Sunday, January 10th
It's been suggested that I write a blog of our trip to Mayo Clinic. I journal every day anyway, so why not?
I awoke at 6:15 as usual. My regular chores take about 1 1/2 hours so I got moving. We had link sausages (to clean out the refrigerator) to go with our usual protein shake (which used the last of the milk). It was almost 9 when we locked the gate on our drive. By 12:15 we were in Kansas City to stop for a quick lunch. North of Des Moines, the fields were covered in snow. Big drifts, 3 foot or so, against the fences. By 6pm the car said it was -4 degrees outside. When we arrived at Rochester, Minnesota at 7:30, it was -13 degrees.
We checked into our hotel, went to a Chinese buffet, and back to our room by 10pm.
Monday, January 11th
We got ready and left for the clinic. It's still below zero but our rental car started. At 9:20 am, the first parking garage, 10 stories tall, was completely full. I let Hal out at Mayo Clinic's front doors. The staff brought a wheel chair and brought him inside. I headed for the second 10 story parking garage a couple blocks away. Its elevator took me to the subway level where I made my way back to Hal.
He had appointments with his surgeon, blood drawn, and then a good lunch at the Mayo cafeteria. Then a couple more pre-surgery tests. We left the clinic about 5:20 and it was snowing. We went to our favorite Mexican restaurant. Back at the room, Hal had to shower with special soap in preparation for his surgery tomorrow.
Tuesday, January 12th
The timer went off at 4am. Hal had a restless night's sleep. He fell against the tub in the bathroom and hurt his left side. That would be the same side that he broke ribs on last March when he rolled the tractor.
It's cold this morning, -6 degrees, and the wind is up pushing the windchill to 28 below. We arrived at the hospital just befor 5:30. Lots of other people were there. It was typical Mayo Clinic organization; assistants were there with wheel chairs to help us get him loaded. I parked in the underground garage, found Hal in the 5:30 am check in line. There were other lines for 5:45 and 6 am check ins. All of the pre-surgery questions, health checks and verification. He took a full, cleansing shower (Not even really a shower, more like a wipe down) with antibacterial cloths. All that took til 7:30. I kissed him goodbye, told him I loved him, and told him to "be nice to the nurses" as they rolled his gurney away.
About 9:15, my nurse coordinator called who said they were "in the surgical site" meaning they had started opening him up. I was escorted to a different waiting room by the ICU where he will be after surgery. An hour later she called and said things were going fine and they were in the microscopic part of the surgery. It's 11:50 and our coordinator just let me know that they are starting to close the site. She said it would take about an hour. Just before 1pm, I met with Dr. Marsh. He said the surgery went well and he thinks they removed all the tumors. The derma had an "icing" tumor. This coating did not show up on the MRI we had done in December. Dr. Marsh was able to scrape a lot of that off. It'll be a couple of days before pathology comes in but he feels it will not have advanced to a cancerous level.
Finally, about 4:30 I got to see him. His bandages are wrapped like a turban. He's doing well and seems to be in good spirits. We both thank everyone for their prayers, calls, and good wishes!
Tuesday, January 12, 2016
Thursday, August 20, 2015
New Babies August 2015
The Nursery is getting full again and with new babies that I've either haven't handfed in a long time, or have never handfed before!
Currently in the Nursery there's:
- Lineolated Parakeets
- Kakariki Parakeets
- Lovebirds
- English Budgies
- Cockatiels
Wednesday, July 22, 2015
Computer's Back!
Since my last post our main office computer crashed and we FINALLY have it back! It's been a crazy few months. Hal started having double vision and shortly after he flipped our tractor and miraculously only broke a few ribs. We left for the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota on Monday, July 13th and got back on Wednesday. The trip wasn't too awful, just a long drive! Unfortunately they couldn't compare the MRI scans that we had done here to the ones that were done there so we have to go back up in October. They do believe that he has another brain tumor so when we go up in a few months they will decide what to do next. Hal isn't very happy about this but hopefully they can take care of it in 3 months.
I was correct in my prediction about the African Senegals. One was a boy and the other was a girl! I'm currently handfeeding Cockatiels, 2 Pineapple Green Cheek Conures, a Painted Conure, and 2 English Budgies. I detest handfeeding anything as small as Budgies but lately my pairs have not been so nice with their children and I had to step in. They are cute, though!
I'm so sorry I've been absent on my blog the past few months. Fortunately the computer is back and I can get back at blogging! Wish us luck in the upcoming months. Thank you to everyone who has been so patient with us and supportive. I don't know what we did to deserve such incredible customers and friends but I am so thankful.
I was correct in my prediction about the African Senegals. One was a boy and the other was a girl! I'm currently handfeeding Cockatiels, 2 Pineapple Green Cheek Conures, a Painted Conure, and 2 English Budgies. I detest handfeeding anything as small as Budgies but lately my pairs have not been so nice with their children and I had to step in. They are cute, though!
I'm so sorry I've been absent on my blog the past few months. Fortunately the computer is back and I can get back at blogging! Wish us luck in the upcoming months. Thank you to everyone who has been so patient with us and supportive. I don't know what we did to deserve such incredible customers and friends but I am so thankful.
Wednesday, March 11, 2015
The Nursery is overflowing!
Wednesday, March 11th, 2015 - Sorry it's been a couple of weeks since the last post. The African Senegals are slowing down in their progress. The eldest baby turned 2 months old today! It is now up to 126 grams and its sibling is 119 grams. They're on 2 feedings a day, 10-15 cc's per feeding. We've started feeding them veggies which they're eating very well and offering them some Roudybush. I set them up in a cage this week which is new and kind of scary but they're learning to perch! I'm still waiting on DNA's to come back with their genders but hopefully soon the results will come in so we know what they are! I'm guessing that one is a boy and the other is a girl but I suppose we'll see. They spent a short amount of time in a play bin today which was equally as scary as the cage but they did just fine. The older baby was playing with a foot toy in the play bin. Only a month left to go!
I am just swimming in baby birds! I've never had this many birds at one time.
I am just swimming in baby birds! I've never had this many birds at one time.
- 2 African Senegals
- 4 Sun Conures
- 3 Crimson Bellied Conures
- 6 Lovebirds
- 15 Cockatiels
- 1 Bourke Parakeet (expecting 3 more on Friday)
Tuesday, February 24, 2015
The little baby is catching up!
Monday, February 23rd, 2015 - I think the babies are about to reach their top weight. Over the last 6 days our older chick has only gained 2 grams. The younger baby is still working on growing, gaining 14 grams in the same time period. They are still on 4 feedings a day with 15 cc per feeding. There are now only 17 grams difference in the 2 chicks. Keep in mind they are 6 days apart in age. I think our itty bitty baby is doing just fine!
I am anxious to get the DNA's. I sent them in last week but I will probably have to wait another week or so to get an email with results. This company I've been using lately is fine but just takes longer than I like since it's in Canada. Just looking at their skull structure, I'm guessing the older baby is a male and the younger baby is a girl. We'll see - I don't have a hat like Johnny Carson wore on his late night show when he did predictions!
We are starting to introduce veggies to the babies. I always like to change things on Mondays. It helps me keep track of what I'm doing. This week I moved them into a different brooder that will give them more room, but as of right now they're still confined in a container within the brooder. Next week we will give them the entire brooder to move around in and introduce pellets.
I am anxious to get the DNA's. I sent them in last week but I will probably have to wait another week or so to get an email with results. This company I've been using lately is fine but just takes longer than I like since it's in Canada. Just looking at their skull structure, I'm guessing the older baby is a male and the younger baby is a girl. We'll see - I don't have a hat like Johnny Carson wore on his late night show when he did predictions!
We are starting to introduce veggies to the babies. I always like to change things on Mondays. It helps me keep track of what I'm doing. This week I moved them into a different brooder that will give them more room, but as of right now they're still confined in a container within the brooder. Next week we will give them the entire brooder to move around in and introduce pellets.
Thursday, February 19, 2015
Tuesday, February 17, 2015
The youngest African Senegal baby is 1 month old to today!
Tuesday, February 17th, 2015 - Happy Mardi Gras! The youngest African Senegal is one month old today! It will not be long and we will have a hard time telling them apart. I guess this is a good time to talk about leg bands.
I know some people think they are too dangerous and a poorly fitted band is. However, a proper-fitted band with good information can be amazing information throughout a bird's life. The closed band should fit snug, like a wedding ring, but not too tight. Easily turning on the leg. They must be put on at an early age before the top of the foot is too large. I think it is a waste of time to band a bird with a band that is not traceable. One example: leg band # ABC 890 gains no useful information unless you happen to know who ABC is. I use bands from SPBE (Society of Parrot Breeders and Exhibitors). My identification number is 454. I like to use the current year on my bands and the individual number of the bird, which reflects which pair produced the chick from your hatch records. An example of how my band would look is: SPBE 454 15 10 which means that it's from SPBE, my personal ID #, the year, and the number that bird was in my records. Anyone, anywhere can trace that band back to me. Which has come in handy many times!
When we sell a bird, we keep a record of any information we know, including the leg band and who we sold the bird to. If my records are kept up to date, I can tell you the hatch date and genetics of that bird and who I sold it to. Who I sold it to can perhaps be the difference of someone getting their lost bird returned or not. In addition to being helpful for information, it's also good to have the info on the band written down to prove ownership should the bird ever come up missing or stolen. Over the years, Birds of Paradise has had several times that traceable bands have helped us get birds back to their owners. There are numerous sources for traceable bands. The Lovebird Society (LBS), American Cockatiel Society (ACS), and the American Budgerigar Society (ABS) are just a few examples.
Unfortunately, these Senegal babies will not be banded so I will have to rely on trimming opposite wings or mark under the wing to distinguish the birds as they become fully feathered. Usually this breeder does band but these babies actually hatching caught her off guard. I never put my bands on someone else's birds. In the case that the bird is not banded, you could get it microchipped. Another
I'll close with our babies' current weights. The youngest is now 101 grams and the eldest is 130 grams today.
I know some people think they are too dangerous and a poorly fitted band is. However, a proper-fitted band with good information can be amazing information throughout a bird's life. The closed band should fit snug, like a wedding ring, but not too tight. Easily turning on the leg. They must be put on at an early age before the top of the foot is too large. I think it is a waste of time to band a bird with a band that is not traceable. One example: leg band # ABC 890 gains no useful information unless you happen to know who ABC is. I use bands from SPBE (Society of Parrot Breeders and Exhibitors). My identification number is 454. I like to use the current year on my bands and the individual number of the bird, which reflects which pair produced the chick from your hatch records. An example of how my band would look is: SPBE 454 15 10 which means that it's from SPBE, my personal ID #, the year, and the number that bird was in my records. Anyone, anywhere can trace that band back to me. Which has come in handy many times!
When we sell a bird, we keep a record of any information we know, including the leg band and who we sold the bird to. If my records are kept up to date, I can tell you the hatch date and genetics of that bird and who I sold it to. Who I sold it to can perhaps be the difference of someone getting their lost bird returned or not. In addition to being helpful for information, it's also good to have the info on the band written down to prove ownership should the bird ever come up missing or stolen. Over the years, Birds of Paradise has had several times that traceable bands have helped us get birds back to their owners. There are numerous sources for traceable bands. The Lovebird Society (LBS), American Cockatiel Society (ACS), and the American Budgerigar Society (ABS) are just a few examples.
Unfortunately, these Senegal babies will not be banded so I will have to rely on trimming opposite wings or mark under the wing to distinguish the birds as they become fully feathered. Usually this breeder does band but these babies actually hatching caught her off guard. I never put my bands on someone else's birds. In the case that the bird is not banded, you could get it microchipped. Another
I'll close with our babies' current weights. The youngest is now 101 grams and the eldest is 130 grams today.
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