Roosters -

I have learned something about roosters - they older they get, the meaner they get.  My once pet-able and handle-able rooster HotShot has gotten progressively more evil in the past six months, and while some transgressions I can overlook others are far beyond acceptable.

He chases the other animals around, and only the donkeys fight back enough that he doesn't bother them. Ok, and my husband. HotShot doesn't bother Bill too much.

He attacked one of our new ducks, and while the duck will survive with limited damage that's still not a trait that we want to have in the barn yard.  Then... well, he attacked me.  I only had a scratch or two, as I was quick to hide behind a donkey.  (Yes... picture it - I'm no small woman hiding behind a donkey FROM A BIRD!!!)

Then... the little son-of-a-gun attacked one of my daughters.  She has multiple punctures, one of which bled for more than 3 hours.  She only walked into the barnyard, and he full out attacked her puncturing her tall barn boots and her legs.  She's got an infection going on in the wounds, and a round of antibiotics.  Thank goodness she is up to date on her tetanus vaccinations.

The poor hens are so abused by him now that some are sporting cuts on their backs from how aggressive he is with them.

Sadly, I think the time has come that he becomes dinner.  I will not de-beak a rooster, as that is horrible abuse and while his spurs and toenails can be clipped it doesn't take away his agressiveness.  A few family members are wearing scars on our hands from where he has bitten us so deeply that the wounds are silver scars to remember forever.

We have a friend with several young roosters, most with mild temperments.  She has offered our pick of the lot, and we'll start fresh.  We will doctor our new little duck until he (or she) is healed, and go on...

These are the rough days.

The Ducks Have Arrived!

They first few minutes were entirely devoted to food and water - which they kept returning to through their first 30 minutes.  The poor things had been about 24 hours without real sustenance.

After a rough twenty four hours, the rescued ducks - new additions to the farm - have arrived and are alive and well and eating!  Oh they are so happy to be eating it would be funny if it weren't so sad. 

And we get a little look around the temporary pen, until they are ready to integrate with the rest of the animals.

My daughter welcomes the crested one to our farm

And I add the fawn one - from a little bit of research online (ha!) I think it's a fawn runner, but would love to hear other opinions.



My young son helps welcome the two little rescues!

It's a Tiny Pond!

MORE WATER!  Gotta have that water!

Hello!  We are here to take over your world, and look cute while we do it!

Ducks Alive!

My husband called my office this morning with the strangest note in his voice... maybe half amused and half concerned.  It seems that someone in a related office rescued two domestic ducks that had been unceremoniously dumped at a local park, apparently to fend for themselves (poor babies!).  The pair were afraid of the big open water pond, and didn't really know how to forage, and were oh so willing to be picked up and petted and carried around.  Well, the ladies ended up taking the ducks home and feeding them lettuce and berries for their dinner - and accomodating them in their apartment bathtub!

I applaud them for rescuing these poor creatures, but they certainly couldn't keep them in their bathroom for very long.  Knowing about our farm-y habits, the lead rescuer of these two unfortunates contacted my husband asking for help rather than taking them to a shelter of some sort. 

So - being the softies that we are (and knowing full well how much our middle daughter has always wanted a duck!) we said yes.  They will be delivering the two ducks to our farm this evening wherein I will be taking lots of photos and hoping to make time to post the pictures soon!

All it takes is a little Donkey Frolic!

As people we have known for some time but not seen in recent years become reacquainted with us, and find that we now have a little farm we are often met with remarks along the lines of “That’s a lot of work!” or “Better you than me – that’s a lot of work,” or other things along those lines

I have discovered in recent stressful days (stressful only because of the flurry of activity my graduating high school senior has going on, and one injured donkey) that my down time with the animals is the best therapy.

 Despite the challenges lately – Ms. Lulu tore her legs up pretty badly and has had more than two weeks of daily treatments, culminating tonight in her last antibiotic injection (Say Hooray! here), and a much healthier donkey than two weeks ago – just being out there in the barn and pasture has helped me regain some equanimity. 

This morning, that moment of peace came in taking less than a minute to watch the donkeys play chase in the pasture.  The goats stood on the big tree trunk logs watching with some degree of fascination as Lulu would chase Penny around the pasture at full speed, heads up and oddly enough naturally pacing.  Then Penny would put on the brakes and Lulu would run right past her and wheel around while Penny ran the other direction.  This went on for a while, with them trading off on who was the chaser and the chasee, and just that dose of their joy in life and the ability to run and play before finally settling down to graze in the shade of the big tree out by the back fence was a balm to my frazzled nerves. 

It’s the little things… like a little donkey frolic! 

Is There Life Out There?

Sometimes, when I am particularly frustrated with the daily grind of the office job that supports my real life, it occurs to me to wonder if there is more to life itself.  Then, when I get home to the kids and the farm, it comes back to me that THAT is real life. 

Taking care of their worries, sicknesses, injuries - and the payoff is the home and farm full of love and happiness and green grass, burbling creek, and the occasional pounding of hooves as the donkeys tear up the turf in a rousing run around the pasture.  The sleepy good mornings from the kids, who are not little anymore but still greet the day that way, and the quiet behehehe of the goats when it's feeding time are the best way to start any day. 

That is what real life is - and the ability to make so many of our own things: cheeses, soaps, growing our salads, sewing our pajama pants, brewing our own beer and wine, building the barn ourselves out of reclaimed materials, trimming the animals hooves and lavishing all of the above, and more, with all the love in my heart. 

Ok, so there is life out there. 

Healthier Days!

I’m back and I feel fantastic, finally!  However, during my absence due to illness (that sounds like a school note, doesn’t it?!) poor Lulu’s fly problem on her legs got out of control and now she has a pretty funky skin infection going on.  We’re cleaning her up daily with a betadyne solution, drying her off, and applying Furazone to her poor infected front legs.  I think it says a lot about your constitution if you can clean scabs and gunk off of your donkeys’ legs, dry her off, spread on a thick layer of antibiotic ointment that is the color of lemon pudding, then consider having dinner!  Anyway, she has no systemic fever – just localized heat, so the washes and Furazone applications should take care of her in a couple of weeks.

Which brings us to dinner… I planned on harvesting some spinach from our little salad garden only to find that the caterpillars got to every single leaf before I did!  It must be time to find new organic gardening solutions for pest control.  (The chickens like the veggies pretty well too, so they can’t help!)

Somewhere in my memory is a concoction of tobasco, egg whites, and water plus something that I can’t remember that apparently worked wonders.  Apparently the something else must be the key, because I’ve never had success with this creation – Texas caterpillars like the heat of tobacco, maybe.  The lunch at work made up for it today: in celebration of Earth Day and in an attempt to enlighten people that healthy food can taste good, it was a Mexican vegan treat!  Nom!

On to bigger, better and brighter things!   Evening projects and oooh more cheese and soap!

Back soon

I have not fallen off the planet - just fallen sick. Send a healing thought my way, and I will be back soon.