A Coooolllllld Monday

7 degrees this morning.  Keith and I laughed and wondered how on earth we made it through the brutal winter of 2009-2010, when we had snow constantly, a blizzard on Christmas Eve, couldn't get out of the driveway, had a pony, a mini horse, 3 llamas and a flock of chickens AND ducks to carry water for. Whew. Plus, I was still working, and all that water had to be carried BEFORE getting ready for work.  I have it easy now! 

This represents the TWO times I went out and found both of the water fortexes empty.  EMTAY. 

Starlings. 

However, to be fair, we are not being besieged this winter as we have the past four.  I find about ten in the henhouse at any given time, not a hundred, as of old.  The mess is at a minimum. They are eating all the outside feed and drinking the water, but only several times have fouled the inside waterers. 

I am perplexed by this, because the pile grows daily.  At first I thought it was the detritus from a bird that had been killed in the nest box.  The partridge cochin that used to live in this (the little henhouse) holed up in here for the last two weeks of his life... every time he tried to go outside, the younger roosters attacked him.  That's a mixture of feathers though.  Mice????  No one uses this box (except to roost on) now that all the hens have moved to the henspa. 

We are very proud to announce that Abby has lost 1/2 pound! 

We are so proud of her!  She is eating green beans and carrots for lunch now at noon, to help keep her tummy full.  

This rather gruesome picture is not Butch, my pet.  If you notice to the right, he has black in his tail.  He is Rooster Two, another son of Old Fred, our first Japanese Bantam rooster.  Last week he and Butch fought, and today, I found him in the feed room side again, of the big henhouse.  I picked him up and put him back up on the closet, so he could get up in the rafters, where he likes to sleep... but now it is so evident in this picture... he is blinded on that side.  I am beginning to wonder if he is totally blind.  Tomorrow I'll make it a point to check and see.  Two will be five this year.  

And last... 

I can't explain the chill I get around this big bird.  We have noticed in the last few weeks that it seems to have accepted us, and is just wary of us, i.e., does not panic and take off as soon as we walk outside.  Tonight we ate our salads first at about 5:30, and then I told Keith I needed to get outside because the birds were in, but the popholes still open.  I walked into the big henyard, and stopped when I noticed eyes on me.  There sat the owl... watching me, not ten feet away.  In fact, the whole time I worked in there, shutting the popholes of both henhouses and emptying the water fortexes... he just watched.  I was not able in the almost-dark to get a good picture, but here he is: 

I know he is looking for mice in the henyard.  More power to him! 

Would he have ventured inside with the popholes open?  

I'm not sure.  

He's majestic, and just wonderful to look at. 

I don't have a super camera, and could not get a good picture when he was looking at me... this had to be enhanced, but he had turned his head to look at the pasture. 

I still have goosebumps.