Almost a Month

I cannot believe I have done it again... almost a month since the last post! 

Let's catch up. 

I'm starting to get eggs from the new birds. 

 

One of these beautiful little Wyandotte girls is laying now.  I found four pullet eggs hidden behind a box in the big henhouse this morning. 

Hallelujah! 

I was  getting only one egg every two days from the old girls, and have not been able to give away any eggs for a month or so. 

 

Like Sammy, the Salmon Faverolle.  I don't think she has laid in months. 

I also had to move her and the last little red hen out of the old coop, the one with the Rhode Island Reds and the Indio Gigantes, the babies were just too hard on the old girls. 

These are the birds from the old hen house, where I had the pen built this spring. 

That bird in the forefront is Little Bird, only the Indios and a couple of others have names. 

Big Bird and Little Bird look much the same, only Little Bird is an inch or so smaller.  The snake attacked Little Bird, who does not walk right, but gets around okay. 

Imagine my surprise when BOTH of these birds started crowing last week... I was sure they were pullets. 

I now have FIVE Indio Gigante cockerels and two pullets.  As these birds don't fight amongst themselves and there are six other pullets with them, I am not going to do anything about it right now. 

This is what happens when you buy straight run, folks. 

This is the problem pen, the Brooder House. 

Those are two Bielefelder and one LaFleche pullets hiding in the covered pen because the roosters in there are HORRIBLE. 

That's a LaFleche rooster behind them. 

Yes, they are beauties... but... psychotic.  Out of five LaFleche chicks, I got three cockerels and two pullets. 

Out of four Putih Ayam Cemanis, I got two cockerels and two pullets. 

I am not breeding friends, I was in this for the eggs and just wanted some exotics. 

I love the little LaFleche pullets. 

This pen is still too young to start laying. 

Someone in the little hen house is laying.  The Lavender Orps and the Cuckoo Marans are the same age, and I have to say something here.  I got a rooster with the Orps... that is Buster, in the middle on the fence.  He is shaping up to be the best rooster EVER.... he takes care of his girls well and is not combative with the other birds or me.  I really like him. 

Our first rooster when we moved here was a Buff Orpington, and we loved him. 

Yes, Buddy is still here and still taking care of the big girls. 

Doug the Silkie rooster is still in the little hen house. 

We also have Sammy in there, and a red hen who lived in the old hen house. 

And Flopsy, the red hen on the right in the picture above this, is back in there after defecting to Buddy for a while. 

Rocket, the Mille Fleur rooster, is still with me... but ten days ago, I came home from doing errands one afternoon, and went out to check on everyone.  In the pen (I made with exercise pens) in the big hen house yard, were Rocket, Mary, the little Mille Fleur hen, and the young four month old Cochin pullet with the deformed foot.  As I walked into the yard, a Coopers Hawk flew up from the pen.  It had killed and eaten both Mary and the pullet, and Rocket was in the dog house screaming (the dog house in the pen was for shelter).  These birds were all carried in at night. 

My heart broke, but that is life. 

Both hens were beheaded and I carried what was left of them down to the pasture. 

Rocket is now no longer kept in the pen... he is free to roam with everyone else, so he has a chance to hide with them, and I am happy to say he is getting along very well.  He and Mary had always roosted in the big hen house anyway, I carried them in and out. 

Mr. Floofy Ears comin' at ya! 

I made a decision about Archie... and this hurt my heart, too. 

He was the gentlest of goats. 

 He now lives at Shy 38 Farm Sanctuary at the other end of the county.  

I hope to go see him this week. 

We were not there long when another goat wandered up to say hello to him. 

He was due to be neutered that week.  

There is no cell phone coverage on my phone there, so I was texted directions, and I am going to follow those directions backwards to get back there. 

I am so grateful to them for taking him in... with a donation, but still... I am just grateful that he will have a good home. 

My little Wanda is still here and still healthy.  We had such a battle last year keeping her in good health... she spent the winter inside and then went feral on me again. 

She lets me pet her and play with her, but it would be hard to get her back in a carrier. 

Lest you think I don't do ANYTHING but take care of the animals, I love progressive rock and Jon Anderson (from YES) was here last week with The Band Geeks, and the opening act was another favorite, Carl Palmer with ELP Legacy, and I was in the fourth row center.  I had such a good time, and I am so glad I heard my favorite songs again... because Jon (and I) are getting on in years and you just never know.  It was a magical night for me. 

A Short Hiatus

I did not mean for there to be a short hiatus, but we have had one!

Life just gets too busy around here, even though I am retired now 

for six years. 

Here is the beautiful celosia cristata that I planted 

on the deck.... I waited for 3 months for it to bloom.  Gorgeous, 

huh? 

Less than an hour after I took this picture today, some 

naughty sheep tip-toed up onto the deck and ATE almost all 

of it. 

Including that beautiful flowerhead.  

I will have to plant new seed all over, as this won't set seed now. 

I had not planted snaps in several years (snapdragons).  I will definitely 

be planting many next year. 

Pink snaps. 

Dark red and white snaps, which are a little hard to see in this picture, 

but I love the colors. 

The original color scheme was purple and green (laugh) but 

that did not hold for long. 

This was a huge mistake.  I did not read the package, 

obviously, and it was far too large a marigold to plant in a pot. 

Never again. 

In fact, it may not get planted in the garden, it's just not 

full of oomph. 

Likewise, these zinnias, who laid over early on, and were less than spectacular. 

Sometimes you discover there is no place for a flower in your garden. 

Live and learn. 

Here is a blurry picture of me taken yesterday. 

I had just done THIS. 

I took Thunder to the feed store and bought 

four heavy, big bales of brome for the sheep. 

In order to get up into the bed, I have to climb a ladder, 

I am short and let's face it, I will be 68 in two weeks. 

I throw the bale down and manhandle it 

over to the hay shed. 

I finally got them in and piled right. 

I give the sheep a few flakes at night to keep 

them happy after dinner. 

Straw is stacked on the left. 

I have a large pallet given to me by my son, 

and I am going to have a different feed store deliver six 

more bales next week, and tarp them.  Hay will be in 

demand here, we did not get more than one or two cuttings this year, 

in fact, most got one. 

The owner of the sheep has bought some large round bales of 

last year's hay to tide them over. 

I am thinking of buying two of the ewes, I'll take a picture 

of them and show you. 

Yesterday's eggs.  I was able to take ten dozen to the shelter 

this week.  The moult is starting, though, and I suspect 

that won't be the same for a while. 

We have had pop up storms the last two days. 

Behold the baby raccoon prints in the mud in the henyard. 

You know, THOSE babies. 

However, I no longer lock the ducks up at night, they are allowed the 

free roaming of the two acre yard (which is fenced around all the perimeter) 

and can go in and out of the hen yard at will.  Their pools are now on the outside 

of the pen fence. 

I hurry in the evening to leave food out for the two feral cats that eat on this side, 

and some ferals are still eating in the pasture. 

The two cats that come on this side, come before dark now, 

get their food, and then mouse for a while. 

It's coming!

Irreverent, but true. 

(Tractor Supply) 

I sight I never thought I would see here, but am so glad I do. 

The two white ones will be mine, if I decide to do it. 

I love all of them... but practically, two that do not 

need to be sheered make more sense. 

I'll end here, though I have another hundred pictures or so (laugh). 

I promise to try to post more often, really... it has just been a 

very, very busy summer. 

PS,  I just noticed that several of my pictures are blurry.  I used to carry a little Sony camera 

in my pocket to take pictures for the blog all day long, now I carry my phone.  I think 

I am so sweaty and tired half the time, I am jiggling the camera around. 

I'll try to work on that this week!  

Let's Use Up Some Pictures

The hens have been very busy re-arranging my flower pots. 

Forcing me to resort to this!!!

I have forks in some pots, spoons in the others. 

They can't settle now!

That doesn't mean I am not still finding eggs in other odd 

places, I heard cackling from the sheep barn this morning, so 

will be checking in there.... and I found two in a zinnia bed yesterday. 

Here is your blogger at Island Creek Schoolhouse last week 

for class for a tour. 

It was MIGHTY warm that day, notice my unbuttoned collar.   I had 

windows and the back door open, but my dress was soaked at the end of the tours. 

I have to admit I was glad to change back into shorts and a shirt, how did they ever do it? 

I try to be there early, so it was very peaceful that morning... for a while. 

African Violets are blooming like crazy on my east-facing 

kitchen window sill.  We had actually had a tiny bit of rain the night before. 

The six Gold Comet babies love to nest together in their feed bowl at night. 

I might have bought a few more plants at a 50% off sale. 

Two weeks ago, I started giving this to Lilly, who has a torn ACL and is not a candidate for surgery, due to her age and weight.  At the end of April, I had actually made an appointment for her 

euthanization, but decided to try to make her comfortable and give her a few more months. 

My gosh.  

She is now limping only slightly, bearing weight on that leg, has enough 

pep that I literally have to keep an eye on where she is when she is 

outside, because she is going after Singleton, who gets out daily. 

The other morning she CAUGHT a chick.  (she dropped it on command, and it lived) 

The following video is from the hen house, she could not even get up the five steps into it a few weeks ago.  She actually caught a mouse as soon as I stopped taking, but dropped it as she got back out to the yard. 

I thought you might enjoy seeing pictures from the game camera. 

A very pregnant raccoon has been coming to eat nightly. I thought she 

was already nursing, but I am not so sure. 

This was taken the night before last, she looks pretty pooped out. 

While I have the standing feeder out in the pasture, I leave some at the front of the 

hen house for Harley to find.  

Petey eats in the pasture feeder every night, 

so does the Tabby cat, and also Rusty and Spooky. 

Here let me say that I was feeding up to four sacks of 

cat food weekly, there were so many wildings eating it. 

I use maybe one a week now, MAYBE. 

I do still feed some wet food. 

I am studying how to cut back on my wild bird feeding, it is by far the most expensive feed I buy.  There is a huge portion uneaten, and I am studying it daily to see what IS being eaten. 

I cut the pasture on Tuesday. 

Every time I drove under a mulberry tree, I had to stop to eat. 

Here are the Cayuga ducklings at 5 weeks.  I have them in a separate cage now. 

However, I am dying to put them with the teenagers.

The Gold Comets at five weeks. 

These chicks are some of the most excitable I have EVER handled. 

I can't explain to you all how badly the hen yard is smelling because of the 

baby ducks being confined there. 

IF you have a chance to raise ducklings DON'T.  I 

have always had adult ducks... these confined babies are 

just almost beyond tolerating, cute as they are.  They are poop machines and I am PRAYING my neighbors cannot smell them. 

No one wants to be near them, let alone me.  I have to change their 

water four times a day... UGH. 

And, here, just to prove that I really DO drive Thunder, 

I am coming in the gate, with a load of paint and a piece of siding for the haybarn.  Grandson Chris took this picture. 

And just as an aside, every single time I tried to load a picture of the 

DUCK HELL HOLE in my hen yard, it would not load.  I tried at least seven times. 

Interesting! 

All About the Birds

Here are some of this year's flock at the National Agricultural Center (the Ag), moved in 

last Thursday, thanks to my friend Wayne Schuler's help, and Diane Larsen getting them 

for us from a friend. 

They are Cinnamon Queens (red), two Ameracaunas, (one is in that picture),

Minorcas, an odd choice of breeds for our area... and the two white girls are 

mysteries, maybe California Whites, but older, if you look at her face you will see it is 

all washed out. 

There are 15 total. 

They have really not settled in yet, they were moved twice in a week, and are totally bewildered, but 

the hen house was bedded down and they have good food and water. 

And then, it snowed.  Easter Sunday.  Mother Nature is confused. 

The first eggs.  That was actually the best day, so far.  I think it's going to 

take a bit for them to settle in, and I'm not sure how much 

oomph several of the girls have left in them.  They will come here 

to join us at Calamity Acres at the end of the summer. 

Yes, I'm in trouble. 

Even if only half are fertile. 

Her fault. 

I have had some help battening down the windows of the little red hen house, where 

I am going to put mama and babies when they are a week old or so. 

That will get them away from the other hens and safe. 

These windows now have extra wire grates on them so raccoons can't get in. 

We used to keep our bantams in this hen house. 

I have a new hen house on order, and the man came to measure the other day... it will go next to the henspa, and these chicks will move in when they are old enough.  They won't be free-ranging for a while, though. 

Going to have to find homes for the roosters, because Ferdie is King here. 

There are still a few cats around here in the old hen house. (six, to be exact) 

Another girl has gone broody, another cochin. 

I am taking the eggs, sorry, girl. 

Every day.  Why I have to pressure wash the porch, IF SPRING EVER COMES. 

This was our Easter Surprise.  I came home from church to sleet but by 

2 PM, it was this.  Most has melted now. 

It is cold and bitter, though, and going down to the teens tomorrow night. 

Next year.... no feeding on the deck. 

Everyone is cold. 

This is just PART of what has been hitting me for the last two weeks. 

They literally ate EVERY piece of feed on the ground... too bad Jax and I 

cleaned it up ten days ago.  I was not bothered during the winter, but the red-winged blackbirds and 

grackles and starlings are back for breeding season. 

There are literally hundreds, they hang about in the trees, chattering, and when I put seed out, come down like the movie The Birds. 

Look who has been with them since last night!

It's a yellow-headed blackbird.  I don't remember seeing any out here in the old days, but I did see them when we lived in our big house. 

I also don't see the Western Meadowlark out here... which I think is kind of odd.

Listen to me, like I have to encourage them. 

I spooned some oatmeal (with mealworms and raisins, YUM) off to the right for Ferdie and the lesser hens. 

It was a good cold day treat.  We are supposed to get really cold tomorrow night, and then it will go back to the 40's.  We should be in the 60's in NE Kansas at this point. 

The goldfinches are starting to display breeding color. 

And so are the house finches.  I have not noticed any house finches with conjunctivitis... we had some at the other house, and it broke my heart. 

As I came back from the Ag this morning, I saw a bunch of little ducks in a pond at the end of my road.  What I would give for a pond!

There were Mergansers and blue-winged Teal.  (going to have to take my word, because I did not have the long lens with me) 

There were also a few geese. 

If you enlargen those pictures, you can see the little ducks. 

Speaking of ducks, I think some will be coming here this spring (when spring comes). 

My two faithful companions are still here, don't worry.  Jester helped me do chores the other night, which was always Lilly's domain. 

And my darling Lilly is maintaining, so far, on medication with her torn ACL.  I know we don't have long.... but I am trying to extra lots of pictures of her these next few weeks. 

Everyone pray for Spring to come for real to our whole country!