On A Roll!

Third post of the new year!  It's almost like years ago, when I posted daily!  (laugh) 

                       Here's beautiful Yeller, my only male feral. 

You will see him again later in this post. 

To me, they are all beautiful, I admit it. 

I check the front door window frequently when Zoey is out... and caught this on Christmas Day.  She literally would NOT come in at all if the weather is nice, as it was on Christmas.  It makes me feel so good to see her, though she can sometimes be naughty and keep investigating things when I call her. 

These are some of the new hens (last year's chicks) who are giving me seven beautiful eggs a day, and keeping all my friends in eggs.  They live with the silkies, which I would like to change, frankly, as they bully the smallest hen.  See the darker red?  She is one of the four I took in from the bird rescue (one was killed by a snake) and the other two went to a friend.  This hen is very friendly... never, ever goes over the side like the lighter colored hens, who usually fly out as soon as I open the door in the morning.  She always wants to see what I am doing.  

I made a little nest with fresh straw behind a carrier I keep in that house... and the tiniest hen began to lay in there.  She is hard to see, she is so small and the light was so bad... but she only weighs about a few ounces, maybe a pound. 

My little Wanda has an eye infection, and will have to go to the vet this coming week.  This was when it was incipient, last week.  It is watering a lot now, but she can keep it open more, if that makes sense.  

This morning, in our blustery blowing snow, I found Wanda curled up in the straw... Coco, Lil, and Cleo all in the shop waiting for breakfast. 

Cleo, eating last night.  She is so funny... if she is still hungry, she lays there and looks at me, as if to say "more".  Of course, I take it out to her.  In the beginning, she would not come near me.. now, she will come right up to me... I stepped back to take the picture. 

I just realized it is blurry... sorry about that. 

This looks like soup, but I actually made a really thick gravy and made it into a stew last week, servied with biscuits.  

That was one of the best pieces of meat I have gotten lately, but wow, just like everything else... was expensive. 

There's Wanda's eye looking a little worse on the 8th.  I took a good look at it this morning.. she was curled up in the cage you see behind her on the right... and I could easily have shut the door, but we have terrible weather today, and driving is treacherous.  Remember, she is feral, I can't just pick her up and medicate her.  I have my car ready to load the cage in (back seat down, etc.) but I have to have help loading her, and a place to take her that will treat a feral.  I am working on it.  

Oddly, the eye looked better this morning, I was two feet from her and she sat calmly.  It has seeped down by her nose, but... the eye itself looked better.  She has been playing, eating, and running around the yard every day, so I have not gotten alarmed.  I'm working on it. 

These guys crack me up. 

I pick up the dry cat food as I turn the lights out at night, except for a cup full I pour on the floor. There is a low basin with warm water in there, though (and a deeper heated bowl)... expressly for the possums and mice, so they visit nightly.  I no longer have horses (opossums carry a disease fatal to horses) and can welcome them. 

Lil took a turn under the warm light. 

Here is the deal... when I hung that chick light, I went out frequently to make sure the Kuranda bed was not getting hot... it does not.  I believe the cats can feel the warmth from the bulb just fine, because they all vie for the bed in turn.  The funny thing is, I think I have a picture somewhere of a POSSUM up there! 

Voila!

In years past, there would be hundreds of starlings eating at the feeders.  I have purposely not put 

pounds and pounds of seed out this year... and only in the last few days have seen more than ten or so starlings.  I have a LOT of blue jays and cardinals.  

On this feeder is a mix of small seed... nyger, etc. and mealworms, which I buy in bulk at 

Tractor Supply. 

On the big flat feeder that Keith built years ago, goes Backyard Blend from Valley Feed, which I have fed for years... but... it has gone from about 20.00 for 40 pounds, to 33.95 for forty, and I am going to have to feed MUCH less.  I used to buy three bags a week in the past, but no longer.  

I am restocking today, because we got about four inches of snow and it was blowing hard this morning, but generally, I now put a bucket out in the morning, and then replenish about 3 PM. 

Another picture that makes my heart sing.  

Here comes Yeller last night to get a bowl of wet food.  I had seen him, and took one out. 

Here let me talk about the Cat Food Problem. 

I decided early on I would feed the ferals only dry food, to encourage them to well... be feral. 

All of them like to mouse, I have found them all but Yeller in the hen houses off and on. 

Unfortunately, my two house babies are bird killers (they are both in today, because the birds have no defense in the snow)... 

But... I  failed.  I give them all wet food daily, too.  And herein lies the problem. 

There is a wet cat food shortage.  

The commissary literally had maybe fifty cans of (expensive) wet food on the shelves when I shopped on Wednesday,  and I forgot to check yesterday when I had to run in there for something.  I have had to go to Sam's Club, and I noticed two days ago that now THEY are getting thin.  I bought an extra (expensive) box on Thursday, but I am wondering if I should go back tomorrow, if the roads are cleared, and buy another big box.  

The other thing I worry about is what if something happens to me? 

I do have a friend who is a cat rescuer, who is aware of everyone here, thank heavens, but it is a concern. 

I leave you with this funny.  I am actually going to go out and fill the feeders again, and come back in and look at seed catalogs!