Fred the Rooster gets a booty call

So poor Fred has been sulking alone in the garage. The barncats don't make very good company and he's been hanging out in his cage under the heat lamp. But he was out pecking around a little bit tho so he looks like he's getting his feet under him.

So we figured it was time for a booty call.

I went and got Lil Buff off her perch (boy wasn't she surprised!) and took her in to him. He was VERY glad to see her. Immediately he perked up and got a little sparkle back in his eye -- and he showed her where the food was...we closed up the cage and they were snuggling.

Lil Buff is absolutely one of my favorite little hens. She's one of the Original Five and is a good momma. She's a little buff brahma, very small, and has a nice disposition. She always sleeps next to Fred on the roost so she was happy to see him.

And finally Friday ends....

So its been quite a week...and finally Friday ends. This week we've seen rooster brawls, goats finding new and exciting ways to try and die.... general barnyard mayhem.....bitter cold.  Good times.  Day 29 of my Winter Incarceration is ending and we can only hope for an uneventful day tomorrow.

But on the upside.. Fred the rooster is doing great. He is hanging out with the barn cats in the garage, my little goatie did not kid yet nor did she flop over dead, and there is some semblance of order in the disorderly ducks (I didn't even mention this as there wasn't any.. well there wasn't MUCH blood spilled).  Still hoping to survive the full moon. And I still can't believe the geese are the best behaved of the lot.

I got some tips on how to set up the goatshed just in case my little goatie drops her babies early. I'll work on that when we get a bit warmer. But she looks to be in the clear.

Just in case, tho,  SOMEONE (*ahem*) kindly provided me with a goat curry recipe.  You know who you are.  That's cold, baby, just plain cold. But hey, I'll hang onto it just in case.

No wonder my sister won't eat anything at my house!

If its not one thing its an udder....

There is a truth about farming which is that everyday is usually the same - but something different always happens. Today we learned that if its not one thing its an udder...

This morning I went out to find our full sized, La Mancha doe (Debbie) stuck in the feeder. At first I thought she was dead - but thank heaven she was not. She got her head stuck in the feeder and the top fell down, trapping her. Aside from the huge knot on her head where the top hit her, she doesn't appear to have any injuries.

(The chickens came in to help me out )

However, since she is pregnant and not due until March we are really concerned she will loose the kids. We did what we could and consulted everyone we knew.  So far so good. She isn't showing signs of premature labor and I've been sitting with her on and off today monitoring the situation. Of course, this is the coldest day in weeks. We are having single digit wind chills and tonite it will be well below 0*.

Fred lives!!! And other poultry mania....

FRED LIVES!

Oh man. I used every excuse in the book NOT to go out and check on him this morning.. I really didnt want to find him, mortal coil shuffled off and all. So finally The Big Man just marched out there... and...Fred is fine. Well, not great but he lives.

One eye is still swollen so we washed him off as best we could without opening up the wounds again. And he doesnt seem to be eating so we gave him a couple of syringes full of doctored up water. I have him some cracklin's from when I rendered the lard so hopefully he'll perk up.

What winter looks like. See my sad summer chair?

Big Pansy still is still in his position of Acting Manager and Barnyard Master. He's enjoying it a little too much if you ask me. Little Pansy is on his best behavior - he witnessed the fisticuffs and knows what his father, Big Pansy, is capable of now.

In other news - we are back to the Big Cold. Yesterday it snowed all screamin' day but not much stuck. The young turks and ducks are out today and everyone is enjoying the sunshine.

We had one of the jakes (in immature male turkey) in 'intensive care' -- with the hens and Runner in the chicken house. He was accidentally put in with the older turks and they beat the crap out of him so he's be recovering nicely.

I'm telling you, the little bit of warm weather we had last week and its a bloodbath out there. All of the poultry has gone mad - ducks, turks, roosters... Its a hard day when the GEESE are the best behaved!  I told OD how much I loved him again today. I think I'm making progress.

Rooster Brawl 2010

Well, today we had a barnyard drama. There was a no holds barred, cage match between our old rooster, Fred, and the newer rooster, Big Pansy. It was downright ugly.

Fred was one of our original five chickens and has ruled the the barnyard from Day One. He's a big-plumed Welsumer with a bad attitude and huge spurs.  Fred and I have never gotten along. There is open hostility and from time to time I set the dogs on him. He once mauled one of my sister's kids. And I'm fairly certain that someone (ahem) pawned him off on us because he was so mean and because we don't have kids..

Originally Big Pansy was supposed to be named, Mean Joe Green – he's a huge brahma.. I mean he is HUGE so we figured... you know, that would be a good name. And frankly I was looking forward to someone to take on Fred.

But.

Remember... & thanks!

Thanks! for all the emails and comments - I've received some great feedback and will be addressing some of your questions and comments...great stuff, folks!

Until then...remember when it was summer and everyone was happy? Today is nothing but rain and mud...but back then.. oh.. back then... sun, tomatoes, and everything growing in the garden.

Misters Good Dog

Yesterday I had another opportunity to brag on my extra good dogs. I went with my neighbor to take her goofy golden retriever to a vet for a second opinion before a mistake was made. Her goofy golden had a head injury that wasn't healing and the original vet didn't have a great solution. So we packed up the goofy golden in the family truckster and drove into The Big City.

Within a few minutes The Very Good Vet had the problem solved. Of course she did... I had no doubts.  Because, you see, a couple years ago she changed my life.

A few years ago I took Titan to see this Very Good Vet because he had worn down his canines from obsessively chewing on toys. Fortunately he did not need the expensive titanium "grill" that some police get after breaking their teeth. But, she told me that all dogs, especially MY dog, need a job. She gave me some resources, told me that since Ti was showing signs of boredom to challenge him with other training, and sent us on our way ("No more toys! Let him entertain himself - let him chew on a stick.").