Should be some shade of blue.

Two mille fleur colored. No crests.

Group pic.

No crest. Appears to be blue and white??

Has some copper?? Legs also aren’t yellow. (Only two chicks of the twelve have this variation.)

Crest. Looks to be getting solid black feathers.

Appears to be black with random white feathers...

Group.

 

[Latestarter]

Looks like chickens to me!

 

[Rammy]

How cute!

 

[goats&moregoats]

Wow, quite the journey from beginning until now. Just read the whole journal. Awesome family life. Hopefully I can keep up with your journal.

 

[Wehner Homestead]

Wow, quite the journey from beginning until now. Just read the whole journal. Awesome family life. Hopefully I can keep up with your journal.

Thank you! I hope you enjoy following along. I’m sure enjoying yours!

 

[Wehner Homestead]

I logged in to 74 alerts this morning. Trying to catch up from not getting on during the latter part of yesterday.

Had DD2’s Spina Bifida buddy and his family over for dinner last night. They enjoyed visiting and seeing the animals. It’s always nice to talk to someone that gets it. His mom and I rely on each other a lot. (Sorry, no pics that don’t show the kids’ faces.)

Still waiting on two cows to calve so we can be done for the year. Quick update will go in kidding thread in a few.

Was going to post the day it happened but wanted to tell her other mom first (Southern.) Sparkle had a small mishap on Monday. I was scooping feed behind the wall to their pen when she started yelling. Queenie began bouncing beside me and I knew that the noise wasn’t Sparkle’s normal voice so I walked around the corner. She had caught her left rear leg in the section of fence panel that had been fashioned into a temporary hay feeder. I lifted her up and out and she just wanted held so I complied. That leg was checked over and manipulated to evaluate for concerns while I was holding her. Once she settled down, I set her down to see if she’d bear weight. She did but you could tell it was tender so I gave her some banamine. Sparkle was checked numerous times the rest of the day and some swelling was noted around her pastern. She also continued to favor it off and on but took her bottle and ate feed.

Sparkle was jumping around yesterday and only occasionally favored that leg. Very minor swelling of the pastern was noted. I was going to give her another dose of banamine but she was so active that I decided to wait. Today she’s back to herself and I have no concerns.

The incident completely terrified me though! Sparkle is my cuddly sweetheart and has a very special place in my heart. (I love CeCe too but she’s more pushy and food oriented whereas Sparkle is more laid back and lovey.) It’s a huge relief and answer to prayer that she’s fine and doing so well!

We got some new “neighbors.” They’d been working on the fence across the road and I mentioned it at some point. Anyway, there’s around 20 Holstein calves over there now. Queenie wasn’t happy about them upsetting her cows! She just sat and watched and scrutinized on the hill between our fence on that road and our cows until she decided that the calves weren’t a threat. She ignores them now.

Chester perched on a lawn chair in the barn.

 

[Wehner Homestead]

A year ago today, we handed DD2 over for her fourth trip to surgery. What was expected to be a spinal cord detethering was actually a surgery to repair the myelin (the tissue that contains the spinal cord and spinal fluid.) DD2’s had deteriorated and separated. This was in the same area as the defect on her back that she was born with but was not on the actual surgical incision from prior.

Either way, her neurosurgeon had not encountered this before (he teaches worldwide) and couldn’t find any evidence of it occurring before. Due to this, he couldn’t predict how the surgery would improve the issues we were seeing and she would have a lengthier and more restricted recovery as a precaution.

In the last year, we’ve seen our little miracle go from living in constant pain to communicating like a champ, walking with only her leg braces, doing pull-ups regularly, catching up to her peers socially, regaining her appetite, gaining more balance, and advancing developmentally. Medically, her urinary issues have improved, she’s had no UTIs, we’ve decreased several of her medication dosages and completely stopped others, and doctor visits aren’t near as frequent. She has also graduated to real tennis shoes like her big brother and big sister!

DD2 will transition out First Steps when she turns three in June and will start physical therapy at a facility. She will also start regular preschool in the fall. We are expecting a surgery on her right foot sometime in the next year to correct the way that it turns and inhibits her balance, mobility, and is in danger of injury due to the decreased sensation.

We have continued to grow our dairy goat program to benefit DD2 also. We have new babies and the milk has been such a blessing. DD2 has finally gained some weight and has fewer digestive complications than she had on cow milk.

DD2 continually entertains us with her comical and caring personality. We have to be careful not to laugh at all of her antics. She has also figured out how to climb by moving furniture and even got on the kitchen island the other day!

We continue to praise God for the miracle and blessing that she is and believe that He isn’t done with her yet!

I’ve attached a pic of DD2 standing at the window in her leg braces, watching the cows out the window.

 

[Rammy]

Im playing catch up, too! Reading everyone's posts on here! I'm glad to see your daughter doing so well. Before you know it, she will be a gold medalist in the Olympics!

Rammy

 

[Latestarter]

You've been blessed in so many ways. So happy to hear all the good things happening to/for your little girl!

 

[Wehner Homestead]

Thanks y’all! She’s had more than her fair share of battles! That smile and belly laugh make it all worth it though!!