Donkeys in The Yard!!!

Before we get to the donkeys I wanted to show you how my chickens are locked up every night. The end of the x-pen is pushed up against the coop.

The outside door of the coop has two latches on. The kind of latches where you have to pull them back to unhook them.

The chickens are locked up behind these doors. Well, not actually locked up. Just a bolt holding the clasp shut. I am hoping with these precautions the raccoons will not bother the chickens.

Okay, on to the donkeys. Since they did such a great job 'mowing' the grass behind and on the side of the house, well, why not let them into the front of the house and start mowing there too! As you can see Doughnut ( black one) and Arnold ( grey) are enjoying munching on the grass. Shortbus ( cat in the background) is oblivious to the donkeys.

Kirby ( black cat) wasn't too sure of Doughnut being so close so he scooted on by to the front door.

Cookie checking out the exit driveway area to see if there is anything good over there to eat. Not to worry, we have gates on both the entry and exit driveways. Arnold in the background checking out the neighbors dog. Yes, the same dog that killed one of my chickens!

And speaking of the neighbors dog. Well, he thought that he would bark and lunge at the fence when the donkeys were standing there. However, it didn't take that dog long to realize that he was outnumbered as well as outweighed. And also that the donkeys were not running from him. After a little bit the dog walked off and sat down and just sat there. Not making another sound!

Now who would have thought that donkeys liked cat food! Before I knew it Cookie and Doughnut had walked to the front door and helped themselves to the cats' food. Yes, I picked it up! Not too sure how cat food would settle with a donkeys stomach. Better safe than sorry.

My oldest daughter, Jennifer, turned 29 on Tuesday. Since she had to work that day we celebrated her birthday yesterday ( Friday). I made Chinese food and baked a cake.

I tried making a cat cake. One that looks like one of her cats. But do you think I could find a picture of Patrick ( her cat)? Nope. So, I guessed at his markings from memory. He doesn't have a tail due to his previous horrible past before Jennifer adopted him. So that is why there is not tail on this cake.

Cake sure didn't come out looking much like a cat, but if I say so myself, it tasted pretty darned good!

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

Wildlife

Lately I have been going through pictures and organizing them. For today's post I'd like to share just a few of the pics of the wildlife up close that have been taken ove the past few years. When we first moved in, a lone raccoon started coming up to the front door and eating the cat food. He got so used to us that he started sleeping in the hay barn. Then one day I noticed he was bleeding pretty bad from his hip. I think he was shot. He seemed to recover and he was doing good. A few months later I noticed he wasn't around anymore. I found him in the back of the hay barn. He had passed away.

This is a pic of a mama raccoon who would bring her babies up to eat cat food. Surprisingly she was okay with me standing there watching her. Haven't seen her in quite awhile now.

There are a couple of ponds across the road and there are a lot of Canadian geese there. Every now and then they land in our back pasture.

Somehow this pretty little hummingbird got into the sun room. Tried to shoo him out thought the sliding door, but he just wouldn't go. So I grabbed a window washer squeegee, held it up and he landed on it! Surprised the heck out of me. Glad I had the camera with me.

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

Hawk

Last night while we were eating dinner I looked out the window and saw a hawk eating something. The something he/she was eating was a dark color and had feathers. Oh no!!!!!!

I hadn't locked the chickens up being as it was still light out. And here was this hawk munching on some feathery dark animal.

Sorry about the quality of the picture. It was taken through the glass. You can see the hawk about the center of the pic.

I took off running out to the chickens. My heart was beating a mile a minute. All the while the thought of that hawk was eating one of the babies.

When I reached the coop not one chicken was to be seen. Oh crap this isn't good.

Then I heard the babies chirping from inside the chicken house. So I scooted in to find all the chickens and all 10 babies had already put themselves up for the night! They didn't seem frightened or stressed or anything. In fact, they all looked at me like what the heck are you so frantic about.

So I locked everyone in and proceeded to walk around the side of the house where the hawk was sitting on the fence. Surprisingly he/she allowed me to get fairly close. It turned out the hawk was enjoying a meal of a blackbird.

Seeing a hawk right outside the window is a reminder that yes they are here, and yes, when the babies are out in the big world it is a chance that the hawk may have a chicken dinner one of these times.

Ugh, the worries of a mother hen!! :)

Oh, I have been asked what breed of rooster Stew Pot is. He is a Barred Rock.

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

First Day Out

After much processing and pondering I decided today is the day to let the chicks out into the big world. If I waited for the smaller ones to get big enough, well, the bigger chicks would be adults before venturing out of the coop. So I opened the x-pen and let everyone out. Stew Pot on guard over his babies and girls.

Shortbus could have cared less. And here it was I worried that the cats would go after the chicks. Should have known that wouldn't happen. Not with Little Inger and Bonnie watching over their babies!

Of course there is the ever vigilante donkey crowd having to know what is going on at all times.

This guy or gal I have a feeling is going to be an adventurer. First one out of the coop, first one to take off on his/her own, first one to do his/her own thing.

The babies having a grand time.

Stew Pot being the good dad he is, watching his kids.

Even though Little Inger and Bonnie have already shown the babies how to scratch and find food, Stew Pot had to put his two cents worth in and show them how it is done. Um, okay Stew Pot, good job. giggle giggle

Whoops, sorry. This is a duplicate picture.

Yes, another duplicate. One of these days I'll learn how to delete just certain pics. In the meantime please forgive the duplicates.

I stayed outside for quite awhile watching everyone to make sure all was safe. Kept an eye in the sky for hawks. Kept close tabs on the cats. You know, all the mother hen things! Ha Ha

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

Size differance

Thought you might like to see how big the hatched chicks are getting. The big one has been named Jeff Lewis. Jeff is the biggest chick of the bunch. He is as big as his 'mama', Little Inger! Still haven't figured out if Jeff is a hen or rooster. The little one next to him was born about a week after Jeff and is well, not very big compared to his/her sibling.

Jeff Lewis is bigger than all of his/her siblings.

One of Jeff's other siblings. Hmmmm, we know the father is Stew Pot, but the egg either came from Danni the Polish Laced or one of the Houdans.

Jeff Lewis seems to be a bit of a bully with the White Silky chicks. I caught him/her picking up one of the Silkies by the tuff of feathers on top of his/her head!

Does anyone have a guess if Jeff Lewis is hen or rooster?

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

Easter

Happy Easter
from all of us here at A Little Farm With A Big Heart.

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

Prize Box

Look what was in the mailbox this afternoon! It is the Grits prize box from Joanna at http://boonedockswilcox.blogspot.com/ Thank you Joanna! I was like a little kid at Christmas. :)

Everything was packaged into colorful Easter grass.

When I pulled this guy out I laughed out loud. He has a small package of candy in his butt!!! He is going into the kitchen where I can see him all the time.

Just look at all the goodies! Candy, a towel, socks, Easter napkins, rainmate hooded poncho, beautiful decorated Easter egg decorations, a cookie and a jar of Blackberry jam!!! Yum!!!!

Thank you so much Joanna. This was all very generous. I am going to enjoy everything very much.

Please give Clara and those four cutie pie babies a hug from me.

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