A Dismal Sunday

Well, rainy, that is. 

Keith and I are feeling very badly this afternoon. 

This beautiful bird, that we put so many months into taking care of.... tried to get me again last night, he jumped off the roost, (you see his wattles are cherry red with anger) and almost got me as I grabbed the waterer from the coop side of the big henhouse. 

Fast forward to today: 

Here they are in the yard at Roxanne's.  We got them loaded without too much trouble, but as we pulled up to Roxanne's gate, she told me on the phone... "Maybe we had better wait until I get back from Tennessee at the end of the week"... and I told her "I have them loaded and we're at the gate".  She told me to bring them in.  Rosie was so frightened when Keith picked her up that she is missing feathers. You can tell from this picture that she is half bourbon red and half bronze.  

(She has someone who will be feeding for her) 

The welcoming committee came from far and near. 

The peacocks came flooding down the yard, but then saw Keith and me and turned around and flooded back. 

This guy heard Jackson and proceeded to come over, gobbling and displaying. 

Roxanne was inside, getting cleaned up and dressed, and told us to leave the birds in her kid pasture (she has a goat dairy) and she would take care of them.  We left them, and went home. 

I took Nathan home to Garnett.  

When I got back, it was raining, and 38 degrees.  Keith looked at me and said
"Do you think Jackson and Rosie have food and water?"....

I told him Roxanne had told me she would come out and see that they were fed and watered. 

They have a small metal shelter to get in, and it had a small amount of straw in it, the geese had spent the winter in that pen.  

Our hearts are hurting, but as a friend said to me by email this morning... she had a good friend whose husband was diabetic, who had been injured by an animal at their farm.  It took weeks for him to heal. 

I was in fear of being knocked over by Jackson, and possible spurred hard.  

I know it was the right thing to do, as Roxanne is skilled at caring for poultry... and the people who come for tours at her place will love to see Jackson and Rosie. 

But they are sleeping virtually outside tonight in the cold rain, on a bed of scanty straw (if they even will go in the shelter) and they had a nice, warm henhouse.  

Our hearts hurt. 

Spring Comes to Calamity Acres

Sorry for the shadows, it was late in the afternoon. 

In answer to your unasked questions... yes, he did the dirty deed.  I felt VERY sorry for Rosie, as he is so much heavier than she, and she made very plaintive sounds and was clearly trying to breathe with his weight on her. 

While inside: 

Nugget, my only Cochin left.  I know I said "NO BABIES 2013". 

I know just where to put her: 

Remember the little white pen?  A perfect place for a mama to raise some flock replacements. 

Just PLEASE don't let them all be roosters! 

That's it for today from Calamity Acres! 

The End of a Long Week

Life goes on, doesn't it? 

'

Boots, the Mille Fleur rooster, was actually laying on the eggs when I walked into the old henhouse this morning to start cleaning it.  That's Speedy, the OEG rooster, our smallest rooster, guarding him.  Some things defy explanation. 

I had to shovel AROUND Abby, who was helping me.  Remember, there is a nest of pinkies under this nest box, and Abby heard them squeaking.  

'

It seemed like a long, long way to the compost heap.  I think I did about ten loads. 

I haven't touched the feed room side of the coop yet, either... where Butch has lived all winter, and where about six of the hens congregate with him daily.  The nursing cage/laying box is on that side, so I had everyone upset. 

We are going to use these eggs in the pasture, and maybe feed them back to the chickens for a while. (scrambled, not raw) 

I was still putting in new straw when I took this picture and gosh, the hens were having a ball scooting around in it. 

Finally, I changed clothes and ran down to Orschelns to get a couple of things... and took a picture of these cute chicken coops while I was there.  There was a gentleman there looking at them, and we had a nice conversation about turkeys, and I'm always glad to meet a fellow turkey enthusiast. 

This was another of the little coops... but it sure doesn't have much pen space, does it, for 350.00?  They would sure make a good coop for a breeding trio, though, wouldn't they? 

The only chicks at Orschelns thus far are Cornish X's... meat birds.  They had six little pekin ducklings in another pen. 

And these guys. 

Here's Jackson displaying through the side pophole as I shoveled this afternoon.  

And here's why he's displaying! 

Next week I'll cut that old tarp off the 4 x 4 pen, which has literally sunken into the dirt of the big henyard. 

Here's our big boy Ranger this evening... doesn't he look sweet? 

Keith brought my seed starting table in tonight, so tomorrow... we get going on Garden 2013. 

That it for tonight from Calamity Acres! 

Saturday Snapshots

This will be a picture-heavy post, I'm warning everyone! 

I took a lot of pictures these last few days of good weather.  As I type this at 2:48, it is 56 degrees out!  There is a little wind, so I put a jacket on to go out, but, my goodness!  

Yesterday I drove to Fort Leavenworth to get my throat checked for strep, since little Jax, our grandson, was diagnosed last Monday.  I didn't have strep, but my throat is raw, and I am trying to carry on. 

I saw this going on as I went "the back way" to the post. 

The farmers around here are taking advantage of the drought conditions to re-do their ponds.  We have seen scores of ponds now cleaned out and good silt used on their dams, etc.. 

Here's a barn that Keith and I love.  It has a lovely house with it, but the house actually sits on a very rocky outcropping/cliff, and worries us every time we see it!  Biggify to see three little donkeys there. 

At home, the Queen of the Yard was surveying her domain.  Wait until you see what Keith has started on this deck. 

Abby and I went for a walk in the pasture with some of the birds. 

Mama, HELP me!!!!

Sometimes Jackson decides he doesn't want puggies around his flock. 

As you see, we had a big train of birds behind me.  Abby's off to the left, wondering if she should come down.  (She did) 

Here's where the fox and probably the skunk are coming through in the wild area where the three properties meet. 

Here's a better look: that's Troy's dam just past our fence, and you can see how thick the thicket has become. We used to be able to get our walk gate open in the corner, but it is now overgrown. 

At that point, Abby decided that discretion was the better part of valor, and put me in between herself and Jackson, who was still with us. 

Don't worry, I did NOT let them get her, and she goes in the pasture and amongst the birds all the time.  She has always been trustworthy with them.  Lilly was laying at the gate waiting for us... I can't trust her until the birds are locked up for the night. 

I tried to upload a video twice for this post... it was very amusing... but I cannot get it to go to Blogger... despite waiting an hour.  Has anyone had luck loading directly to your blog without going to You Tube first? 

And the last picture... 

Command Central: 

Quite the corner, huh?  Books that I am reading, magazines, ditto... my purse, my tennies... sunflower seeds, and a stash of valentine heart candy.  Pitiful!  

I made an attempt to straighten it up today! 

What a Difference in a Year

A year ago today, we lost this little girl: 

Hannah, seen here napping with her Daddy, had had an eye removed on January 2nd, and did not recover from the surgery.  She finally quit eating, and we made a decision to let her cross the bridge on the afternoon of the 24th.  I still miss her, and miss her presence on my right side when I sit on the couch in the evenings.  What a wonderful little girl she was, and always wanted to be by her Mama. 

We miss you, Hannah Jean, but know you wait for us. 

A month ago today, we lost this little one on the left: 

How we miss her sweet little face.  Gertie Lou waits for us, too. 

Abby has NOT slept in that bed even one time since we lost Gert. 

There was another bluebird Kaffee Klatsch going on on the deck this morning, in the very cold January day. 

If I can get a good picture tomorrow, what I thought was a female woodpecker is a northern Flicker (thanks again, Jill!) and it is coming daily.  I'll try to get a better picture of it. 

This guy was back in the pasture early this morning...while...

This guy came very early last night. 

Here was our dawn today, and you can see the Spehars are all ready up and at 'em in their woodshop, their light is on.  It goes on about 6 AM daily. 

There were three hens already laying when I got to the henspa.  I do it last, as they have a water heater, and I don't have to worry about getting them a warm drink first thing.  We still have the two Porcelain D'Uccles living on top of the nest box, and in the rafters, and we do put a waterer up for them during the day... draining it at night.  I know that if they were very thirsty, they would come down and drink, so I go there last.  We do not put water out in the yard of the henspa... I don't want to draw the little birds there, and there is a space where they can get under the covering.  I do sometimes throw some corn out there, for the girls to scratch.  

The big henhouse, and the little, both have their waterers drained when the birds go in.  We used to deal with frozen waterers in the morning, and now I just have to carry the warm water out and pour it in.  They are always glad to get some warm water in the morning.

We used to have heaters for the waterers in there, but our electric load is now very precarious, and we need to get the lines re-run because of the mice.  It's all I can do to run the warming light to the little henhouse. 

We also put warm water in the outdoor fortexes.  I looked over there while I was doing the henspa, and probably 300 starlings were already there.  They drained the fortexes, but they have to drink, too.  At least they aren't invading us like the last five years, I have not seen more than ten or so inside. 

I refilled the fortexes with warm water three times during the day. 

Here's our good Lil on sitting point at the fence... she was listening to a dog barking in the distance.  A minute later, I let her in the pasture for a run. 

This one was in the pasture, too... but being naughty.  See the pipe coming out of the tree?  There is an old cistern there.  Keith and I filled it with a lot of cement blocks, cat litter and other stuff, but it is still dangerous.  I am going to build a little fence around this corner as soon as it is warmer with some t-poles and fencing we have left, to keep Abs and Lil away from it.  I had already called her twice when she finally looked at me. 

She followed me out, and next thing I knew, was in the henhouse with me as I emptied the waterers.  

She can open the door with her paw and head, and I was emptying the waterers and almost fell over her.  She was giving the pug stink eye, and on Pug Point, to Buffy, the Polish hen, who was trying to sleep in that lower nest box.  We trimmed Buffy's beak yesterday, but I have a feeling that she is not seeing very well.  I'm going to pick her up and take a look tomorrow.  I almost had to pick Abby up and carry her out with me, she was so intent.  She didn't move for almost a minute. 

Thanks to all of you for your comments about the ponies last night.  We did get the fencing bid today, and it's very affordable.  We are going to schedule it for two weeks from now.  Thanks to Terry, at Moondance Ranch for some special advice about which she wrote me privately. 

I also talked to my friend, and all the ponies are at her home place, and in a big pen with automatic water and hay... so easily catchable, unlike the 80 acre pasture they spend summers in.  Whew. 

I'm also considering this one: 

Yes, that's Rosie, one of the two Hackney mares that was here for a week last summer.  She was such a beauty.  She has been broken to saddle and trained to drive. 

Sorry for the heavy load of pictures, I just realized there was more going on on this cold day than I thought! 

A Cold Day in Leav Co

It was 30 here today, but felt much colder.  I had to get out to do a few errands, and I told Keith when he got home from work that it felt like the cold was biting at me.  He agreed, and put on a sweatshirt under his Carhartt to do a few things out in the yard and run an errand.  I went out later to finish up after dark, and I swear it was ten degrees colder, and the wind blowing... but the thermometer says it is still 27.  It's snowing, though.

 

Keith is out sorting out the feed sacks as I type this.  I paid attention at the feed store, as someone was in front of me asking about hay.  It was Friday, and they still had hay!  Brome is still 9.00 a bale.  They also had orchard grass and alfalfa, and I did not hear the prices. 

 

I found a receipt from the same mill, Valley Feed and Supply Co., in Bonner Springs, Kansas, for some feed I bought in 1999, on August 21st.   

 

25 pounds of Sunflower Seeds = $ 5.50

20 pounds Scratch =                       3.50

50 pounds Quick Grower =            5.50  (I must have still had chicks)

50 pounds Oyster Shell grit =         5.50

50 pounds Wild Bird mix =            7.95

1 Bale Alfalfa Hay =                       4.50  (I fed this to my rabbits)

 

Compare this with today:

 

100 pounds of Chopped Corn =      22.00 (I use this instead of      scratch, a lot of which they left)

50 pounds layer pellets (20%) =     13.10

40 pounds Backyard Blend =          22.99 (This is a wild bird mix

                                                         of sunflower, safflower, peanut,

                                                         millet, cheaper than trying 

                                                         to mix my own. I actually 

                                                                                     bought 80 pounds.)

   

I took the tree down today, and will move all the containers out tomorrow.  There are still a few things to put away, but the majority is down.  I'll leave our Nativity set up until Epiphany, though.

 

Yesterday, I bought a new dog bed for Ranger, who appears to be unable to get up on it.  Someone else figured it out, though.

That's good, because she gave me the stink-eye earlier.

 

I'm not sure what that was about... do dogs get tired of being photographed like kids do?

 

 

Here are Jackson and Rosie, tonight.  Helen was on the roost opposite, facing them.  Rosie follows Jackson around like his biggest fan.  They are lovely turkeys. We should have trained the first Turkettes to roost inside.

 

 

This rather disgusting mess was the remains of the roast that I cooked on Christmas Day. The following night, we had roast beef sandwiches.  This (above) turned into this: below:

 

 

There was a LITTLE bit more meat than what showed above, but not much.  It made a very satisfying beef/vegetable/barley soup, and there is enough for me to eat while Keith drives to Council Bluffs tomorrow to take son Brandon and his friend Paige to lunch.  I am baking goodies tonight for him to take... an apple crisp, and some cookies.  The last of the Christmas fudge is going with him, too.

We did not get to see Bran over Christmas, as he is a working man now.

 

We want to thank everyone for their loving comments this week.  I have had a very bad head cold, and coupled with the sadness we had here on Monday, it has been a long one.  Thank you all for your supportive words.  I am trying to remember to keep Christmas in my heart.

 

 

 

 

Ends and Beginnings

Our hoop house today:

We had two days of very hard winds, and last night I went out to put some suet out at 8:30... heard a large riiiipppppppp... and the hoop house plastic gave way.  Keith will be home from his excercise tomorrow and we will cut the hanging top off and leave sides on for the rest of the summer.  We are learning so much from this experiment!

Now the tomatoes can reach high.

A last look at the little mares, after I had shut them up to wait for friend Joani.  What a pretty pair they are. 

Michelle from Boulderneigh asked why we didn't consider keeping them, since we were in the market for some ponies soon. 

These are Hackneys, a very spirited pony.  We love their beautiful way of moving, and these two girls were very nice... but we need some stolid, slow moving Shetlands for the grands, and a winter off hard bucket hauling. 

Chris, Joani's Amish friend who trains and shoes for her, came along with her to get the girls.  He fell in love with Rosie, and was so very gentle with both of them, giving them time to get to know him before leading them out.

Kerin, at Always Fixin' Never Sittin' asked me why we didn't get guineas... oh, my, how I wish we could!  Unfortunately... the answer lies in two words:  LILLY ANN.

Lilly Ann has killed probably two dozen birds in her six years of life... and anything that comes over the pasture fence is fair game.  We have a neighbor down the road with guineas, and her guineas are EVERYWHERE.. running in the road, running all over her yard and pasture.  I am afraid if we get guineas, they will come through from the pasture, straight into Lilly Ann's jaws. 

Here's Joani with Blackie and Rosie, ready to pull out.  We had clouds, sun, clouds, sun... there was supposedly a 30 percent chance of rain, but we have not seen any yet. 

This beautiful stand of corn is down around the corner from us, a few miles as the crow flies.  I think the corn will start to suffer if we don't get some rain pretty soon.

And here's five of our six swallow babies, still alive and doing well.  They come back to roost on our porch at night still, but  Mama and Papa will start their second clutch sometime soon.  What a wonderful new beginning for these babies.