Did you know these grew on trees? This big old beautiful tree is now blooming chickens, Ameraucana chickens to be exact. What is it that frightened them up the tree? Was it the rooster or the dogs? I am going to guess the puppies. They got out of their pen today when I was NOT home and terrorized the ducks, injuring one very badly. Her wing may have to be amputated because it is broken badly with the bone exposed. At least they did not kill the duck, but she must be in excruciating agony and I am so sorry for her. The ducks will now be penned for the winter to protect them from the dogs. The Ameraucanas and bantams can fly. That is their salvation, but so far, I have not seen the dogs chase the chickens at all, ever. I plan to buy shock collars for them to get their attention and should they so much as look sideways at a bird, they will first get a gentle reminder that they are off limits. With Ofcharka, I beat him with a duck and never again did he kill one. These puppies have been beaten with the dead duck and that did not work. Then a duck was tied to the neck of Mike and that has not worked either. I may separate them with one in the goat pen and one in the sheep pen, but they now are digging out. The whole idea was to keep them as sheep guardians, not as general yard guards. There are already four of those. The Ameraucana tree is a pretty sight, but not a welcome one. Hmmm.
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Raven is Weezie's baby, a twin born to her in late June. Weezie has not been 100% for a couple of years now and she was not meant to be bred, but things happen. Raven needed quite a bit of help getting a good start on life, as did his sister, but she has gone to a new home as a pet. The nursing of the kid has taken even more of a toll on Weezie, so he must be weaned. He is also an whole male, not castrated, and as such, even though tiny in stature, he can breed already. He would have trouble reaching any of the ladies, but he might just nab one of the doelings, of which there are three. So, Raven is isolated. To keep him company, or rather because it seemed like the best place to put Raven, he is in the winter home with Petey. Petey will get a bunch of straw bales in his winter hoop house and then he will sculpt them into a den for himself. Captain Morgan will go live with Petey over the winter, since he has no feet and would not survive the cold without the ability to perch. Petey will keep Captain Morgan, the Japanese bantam rooster whose feet froze off, warm in winter. They will share some of their meals together too, though Petey is not much into sharing. In the meantime, Raven has been crying pitifully, non stop for two days. He busted out today by pushing that hard little head of his through the chicken wire so now there is a straw bale to hinder his escape. Raven is used to wandering the yard, though he did not go any place other than to eat at the hay bale. Robbie, the border collie, liked to chase Raven, but he has never hurt him. Raven is used to Robbie and for the most part ignores him. Now Raven cannot wander and is confined to a huge cage. He gets out of every fenced area that there is on the farm because of diminutive size. This is the only alternative other than castration after weaning. In the meantime, there is a rabbit the size of the tiny goat living in the same house. Cute! I have the most wonderful little wood stove in my farmhouse. While the house also has a gas furnace, there is nothing quite as pleasant as the warm, dry penetrating heat of the wood stove. The stove is located in the living room and keeps the living room and kitchen nice and toasty, and the bedrooms cool, but the basement and bathroom can get downright cold if that is the only source of heat used. Normally this does not matter, because I enjoy a cold bedroom when I am sleeping and the only time I spend a block of minutes in the bathroom is when I am bathing in the welcoming cast iron claw foot tub. Then it does not matter that the bathroom is cold, either, since the tub is hot and warms the bathroom by the time I am ready to climb out. The basement is another story. I want to sew in the basement this winter and it is frigid. I do have some infra red heaters by Redwell, that are electric, but the basement, with its concrete walls and dirt floor, would be an ideal location for infra red since the rays are best absorbed by dense materials such as concrete. So, this winter, I will try first one, then two and possibly three to maintain a comfortable working temperature down stairs. Also, as a measure towards being more sustainable, I have purchased a two blade and a three blade Eco fan. These fans run without electricity, solely on the hot air from the wood stove. They are located on the top of the wood stove to better move the air into the kitchen and bedroom areas on the main floor. It is my intention also, to purchase a big cast iron Dutch oven and use the wood stove to slow cook meals this winter, thereby cutting the gas consumption, which is expensive in this area. I am on the hunt for an antique cast iron Dutch oven with a good lid to that end. With the transmission blown in the truck and no funds to fix it, the wagon for the smart car is getting a lot of use. I had to load the chickens in it last night, thanks to my friend Dale and his nephew, who came to catch them for me. This morning I hitched the wagon to the car and took the roosters to the processing plant in St. Paul. There, while in the line up, I had the good fortune to meet a like minded person who is attempting to farm organically using permaculture methods, very similar to me, only he does not raise as many animals. I am looking into perennial vegetables that will grow in this area for next spring and also will be planting an orchard of fruit trees as an experimental plot. The trees that do well will be repeated in another area along with berries, nuts and ground fruits. In the meantime, I am very thankful to my deceased friend, Bil, who designed the super easy trailer hitch and sold me his little wagon to go along with it. The boys at the processors were amused by the unusual mode of transport for the chickens, but whew, it was surely better than having them in the car with me- the chickens, not the boys! Some days I have the luxury of sleeping late and not doing too much when I do wake up. Today was that sort of day. It was cold last night, minus 10, but the sun was shining this morning and the temperature quickly rose to 14. What a gorgeous day. I put plywood up on the lamb shelter to break the south east wind and enclosed a portion on that side as well. In winter, some of the most brutal winds come from the south east. The sheep do not go into their shelter much except when the wind is bitterly cold and when there is a blizzard. They hunker down in the snow and their wooly coats keep them warm and toasty. In the morning there is a depression in the snow where their bodies have melted the crystals enough to hollow out a portion. The lambs do not do this so much, unless they are by their mothers, but the mothers will be breeding in a month and the lambs are too young, so they will remain separated this year. Lambs and their mothers recognize each other two years after being apart and perhaps even longer. It is a delight to see them celebrate their reunion of love. After that, I hung solar lights on the porch, and tiny ones on the arch way I created with a livestock panel earlier in the day. When the climbing rose is mature it will cover that arch, I am hoping. In between, the dogs got some raw liver, which they gobbled down, or at least Mikey and Joe did. The older dogs were not hungry at that time and lazed in the sun after working all night. It was chicken catching day today because the roosters are scheduled to go to the processors tomorrow morning, but I could not bring myself to catch them. I called my neighbour Dale, a most wonderful man who actually practices what he preaches. He is a Mormon and is the pastor! I am glad to know him and his wonderful family and I know when in need, I can call for help. I try not to abuse that privilege, and would also assist him if he should ever ask. He brought his nephew along and the two men caught the roosters and put them in the large dog kennel for the night. It is in the smart car wagon because the transmission of the truck broke and I cannot afford to repair it at this time. I am grateful to have the smart car wagon for times like this for sure. Dale and his nephew also caught the last 7 chickens that were roosting in the tree and I stuffed them in the coop to be imprisoned for the next 5 days until they know to come home to it at night. I would hate to lose those hens, those wonderful broody hens that raised wonderful chicks this summer. They were hard to catch too! Now they are safe and warm. Snow is not forecast until late November, yay!, a switch from last year, thank goodness, and temperatures are to remain mild until then too. Yahoo! More chores were completed during the day, then the dishes were done when I came inside. I cooked Portabella mushrooms with kale for supper and then had a bowl of popcorn. The moon is stunning tonight, illuminating the sky and the Earth. Isn't life grand? Some of the chickens roost in the pine tree. They will not come down either. I have tried to shoo them with a broom and they fly out and come right back. So, Travis and I were chicken catching last night. I got the 10 foot ladder and a flashlight. We located the mother with four chicks, the rooster and two hens. Since it was late and dark, the chickens were fast asleep and they do sleep soundly. Travis climbed the ladder and got the rooster first. What a noise he made. I took him from Travis and was going to put him in the coop but Travis came down and took him. I was surprised at how heavy he was for a bantam. He is my favourite roo, good with the ladies, protective, and always finding food for them. He does not eat it, but makes his chipmunk noise to call them over, then he dances for them. It is rather endearing, except the two times he jumped on my leg with his spurs. The only thing is, his spurs froze off last winter, so there was no real damage. I smacked him and had to do it again and now he gives me a wide berth, but still does his little dance and beak wiping. The second group down was the mother and four chicks, only there was a deposit from one of the chicks which landing right on Travis's cheek. Gross! Yuk! The broody escaped along with the Japanese Bantam rooster. We then went to the other tree where the 10 chicks the broody hatched roost. We caught a few of them and went back to get one more little rooster later. Today I note that the remainder of the chicks now are roosting in the pine tree with the adults we did not catch last night. The ladder is still there, so maybe tomorrow I will climb it and see if I can get a few more. It is far easier with two people though. The catch from last night is locked in the chicken coop for a few days to get them comfortable there. I gave them food and water and a bone and picked them some green grass too. They even have a heat lamp! Luxury hotel, that pink coop is. Now, tomorrow the Ameraucana roosters have to be caught and put in a kennel to be taken to the processors. I am attempting to psyche myself up for that one, but truth be known, I am still afraid of the chickens in an enclosed building due to an unfortunate incident that traumatized me as a young child. I have come far, but catching chickens in a closed coop is pushing my comfort level. Stay tuned! There are many different breeds of sheep and each one has its good and bad traits. Shetland sheep are very small when they are little and develop a bit slower than some other breeds. The little red ewe is so pretty and looks very Shetland, but she is a Barbados/Shetland/Icelandic cross actually. Barbados sheep are very small and primitive too, while the Icelandics are larger, though not large sheep. The little Cotswold ewes are quiet and docile compared to the Icelandics. The Jacob twins, both sets, are quite small as well, Jacobs being a small breed of sheep. Babydoll Southdowns are extra cute with their little smiling faces and small stature. The E'st a Laine/Costwold ewe lambs are the largest by far, but they are still so cute. One thing they all share in common is that they are adorable. It is hard to have a favourite, because the ewe lambs are sweet. Robbie is a smart dog and as such, he is also a pain in the butt. He has a mind of his own and although he wants to please more than anything else, he gets a bit carried away with doing his own thing, things that are not necessarily what I want him to do. He is not allowed to go out chasing coyotes and other predators because he is not a livestock guardian and is small in comparison, though he is fast. The one time he did go out with the LGDs, he came back chewed up with a strip of skin ripped off his hide. So, he is tied when he is not with me or working. Today a neighbour came for a farm tour with her daughter in law and two grandchildren. Robbie was a star! He rounded up the sheep and brought them closer to us, but the highlight was that a fox was spotted outside the sheep pen. Robbie caught sight of it from the corner of his eye, as did I, and looked to me for instructions. I told him to go get it and he jumped three 4 foot fences and chased the fox into the bush, then came back when he was called. He was impressive and well behaved for a change and the visitors were absolutely enthralled with him. He was the star of the day! Later, after they left, Robbie came with me into the goat pen and was told to hold, so he parked in the goat summer house and watched. He is only two. Hopefully by the time he is mature, whenever that will actually be, he will be able to be trusted without having to be tied up without supervision. Good dog, today , my Robbie! Good boy! Most of my chickens fly very well, too well actually. They have preferred to roost in the pine tree and oak tree over the summer, not the chicken coop. Well, that is fine in the summer when it is warm outside, but the temperature is dropping at night. Soon these vagrant birds will have to be caught and brought to the coop, then locked in for a two or three weeks. Yuk! I do not look forward to that time. The coop will be stinky and need to be cleaned out if it has not frozen yet..a job I detest. But the option, frozen solid chicken, is not appealing either. The Ameraucanas do come down to roost, but the bantams all roost in the trees and the Guinea hens too. In this photo the Ameraucana hens were trying to escape the rooster and keep flying higher in the elm tree. They are about 15 feet high ! Now that Minnie and Tasha are gone (the Berkshire pigs who ate the ducks and chickens), the chickens can range freely in the former pen where the pigs last were and glean the barley from the ground, without fear of being eaten. The lambs do no mind at all having the Ameraucanas visit. The chickens actually sit right on the lambs from time to time. I suppose with the weather a little cooler, the feel of a warm wooly coat under the toes is more comforting than the dirty ground. At least I would think so if I was a chicken. The other chickens, the bantams, do not intermingle with the Ameraucanas, but they soon will have to because it is getting too cold to roost in the trees. The Guinea fowl have take to tree sleeping too, so they will have to be taken down. Anyhow, isn't it lovely, the lambs and hens and roosters, together just relaxing? Yeah! |
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AuthorFluffy writes daily about the experiences on the farm and with the bed and breakfast patrons. Archives
October 2020
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