Accidents on the Farm

No, we haven't had one. 

However, farming is a leading cause of accidents in the US, and has been for years. 

Here's an accident waiting to happen, and I am reminding EVERYONE to put your rubber boots on before dealing with wet leaves: 

See that churned-up spot right in the middle?  It's like glass.  If I hadn't had my rubber boots on, I would have been down, and maybe laying there until Keith came looking for me hours later.  I am being VERY careful these days.  

By the way, the Duckie girls are holding out on me, I have gotten only one egg the last three days, every day.  She is laying it right next to the pool. 

Someone is pooping on the water bench!!!  That's a NO NO. 

I happened to look down just as I was about to step on this little guy on Monday evening. 

Do you know what he is? 

He's a baby ringneck snake, his underside is bright orange.  It's awfully late for him to be out (in the year) and he was curled up tight and miserable.  I'm not so sure he wasn't dying. 

I brought him in to show Keith, and then took him out and put him carefully under the side deck, near some rocks.  They like to hide under rocks.  In retrospect, I kind of wish I had kept him inside for a while and made sure he was still viable.  I had many ringnecks as pets when I was little, and in fact, took one to school in my uniform blouse pocket in the third grade.  It caused a memorable uproar and I did about 50 pages of punishment work for that one.  (math problems).  

Guess what?  There are STILL two red hens and a golden one in the big henhouse.  

If you look very closely, there is a hen outside the pen, in between the henyard fence and the yard fence, just behind the 4 x 4 tarped pen.  I still only got one hen egg and one duck egg from this side today though. 

Last night, I lost Lilly Ann for a while, and it scared me to death.  I had opened the gate to the pasture to put the babies in, and she had run by me. The ducks were already locked up, and I commonly let her check the pasture out in the morning and evening, so I didn't think anything.  It was windy, and the haybarn door was swinging. 

I finished up other chores, and it was nearly dark, and I realized I couldn't find Lil.  I called, and called and called.  She has a bad habit of not coming sometimes, if she is doing something important to her. 

I went in, then got the spotlight, texted our neighbors to keep their eyes out... and went back out.  Keith came home, and we got ready to look.  By then it was pitch black.  

Just as we started out, I realized the haybarn door was shut, and went over to it.  There, inside, sitting pretty, was Lilly Ann. 

Once before she had gotten stuck in there by the swinging door.  I had gone off to the office, gotten halfway there, and realized she was not in the house when I left.  I went home, looked for her... and found her in there.  There would have been no harm, she could have slept warmly in the loose hay for the night... but what a relief. 

A very bad picture of our BEAUTIFUL girl.  

Someone had a little snack in the very same haybarn.  I gave the babies theirs in the pen, and they were able to eat without being bothered.  

Delilah had her snack alone, and then came up and laid on the porch.  It was close to an hour before she decided she wanted to be in the pen, too, but that's okay.  I don't like to hurry her while she's making her mind up, she has still been here less than two weeks.  She's slowly fitting in. 

I'm also watching to make sure there is no more behavior like yesterday's.  Tomorrow, the two "twins", Winnie and Windy, go to get their second CD and T shots. I'll mention the breeding behavior I saw yesterday to the vet and get his opinion. 

Late in the afternoon, the sun began to come out, though it stayed cold at 41 degrees.  Our big boy was lounging on the deck and enjoying the afternoon.  

We all need to take care on our decks, too, with wet leaves... another place where falls can occur. 

I'm going to make some halushki tonight, as Keith is held up at a long exercise at the nuclear power plant at Wolf Creek today.  This Polish recipe is for cabbage and noodles, and I am using the recipe at October Farm, found HERE.  I'll take pictures and let you all know how it comes out.  I'm going to try to follow Joyce's advice and make sure I don't overcook cabbage OR noodles, or the hens will be getting a treat!