Snow Shoveling For the Darn Donks

 The two videos I'm going to show you illustrate what was happening two days ago.  Five inches of snow is not a big deal in Michigan, but this stuff was so wet and heavy.  One friend said it was heart attack snow.  Have to tell you, I was feeling my age.

This morning I fed the donks in the driveway so I could shovel an eating area - they were tired of eating in the barn and welcomed being outside in spite of the cold. (also being in the barn for extended periods means there's manure from one end to the other)

As for the chickens, we've been leaving the door to the porch open but leaving the radiant heater on (I've not seen anyone venture outside).  Many chicken keepers will rake you over the coals if they hear you're using a heater.  And yes, I do understand the risks, BUT, I've seen my two seniors stand in front of it when they felt the need.  I am a bit worried about Sweet Pea; her comb may be frostbitten so I'll doctor it tomorrow morning.  Nighttime temps have dipped down to subzero numbers twice and it looks like we've got a couple more frigid nights in the coming week (then we're back up to double digits).  Hay and more hay for the donks and protein and scratch with corn for the hens.  

I also discovered today the heater for the chicken water was dying so had to look for a replacement this afternoon.  Guess how much that sucker cost -- $58!  But what choice did I have.

And two tines of the manure fork broke so that will be Rick's job tonight.
No more problems please.

On a smling note, my African violets are blooming - a first in years.  

Loss, Mud, and Shenanigans

So much news from the teeny tiny farm.

I'll start with the bad news.  Marigold died on Christmas Eve.  She had been lethargic and we had just started a worming regime, but she died the next day.  I will forever find it difficult to diagnose chicken maladies.

She was the last of the four girls adopted from the Michigan Humane Society in 2019.  She used to roost on top of the yellow door separating the two coop areas and I still hesitate before moving the door thinking she's up there.

It's never easy losing one of the girls when they've been part of the chicken family for years.

Moving along to the weather and how it impacts the ground.

For two weeks we had too much rain which meant we had mud and nothing but mud in the donkey yard.  There were a couple of high ground areas where we could throw hay to get the donks out of the yuck.  Felt like it would never end.  And then it froze.  And in all the places in the mud where humans and donkeys had tread, there were/are divets.  Deep divets.  Walking in the yard feels like a balancing act.  The donkeys choose their footing very carefully too.     

As I write this the rain has returned.  Donks have stayed in the barn all day.  Can you see me shaking my head?

I continue to find Sharone's behavior fascinating.  For a brief period while a freshman in college I considered pursuing animal behavior/psych courses.  But interests seemed to change every semester...

Anyway, just a couple of days ago for the first time that I have witnessed Sharone sounded the alarm to the hens.  Everyone quickly scooted into the coop, although two girls were in the barn hay aisle.  I saw nothing -- no hawks, no ground predators, who knows.

He continued to sound the alarm on a more subdued level, but wouldn't you know it, he hid behind the yellow door mentioned earlier as his hiding spot.  That's him right behind the mesh.

And then, Sweet Pea assisted him with the call to alarm.  

Sharone on the right, Sweet Pea on the left.  The urgency had dissipated but you can get a feel for the sound.

This surprised me.  Is she the matriarch being the oldest?  That sweet girl will be nine years old next month.  Equines lose their standing as they become elderly (witnessed that with Natural, when he went from king of the herd to a lesser standing with age).  But chickens?  Don't know.

Speaking of equines, we'll end this post with me herding the three ruffians from a walkabout around the house back to the donkey yard.  Do I sound I bit vexed?  Yes, yet another trip back and forth.

    

Hay Prices - Yikes!

 In our corner of Michigan the first taste of snow arrived just after Thanksgiving.

But it evaporated quickly and we all got spoiled with higher than normal temps.  Until today.

And the donkeys are not happy.

Heck no, we're not coming out of the barn.

But apparently the little we have will leave on Wednesday so no white Christmas.

The other big news at this teeny tiny farm is hay.  Do we have enough?  Where do I get more?  And how much does it cost?

Our hay supplier, for the first time since we got the donks, left Michigan for the winter.  Which meant we needed our full winter supply by Thanksgiving.  We filled the horse trailer, we filled the hay aisle, we put some in a storage shed.  But I worried we wouldn't make it until he comes back in the spring.  So I started calling around.  Found two places with hay.   I'm used to paying $6/bale.  I just paid $11/bale!  Believe me I only got the bare minimum to make sure I wouldn't have to worry.  

Good golly miss molly.

Sharone's Transformation

In the days when I thought I had purchased two black hens, things looked like this (August).

And then things looked like this a month later.

A little later in September, I clearly had a multi-colored hen.

And as we all know, in October Sharona became Sharone.

* * * * * * Vegan Delights * * * * * *

We made this dish for the family gathering at Thanksgiving and, apparently it was a hit as we came home with an empty dish.  Easy and deelish. 

Roasted Carrots with Dates and Pistachios

Nothing Beats Donkey Lips

Note: I wrote this a couple of weeks ago but had (yet again) technical difficulties. Let's see if it flies this time.

The full moon was Saturday and I think I'm under it's effect. My patience with donkeys and dogs is paper thin. And they are testing me. But then Gabby does something like this, and well, I kinda fall in love all over again.

And so it goes.

Faith's Unrequited Love

Faith has loved two boyfriends. Gunner was her first and her love for him knew no bounds. She grieved last year when he died. Then Phineas came on the scene and she slowly fell in love again. She is most happy when she has a derriere to nap on.

However, her love is unrequited, as it was with Gunner. Both boys found Faith to be a fine companion, but love material? Perhaps not. Currently Faith has a mouthful of plaque.

When she came to us off the track her teeth immediately needed cleaning, but greyhounds don't do well under anesthesia -- no body fat. So putting her under to get those toofies clean again isn't advisable. Rick now has daily scraping duty. And she's such a good girl, she lies passively and makes not a peep.

Oops

 Turns out Sharona's name needs to be changed.  Although I suppose in this gender fluid society, perhaps not.  Anyway turns out she's a he.  Yup, I've avoided roosters like the plague having heard the horror stories and now, voila.  

I'm still getting used to calling her a him, but isn't he lovely.

I've talked to a couple of people who know roosters, trying to get  a feel for what to anticipate.  

When do you see aggression surface, if it's going to. 
How to work with him to fend off aggression.  One person told me to hold him as much as possible.  Ha!  I think the person I bought him from never did any "holding" work.  All three -- Storm, Clara, and Sharone have been people skittish.

And then there's the spurs.  I dread the day they appear.

I've been around aggressive roosters -- at a farm sanctuary I volunteered at -- and let me assure you, they scared me. 
And I've been told the ideal ratio is 10 hens per rooster.  I only have eight girls.  How rough on the girls is mating.

So many questions!

I've seen many posts in chicken groups, "want a nice rooster?"  They're a dime a dozen.  I do have a lead on one person who appears to be a kind owner if I find he won't fit.

But let's be optimistic for the moment and assume he stays in the flock. What do you think about just changing Sharona to Sharone.  I've been calling him Sharona for three months now, so I hate to make any extreme changes.  

If anyone out there knows roosters, please comment as such and maybe we can make contact.