I knew it was going to be a weird day when.....

I knew it was going to be a weird day when it started off with geese in the rear view....

Geese in the rear view. 

These two ganders goosed me for the very last time. Actually they had been beating up on OD, the old and cranky monarch of the barnyard. We have had an ongoing goose-cage-fight for the last couple of months and I finally was at my bitter end.

Not only have they been extremely aggressive toward me - and OD our main gander - but they have also been bothering poor Lucky. Our Dog#2 has been having problems with his mobility and has been cornered a couple times by ornery geese... I've had to send the rest of The Dog Horde out to protect their brother.

This is why you are leaving, honker.

Between the screaming, the biting, the random goosing, and them picking on the dog we decided we were going to reduce our goose number by half. These two drew the short straws. Also, I mighta sworn a blood oath to my fake brother that I'd never get rid of OD. That was before I knew that geese can live to be 20 years or more. Twenty.Years.

So I loaded up the extra ganders and took them up to the Mt. Hope Auction.

Of course they were perfect angels the whole way up there. It didn't change my plans a bit.

If you haven't been up Mt. Hope lately I'll let you know that the poultry auction is now in the lower parking lot, in the back, in the hoop barn.

The process was really easy peasy. Just like with the goats I just zoomed right up there early in the morning. The livestock auction starts at 11am and the poultry sale starts at 1pm. I think I was there about 10am. The goal is to get there before the auction starts. You can drop off on Tuesday evening but that doesn't work out for us because of the long long long long LONG drive. So I just get up early and hit the road as soon as I can.

I had to wander around a bit before another woman and I, also wandering around, looked at each other simultaneously and said, "What are you looking for?" We were both looking for the poultry sale. A random man who happened to be passing by answered and told us where to go. I just loved that - folks are friendly and approachable around here. It helps to remember this when trying new things. Folks are happy to help and no one is going to treat you badly if you are standing there looking around confused.

I re-moved the car, hopped out by the hoop barn, and walked up to the table and asked what to do. A very nice man told me it was OK to park where I was and to put the geese in the cages. So I did. I returned to the table and he took my name and address, gave me a tag to put on the cage, and that was it. I took my receipt, ran for the car, and drove away fast. I didn't even wave goodbye to those honkers. I didn't even feel bad.

The auction process is really easy. But why didn't I just list those geese on craigslist? Are you kidding - then I wouldn't have an excuse to go to Mrs. Yoder's. It may not be a surprise to you... but I killed it at the buffet. Again. No one made any money that day at that hallowed shrine to fried chicken.

By my third plate of chicken I had shamed the men next to me, horrified the obvious dieters who were there "for the salad bar," and there was a mob of little Am-lets cheering me on. When the waitress came around and asked what I wanted for dessert I told her, "Another piece of chicken."  I tell you the truth, I did not eat dinner last nite and at this writing, the next morning, I'm still not hungry.

I also found a fun new place to get fried pies... Hershberger Farms has fried pies by the gross. I got a box of them. Very very delicious.

So now I'm just sitting around waiting for my big winnings to show up in the mail. I'm hoping that I'll get enough from the sale to cover my gas to drive up there... or my lunch. But even if I get $1 each for those geese the honk-less quiet is worth it.

Happy Thursday everyone! Did you rid yourself of angry geese? Get some fried chicken? Buy an unnecessary number of fried pies?

So, OD tried to drown that little rooster in a bucket.....

I honestly didn't think this story could get any weirder but it did. I honestly didn't think our funny little farm could get any weirder but it did. Yesterday was a new high - or low as the case may be.

OD our Demon Gander, assassin, from several years ago. 

That gander we have, OD, he and I have a complicated relationship. I love him. I hate him. I love to hate him.... I hate to love him. Mostly this time of year I really really hate him. You remember the story of when we first got him, right? The geese are extremely aggressive right now because our lady goose, Cindy Lou, has made a nest. The two younger ganders and OD have ratcheted up their protective instincts and nothing is safe.

Not only are they trying to kill me every time I go out to feed them or put them up for the night - they are also trying to kill everyone and everything else outside. Zander thinks this is hilarious and thinks teasing the geese is the funniest thing every. Kai thinks this is hilarious and goes out looking for a fight.... but unlike Zander, she is serious about it.  Poor Lucky, hobbling along like he is, is not fast enough to get away so we all usually have to save him from those mean geese.  Ti has had enough of all of their hijinks.

I'm always getting the stink eye from that guy.

The geese are so aggressive that I've been holding back a story because I didn't believe anyone would believe me. But believe you me this happened... the other day I heard a ruckus and I looked out to find that chicken killing hawk on the ground fighting all four geese!  Friends, I'm here to tell you that is a fight she cannot win. I couldn't believe my own eyes. We rushed outside but she flew straight up and got away. The geese were not injured.

I swear to you that happened.

I thought that was the most unbelievable goose story ever. But that isn't even the weirdest thing to happen. Yesterday morning, before chores, I heard various flapping and figured the geese were just yelling at each other. But Titan hopped up, in alarm, and so we ran out there.  I have learned to always believe the dog.

We rushed over to the Turkey House (where the geese are) and threw open the door. Ti and I both stood there slack-jawed and buggy eyed to see OD trying to drown that new little rooster in a bucket!

Me: WHAT ARE YOU DOING!?!!

OD: *spits a mouthful of feathers out* Wut?

I honestly didn't know if he had killed that little rooster or not. Ti and I sprang to action. There was a fight, actual hand to hand combat... and then goose to dog combat.... OD was not winning that one.

Quickly I called the dog back and booted that goose out of the Turkey House.

That little rooster lay in a heap.

"Um... you OK there little Buddy?" I asked. I mighta poked him a little with my boot. He rallied.

The Demon Roo of ThatOtherCounty was not so tough as it seems. Getting his tail feathers kicked by an overgrown duck kinda took the shine off his he-man machismo.  For the record, he still hasn't tried to make a run at me. And yeah we still have him because The Big Man was called into work on his 'free' day. But soon we'll end up with that smaller than expected dinner we'd been promised.

Anyway.

I have no idea how OD got into the roo's coop. I have no idea why he was trying to drown him in a bucket. And I have no idea what is going to happen next.

All I know is that we have a very very very odd little life and I couldn't make this stuff up if I tried.

Happy Friday everyone! Are there poultry fisticuffs at your place? Have you ever seen anything like this before?

Goose Lips

Remember the other day there was a perfect tomato and I was going to run right out and get it for lunch? Yeah. This.

Goose Lips.

Someone tried to eat it and based on the bite marks I'm going to say...... goose lips! OD!!!!

Happy Saturday everyone! Is there a goose loose in your garden? Did it bite your big tomato?

Goose Salad

Yesterday I went out to plant my tray of perfectly sprouted, ready for action lettuce. I've been dying for real salad and my victory was close... But instead of finding my tray of sprouts, I found this....

Destroyed. Gone.

I looked around for the perpetrators. I found them.

Guilty.

Dang. Nothing is more disheartening then having your gardening efforts thwarted by badly behaved poultry. Nothing. 

So what do you do when you have a barnyard full of flying monkeys who live only to destroy everything you put your hand to?  As always... the best you can.

Hoops with netting are protecting the broccoli and bok choi.

Sure you can fence poultry out of your garden but they will always find their way in... so while fencing is your first step it is not your last. I've had terrific success using hoops. Cutting up fencing might make you grind your teeth but it's better than finding all your seedlings scattered. Using hoops also keeps the dogs from trampling everything.

If you really want to do it up right then add netting. It might seem like a high cost way to grow vegetables but you can reuse these materials over and over. Plus you can use hoops and plastic or row covers to extend your gardening season.

I find that somewhat low hoops are best - that way the chickens can't easily get under the hoops and scratch around. For two or three row plantings I cut the fence so there are 5 full holes in the fence piece.... and cut each end piece in the center of the hole.  This way there are pointy end pieces that I can push into the ground to hold them in place.

As for what happened to my my lettuce..... instead of putting the tray up on the table I put it on a low bench. And then walked away. That was my error. I need to put all of my seedlings at least hip high to discourage them from becoming goose salad.

What happened to the geese? Nothing. I glared at them.

I'm going to see if I can plant the shattered remains of the seedlings - they might grow yet. But if the geese keep it up my first salad my indeed be goose salad... if you know what I mean.

Happy Thursday everyone! Did your goose get your salad?

I'm so in trouble!

Oh no!!! Look what happened!

Handful of trouble.

Um... no one tell my husband that my momma goose, Cindy Lou, hatched a lone gosling. I wasn't supposed to have any more gooses! Or gooselings!  Dang.... maybe I could disguise this little cutie as a baby turkey?

Quick people! I have some 'splainin' to do! I need an alibi! Plausible deniability! Some kind of rational explanation for how this happened. I could say that someone did a "drive by goosing" and left this little lumpkins by the gate!

I'm totally in trouble. Zoikes!

Happy Thursday everyone!  Are you in trouble?

Three Eggs

The gravel is loaded out and today is going to be terrific! We might have a couple days until spring officially starts but today is going to be just like it. This morning it's still below freezing but when the sun comes up all you will here is the sound of our buckets being filled with maple sap!

One regular egg, one pullet egg, and one goose egg.

Yesterday the sap was really running and today it should be gushing from the trees. My first order of business will be to go around and take up the buckets. The next will be to go around and take up the eggs.

Cindy Lou Goose started laying eggs a couple days ago. I could have told you that from the goosey behavior out there. Yesterday I spent half my time chasing the geese away from anyone in their path. They are totally on a rampage.

 Cindy is the all white one with the tub of ganders.

The males get very protective of Cindy this time of year. Which means OD spent all day yesterday chasing "fat and sweaty" creepy meats. I'm not sure what he thought the danger was - maybe that they would waddle over and look blankly at Cindy? I dunno. But since OD is a confirmed chicken killer I'll have to keep my eye on them.

But one thing is for sure... there will be eggs. So many eggs. We are definitely back in the egg business.

I want to thank my friend, K, over at Homesteading Housewives for posting this terrific recipe for a goose egg custard. Goose egg custard? Are you kidding me? Nope. How fun is that? Can you use goose eggs for cooking? Sure! Generally one goose eggs is equal to 3 regular sized chicken eggs. This recipe calls for two goose eggs - which I happen to have.

The Warden won't let me have anymore geese - tho you know how much I love them. So I'll be looking for ways to use them up. This custard sounds like a terrific place to start.

Happy Tuesday everyone - are you so excited for Spring to start? Do you have goose eggs? What are you doing with them?

Little Gooses

No time to talk - it's going to be another hot one and I need to get everyone out as soon as possible. So here are some little gooses.

Small, medium, and large gooses.

I love this picture of one of the younger ganders, momma goose Cindy Lou, and one of the fuzzbutts. They are all roaming around the yard these days. The little ones are sturdy enough to be out and about.

 Aren't they cute? 

We are still keeping the little ones, Cindy, and OD in the hen house at nite because we have not caught that predator yet. In addition to our mink hunting efforts we went on a big rat killing spree - there was a huge rat harvest and our retribution was dire. We'll keep it up until there is no more strange digging in the turkey house.

They have issues a special weather statement "until further notice" that says it will be hot and horribly humid for a while. We are expecting temperatures in the 90*'s and the heat index to be around 100*. Don't forget to implement your extreme hot weather livestock care tips - including making "swamp coolers" by putting a bucket of cold water in front of a fan.

I'm getting the troops out early. I hope they wake up our bad neighbors. I'm still mad about finding that bottle rocket in my garden. Harumph.

Happy Tuesday everyone - are you keeping cool?

More Baby Gooses

A few shots of the little meepin' cuties out there. I think we ended up with 5....

There was one trying to pip out but I don't think he made it. Cindy Lou Goose is still staying with the nest but she is going to have to quit it soon. The little ones are really lively and running around. Kai and Zander think the "squeaky toys" are amazing. You can bet there is going to be a lot of supervision around here.

Unfortunately the younger ganders have been given the boot from the nursery. For most of this hatching they have been standing guard with OD... but yesterday they started fighting with him. While I was busting up a brawl one of the younger ganders rushed in, grabbed one of the babies - and threw him!

So you can bet I snatched that bad gander up, using my modified-sumo-half-nelson-tricky-goose-grab, and marched him right out of the yard. So they are very upset now. They will be even more upset when I set them out by the road with Nibbles' "Free to a BAD Home" sign.

In other news, we've had spectacular weather the last couple of days. I know that it will change starting today when we'll be at least 90*.... but these last blue sky, low humidity days.... just like heaven.

Happy Friday everyone! What are you doing on this longest day of the year?

Goosling

I knew something was going on yesterday when the geese didn't come storming out of their coop. They were also silent as church mice for most of the day. Initially I thought that Cindy was quitting her nest because I didn't think her eggs were good....but then I checked and this is what I found....

What a sweet baby face!

I love baby geese. Of all the baby poultry they are my favorite. They immediately emerge from their shells with a lampshade on their head and from then on they are the life of the party. They are hilarious. Everything is amazing to them and they take every opportunity to run around making little meeping noises. They drive their parents crazy - which makes it even funnier.

Let's zoom in a little....

We think there were 3 little hatchlings last nite. I couldn't see anymore this morning but it's still early. We'll see what happens today - hopefully something very cute.

And yes, spelling nazis...stop your twitching and no, you do not need to send me an email.  I know it's "gosling" but if you search on that you get some actor named Ryan and he just is not as cute as baby geese at all.

Happy Thursday everyone! Do you have something cute happening there? The SuperBad moon is happening later this week - if you have anyone due to hatch, kid, or lamb it could be soon!

Scenes from the First Work Day

Finally! Yesterday I got to work outside - the whole day. It was sunny and not snowing! The Never Ending Winter is losing its grip.....

 Nibbles lookin' very large indeed.

My biggest priority was shoveling out the right side of the Turkey House so we can install Nibbles. She's due to have her babies on our about April 6. But she's looking pretty darn large right now. I don't know if she'll make it that long.

Nibs' little legs are about to buckle under all that weight.

Of course we are doing The Critter Shuffle.... the ducks got evicted from that side of the Turkey House and they are pretty mad about it. But that will be short lived. Very soon our visiting drake will go to his new home. The lady ducks need to get acquainted with the very dapper runner drakes so those gals need to move back to the hen yard.

Keep it up, TZ, and you will be the star of Easter dinner.

The turkeys will stay where they are - for now. TurkZilla has been super aggressive and always on display lately. He's starting to give the ladies a little of the ol' 23-Skiddo... if you know what I mean. We are on the lookout for turkey eggs.  But TZ had better watch his P's & Q's.. I'm about sick of him coming after me. I'm not above having a turkey for Easter dinner.

I love Cindy's beautiful nest.

Next in line for the "Oh Please Pick Me For the Pot" are the geese. Our head gander, OD, and That Speckled One are chasing me all over the darn place. Cindy Lou has started a nest so the ganders are all in a lather. Bunch of hissing galoots! I had just about enough of them and locked them all (except for Cindy) in the turkey coop just so I could get some peace and get my work done. Cindy sat on her beautiful nest.

There was a lot to shovel out of the Turkey House - a long winter's worth of bedding. I had some combination of dogs with me at all time because I knew what lurked deep in the piles of barnyard litter..... When those rats finally made their move they were verily smited and their ruin was thrown down before me. Titan was well pleased with himself - and got a huge meaty bone for this efforts.

The ones that got away will soon meet their doom. Zander and Kai will see what they can dig up today. We need to get all those stupid rats out of the Turkey House before Nibble's little MoneyMakers.... I mean... adorable baby goats arrive. I'm thinking she has at least 4 babies this time. And no we do NOT need to go for another record breaking, boat sinking, net busting haul of babies this time.

Looks like we just got above freezing so I'm gonna get saddled up and head out - we are going to hunt some rats.

Happy Saturday everyone!  Anyone else working outside today?

Snow Day - the Goose Edition

We are still swarmed in snow. Snow snow snow and more snow. Snow everywhere. No one is happy. Well. I gotta say the geese are not unhappy.

We had a couple days where it was just too cold to handle. One day the windchill barely made it above 0* So everyone - including the geese were cooped up. But yesterday's heatwave - a heady 26* - allowed the bold to flippityflop directly out and into the snow.  They loved it.

The geese don't mind the cold weather a bit. Someone asked me once if it was OK for the geese to be out in the snow. Um... I know someone with an expedition level sleeping bag rated for -20*. Guess what it's filled with? Yep. Goose down. These geese are just fine at 26* and fluffy snow.

Chores are a bit easier on snowy days. About 3:30pm the turkeys and the chickens pretty much give it up and put themselves to bed. These geese tho.... I usually have to chase them around.

Today we have another round of snow coming. Then there will be more snow. Anybody else sick of this white stuff?

Happy Monday everyone!

Crazy Poultry

All of my birds are crazy. Absolutely nuts, if I were to tell you the truth. I think it's because of all the warm days we've had. They might think its spring.

She was giving that "other" turkey the stink eye.

This is Runner, one of my favorite turkey hens. She spent all day "fighting" a new turkey who had moved into her turf. It was an epic battle. She strutted and displayed and snarled and pecked the tarnation right off that other hen.

Who was of course just her reflection in the bumper of the truck.

See how Runner is all puffed up and has her tail displayed?

Last nite I went out to find my other turkey hen strutting around and displaying at her arch nemisis... the wood pile. Something about that fire wood just didn't set right with her and she was fit to be tied.

And then there's the geese. They are always nuts but more so lately. OD, the main gander, has been trying to get ahold of me the last couple of nites. As I'm trying to close their coop door he snakes out his neck, hissing at me, and tries to grab my leg. I have a scar on my arm to prove that he bites pretty hard. The dog doesn't like OD's new game at all. There could be a tussle if that crazy goose keeps it up.

Ganders in the tub. Cindy looks on in wonderment.

Today we are getting a break from the rain - but that just means there's tons of mud. No one is happy but the ducks and they think its great. It's a big flippity, floppity good time out there for them.

Happy Tuesday everyone!

ps Oh! and check it out... I added a new link along the top between "What I know about pigs" and the new store called, "Not Entirely Fiction."  I put all my adventure tails there - linking them at the end of the stories was getting a little complicated. And don't worry, FF, I'm working on Part 3 of The Horn of Battle.

Comings and goings

Actually its mostly "goings."  We've had a few losses - some of the old guard.

Penny is the beautiful grey Toulouse shown here with the flock. 

Our old momma goose, Penny, finally passed. She'd been poorly since this summer. All Penny ever wanted to do was lay eggs and set a nest. She was a great momma. Mated to our ornery gander, OD, we were the pair's third owners. We think they had to be at least 10, but probably 12. They came to us as "used poultry" from my pal, Bourbon Red.

Since geese mate for life we were afraid that OD would be lost with her. Even tho OD was a philandering gander and had spent time in the tabloids for his exploits. Earlier this summer we encouraged him to team up with Cindy and the two young ganders. Penny spent most of her time sitting and enjoying the sun while the others roamed around. However, the other morning was so wet and cold that we kept her inside in the dry straw. We found her later that day.  A fine end to a long life.

Our other loss was Franhilde. She was one of our original 5 hens. Probably the only "Easter egger" who laid white eggs. For heavens sakes. I was surprised by her passing tho. Earlier in the week I was noticing how spry she was and how well she was doing. However, she was at least 12. Franhilde gained notoriety as my standard bearer in this epic tale. 

As far as new arrivals, the goaties are all doing well. They are all changing in shape - even Dahlia. So hopefully this spring there will be a horde of baby goats. Mission accomplished, Too Short!

That's the news here. Happy Saturday! Is everyone avoiding the shopping malls? Or are you headed for the madness?

Goings on

Yesterday I reported that there were "goings on" going on out there in the barnyard. Well. Its true.

These pictures just in. Miss Duck and OD the gander out there in the field. Its clearly a dangerous liaison.

You'll remember the scandal that ruined OD's career last year when he was romantically linked to Miss Dash. That barnyard bad boy just doesn't learn. He says that rehab is for chumps and the only drug he's on is called "OD." And he's a total rock star from Mars. And the only thing he's addicted to right now is winning.

In the meantime he's hired one of his drinking buddies to be his new PR guy and has been lining up dates for an upcoming tour. Its reported that he's going to take Miss Duck, who he calls his "goddess" on tour while he leaves his shocked mate, Penny the Goose at home to take care of the eggs. Sources close to his camp say that he's going to request full custody of the eggs. Penny and the other geese seem to be distancing themselves from this philandering gander but all "wish him well."

There's more to this story - stay tuned.

And don't forget Farm Friends Friday! Thanks to Verde Farms for this fun blog hop! Hop on over and check out new farm buddies.

Happy Friday everyone!

Killer...I mean... silly gooses

I have to tell you, friends, I love our geese. Really. They are absolutely hilarious, especially today. I don't know what it is about these big goofy birds. I'd have a whole field of them if I could.

Here are a few happy snaps of our feathered friends...

 

The Meeps in the morning sun. Remember when they were so little and cute?  DB (the grey Toulouse) and Little G (the white Embden/Roman Tufted) were the two goslings hatched too late to be accepted by our main flock. They were raised in our front garden and now reside with the goats during the day.

DB and Little G square off with OD and the rest of the main gaggle in their daily rumble at the fence line.  Mostly its just a big honking mess.

But OD, my arch nemesis, caught sight of me and tried to give me the business. Frustrated with having such short little legs and no ability to fly...

...he tried coming thru the fence at me. But his rage was denied and I lived to mock him for another day.

So they all just stood there and gave me funny looks...

...really, really funny looks.  Like I was completely out of my mind. Then they just shuffled away. I love those geese.

Any body else got crazy waterfowl?

A Miracle - quick look!

Quick look! It won't last! It's a miracle...

...Our flock of geese - being well behaved. 

Next - my nemesis for this week...

 ...pears... lots and lots of pears...

Happy fall canning everyone! We're not done yet!

Thursday Happy Snaps

We are having our (supposedly) last hot day and its been a doozy. But I got in a few more jars of tomato sauce and some salsa before we closed up the house and turned on the AC.

A few quick happy snaps of what's going on here....there has been a lot of cuteness:

I have a flock of geese! That's Penny in the lead.  The Meeps aren't little anymore - they are nearly full grown.

Remember little DB and Little G? Our Inside Meeps? This is DB now... he's a stunner.

Little Bianca hatched this little darling - we are calling him Happy. And he is. I'm betting he is a micro duck. He's little but fast!

Floppy, concentrating really hard on her nest while a couple of cuties pop around. She hatched 5 chicks in all. Three are this brown chipmunk stripe, one all white, and Red.  Floppy is a brown leghorn, which are normally not known for broodiness. I tried to get her out of the brooder this morning but she wasn't having any of that foolishness. She took the brood very hard and she needs to get up, move around, and get a dust bath.  The chicks are doing great tho.

And the pigz having a big time. 

Our Good Neighbors let us have several rows of spent corn. We cut the stalks down to a nub and gave the whole thing, stalk and ears, to the pigz. These two are growing really well. We are almost to the point where we will stop giving them hog feed and instead we will "finish" them on corn, milk, eggs, and fruit/veggies and whatever else we can find out of the gardens.

Silly goose...

What can you say about this?

What a silly little goose.

But he is cute as a bug - one of our "inside" Meeps... named DB for Dark Beak.  We think he'll end up being really Toulouse, like his momma, Penny.

Happy Friday!

New arrivals, Little Gooses, and Farm Notes

We have new arrivals! 

Quite possibly the most beautiful clutch of chicks we've ever had... Thanks Mrs. Dowlrimple! 

This barred rock sat thru the hottest days, face into the wind from the fan, determined to hatch.

There are 9 lovely little chicks - several barred rock mutts, a couple all blacks, and some absolutely stunning babies with coloring I have not seen before. Just like this chestnut beauty here:

You can barely see that she has tufted ears, clean legs, and is a perfect little puff ball.

And look who is so big!

Our inside Meeps - who are now the outside Meeps... are growing like weeds. They finally moved out of their cage in the basement and are outside in a brooder coop in the turkey house at night. We call them DB (Dark Beak) and Little G.  The other geese - OD and his crew - still don't show any interest in them, but we keep these little loves in the fenced front garden and out of harms way.  They spend the day eating grass and splashing around in their tub. We'll move them up to a kiddie pool soon.  Remember when they were so little!?!?

All of the little goslings are starting to get their first feathers - and they have some heft when you pick them up. DB still loves to snuggle - and he has so much personality. We say "he" because he seems bigger and much taller than the others. However, I can't tell males from females by "vent sexing" them - so we go by behavior and size.  They sure are cute. Still no explanation why DB has a dark beak and dark feet....when none of the other geese do. Humm... Penny, you might have some explanin' to do......

Farm Notes: (wow this has been a while!)
* The heat is ON... our hot weather has continued and is causing all kinds of problems. The cycle of hot and wet and hot and wet is great for the weeds.... and to get on my last nerve. The gardens need to dry out as everything is soggy and the blight has set in on the tomatoes.
* I have battling broodies right now - one of the Banty hens vs another barred rock. They have been fighting over a clutch of eggs...and the eggs are loosing. I moved Mrs. Dowlrimple and the new babies into the center brooder....and put the other barred rock in her place. I hope she sits back down. Nothing but chaos in the laying boxes....and those ladies are hiding their eggs.
* I was off farm for a while last week - and came home with a nasty sickness (thanks "civilization") so now I'm about two weeks behind. Everything has been growing like weeds - including the weeds and I've had to abandon the idea of getting a few more beds in. Now I need to get busy and start fall produce seeds.
* The potatoes are doing great! We'll dig some as needed and leave some in the ground to cure for storage later. Also the pumpkins are taking over that hillside and will be spilling over into the potato beds soon.
* The squash bugs have been on a rampage - but not doing as much damage as before. We've had some losses - but may have managed to save PumkinZilla. I'll harvest what I can and then rip out what is hopeless. We spent some time taking off leaves that had those stupid copper colored eggs on them - and burned them. Hopefully we'll stem the tide of new squash bugs. The guineas seem to be doing alright.
* The goats are starting to come off their peak milk production. We got some better, more alfalfa-y hay. That has helped. We also need to wean Ginger completely off Debbie.
* Hens are also off their peak production. The heat stresses them .... and they don't lay as much. And... like I said, they are hiding the eggs. I found a huge clutch in the garage. 
* Ducks, ducks, and more ducks. Miss Puddles' babies are doing great. When I left they were the size of golf balls... now they look like ducklings. She seems to be doing better - and not going down to the pond and leaving the little ones in a heap by the duck garage!  The other lady ducks are laying so I'm getting several eggs a day. Oh the custards they make! And just a joy for baking.
* Bramble, our second best turkey hen, has a terrible wound under her wing. Since she likes to lay in the brambles (hence the name) we think Foxy Brown got her. Thankfully she escaped but not without being scalped on one side tho. She is cooling her heels in the bachelor coop -- the first cool day we get those jakes are getting the axe -- so she'll have the place to herself and we hope she'll start another nest.
* Runner, the turkey hen, and The Kindergarten are a hoot. Runner has taken to chasing the guineas.... and also Little Nibbles! When I open the gate to let Nibbles up to milk, Runner makes a mad bee-line and chases her off. The dogs think this is hilarious.

That's all the news that is fit to print. Happy Summer everyone!

BARNYARD SCANDAL!

This just in!  Barnyard Tonite reports a salacious new scandal. Sources close to the barnyard report that OD, the gander, was involved in an affair with a DUCK....while his mate, Penny, set her nest!

Compromising pictures were anonymously sent to BYZ (BarnYard Zone) showing OD engaged in a romantic affair with Miss Dash! The two were seen canoodling by the gate but denied that they were there together.

But then these shocking photos revealed the truth:

We see OD leering at Dash by the turkeys while a shocked Daisy looks on.

A witness on the scene, Daisy, said they looked awfully cozy together. Representatives say these photos were Photoshopped and while both sides admit they were there at the same time, it was just a publicity stunt.

But neither side could account for these damning photos:

Like David admiring Bathsheba, who can deny that these two being "more than just friends."

Especially when leans in for a quick peck..

She pretends to bat him away...

"Stop it," she coyly said....than fluttered her eyelashes.

The shocked looks on these faces tell the truth - Dash is a home wrecker!

Ashamed, they realize they have been caught.

The hens are all a-cluck over this story condemning OD, new father of 8, who's marriage has previously been heralded as a model in the barnyard. Its clear he has been ruined. Sources close to the philandering gander say that he needs rehab as he clearly has an addiction...while those near Penny's camp say he just needs a good beating.

Runner, the turkey hen, tweeted her support to Penny and said  that "The mate is always the last to know."  While Miss Duck, who has previously been linked to OD, said "What did Penny think would happen? I mean, she got all fat while sitting on her nest - and that OD is a real gander." 

Miss Duck seen here with OD, claims she is not a gold digger.

Its yet to be seen if Penny stands by her gander, but our polls clearly show that she should kick him to the curb.

Barnyard Poll: OD - keep or ditch:
Keep: 23%
Dump his cheatin' tail: 77%

And what of Miss Dash?

She says only that she wants "the truth to be known."  But its been heavily rumored that she is being paid well over 2 full bags of corn to publish her tell-all book "Forbidden Love, a tale of Goose and Duck."  She told reporters that she was approached by PlayDrake to do a centerfold, but she refused saying that she "has more class than that."  It remains to be seen whether any love children will hatch out of this...this... dangerous liaison. Our sources say that Jerry Springer has been contacted to do DNA testing to prove who's the baby-daddy, just in case.

There is no word on whether there will be a custody hearing. For now the family has been holed up in the Goose House and have been keeping reporters at bay. They have been repeatedly swarmed by the paparazzi (the beez) and have pleaded for privacy in this difficult time. 

We'll have more updates as this story unfolds.