Spring Kittens, part 2

Our other surviving barn cat, "Porch Kitty", had a litter of kittens tonight. She has been trying to get into the house for 2 days, always finding a way to sneak past us. When I was changing out of my work clothes tonight, I happen to look down into Kelly's dog crate on my bedroom floor and I saw the cat inside curled up on the dog bed. I asked Bob if the cat had her kittens in there and he said he didn't think so. Upon closer inspection, out popped the second kitten. We are up to 4 babies at this point, and it looks like she is done.

The other cat is doing well. One of the babies died the first night. She has 6 kittens left and just got moved into a larger kennel today as she was outgrowing the smaller crate we had them in.

The new paint mare is doing well. Her leg is healing up nicely and she is able to trot on it. The vet was here today to give annual physicals and shots. She said the paint looks great and will be fine.

Spring Kittens

Our orange tabby barn cat, "Kitty", had her first litter of kittens today. I believe there are 7 babies in the litter. Mom and kittens are doing well.

I am so proud of myself. I went to the small animal auction tonight and I did not buy a single thing. I showed such great restraint as there was a mama and baby goat that were so cute, I couldn't stand it! I may have to rework the living quarters in the barn and go back next week...hee hee.

Losses and Gains

R.I.P. Sonny

With a sad and heavy heart, I am here to report that Sonny, our favorite rooster, died tragically a couple of weeks ago. He never really recovered from losing his voice and eventually suffocated to death. We never were able to discover the nature of his throat issues. When we saw that his wattle and comb suddenly turned purple (which is caused by lack of oxygen), I frantically tried calling every vet in two counties and no one would treat a chicken. I googled potential issues, and spent about $50 in chicken antobiotics, electrolytes, and de-wormer from Tractor Supply Company. I had only given him a small syringe of chicken gatorade when it became clear that it didn't make it to his stomach, but seemed to go right into his lungs. He started gasping and coughing up the liquid. It was heart wrenching to see him suffer so much. Within about 15 minutes, he died in my arms. Sometimes, being a farmer is just hard.

So what do you do when your beloved rooster gives up the ghost? You go out and buy yourself.....a new horse? Yesterday we stopped in at the Fredericksburg Auction House for the monthly horse, tack, and hay auction. I had only intended to see if we could pick up some cheap tack and supplies, but ended up coming home with a 3 year paint mare, whom we named Lily, after the Consider the Lilies song and scripture. Actually, Lily is her barn name. Her official horse name will be "Mom's Foolishness" which is appropriate!

The story behind our new mare is simple. She was the best looking horse they had to auction yesterday, but we noticed that her back leg was hurt and swollen. I guess a bunch of people complained and were going to call the police. So I started asking around to some more experienced horsemen and spoke with the owner. Turns out, Lily, had gotten her leg caught on the trailer when they were unloading the horses yesterday. It skinned her back leg from knee to hoof. There was not much blood, but it was definitely swollen. After much discussion with my new friends, I decided to talk to the owner about taking her out for a ride to see how bad the limp was, and if the leg was broken. Because of the fuss people were making, they actually just put her back on the trailer and were not going to auction her. The owner said if I was interested, I could just buy her directly from him for $500, which is like getting a ferrari for the price of a chevy. After some deliberation and weighing of the odds, we decided to take a chance on this dream horse.

She has been so gentle today, allowing us to clean her wounds and apply some peroxide and balm (SWAT ointment today, but we will be getting bag balm, which was recommended by our horse friends at the auction). She is out grazing in the pasture today and while she favors the back leg a bit, is not limping to badly.

I will keep the blog updated on her progress.

In other news, we have been working so hard on fattening up Sarge. He is actually looking pretty healthy now and I have been brushing and brushing to get all the winter coat out. Once I am done, he will have a sleek black coat underneath that will gleam! I need to take some new photos and post them out here for all to see. No more concentration camp victim!

The Sick Chick

Well, actually, the sick rooster. Our Cuckoo Maran has a bad case of laryngitis. I have never heard such a pathetic and funny thing as his almost whisper of a crow. We are not sure how he got it, but we separated him from the rest of the flock. He spent his day inside the house in a dog carrier, trying to get warmed up and rest his voice a little. I am concerned because once he lost his voice, the other roosters started attacking him. His comb was badly damaged, so I cleaned it off with some warm water and put some antibiotic ointment on it today. Mom and I spent about 90 minutes shoveling out about 1000 cubic feet of poopy pine shavings. We emptied the whole coop out and will put down some new clean bedding. I had read on the net to keep piling clean bedding on because the droppings will generate heat. Well, they also generate ammonia, which can be a contributor to the breathing problems. We want to eliminate all the possible causes because I am not sure I can lose another chick.

We lost another barn cat to the road this week. Our big boy, Cat, got hit by a car the other day. The remaining two kitties are just lost this week looking for him.

So even though we are not in a flood plain, we have gotten so much rain this winter, the ground is saturated and there is just no where for the rain to go. We got 3 inches in one day last week and had the worst flooding the property has seen since we lived here. We had to shovel the mud and gravel from the driveway when the rain stopped, we have so much run off from the fields above the house. I can't wait for Spring!

We are drying out and with the weather being nicer, it has been great to get outside and do some farm chores!

Last, if you ever decide to buy an old farmhouse, make sure you buy ready to assemble furniture that you don't even intend to move out of the house. Bob and I purchased some dressers for our bedroom this month and we could not get the dresser up the stairs. We tried for two hours to push, prod, angle, and dismantle that thing and had no luck. Bob got a hernia and we ended up tying a rope to it on Saturday and pulling it up on the porch rood and hauling it in through the bathroom window! What an ordeal!

Look for more updates as the weather gets nicer!

Some days are better than others....

I wish I could say that this blog is one of those better days, but do the better days really make as good a story?

I was not eager to go into the office on Wednesday, but had the opportunity to meet an out-of-town co-worker visiting just for the day so I decided to go in. I mentioned to Melanie that morning that she needed to make sure her barn chores were completed before school because her memom would not be here to do them for her while she was at school. (Memom is out in Colorado this week)

So I am all dressed up in a nice pair of cream colored slacks and dress boots. I put on a dress coat and headed out to my car. I noticed that the chicken coop was closed and although it was foggy and moist outside, it wasn't really raining and it was supposed to be unseasonably warm, so I thought I should open the coop and let out the chickens. I walked over to the barn yard and was immediately greeted by a vast wasteland of sopping wet mud. It has been raining pretty much for a week here and we were completely flooded last Friday. I had told Melanie that she should not work with the horses out there because the ground was vey soft. She did not listen and jumped her horse in the barnyard to the point that there was basically no sod left at all. I carefully tried to find some places to step without getting my shoes and pants dirty. I made it over to the coop door without too much trouble and opened the door. I wish this was the end of my story.

As I was finding my way out of the barn area, I noticed that Sarge's stall door was partially open, so I peeked in to say hi. That was when I saw his water bucket was completely empty. Of course, the water spigot is....you guessed it....over at the entrance to the coop. So now I have to make my way back to the coop with the bucket and somehow get the bucket filled up and carried back to the barn without getting dirty. Did I mention the bucket is about 15 gallons?

I made my way back to coop and started to fill the bucket. I noticed that I had a few small mud splatters on the bottoms of my slacks and was a little angy. I filled the bucket about a third full and lugged it back to the barn. I brushed the dirt from my nice coat and decided I should check the other horses' water, too. I went to the second stall and when I opened the door, I grabbed for the bucket which was situated between a large dirty horse and the door. She was so anxious to get out that as I was trying to pull the bucket from the stall she pushed her way out the door.

So, now I have a dirty, thirsty horse who is not intersted in trying to go BACK into the stall. I made the executive decision to put the horses out in the pasture for the day. I guess in hindsight it may have been an easier task to shove her back into the stall. I took Shadow by the halter and started to walk her towards the pasture. As I approach the north side of the coop, I notice the ground is not only muddy, but that it still has puddles of water all over it. Now, I have to maneuver myself and a 1000 pound beast through this minefield without getting my shoes or pants dirty. I somehow managed to get to the gate only to discover that the top hinge was off and the gate was stuck in the deep mud. So, with horse in one hand and barely keeping my footing in the deep mud (remember, I have on cream colored pants and dress boots) I struggle to pull the broken gate through the mud. After pulling it open about 2 feet, the horse pushed her way into the pasture. I decided at this point that it might be a good idea to go change into my muck boots. I figured I was already late for work at this point, so what would it matter.

So I carefully step back through the mud and head back to the house. My boots were completely swamped with mud and I was completely angry to the point that I actually considered driving up to the school and pulling Melanie out of class to work her over a little bit! I pulled off the muddy boots and shoved on my muck boots jamming my pants down inside.

I walk back over to the barn to take the other two horses out to the pasture. Each time having to maneuver the broken gate through the mud while getting the horse in without having any escape or fall down. Once all were safely in, I had to find a way to keep the gate secured with the broken hinge. To fix it properly would be a two man job, and I was an island unto myself at this point. So I went in search of some chain that I could use. Back through the mud I stole one from another gate. The smaller piece of chain just barely fit around the post and with no extra links to spare I managed to get it latched together. Proud of my accomplishment I started to walk back to the house when I realized that the horses did not have water. So now I have to completely fill a 15 gallon bucket up with water and drag it though 10-inch deep mud, reopen the gate, and get it inside the pasture. Once again, I thought of going to the school...

After getting the water in the pasture, I noticed the horses were trying so hard to get whatever little green was left in the ground, I thought I should check the feed stall. Of course, to my astonishment, there was no hay in there. I figured that Melanie did not leave herself enough time to bring down hay for them, so she gave them some grain and left for school. Now, I have the task to go up into the barn and pull down a bale of hay to take out to the pasture. I walked up the barn and saw that there was some flakes of hay (a segment of hay is called a flake and we normally feed them two flakes). So I picked up a flake or two and carried the loose hay (in my black wool coat) down to the pasture. I repeated this process three times because we generally throw it in different areas so they don't fight over it. Out of breath, with sweat pouring down my face, hair dishelved I returned to the porch to get my muddy boots. I took them to the outside faucet and sprayed them down to get the clumps of mud off. Once cleaned, I returned to the porch and swapped out my boots. I went to the car and brushed off the hay from my coat and looked for my Tide pen to clean the mud off my pant cuffs which were wrinkled and dirty from the 30 minute ordeal. I could not find it, so back into the house for a wet papertowel as a lousy second choice. I cleaned off the best I could, tried to reorganize my hair and started on my way to work.

You would think this would be the end of this tragic tale of mud and woe, and yet you would be wrong. All the way to work I kept smelling cat urine. To my utter shame, the barn cats peed on the muck boots out on the porch and when I pulled them on, it transferred to my hands. It took about 10 handwashings, Purell, and lots of hand cream to get through the day.

The only bright spot in my day is that our main computer application and database crashed at lunchtime and I had to go home early. What a shame.....

( on a sad note, one of our chickens died last week. She was found in a nesting box and we have no idea how she died, but we are now back to 26 chicks in the sticks)

Consider the Lilies

I apologize for not having the time to create any updates for two months. It has been a busy time away from the farm and, for a period, it seemed as if nothing of note was happening here. As I sat in fast and testimony meeting yesterday, I contemplated getting up to speak, but didn't really know what I would say. The MoTab song, Consider the Lilies, came to my mind as I often think of it when I see the chickens wandering outside. As I thought of the meaning behind the words, I turned to the scripture that it references:

"Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment? Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they? Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature? And why take ye thought for raiment?

Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.

Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith? Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.

Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof." Matthew 6:25-34

I am humbled by nature and its complexities and its delicacies that almost seem to contradict one another. Tonight is no exception. I went out to the chicken coop to close the lights for the night and I noticed an egg in one of the nesting boxes. It looked eerily translucent. I blinked, thinking that I was seeing things. I reached in and gently picked up the strange egg. It's shell was simply a thick membrane, nothing more. It is quite beautiful and delicate to the touch, yet peculiar to the extreme. If you hold it to the light, you can see the yolk inside. An egg is something that most do not think twice about, however, we have been enthralled with the various shapes, sizes, and properties of the eggs that our chickens have produced.

On a side note, earlier this year a bird made a nest in a wreath on our front door. We watched for two weeks as the baby birds hatched, grew, and flew away. Two weeks! I could not believe it.

I love to watch the chickens as they fill the measure of their creation. They dig in the flower beds, leaving behind tilled and fertilized soil. They nest and lay their eggs. They bustle around talking in a quiet chicken language. The roosters proudly defend and protect their flock from predators great and small. An example of this occurred a few weeks ago. I was in the kitchen and I heard the roosters making a racket outside. They were not crowing as one would expect, but almost shrieking. I went to the door to see what was going on and all of the hens were hiding under the large pine tree. The 5 roosters were in the yard running around and yelling. I looked up and saw two large hawks circling overhead. How amazing to see nature in action. That Heavenly Father created these beautiful creatures with all the instincts and knowledge they need to survive here. They are a source of pure joy in my life.

Equally as amazing to me, our horses have grown a winter coat. Not being much of a horse expert, this year has been full of experiences that are new for me. I had no idea that horses hair changed at all! But ours have grown into a thick, ruglike coat to keep them warm through the harsh winter months. I have been grateful for the warmer days this new year has brought. The horses have been able to stay outside in the pasture more often and I imagine it must be a thrill for them after being cooped up in the barn so much.

Everything else on the farm has gone into a state of hibernation. The lush greenery of the summer gave way to the decay of autumn and the stark nakedness of the winter. We are currently mourning the loss of a large tree that was toppled by an ice storm around Christmas. I look forward to the spring, when all will be renewed again.

Record Setting Egg

Ok, I know I wrote that we got the biggest egg ever the other day, but the one I got this morning is a record setter. Honestly, I don't know what to say about it. I feel bad for the chicken that had to pass it.

Here are two contrasting photos of the gigantic egg and another of an extra large egg.

Here is a photo of this egg trying to fit in a carton with the rest of the eggs from this week.

A time of change

Fall is here. It is my favorite time of the year. I love to feel the chill in the air and to see the leaves change. I love the smell of the autumn. The pungent smell of decaying earth and foliage. The chickens are doing a wonderful job of cleaning out all of the undergrowth of the gardens around the house. They aerate and fertilizer the ground beneath their feet.
This is our foster horse, Sarge. He has been living here for about 2.5 months. He was a little underweight and wasn't very attractive, which is why I haven't posted any photos of him. We have been fattening him up and he is starting to grow his winter coat. He is 20 years old and a former racehorse. These days, he is more likely to be seen meandering through the fields around the house. I retrieved the largest chicken egg I have ever seen. It is like a super, jumbo! You can't really tell from the photo here, but it is as large as the palm of my hand.

Our oddball rooster, Falcon. He mostly keeps to himself.


I believe this Red Star is the breed that laid the huge egg. They are known for their large and plentiful eggs.

My favorite chickens are the Partridge Rocks.
Most days, the chickens hold a meeting on the barnyard gate.

A rooster in action!
"Can you believe how wide Bertha's behind has gotten?"

Photo Update

The final fruits of our labor

The first egg

Sonny

Falcon

Getting ready for the night shift

Really, in the tree

Porch Kitty and The Assassin

...and a partridge in a pear tree

Ok, well, more like a Partridge Rock in a regular tree. Doesn't make any less strange. Some of the chickens love to fly up into the large tree in the barnyard. Last night, 5 of them stayed up there all night. They were so high even Bob could not get them out. I don't mind them being up there, but I don't want them to be harmed by a predator. I also think it will be hard to collect eggs that have been dropped from the top of the tree!

We have been steadily getting an egg a day. We think it is probably the mystery chicken that showed up in our barn one day. She is probably a little older than our other girls. The chickens will be 20 weeks old this Saturday and should all start laying soon. I made some fried rice last week and used about 3 of our eggs. I can't believe how yellow the yolks are! The eggs were yummy and I am looking forward to making a nice breakfast one of these days.

There is a small group of hens that like to hang out by the kitchen door. They are there every afternoon. One of the Red Rocks comes right up to the storm door and bangs her beak on the glass to get my attention. It is pretty funny when they show up, though we don't like the bird poo everywhere. Enzo likes to eat it, so we really need to keep him on a short leash....dogs, ugh.

The day are getting shorter and shorter. I noticed this morning that it is now still dark when we finish with seminary in the morning and it is always dark by 8. I dread the days where it is dark by 5 pm. We are starting to look at heating oil prices and snow throwers. (I thought that was why we had kids???) Gosh, I can't believe winter is almost closing in. We have a really large driveway to clear and there is no way we can do it with a shovel. New toys are fun, though!

Our garden is waning. We havested about a 5-gallon bucket of sweet potatoes, 10 pounds of carrots, another gallon bag full of green beans, baskets of tomatoes, and of course, our pumpkins that are still out there growing. We have been eating the fruits of our labor just about every night. It is really delicious! We learned a lot this summer about how we want to do the garden the next time. It will soon be time to till the ground and lay our manure out for the winter.

The short days, work schedules, and church callings are keeping me really busy these days. I have been trying to get at least 30 minutes of exercise in each day, but it isn't always possible. That doesn't leave much time for farm and house stuff (and blogging). I do have more pictures to get loaded, so look for a photo update soon!