Farm Babies Update

Poor Tessa, our Bourbon Red was so upset when we removed her eggs. None of them were any good and were VERY stinky. Cleaned out her nesting area really well and she just walked around the pen looking sad. The next morning she was sitting in her nesting area. Later in the day she was still sitting. Last night she was still there. This morning she was still there so I gave in . I got some fresh straw so she could make a good nest and I gave her 4 hen eggs to sit on. She took them just fine and seems to be happily sitting on her nest. I know I should have just let her mourn and get on with life but I felt so sorry for her not hatching any babies and that she was still sitting hoping . As for the geese, Bonnie and Clyde there are no babies yet or at least I haven't seen any and I am not about to go check under her! Tessa is gentle but Bonnie would take my fingers off while Clyde took the rest of me! Sold more baby bunnies in the past few days and still have more that will soon be ready for new homes. The baby chicks are doing great and running around scratching everywhere.We got rain last night! Finally all the pollen is washed off everything and the gardens have taken off! The strawberries are blooming. We got radishes yesterday and they were so sweet! Soon the lettuce and spinach will be ready to pick. Got my rosemary set out this morning. All the other herbs are doing so well. I need to cut some of my parsley as its growing everywhere. The peppermint and spearmint has came back in full force and needs to be thinned out before it takes over everything. Thyme, and basil are getting so big. All the herbs are looking so good this year and can't wait to dehydrate some for winter. Speaking of cold weather we are having what I call a Dogwood winter. It turned cold after the rain last night and I actually wore a jacket today. Suppose to start warming back up tomorrow. After the several days in the 90's this cold spell was a shock but sure made for some good sleeping weather.
My daughter Melody is going to have to give up Baby E and her brother J. The mother is moving back to her husband's home in a different town. Please keep the babies in your prayers as their dad was a bad dad to them before the mom left. She went to a shelter for awhile and Melody helped her find a job and a place to live. She also had Baby E from the time she was 3 and a half weeks old. Its going to be hard to let them go but even harder knowing what they are going back to and that they will be too far away to make sure they are okay.
Hope everyone has a very blessed weekend. You will find me in the gardens or keeping the bird feeders filled. I have around 15 feeders and the birds don't seem to think its enough!

I'm Not Worried

My feathered friends are worried because Thanksgiving is just around the corner. I'm not.

Everybody knows you don't eat weather turkeys for Thanksgiving dinner. Right? I mean who would want to eat a handsome turkey like me. I better try to lose some weight in a hurry.

Killer is sitting on eggs again. She always picks the nesting box that all the hens like laying eggs in. Each day I have to reach under her to get the fresh eggs out and make sure her eggs are still marked. Each day Killer uses her beak to grab some skin on my hand and not only bite but twist the skin as hard as she can. She leaves blood blisters on my hand. Thus the name Killer. She seems to have forgotten the day she got into a fight with another hen. The day she let me doctor and pet her. The day she sat in my lap and took a nap. I think I am going to wear a pair of gloves tomorrow and see what she does.

Fred seems to think the air conditioner in the living room window is talking to him. He stands under the a/c and gobbles at it. Ethel just follows him wherever he goes and doesn't seem to think its strange he talks to air conditioners. I chase him away from the a/c and go get Juliet.
She was standing outside the handyman's back door waiting on him to come out so she could follow him around and drool. And as I am walking her back home Fred is back talking to the air conditioner. I sure can't ever say its boring around here! Do you see all the leaves on the ground? They have been falling for weeks. They aren't suppose to be falling yet. They are suppose stay green on the trees until fall and then change colors before falling.Where have our seasons gone?

Whats Going On Around the Homestead

Moved the young chicks to the teen pen. They were happy to be outside after being kept inside all the time.

Elvis, Priscilla ,Marie and Ann Margaret weren't too happy to have to give up the teen dorm and move into the big chicken pen. They didn't like being the new ones in the neighborhood.
The guineas were upset at all the change and started pacing and screaming. They are still in prison and have another 5 weeks before they are released. That is if they stay on good behavior.
Fred noticed the new family moving in the big chicken neighborhood and wasn't happy. He had to show Elvis that he was the head honcho by strutting his stuff.
Fa, one of the bunnies from the first litter found out he could jump and get up in the top part of his condo. Each time I put him down he jumped back up. So I gave up and left him there. He seemed to enjoy watching the chickens from his new perch.
The new baby bunnies are doing great. Even little Willy, the one that I had to bring in and warm up. Flower has always let me hold her babies, carry them around and then bring them back so I knew she would take little Willy back after he got warm.

Thumper is waiting for his back rub. He gets one every morning and evening when I feed. He will back up to my hand and wait. When I start rubbing his back he will start licking my arm like he is giving me a bath.
Betsy and Snow White are still fighting over who sits on what eggs. I put a divider in between them hoping that would solve things. Now they just climb over it and try to roll the eggs back to their nest. They don't want the other sitting on any eggs!
John Henry is on parole for the night and heading up the ladder to roost. He will go back out of the pen in the morning so he won't bother the hens.
Some of the other chickens decided to turn in a little early this evening. Guess they had a busy day and were tired.