Animals
To this:
Last year, our local paper ran a short article about the goldfinch and posed the question of where they go in the winter...as this brilliant yellow bird is no longer seen. I guess not everyone realizes that they actually stay here all winter....and simply change to their winter wardrobe. We keep our thistle feeders full and enjoy these tiny birds all year long.
- Fur Coat Ettiquette
The questions that you posed a couple weeks ago continue to provide me withsubject matter for this time when not much is happening on the farm. Since it has been so incredibly cold this week,it's a good time to address this next question. Annie V....
- Growing Chickens
I am happy to say that the hens that arrived as just-hatched-chickson April 1st are laying now. Every day I am getting 2 ½ to 3 dozen eggs. Lovely, aren't they?I love an egg carton full of eggs of varied color and size. Hubbs takes our eggs to...
- In A Fog
We spent yesterday in a fog.Literally.(And you thought I might be referring to our state of mind!) From the time of sunrise right through to sunset,the day stayed murky and gray,rainy, drizzly, unseasonably warm...55 degrees. Everyone took shelter...
- Elvis Is Singing A New Song
Here's Elvis, out with his gals and he's singing a new song! "It's now or never......" he croons. Elvis is as concerned as I am about our hens' dwindling egg production. Ever since that dog attack several weeks ago, production has been...
- Not All Chicks Are The Same!!
Last week we had a chicken tragedy. It seems, that at some point in the evening as the chickens were out free-ranging, two of the neighbors' dogs came onto our farm and had a killing spree. Several of our beautiful layers fell prey to these frenzied,...
Animals
Sure Signs of Autumn
Suddenly, the weather has turned. A chill is in the air...one that stays all day long. The leaves are changing and falling to the ground. The birds have started flocking. The ponies are starting to grow their wooly coats. I could go on and on. I love the subtle signs of season change that living on the farm allows me to observe. One of those is the goldfinch's color change...from their brilliant yellow in Spring and Summer to their drab khaki of Fall and Winter.
From this:
To this:Last year, our local paper ran a short article about the goldfinch and posed the question of where they go in the winter...as this brilliant yellow bird is no longer seen. I guess not everyone realizes that they actually stay here all winter....and simply change to their winter wardrobe. We keep our thistle feeders full and enjoy these tiny birds all year long.And while we are on the subject of birds.....I thought I would bring you up to date on our older hens. You might remember that we had a dog attack that killed several of my gals. It was then mandated of our neighbor by the police to replace our dead chickens with ones of equal age and quality. What was delivered to us was 12 very sad looking hens, with pale, droopy combs. Even their feathers were very dull looking. However, after a few months with my other hens, these new gals have brightened up and are looking great.
I only get 7 to 10 eggs a day (from a total of 30 layers) so I suspect that only these new girls are laying. I also suspect that there truly is such a thing as post traumatic stress disorder amongst chickens.....and that mine might be suffering from that. However, after extensive therapy and thousands of dollars to a chicken psychiatrist.....I have come to the conclusion that therapy is not working.
Hubbs thinks that maybe Yoga might help........Hmmmmmm, I'll have to think about that. Another option........chicken soup.
- Fur Coat Ettiquette
The questions that you posed a couple weeks ago continue to provide me withsubject matter for this time when not much is happening on the farm. Since it has been so incredibly cold this week,it's a good time to address this next question. Annie V....
- Growing Chickens
I am happy to say that the hens that arrived as just-hatched-chickson April 1st are laying now. Every day I am getting 2 ½ to 3 dozen eggs. Lovely, aren't they?I love an egg carton full of eggs of varied color and size. Hubbs takes our eggs to...
- In A Fog
We spent yesterday in a fog.Literally.(And you thought I might be referring to our state of mind!) From the time of sunrise right through to sunset,the day stayed murky and gray,rainy, drizzly, unseasonably warm...55 degrees. Everyone took shelter...
- Elvis Is Singing A New Song
Here's Elvis, out with his gals and he's singing a new song! "It's now or never......" he croons. Elvis is as concerned as I am about our hens' dwindling egg production. Ever since that dog attack several weeks ago, production has been...
- Not All Chicks Are The Same!!
Last week we had a chicken tragedy. It seems, that at some point in the evening as the chickens were out free-ranging, two of the neighbors' dogs came onto our farm and had a killing spree. Several of our beautiful layers fell prey to these frenzied,...