Spikes

Morning opening of the coop and what a pleasant and productive morning! I hadn't meant to do what I did but it was on the list for all the coop members to do! But we can't all get together till November and today I just did it! Sometimes you find things are just done when you really didn't have the intention to do them - almost seems like a bonus! 
So - what did I do? I turned the plastic cover over the coop. At one end the plastic had ripped, and of course it had to be over the coop end not the run end which has further plastic covering underneath. This meant water was getting into the nesting area. It must be trickling down one edge as the shavings are dry but the cardboard lining is getting soaked - and of course I seem to be the only one cleaning the nesting area and finding it let alone dealing with it. I can't even be bothered to go into a full rant over this - it will never change so no point getting het up over it. But that doesn't mean I'm going to stop reminding  (nagging) them - a girls got to have some fun! So I decided to flip the cover and save myself the time spent changing the liner every time I go up. 
All ties had to be removed - some I had to cut off, others I undid  the slimy rope knots. As I moved the cover I discovered one third of it  had degraded so much it had gone brittle and basically it disintegrated as I moved it! So I cut this part off, folded the bit left in half and popped it back over the coop. Much tying down to stop it being blown off and job done! Easy peasy! Plus the coop looks so much nicer without the big cover which had gone from clear to a murky off white. The run covers still look pristine and let so much more light into the run. Soon as I had finished the girls were in there! 
Next job was having a look at Big Betsy our oldest girl. I'd noticed she had not gone to eat any of the treats I had brought, but had gone straight for the water and then stood all hunched. I had tried to grab her, but she hobbled quickly over to sit under the raspberries so I had decided to leave her till later. She had joined the others in the run so was easy to grab! Feeling her crop it was full of either grain or pellets and felt squishy. I decided she was far too old to be turned upside down as I massaged her crop to make her vomit it up. So I held her and massaged it instead - lots of gurgling and hopefully I have shifted whatever was blocking it going down. But I think really she is on her way out - she has moulted and has lots of new feathers coming through and this takes so much energy. I fear that for  the old girl that she is she won't make it through the process. I just hope that like Tilly she just goes in the night without lingering and suffering. 
After taking photos of the lovely thistles lining the fence I headed home and didn't do much else! The right side of my back and shoulder felt tingly and a little painful - shingles not quite cleared yet but on it's way out, and I felt much better mentally for having done something. I also did it mindfully and slowly so all good!