One is not enough

I picked up both of Oxi's kids and brought them to the barn.  She did not follow like most does would so I had to go back out to the pasture and bring her in.

During my absence, Ginger decided both of the new kids must be hers as well.  After all, she has had triplets before.  Trying to convince Ginger that the babies were Oxi's and not hers was an interesting experience.  Ginger is a very protective mother.  Either that or giving birth made her a bit psycho.  She growled, tried to butt me, then tried to bite me when I attempted to take the kids back to give them to the correct Mom.  Oxi was still indifferent about it all.  The current solution is that Ginger now has twins and Oxi has a single kid.  Since Ginger is larger than Oxi, it seems logical that would work.  However, Ginger is very old in goat years and I am concerned how she will do caring for twins again.  She only had a single last time and she was very skinny by the time it was weaned.

Now there are 5

Oxi had her twins this afternoon too.  They are tiny compared to Ginger's baby.  Amazingly all 5 kids may be girls.  At least 4 of them are doelings and the other one I haven't been able to pick up yet as Momma is still cleaning it off an bonding with it.

Oxi chose the carport where we put hay for the goats in the winter as her maternity ward.  It is fine for now, away from all the other goats so she can care for her little ones without being molested by the others but they will need to be brought back to the barnyard to spend the night either in the big barn or in the pole barn because the coyote is back again.

Thor chased the coyote away yesterday morning and the neighbors said the nasty predator was in their yard this morning driving their dogs nuts.  I'm sure he is having fowl for at least one meal a day.  I'm missing one goose and the chicken population keeps dwindling.

One more Momma to go.

Ginger finally had her kid.  Only one, but she is a big baby, being almost as big as the others who are two weeks old today.  It doesn't look like the latest arrival will have the prime Cashmere we are looking for but she is still doggone cute.  Mom and baby seem to be doing fine in spite of the 102 degree temperature outside.

Now I'm waiting on only Oxidize to delivery her kids.  I'm hoping it will be this evening or early tomorrow and without complications even though it is her first time.

Watch this blog for pictures of the new arrivals..

Truce?

Wilma and I have declared a truce...as least I hope so.  I gave her independence back to her for the holiday and released her from her pen in the big chicken house.  She stayed there for a day and roosted on the highest roost last night.  Today she finally wandered over to the other chicken house.  As insurance, and to assure her adherence to the truce, I placed buckets in her two preferred nests.  If she still has that urge to become a momma she will need to find another space to do so.

The Tom's were happy to see her again and immediately started fighting for the number one pecking position, quite literally.  I allowed Thor to break them up a few times and then decided to just let them work it out.  I was pretty sure they wouldn't kill each other.  Hopefully that was a correct assessment.

Assault in the Barnyard

The hot weather is taking a toll on everything it seems.  It is hard to have a good attitude when the weather stays in triple digits and doesn't cool off enough at night to offset it.

I have two very protective hens with chicks in the chicken house who are ready to take their charges out into the real world.

The ducks have decided the barn is the best place to hatch their babies and have made a nice nest under the shelf there.  The duck is also very protective of her nest.

Yesterday morning the mother hens took their babies into the barnyard area and apparently ventured too close to the duck's nest.  A royal battle ensued between both the hen and drake and the two mother hens.  It was ugly.  It was not easy to stop.  I finally managed to get the mother hens out of the area and into the pole barn to break up the mayhem.  The duck went back to her nest and the drake went back on guard duty.  No blood was shed.

No bloodshed was not the case in the afternoon.  I decided to let the turkey out of the cage (again!) thinking surely she was over her mothering instinct.  By then the mother hens were back in the chicken house which has a nice breeze blowing through it when the back window is open.  You guessed it, Wanda wandered too close to the baby chicks.  The disturbance that followed was horrendous.  Straw, dust, milo and feathers flying everywhere.  A noise level to warrant serious ear protection and claws, wings, beaks all moving in kill mode.  I'm so glad Royal Palm turkeys are smaller than other turkeys.  When in full fight mode it isn't easy to subdue one.  None of the birds was seriously injured and band-aids plus antibiotics were applied to my injuries.  To top it off, guess where Wanda headed back to...you got it.  She went right back to the empty nest she has been in for over a month now.  One more time she has been captured and returned to the cage where she will stay for at least 6 days this time.

Very busy spring

Spring has been filled with time consuming tasks and I now find I am way behind in updating you on what has been happening.  I'll try to fill you in during the next few days.

Today is our 7th day in a row of triple digit temperatures with 5 of those days being above 110 degrees.  The heat has taken its toll on many things, not the lease of which is the chickens.  We have lost two clutches of newly hatched chicks to the sweltering temps.  It is so sad to see the little fluffy creatures who struggled so hard to release themselves from their egg shells only to be wiped out by the weather.  The look just fine one minute and when checked on again in less than 3 hours they are dead.  No one else is setting right now and I suspect the temperatures in the incubator have risen to the point that the embryos which may have been developing there have also been killed.  I will wait until the scheduled hatch day before disposing of the egg, however, just in case some have survived.

Wilma Turkey has been determined to hatch some babies.  The problem is she doesn't take care of them after they hatch. All but 3 of the birds that hatched fell from the nest and she squashed the others.  I took her from the nest and put her in a cage overnight thinking she would give up and go back to just being a turkey, not a potential Momma.  The first time I let her out she went right back to the original chicken house and climbed in ON TOP of another hen who was hoping to raise some little ones.  Removed once again and place in the cage, this time she was left in there for 2 days.  Upon her resease, same result.  I had too many other things to do besides fight with a turkey so she was allowed to stay and set on the chicken eggs which were in the nest.  After 21 days some hatched and she was no better at caring for them.  She is now in the cage again and will stay there for several days.

Fortunately, one of the hens who had previously hatched some chicks was more than willing to adopt the birds who fell from the nest.  I think we have one baby turkey (to go with our one lone duck who hatched and is busy chasing bugs all day long).  It is hard to tell as  baby Royal Palm Turkeys look just like baby White Cornish chickens.

Annabelle had 4 kittens in May.  They are old enough to be really cute and playful now.  Daddy was obviously gold as all 4 kittens are golden colored.

Camomille had twins last week.  Mom and twins are doing fine in spite of the heat.  Ginger is due on Saturday.  Oxi has an unknown due date and Blonde Brownie does not appear to be on the road to motherhood.  I hope Ginger has hers at night and not in the blistering heat of the day since we hvae triple digit temperatures predicted for the next week at least with no rain in the forecast.  It has only been getting down to around 70 even at night.

There is a lot more news but not a lot more time.  I promise I will endeavor to do at least one update weekly even if it is just pictures of life on the farm.  If I schedule it like a regular j-j-j-job maybe I can keep that promise.

Keep cool best way you can for now.

another snake in the house (encore)

I was upstairs yesterday and noticed Betsy intently watching a box. Thinking she had cornered a rodent, I moved the box for her to kill the furry creature. Next thing Evelyne hears is a blood curdling scream from upstairs as I see and hear the ugly, hissing, slithering thing in the corner. Outside these things don't bother me that much; live and let live as long as they aren't eating eggs or bothering my animals or plants. Inside is a whole 'nother story. She yelled upstairs, "Mouse, Rat or Snake?" When the reply was silence I heard her say, "Must be a snake." I am usually the calm one around snakes and she is the wreck. Not so this time. I was so startled by it I'm surprised I didn't become an organ donor (except for the heart which had stopped cold). So the circus begins: What to do with this thing? Neither of us was going to touch it. She got some tools to slice it with, but her aim isn't all that good when she has all that adrenaline flowing. We ended up getting a plastic storage container and putting it over it. Then we shoved a piece of plywood under the container. The snake didn't agree with any of this and wriggled out once, but this time Evelyne was quick with the hoe and we got it successfully in the container with the plywood under it. Now to turn the container over...SURPRISE! It worked. Then we put a snap on lid on the container and took it outside, setting it in the sun hoping the heat would cook it and then we could deal with the body.

Evelyne and Rick are getting a new roof put on their house (looks nice) and the workers were all interested in this snake. None interested enough to take it away. They ask what we were going to do with it and she said "cook it." Their eyes got big and they stared at her. She then explained we were leaving it in the box in the sun and hoping it would cook in there and die. It didn't die in the box. So the next morning Evelyne and Rick took it across the highway to turn it loose to get rodents over there. Instead of slithering away down the hill, it turned and started back toward Rick. Final mistake. Whomp, whomp, whomp, whomp with a shovel, and maybe even a couple more whomps to be sure and that was that. Stupid thing should never have come into my house.

Evelyne asked me if I was ready to move back to the city after these incidents. I said "No. I would much rather deal with these snakes than the kind of snakes who were Dad's neighbors in Aurora."

Rattled by a snake

It is never a good sign when you hear a snake and realize you are inappropriately attired to deal with it.  Snakes are evil, disgusting things when they are in places they shouldn't be.  If they stay where they belong (away from anywhere I or my creatures happen to be) I believe in live and let live.  When the location they are inhabiting happens to be the barn removal without opportunity to ever return is the only option.


When I saw the source of the commotion was not in what I considered to be a proper place, I knew right away the flimsy shoes and shorts I was wearing wouldn't do if the creature was to be dispatched.  After coming into the house, changing into jeans and high topped shoes, the slithering thing was sent to wherever slithering things go when they die.

Once again in the house with the heart rate having finally returned to normal, I looked at my shoes.  You can tell I was rattled by having to deal with the snake.  Here are the shoes I wore back outside:

A busy time of the year

It is the busy time of the year at Prairie House.  Gardens to be planted, babies coming into the world and growing fast,  High Plains Food Coop is growing and demanding more of my time and so, unfortunately, the blog gets left behind.

Here are some updates:
The single chick which hatched from the large chicken egg which was mistaken for a duck egg was removed from the nest.  It moved to Greeley the first weekend of April and is living the life of luxury there, being spoiled beyond wildest imaginations.

This is the newest baby to hatch from the incubator:  A loner also as none of the other eggs which were due to hatch at the same time were fertile.  There are still lots of options for siblings.  Two chickens are setting on a total of 12 duck eggs, 8 more are in the incubator and another dozen are still in the nest waiting for the ducks to decide they want to hatch them.  More baby chicks may be arriving in about 3 weeks as at least one and possibly two hens are setting on nests.  One nest is on the roof of the hen house under the eaves of the barn.  I have seen her fly down from there a couple of times and I can see a nest.  I have no idea how many eggs, if any, are in the nest.






The goslings are growing fast now and finally starting to get some feathers, first on their wings, then the tails and last the rest of their body.  The found the sand box filled with water instead of sand which the ducks play in and had a wonderful time in the water.  It was most amusing.
I fear one of the grey ones will be looking for a new home sooner than the others and may need to go to freezer camp.  He tried to bite one of the ducks yesterday which was a big mistake on his part as the duck bit back.  Geese can be very mean but also can make a mean Christmas dinner.

I have 3 turkey eggs in the incubator as well.  Wanda is still laying an egg every 2 or 3 days.  Hopefully we can successfully raise the babies this year.  Turkeys have a high mortality rate regardless of whether they are raised by people or mother hen cares for them.  

The cats are all doing well; current occupancy for felines at the farm is 11 but Annabelle will be contributing more in May.  As Pete and Chester can attest, there is no shortage of food yet.

Updates on the progress of the garden will be next. Nearly everything will be in containers this year.  That will require more frequent watering, but the garden will be right outside the door on the east side of the house so it should be much easier for me to take care of.

Wanda says it is officially spring

Although there may be snow on the grass along the front range of Colorado today, in Kansas it was rainy, dreary and cold.  My day was brightened at egg gathering time, however, as Wanda Turkey presented me with her first egg of the season.  Yea!  Spring!

Are some people really dumb or do they just not think

Yesterday at some folks came to see the neighbors.  They saw me make an effort to put Thor in the house when they came to the (wrong) house initially.  So what do they do but go back and let their big boxer dog out of their car.  I came unglued, as did Thor.  Thor sounds much more ferocious than he is.  I kept him behind the closed door while immediately telling them to kennel their dog before consequences happened they would not want to deal with.  She reluctantly put him back in the car crooning to him how sorry she was he had to be locked in there.


This is a working farm with free roaming livestock.  Last thing I need is some big unruly dog running down the animals who belong here.  Wondered if I might have an unscheduled opportunity to try out a magnum .22 with the jacketed hollow points.  It would have been a tough decision whether to shoot the dog or the owners.  I very well might have chosen the owners.  Never hurts to eliminate stupidity before it can further procreate.

Well, OOPS

The ducks have been laying lots of eggs, but so far have not been inclined to become mothers.  There was a chicken hen who decided it was time for her to take on mothering responsibilities but  that was at a time when I was short on eggs for sale.

I gave the hen 4 duck eggs.  Duck eggs take 28-31 days to hatch.  Chicken eggs take 20-22 days to hatch.  In case the duck eggs weren't fertile, I gave the hen 4 blue chicken eggs one week after giving her the duck eggs so if the ducks didn't hatch she would not have sat in the nest for four weeks for nothing.  There is no doubt our chicken eggs are fertile.  The theory is that all the birds will hatch at the same time and that theory has worked well in the past.

HOWEVER, apparently one of the "duck" eggs was really a very large white chicken egg because today when I was gathering eggs and checking on Mother hen the cutest little beak and beady eyes were peeking out from under her wing.  It is a really cute little chick but now the dilemma is:  Do I let her keep it and hope she doesn't abandon her nest before the others hatch or do I take it away and raise it by itself.?

Big Dog Pictures

Thor is so gentle with most creatures.But he really doesn't like predators who don't belong here.  Coyotes are especially hated.  He has a big dog bark that sounds ferocious and can run fast enough to make them depart the premises post haste.

Karl Kat is Thor's buddy.  They are often seen together in the yard. 

Yes, that is the dogs bowl of food.  The cats do not  believe that is the case.  Thor is happy to share since he knows there is more where that came from.

They put more dead people up on the Post Office.

I went to the Post Office with a friend the other day and she made the comment, "Oh, look.  They've put more dead people up on the Post Office."
 
Before your imaginations get the best of you, let me explain that in small towns the mortician often posts notices of deaths and funeral arrangements around the town.  It is just a small town thing.  In this area they are posted on the door to the grocery store, a couple of the restaurants, a gas station and the Post Office.

I do have to admit the phrase did bring other scenarios to mind.  I laughed and told her I was glad we lived in a small community because that phrase would have a whole different connotation in the big city.

New Arrivals

Milo (grain sorghum)

Milo is the main ingredient in our chicken's diet.  It is a little round grain which can be rust colored or various shades of tan.  It makes people itch when dealing with it.

Today I had some loaded into the pickup truck at the farmer's storage site.  The truck weighed 4680 pounds before the grain was loaded and 6880 pounds after it was loaded.  Yes, folks, that is 1.1 TONS of grain on a half ton pick up.  This is still less than the first time my sister completed this task. She loaded nearly 2 tons on the poor truck.  The tires were nearly flat!

Generally when we go get grain we put several totes in the back of the pick up to make it easier to unload the grain when we get it home.  I have decided that the next time I get grain I will NOT use the totes if I am unloading it by myself..  Especially for Milo.  Milo weighs 55 pounds per bushel.  One of our totes holds 2 bushels.  One old lady cannot handle many of those easily.  I have amassed several 5 gallon buckets, and I keep collecting them from the grocery store whenever possible.  Next time I will fill the back of the truck with the 5 gallon buckets instead.  They hold about a bushel.  I can deal with 55 pounds a lot easier than I can deal with 110 pounds.

The price for grain has doubled since the last time we bought a truckload.  I am afraid we may need to raise the cost of our eggs.  That may disappoint some folks, but since there are rarely any left over for my own use, that might not be a bad thing.

I did unload about half the grain when I got home so the truck isn't complaining anymore.  I, on the other hand am definitely in a complaining mood right now.

And yet another weakness

I got an e-mail today from one of the hatcheries.  They have geese on sale at a fantastic discounted price.  I have a nearly overwhelming desire to send them an order.  We haven't had geese at Prairie House for a few years now.  It is so tempting,  The order would include a variety of different breeds with no guarantee of genders.  We usually order this type of shipment from the hatcheries as it is always so much fun to see what a variety they send.

The minimum order is 8 geese.  So now the question I'm pondering:  Is 8 enough?

Our current fowl count is 49 chickens (roosters and hens), 6 ducks (two trios), and 5 guineas (all males), and 4 turkeys.  Surely I can find room for more feathered friends.

Weaknesses

It is onion ordering time again.  I promised myself I wouldn't overdo it this year.  I managed to partially keep that promise.  I didn't order 5000 leeks again this year.  Actually, I didn't put any leeks on my order form, but when I dropped the order off at the onion coop site I was asked if I would consider ordering some leeks if they didn't have enough for a full order to get the best price.  Okay, I weakened and agreed.

Regardless of the leek situation, I will still have nearly 700 onion plants to put into the ground the week of March 12.  My mind is aware that I need to get out there and have the beds prepared for their arrival.  My body is balking at that idea since the weather has been so totally unpredictable this year.  Now the battle begins.  Who will win:  The mind, or the body.

Spring is arriving early

Spring is arriving early this year.  The crocus are already blooming, the daffodils have already peeked their little stems out of the dirt and the ducks are laying eggs.

Which brings up the following questions:

Will the crocus and daffodils get frozen when winter returns?

Should the ducks be allowed to keep their eggs and raise ducklings (always very cute) or should the eggs be gathered and used for scrumptious Angel Food Cakes?  A difficult decision with pros and cons for each choice.

A gentleman caller

He is shy.  He is bullied by Star and Ebony.  The girls don't fuss over him like the others who have visited them.  He prefers the company of people.  But he will discretely get the job done.  And in 6 weeks he will return from whence he came.

This handsome fellow was one of Sherry's bottle babies.  Mark and John needed a billy goat and he was available so he went to their house.  They liked his laid back attitude and decided to keep him.  At first unsure if he would attempt to sire any offspring, it appears he did serve the purpose for which he was obtained and so now he is visiting my herd to accomplish the same task.  I'm already excited about having kids on the ground again...especially since it is highly unlikely it will be 20 degrees below zero when birthing time is here in July.

Just Strollin' Along

Remodeling progress

Greyhound or Great Dane?

 If I could get the dogtrack people to put a coyote on the little thing the greyhounds chase around the track instead of a rabbit I think Thor could make me some money.

A coyote was in the back pasture and he knew he couldn't get through the gate so he flew down the alleyway between the fences, into the creek bed, up the other side, around and through the barbed wire fence back down into the creek and next thing I saw was the coyote running full out up the creek bed and back through the barbed wire fence with Thor right on his heels.  Not sure how far he chased the coyote but he came back winded with no apparent damage.  That puppy can really cover some ground when he is determined.

The other evening he had something stuck up a tree.  I thought it might be one of the cats.  When I approached the tree it jumped out and Thor chased it clear over to the big garage.  It was gray and I was pretty sure it was Emma Patches so I DID NOT tell Thor what a good job he did.  Later it was determined that Emma Patches was in the garage at the time of the incident so it must have been either a raccoon or and opossum.

Go Thor.  Good doggie.