Scenes From a Teeny Tiny Farm

You get a gold star if you correctly identify the following beauty

It's Sugar, of course

She has taken Gabby's place elbowing her way to the front of the crowd when I enter the gate in the morning.  And nip at anyone who dares to get too close.  I have to remind everyone I DO NOT like to get caught in the crossfire. 

You may remember I have called Gabariella the "witchy-witch" (except using the "b" word) in part because of this behavior.  Well,  there's a new witch in town. 

Four of the hens banging their cups on the bars, yelling out "You dirty screws!"

Newest addition to the donkey gate

thanks to Crossroads Donkey Rescue auction

Good Reads

No idea how I happened upon it, but I'm recommending you "like" Frog Song Farm Sanctuary on Facebook.  I check out her photo updates regularly and am smitten with her two newest additions, Patrick and Simon the llamas.  Of course the donkeys always grab my attention.

Anyway, if you are a FB browser, check it out.

The blogs I regularly catch up on are not all animal related.
Jo's photos on A Brit in Tennessee  are always a delight.  She has a photographer's eye.   And her sense of humor caught my attention in a blog post of mine from months ago.  I described how Jo the chicken would climb into the treat dish to nibble/hog the treats; the Brit Jo confessed she had been known to do that too.  Still makes me smile.

Of course I am a fan of The Dancing Donkey   Kris has been showing off photos of her new mule baby and I continue to swoon over Ben, her mammoth donkey.  That boy has my heart.

Melba's sewing and gardening skills are always fun to see on Henny Penny Lane.  She provided chicken advice when I was in the early hen stage, and wistfully ogles my donkeys.

So if you find yourself noodling around on the computer, stop by any one of the sites above.
Would like to hear about your faves too.  Please share.

Donkeys Demand Derriere Day

Recently the donkeys voted and requested, nay demanded (!), an international butt-rubbing day be established.  What could I do but comply with their demands.

Each posterior was rubbed sufficiently, at least in my mind, and a potential tricky situation was averted.

Photos of said derrieres follow:

Gabs and Spice

Luigi

 

Sugar

Four oustanding butts/posteriors/derrieres all around

La Dolce Vita

This could more rightly be titled "a little of this, a little of that", but I wanted to finesse things a bit.

Donkey and chicken fans were going full blast, almost 24/7 the past few days, until the high temps broke on Sunday.  Rick elevated the donkey fan to allow for more air flow.  I know I've said it before, but he can be darn handy to have around.  I mentioned how Dee, the owner of the farm I boarded Natural at, had a fan suspended from a rafter.  So, he went out and built our fan shelf.  It really is perfect.

Speaking of horses, is this just a stunning painting -- adjacent to the women's bathroom in the Metamora General Store.  I just had to stand and gaze.

This next story/question isn't so much dolce as, "what the heck".

Buffy, at least 5 years old, has been residing in this nesting box for days.  I haven't seen her join the group during their afternoon walkabout in at least 48 hours.  Any chicken folks have a clue as to the possible reason?  Louise?  Melba?

Next post I'll introduce you to Finny, the incredible beta.

Until then, stay outta trouble.

Chonkey Hooligans

OK, most of you know I had knee surgery a couple of months ago.  Progress is steady but I'm not yet at 100%.  I keep experimenting with "back to normal".  Like adding chonkey duties.  Yesterday morning, I said to Rick that I would do morning feed.  I miss talking to the chickens. 

Mornings = cool temps, quiet time, chatty chickens, peaceful donkeys (once they get their hay).  The chickens follow me while on manure duty, pecking and talking.  About life in general.  Especially Sweet Pea who loves to climb on the fork as I'm scooping and help.

Well anyway, yesterday amid those cool quiet temps, the donkeys escaped twice.  Yea, it was my fault.  I was lax and they were bold.  So twice this new knee had to go scoot them back in.

Three chickens scooted through the gate to peck around the pasture.  Twice this new knee had to go scoot them back in. 

I finally got everyone coralled, by this time limping, and discover through my head count I'm missing Buffy.  Damn it!  Back out to the pasture, to the back corner and scoot her out from under the tree.

Hooligans!!

I haven't posted pictures of the donks lately, which they have mentioned isn't fair at all.  To appease all concerned, here are the lovelies.

      Spice on the left, Sugar on the right

By the way, I am smitten with Sugar's summer coloring

Gabs on the left, Luigi on the right (the escape instigator, of course)

Crisis Averted

A huge weight was lifted off my shoulders just minutes ago and wanted to tell you.
Whew!

Sweet Pea sat in a nesting box for over 12 hours yesterday.  Something was terribly wrong.

Now she is my favorite hen and the last of the original four I got in 2015.  She had not demonstrated any abnormal behavior or distress leading up to this strange behavior so I had no idea what to do for her.  Talk about feeling helpless.

I feared I was going to lose her too.

This morning Rick went out for first shift and reported she was up and friskier than normal.  Oh my gosh, I think I'll do the dance of joy.

Now, I will admit to you I believe in energy work.  I had a Reiki session many years ago that cemented my belief.  Someday I'll tell you about it.  Last evening I sent Sweet Pea the strongest message of healing energy I could muster.  Who knows if it helped.

    My little stinker

Sometimes Life Stinks

LANGUAGE ALERT:
Damn it, damn it, damn it.


We lost Emmy Lou 2 this week.

I don't even have a good photo of her, but in this image she's the middle brown girl.
She was a good little girl, although a little pushy when it came to bananas and would leap up at the bowl I was carrying.  If you recall, she was one of four hens I adopted from a farm being sold.  They did a good job of re-homing all 100 chickens with our four in the photo above.  That was in November so we've only had them seven months.

Rick found Em in a corner of the donkey pasture at the conclusion of their free range time on Tuesday.  No sign of a struggle which is odd.  I don't think that particular part of the pasture would have pointed to a hawk.  So, we'll never know what happened but I have to believe it was a predator.

 

Here's Emmy Lou peeking through the door.

Our numbers have now dropped to eight, with Ruby Dee's death in late April.

Damn it!