Chickens-0 Foxes-5

It's on like Donkey Kong now!!! The beginning of last week was not a good one for my chickens. I lost five roosters during the day to the foxes that live up on the hill behind the house. They got Stew Pot my old rooster plus four young roosters I was going to rehome. Ever since then I have kept the remaining chickens and keets locked up for their own safety until I build a fence around their coop. Jeff Lewis, my remaining big rooster was attacked but luckily got away. He hasn't uttered a sound since then.

I have been talking to the neighbors who have chickens and they all have said the same thing. They feed the foxes to keep them away from their chickens. I was feeding Fabio fox ( who resides on the hill behind the pasture) but haven't done it in awhile. So, I am going to start leaving food out for the foxes in hopes that if they have full bellies they will leave my chickens alone. Oh, I did have my brother pee around behind the irrigation ditch where there is a fox trail. And thanks to John over at Going Gently I am going to get some men's hair from a local barbershop and sprinkle that around too.  

On a lighter note, here is Grace growing up! She is actually starting to grow hair now! She has begun to stand without help and that girl can move quick doing her crab like walk. The stains on her dress are from blackberries.

Speaking of food, if you want to make a delicious tomato sauce for your Italian dishes, grow some Cherokee Purple tomatoes, then cook them down in a big pot with just a dash of salt. No other seasoning necessary!  Oh, and German Striped tomatoes are scrumptious! Slice them up and serve. Yummy!!!!

Caught the cats being entertained by watching a chicken on the railing. This was before the all you can eat fox meal!

RIP Stewpot!



Of course I have to add something about animals. Did you know that fabric softeners, bar soaps, lip gloss, crayons, dog and cat food and many other products have, are you ready for this.........tallow ( also called paste) from ground up dogs, cats, rats, squirrels, etc.???  Not all of the above mentioned products have dog/cat tallow in them, but quite a few due! Please check to see what ingredients are used in the products you use. Downy and Dove bar soap are just two of the products with 'paste'/ tallow in them. Rather than posting the link to the You Tube video, if you want to view it just go to You Tube and type in What Happens to Unwanted Dogs and Cats. It was a real eye opener for me!


Mother Nature is showing her ugly high temp side this week.  Very much looking forward to Fall.

Until next time.............................

Who would have thought.

Yesterday we went to visit some dear friends. By the time we got back it was time to feed. I loaded up the hay into the Gator and drove to the big pasture. As I drove through the gate something caught my eye. I stopped to see what it was. There in the one water trough I keep filled for the deer, was my dear White Silky Bantam, Bonnie, floating in it. She had drowned.

I scooped her up and as silly as it sounds I tried giving her CPR. But sadly it was too late. Or I just didn't do the CPR correctly on a chicken.

After burying her I kept thinking as to why it happened. I've had chickens for 2-3 years now and have never had a chicken get into any of the water troughs. Heck, I never even gave it any thought as to any of the chickens getting into one and drowning.

So, today I am going to come up with something to place into all water troughs so it won't ever happen again. I'm thinking of placing  2x4's with attached pieces of wood for footing so if any animal falls in they would at least be able to get out.

Animals really do keep us on our toes.

Until next time...................

Ordered

Just a quick post.

Had to go get chicken feed and hay and while I was at the feed store I ordered chicks. On order are 13 Americaunas, 6 assorted Bantams and 5 Guineas! Had no intention of ordering Guineas but all of a sudden Lynn's posts over at http://razzberrycorner.blogspot.com/  popped into my mind. She has had quite the little adventure with her Guineas, so figured why the heck not get some of my own. 

I don't know much about Guineas other than they make great watch birds and they eat snakes. Heck, I didn't know squat about chickens until two years ago when I got my first, I suppose, flock of them. Figured I learned about chickens with the help of my sister and blog friends, I can learn about Guineas.

And since I already have donkeys guarding the pasture areas, having watch birds by the house would be a good idea. We'll see if it turns out to be a good idea or not.

The lady who took my order asked if I wanted to order any turkeys. Um, a big resounding negative on that one! I'll leave the turkeys to John at http://disasterfilm.blogspot.com/ and Joanna at http://boonedockswilcox.blogspot.com/.

I welcome any and all advice you would care to share about what you know about Guineas.

Oh, in case anyone was wondering how the homemade refried beans came out, I can describe them in one word..........bland!  So, what I am going to do is look at the ingredients on a can of refried beans and go from there.  Maybe the next batch will have some taste! lol

Until next time........................

Looking in the dining room window

As I was sitting here at the dining table catching up on some paperwork, a glance to the left and I see Aristotle peeking in from outside.



Then there were three! Little Inger ( white) and Benjamin ( right) wanted to see what Aristotle was so interested in.




Then there were four!
If you are wondering what all the tape is at the bottom of the window it is thanks to the inside cats who keep thinking they can jump onto the sill even though there is plastic over the window.




Little Inger.



Who needs a television when there is entertainment like this!

                               Another busy weekend ahead. Yup, more wood!

                               Until next time......................

Thinking of getting more chickens

For several days I have been giving thought to getting more chickens. Well, not thinking about just chickens because my mind has been full of ideas lately.

After doing a bit of research I do believe the Buff Orpington would make a good choice. The pic above is one from the Internet.

According to what I have read, they make excellent layers, are friendly, get kind of big and if it came down to it, well, they are good meat birds. Not that I would eat them.

Little Inger ( White Silky Bantam) , my absolute fave chicken, is being broody yet once again. Each day when I collect eggs, there she is sitting on eggs she has stolen from the other chickens. And again I must tell her that it is too cold for her to be raising babies. She gives me 'sad' face, which makes me feel bad, but having babies in winter is just not an option. 

Come March I plan on purchasing some Buff chicks.  Well, that is if I decide for sure they will be Buffs. I wonder if placing the Buff chicks with Little Inger and have her raise them is a good idea. That way she has instant babies! Does anyone know if placing already hatched chicks with a broody hen will work? 

And I have already begun to plan the garden! This will be the first real garden I will be planting in 6 years. But there is something I am wondering about. And that is what seeds to plant. Well, what I mean is, purchase the seeds available in just about any store, or plant some heirloom seeds. With all this genetically altered stuff going on, I  question the safety of those seeds. What I understand is the heirloom seeds are not messed with and will produce what used to be in years long gone. Any thoughts on seed choices?

Seems these past few days my mind is filling up with all kinds of projects. Me thinks I am getting back to 'normal'. The other day I was chopping wood and there was one piece that was pretty much getting the better of me. After a few minutes I decided that there was no way that piece of wood was going to win. So, with determination, I finally got it to split. Once it was in pieces I stood back, looked at it, then started doing a 'I won' dance around the pieces! I'm sure the cars driving by think a crazy lady lives here!

Oh, speaking of crazy. Haven't seen Creepy guy for awhile now.

I would love to hear your thoughts on what breed you like for chickens. I am looking for good egg layers. Also your thoughts on the difference between heirloom or regular seeds.

Until next time......................

I can see you!!!!

Thank you all for your kind words concerning Maggie's passing. Hugs to you all.

 

I had previously mentioned that one of the hens is eating the eggs. So, unless I actually sit out there and catch the culprit I have no idea who it is.

However, I remembered buying a video surveillance unit with sound when we first moved here. I am a worrier and wanted to keep an eye on the horses and donkeys in the evening while I was in the house.  

 After taking the stalls down I put the monitor in the barn since I couldn't use it anymore. 

Can you guess where it is now? Yup, inside the chicken house.  

I can now watch the girls while I am inside the house doing those awful mundane chores. And as soon as I hear the clucking and cackling I can see who laid the egg and either watch who steals it or just go out there and get it.

As soon as I catch the girl who is eating the eggs, well, she can't stay in the coop anymore and she will be a true free range gal.

Today I did buy some oyster shells as was suggested to maybe stop the thief.

Until next time..............

Betsy goat, Frogs in a bowl, and

A good portion of yesterday was spent at the University my youngest daughter is attending. This will be her second year there, but this time she has decided to move on campus. Sure is going to be strange without her here. Remember several months ago when the neighbors goat, Betsy, decided she wanted to come over here and stay awhile? The above pic shows her when she first came over.

This is how Betsy looks as of this morning! Quite a difference!

While I was watering the pasture troughs this morning I noticed this frog swimming in one of the many containers of water that are placed throughout the property for all the animals ( coons, cats, squirrels, birds, etc.)

Over the weekend it rained pretty good. And this morning there are shades of green beginning to grow in the pastures. Amazing how fast a pasture can go from desert brown to a field of green. You can barely see the green in the pic, but really, it is there.

Bonnie has decided she wants to be broody. Sorry girl but not going to happen. First, the eggs are not fertilized. Secondly, it is too late in the season to be raising babies.

Speaking of chickens. The hen who was injured or sick has made almost a full recovery. I still have no idea what the heck happened, but she appears to be fine now other than a slight limp. I have decided to name her Grace.

One more note on chickens. It seems there is one hen who is stealing and eating the eggs from the hen house! I still have not been able to catch who is doing it, due to by the time I get out there after hearing all the raucous going on, all the hens are trying to grab what's left of the egg. And what gets me is I don't know why it is happening. They get a very good chicken layer feed, cracked corn, hen scratch, grit, leftovers from our meals, cat food, hay to find grains in, freshly picked weeds and grasses and even a large bucket of dug up dirt for bugs. Instead of going on and collecting eggs once a day, I have had to go out there quite a bit and get the eggs right away. Hmmmmm.

Well, time to drive into town for a few things.

Until next time.....................

Chickens, Goats, Yellow Jackets, Oh My!

First I have to say, " I am so done with summer! The high temps are too much. Time to start the snow dance!" One of my little hens hasn't been feeling well the past few days. At first I thought she may be egg bound, but she laid an egg so don't think it is that. The first day she wasn't feeling well she hid in a corner with her head tucked in. Hmmmm, not a good sign. Then she went into one of the cat carriers that is in the hen house for them to lay eggs. Well, she is eating and drinking, but still isn't acting right. She walks kind of like it hurts to stand . Her feet and legs appear to be fine. I suppose time will tell.

And Little Inger's tail feathers are well, just plain gone. None of her other feathers are missing, just the tail ones. I don't know if the two chicks she is raising are picking them off or what the heck is going on.

Oreo goat appears to be pregnant, but I don't know for sure. Old Dick, the buck, is between 12 to possibly 14 years old. I have had the goats for 6 years and not a one baby. Not that Old Dick doesn't try, because bless his heart, he sure gives it his all. And Old Dick is the only buck here. No other bucks close by either. This is the first time Oreo's bag has filled up. I am going to call my sister today and ask her about Oreo. My sister raises the most beautiful Boer goats.

I know, not a very pretty picture.

And look what I found under the eave of the house today! Great. I try not to use any insecticides because of the chickens. I don't want them eating the insects that have been sprayed. However, this time around I may have to use 'the spray'. Maybe a hard spray with the hose might do the trick. Of course that would be done either at night or really early in the morning. Sometimes cohabiting with Mother Nature is a bit tricky.

Oh, last night a mama coon brought her small babies up to eat the cat food. Did I remember to grab the camera? Nope. Maybe tonight I'll get some pics.

Better get more chores done before it is too hot.

Betsy goat is still here with no word from the neighbor.

Until next time................

Talk about timing!

Just came in from collecting eggs. Same routine, different day. However something happened that has never happened to me before. See Bonnie? Well, her behind shot. Bonnie is insistent on being broody and wanting to hatch eggs. She has been trying to sit on the other hens eggs as well as her own.

See this egg? Nothing unusual about. But, there is a little story about this egg.

As I was collecting eggs, I put my hand under Bonnie to feel for eggs and the next thing I know, she laid this egg right into the palm of my hand! Yup, just plopped it right on out. I have never had that happen before. And am extremely grateful it wasn't poo she plopped out!!!

Until next time....................

I forgot something very important!

Yesterday I did something really bad. The temps have been in the mid to upper nineties with some hundred days too. Between the high temps and a lot on my mind, well, I forgot to do something very important. Yesterday afternoon I scrubbed and filled the chicken waterer. See the black cap in the center? That black cap unscrews and screws onto the drain hole so while you are filling up the water it doesn't continue to run out. Can you guess what I did? I forgot to unscrew the cap from the drain hole when I put it back into the chicken coop. And that meant the chickens had no water on a hot afternoon for about three hours when I went back out to check on the new baby chicks.



I felt so bad when I realized that here is was, a nice clean container of water with ice cubes in it, for the chickens, but the chickens couldn't drink it because of my stupidity. When I walked into the coop and saw my chickens panting like crazy, I turned the fan on thinking that was the problem and when I turned around one of the chickens was trying to drink out of an empty container! Quickly I unscrewed the cap and as soon as the chickens heard the water coming out they all rushed over to drink.



You can bet I will double check that waterer from now on!!!


And speaking of chickens, Little Inger hatched out two eggs. So now there are two new babies in the coop.

This is the first one born.

This cutie was the second to come into this world.

And these two girls are from the first hatched eggs months ago. They are now gifting eggs pretty much on a daily basis. It's at the point now that I am giving away eggs. I know, I could charge something for them, but the way the economy is, well, money is so tight that if it helps someone save a buck or two, then why not.

Until next time.....................

Someone who needs a bath!

Today has been just a downright beautiful day. Brilliant blue sky. Perfect temps. Just a nice enjoyable day. Went to town this morning. Got home and cleaned the chicken house . Turned three of the donkeys loose in the yard to continue trimming and mowing the grass. Filled up the water tub in the yard for the donkeys. Gave the chickens some leftover vegies. After scrubbing the back pasture water trough, putting the hose in to fill it up with nice cool clean water I was watching the chickens.

There they were doing their thing. Scratching and pecking and eating and chit chatting with one another. Gosh I love those chickens. Never thought chickens would bring such enjoyment, but they really are full of personality. And the hen aprons/saddles are working superbly! The hens backs are growing fluff feathers and they don't seem so scared when Stew Pot wants a quickie.

After filling the back pasture water trough on to the front pasture one. I mentioned to Pewter here that she really is in need of a bath. A serious deep cleaning bath. She tolerates getting bathed, but isn't her favorite thing to do. As you can see she is sticking her tongue out letting me know that the bath idea is not a good idea.

She looks clean enough here doesn't she?

However the other side of her is downright filthy! She rolled in who knows what! Ugh!!! Well, she is off the hook getting a bath until the temps warm up just a bit more.

Time to get back outside to get more chores done.

Until next time.........................

Cleaning, Trimming,Searching,Found

Yesterday Joe, my farrier, came out to trim the donkeys. He is the best farrier around. I always enjoy it when he comes out. He has lots of stories to share. After trimming the donkeys, he took a look at AJ's feet. Yup, sure enough there is a considerable amount of growth from when he was here about a month ago. That's a good thing!

Here are the two front feet trimmings. For only four weeks, this is a lot of growth. So far it looks like the laminitis hasn't effected her feet too terribly. Everything is still holding together.

After Joe's visit, and the rest of the outside chores were done, it was time to continue my cleaning spree. After cleaning out the fridge there were dishes that needed to be loaded into the dishwasher. I left the dishwasher door open. Can you guess whose head was inside cleaning the dirty dishes for me? Yup, Honey Dog. Thanks, Honey Dog, but I prefer the dishes to be washed in hot water, not dog slobber.

For awhile now I have been trying to figure out who is a hen and who is a roo from the ten chicks hatched a few months ago. So far there are three roosters. Jeff Lewis ( pic above), a White Silky and a Barred Rock cross. The other ones I just haven't been able to distinguish whether they are a hen or roo. Well, thanks to Jeff Lewis, he is helping me narrow it down to who is a hen! Good boy Jeff Lewis!! Looks like there are more hens than roosters. Yay!!

The past several days there have only been one to two eggs in the chicken house. Hmmm, what the heck! Now I know the girls are laying on a daily basis so there should be more eggs than that. Well, sure enough, some of the girls have found a new place to lay. They have decided that in between the hay bales in the barn is a mighty fine place to lay. Now instead of collecting eggs from the chicken house, it has turned into a hunt and search in the hay barn. The egg pic above was taken awhile ago from inside the chicken house.

A few days ago my oldest daughter mentioned to me that I have a 'Farmers Tan' going on and need to start wearing summer shirts. I would take a pic of my arms, but honestly, you don't want to see them!!

Oh, the neighbors dog who attacked his goat hasn't been seen or heard since it happened. Hmmm, have a feeling he doesn't have that dog anymore!

Until next time.....................

Chickens

This is my egg collecting basket. I have always wanted one and my oldest daughter surprised me with this one. I use it everyday to collect the eggs.

Thank goodness its big enough to hold the average three eggs a day the girls gift me! :) Maybe one day there will be enough eggs to actually fill the bottom!!

Guess what? Little Inger has been broody for awhile now. But with already having ten younger chickens thanks to her and Bonnie hatching them, well, I wasn't ready for more babies. So I have been taking her daily egg for a few weeks now.

Yesterday afternoon I picked up Little Inger to get her egg. To my surprise she had two eggs under her. As I was holding her she started 'talking' to me. But this time it was a different kind of 'talk'. It was actually a pleading kind of pathetic 'talk'. As I continued to hold her and listen to what she was saying, I finally told her that she could have these two eggs. Her 'pleading' talk touched my heart, so how can I deny her what she wants. So, I put an 'x' on each egg with a pencil so when there are more eggs under her, I can take the unmarked ones.

This morning as I was coming back from filling the pasture water troughs I see this scene. Eva is bathing in the dirt, Danni is waiting her turn next and one of the Houdans is next in line. Um, girls, this isn't like it is the only dirt hole available!

I have left these weeds alone so it gives cover for the chickens when the hawks are around.

Then I look over and see this picture. Stew Pot perched on the ax handle! Good thing that ax is not used for 'doing' chickens in. It is used to chop wood and that's it.

Jabacue's blog http://jabacue.blogspot.com/ had a picture of a head of a lion on a tree ( yard deco). Well, that reminded me of a yard deco piece I put on the barn wall. I just like the look on this suns face. Makes me smile everytime.

Until next time..............

What a Morning Already

This morning has been full of surprises and lots of energy used.
Had to order several more hen aprons and they came in yesterday mail. So this morning it was dressing the girls again. First hen caught was one of the Mottled Houdans. When I lifted her left wing up to slip the apron on I saw this....
A huge wound!! I didn't know it was there. I think this is the hen that disappeared for several days. Although I gave her a quick once over when she returned, obviously I didn't look good enough. And the worst part is, I don't know what to do for her wound. The only medicine I have is for horses/donkeys, cats and dogs. Do you suppose Neosporin would hurt? The wound is on the left side of her back under the wing area. It looks like something either grabbed her or something bit her. Glad I have a strong stomach. Well, for everything but any kind of puke or skunk smell. Those two things will get me to gagging everytime.

Here she is with her new clothes. And let me tell you, she is not happy!!

Poor Eva's shoulders are so raw thanks to over zealous Stew Pot.

So off went her old apron and on went the new one with shoulder gaurds.

As soon as I was all finished dressing the girls I look up to see one of the neighbor dogs on my property running around! Thankfully it wasn't the same dog that killed my hen awhile back. But it is the same dog that had gotten loose two years ago and ran around my back pasture trying to chase my horses!

After about an hour of trying to catch him, he finally trusted me enough to walk him into our back yard so I could keep him safe until one of the neighbors gets home.

He really is a nice enough dog, but poor thing is stuck in a kennel 24/7/365. The only human interaction he gets is when he gets fed and watered. Or when the one grandson whom they have custody of terrorizes him. This kid is about 8 or 9 and I kid you not, a serial killer in the making! I have talked with the neighbors about this kid, but to no avail. They are aware of what he does, but don't know what to do about it.

And the neighbors other dog, a Border Collie, also got out and is running around. That dog hasn't come over her yet, but now I am having to watch all the animals here. And that dog is known to bite! Great!

Oh, an earlier this morning it was time to worm the horses and donks. Everyone was nice and easy except for my horse. He hates to be wormed and it is a chore and a job! After about fifteen minutes of trying to convince him to get wormed I gave up. Mainly due to him yanking on me so hard my right shoulder is hurting pretty bad. It is the same shoulder he injured over a year ago. So, he stayed in his stall today and he is not happy! I'll just go to the feed store and buy some feed on wormer. He IS going to get wormed come hell or high water! I will win!!!

I hope the rest of the day is nice and normal.

Until next time.................

Kindness, Generosity, Mystery

These past few days have been quite busy. Some very dear friends sent over a surprise the other day. It was 100 bales of hay! They paid for it and had it delivered. The hay barn was darn near empty so they decided to help with the bare spots. It is very much greatly appreciated. When you have this many animals that eat hay, well, you can just imagine the cost to feed them all.

Last night when I locked up my chickens I noticed one of my Mottled Houdans was missing. I recounted everyone, and yup, she was missing. I went on a hunt and search, but couldn't find her. First thing this morning still in my pajamas I was out looking for her. Nope, not to be found. I have no idea what happened to her. No stray dogs on the property, so the only thing I can think of is she is a hawks meal.

Both Egyptian Geese have now decided that hanging around here is pretty good. There is all kinds of things to eat. Although the male is limping so hope he heals soon.

Arnold (grey) and Miles (white) have been playing over the fences for awhile now. I still don't trust them enough to turn them loose together. So in the meantime they can continue to play just the way they they are.

A few weeks ago I decided I was going to sell my horse. Financial reasons, I haven't ridden him in quite awhile, he has an attitude with Pewter one of our mares, etc.... Yup, my mind was made up. One less mouth to feed, no more worries about him being a butt towards Pewter, etc....

Okay, so I changed my mind the other day. As you may or may not recall I am against horse slaughter. If I sold him, I would not know 100% positive that he would never end up at a kill lot. Also, if I sold him, I would be contributing to the problem. So, as my dear friend Cindy calls him, the Pasture Prince will be staying.

Have I mentioned that there is a new stray cat hanging around? He/she is orange, hanging out inside the barn, and I catch glimpses here and there. Where or where did this one come from! Well, there is always food here so no worries about ever going hungry. In time when and if I can catch the new stray, off to the vet to get fixed. No baby makers here!

And speaking of food. I must go to the grocery store and buy food for us humans. So, wishing you all a most wonderful day. Smile and share it.

Until next time.............................