Small Things

Very powerful things come in the tiniest of packages. An engagement ring, a word, the building blocks of life, a gnat.  A gnat?  Yes, gnat.  This past week we have had an infestation of buffalo gnats.  They focused their activity in the chicken coop area, killing 8 of the Cornish rocks and 4 of our layers.  It was horrible. Who would have thought something so small could do so much harm? 
According to //www.asktheexterminator.com/Gnats/Buffalo_Gnats.shtml the female biting or buffalo gnat has teeth that pierce the skin of humans and animals to draw blood. “The buffalo gnat, also known as the black fly or turkey gnat, is a tiny creature that measures no more than 5 mm. Even though it is called the black fly, it may also be gray, brown, or even some shades of orange. It has a humpback, which is how its name originated. The buffalo gnat has clear wings, big eyes, and antennae with eleven segments."

 Courtesy of asktheexterminator.com 

One afternoon Rick went out to the coop and was bombarded by a swarm of thousands of the gnats. The poor chickens were huddled in a corner of the building trying to get away from the insects. We think the cause of death was from a combination of the gnat bites, not eating or drinking and the stress.

Several farms in our area had similar situations and Rick found a comment board on the internet with many suggestions about how to eradicate the problem.  What we ended up doing was mulitfaceted. First, Rick put a box fan inside the coop.  The wind kept some of the insects from landing.  

Second, we hung fly tape in the coop. It comes in a cardboard tube about 2 inches long and ½ inch in diameter. The top is pulled off and the tape unwinds. The tape is hung from one end with the cardboard tube hanging down to straighten the coiled tape. After figuring out how to work this 50 cent contraption, Rick and I were prepared to do battle. My gallant husband covered his nose and mouth, donned his hat and headed into the coop. I stood outside waving my arms around trying to hold my breath. I would see his hand stick out the door and it was my cue to hand him the prepared roll so he could quickly hang it inside.  Once, Rick handed back a cardboard roll with glue tape but it broke and Rick could not hang it. After handing him a new one, I decided the glue on the tape was still good and I began to wave it around my face and head. It worked for a minute or two, minimizing the gnats until…the tape caught my hair.  UGH. It was so disgusting! Glue, dead gnats, live gnats. I panicked and pulled very hard to get it out of my hair. As I saw Rick still holding his breath franticly waving his hand for the last good roll I yanked a clump of hair, glue and bugs from my head. I tossed Rick the fly tape and went in search of a bottle of Goo Gone.

Interestingly, Rick read on line that the gnats do not like vanilla. He went to the auto section of our local Wal-mart and purchased a box of car air fresheners. He hung about a dozen next to the 8 sticky tapes. We have the best smelling chicken coop, and some of the most relaxed chickens for miles

Death and life.  Even smaller then the gnats are the cells required for mammals to create life.  Our Toby sired 11 puppies with Maisie.  They were born June 4^th and 5^th. I guess it takes 2 days to give birth to that many puppies.  Ande and I went to see the precious delivery (ies) this week. Maisie is a good mom and the babies are growing quickly. Their ears and eyes are still closed but their sense of smell is working well.

As there are so many, the owners of Maisie have half the puppies in a tote like box with a heating pad and the others are with mom. They are then rotated every 2-3 hours. The family takes shifts staying with Maisie around the clock. A common cause of death for puppies is that the mom can roll over and squish them.



Only half the pups with mama.
 Notice the puppy by Maisie's back legs.



I learned quite a bit about canine motherhood, and I had the most fun just sitting and watching Maisie do what comes naturally. 

Enjoy the pictures. 

Faith and Grace holding bundles of joy.
(Each girl is holding one puppy.)

Ande and sleeping beauty.

 

Nursing 12 puppies is hard work....
even if it is only 6 at a time.





Awe....