The Dog/Chicken/Duck/Sheep Days of Summer

Whew, still hot here in Leavenworth County, Kansas. 

Yesterday's heat index for Tonganoxie was 108, and that's not a mis-type. 

I know, I was out in it. 

When it's that hot, I do pool water frequently, and put ice water bottles in the 

chicken water. 

Everyone is getting along fine, unlike the heat wave in July, which killed a hen. 

I did lose my rotating fan in the big hen spa, it quit rotating, and now has 

bitten the dust.  I'll get another tomorrow. 

I saw a small fan yesterday, that blew a LOT of air, I think I am 

going to get it and put it on some kind of small table. 

Since I posted last... we have a new member of our family!

Meet Fritzi!

Fritzi came from Bonner Animal Rescue (Bonner Springs, Kansas). 

I have been following them on FB, and they have had numerous puppies lately... but I knew 

starting over with a puppy would be very hard on me and the poultry. 

Then, one morning, a happy little face came up! 

I met her on Wednesday the 31st, and she got to come home 

with Jester and me for a two week trial run on the 1st.  

Tomorrow, her trial is up.... and I believe she is a keeper. 

The cuteness quotient has gone way over on the scale, and Jester likes her, too. 

Her first mama passed away, so I hope we have some special years together, she is nine years old, and was obviously treated wonderfully.  Yes, we are all on diets together! 

That couch used to be Jester's domain, he doesn't sleep on it any more. 

Uh huh. 

This is Singleton, the rooster born here last year from Biddy, named that because it was the only egg that hatched.  He has always been a gentle rooster.  

A coyote got about six hens this summer in the pasture, and eight of Singleton's hens went to 

live at the National Agricultural Center and left only two in what has become the Duck House (old hen house).  Those two hens were killed... Singleton was attacked on a Friday.  He seemed okay but for loss of his feathers.... no open wounds... but he went to the rafters and would not come down.  Fritzi's foster's husband was kind enough to help me get him down. 

I talked to Judy Shelton at the Ag Hall, and she agreed he could be reunited with his girls. 

It saved him, I am convinced of it.  He had not eaten or drank in four days when I let him out of the carrier there. 

Reunited, and it feels so good.  Oddly enough, he  has lost his crow. 

This little flock will be at the Ag Hall until October 19, when they will come home to the Duck House for the winter. 

The ducks are doing well.  Duckie literally takes them to the Duck House at night if 

I don't go out and move them. 

He's a smart drake!

Last week, I made taco roll ups for the shelter.  I had my doubts about them... the recipe was in this month's Taste of Home... and I DID leave out the salsa called for in the mix, I believe it would have been way too wet to roll.  However.... I dried the taco meat out as best I could, used all the other ingredients, and rolled them as tightly as I could.  My GOSH, they were good (I might taste-test once in a while).  I'll find out tomorrow how they went over when I take this week's barbecue chicken, I took salsa to dip them in... and a bowl of taco meat in case people wanted taco salad instead (along with salsa, cheese, and tortilla chips).  I am going to make these for my family, they were so yummy. 

We have been doing a lot of this, but last Friday was the last day.  Paiton and Jax started school today. 

The pool was actually open this week, but the kids will be in school until three. We had a great time going to the Bonner Springs Aquatic Park this summer. 

Yep, they are still here.  

Our little pasture friend, full of chicken. 

No, I don't kill them, friends, they were here first. 

If you have read this blog for many years, you know that I fed in the winter, keeping dog food in the pasture for the wildings.  There is cat food in the feeder at night, but I don't think this coyote can get it. 

No hens are going in the pasture now because.....

ten days ago, I shut the gates of the way too expensive fence I put up in March. 

Everyone is kept on the south side of the yard now, they have an acre to run around in. 

The only problem is, the hens are laying eggs in the heavy weeds of the old garden bed, I am 

getting only about six or seven a day. 

I will buy them for the shelter tomorrow. 

No hens on the porch means no poop on the porch all day long, no flies, etc. etc.. 

I should have done it six months ago. 

This horrible, horrible thistle was growing up in the sheep pen fenceline, and 

I was determined to get rid of it.  I was told by two friends to burn it where it stood. 

When I was kid, I set our terrace on fire, and it had to be put out.  My uncle, a fire chief in Kansas City, Kansas, read me the riot act, IN UNIFORM in his fire car.... I became so scared 

of fire that for years I could not even light the trash.  I am still scared of it.  

So, burning was scaring me to death, and the fact is, one of these horrid things was in the corner, with three wood posts around it. 

So, today, I went to Home Depot. 

I bought a long-handled lopper, and got my pitchfork.  I also got leather palmed gloves. 

I did not try to lift anything with my hands, I forked them into my cart. 

I hauled them over to the fire pit, and forked them in. I'll let them dry out a few days, and then ask my neighbor Troy to help me light them, he is a fireman and can show me the safe way. 

There is a hose within reach. 

Thank God I did not try to burn. She had burrowed under one of the thistles along the fence line to lay her eggs, and yes, friends, she was alive. 

 Now I will be worried about the babies, of course. 

Tomorrow, I am taking loppers, fork and cart, and going to work on the out-of-control wild rose bush that took over one of my garden beds while Keith was dying. 

A few of the flowers are still looking good, and I am going to have two mixed boxes like this, next year.  You can see my garden bed borders, all grown up so high with weeds because I could not walk hardly for almost three months.  I have been released from physical therapy for my torn tendon as of last Saturday, and I am so thankful. 

Slowly, but surely, I am getting things caught up. 

Fritzi is a destroyer, and has been tearing Jester's toys up.  This is one of his two favorite bears, the other bit the dust.  I am hoping this one doesn't.  I did buy her four new toys at the thrift store on Saturday, two are already gone. 

This wonderful image came up in my Facebook feed last week.  Lilly loved swimming in Troy and Kathy's pond.  After we moved back in 2017, she was too infirm to make it all the way over into their back yard, and was never able to swim again.  How she loved it! 

No, we haven't forgotten her, we filled the hole she left with Fritzi! 

Catching Up

I remember the good old days, when I used to blog daily!

I just looked, I have not blogged since March 18, and so many things have happened since then. 

It was a cold morning, and I had HUGE surprise!

Can you see her, just behind the rotund Fluffy? 

There was a ram lamb in with the sheep that were boarded here last year, and they were moved the first weekend of November.  Sheep gestation is five months. 

I thought we were in the clear, and Fluffy had not been bred. 

She was a sweet little doll, and a complete surprise!

This is Niblet two days ago, growing like a weed at almost six weeks!

As is her BFF Cookie, who is almost as big as his mama at two months!

We have had some beautiful days. 

(though it is currently raining and storming, and will be for the next two days). 

The ducks LOVE the rain, and yes, the yard is that deep in water in several places. 

Lilly Ann, on the other hand, hates storms.  We have been up several nights, lately, 

because she gets so scared at lightening and thunder. 

Grandson Chris came up several weeks ago, and got the garden beds ready for planting. 

I could not have done it without him, the heavy stuff is getting away from me, folks. 

Spring has, indeed, finally come to Calamity Acres. 

Fluffy got sheared... thank you Dr. Jim Sears, and shearer Jim, who made a special trip for ONE ewe when I had despaired of it happening. 

Another morel season has come and gone.  (at least, for me) 

And Jester has been soaking up the rays on the deck. 

So, here is your blogger with her current situation... I have a torn tendon that I walked on for three months before we discovered what was going on.  I am in an orthopedic boot, but... after a week, have a very, very sore upper leg below the knee.  The doctor's office is figuring out what to do, I may be too short to wear the high boot.  I have had it on all day, but just now set out to do chores, and the pain on the upper part of the leg is worse than the tendon tear at this point.  So... we soldier on until a solution is found. 

What a Week We Had

Northeast Kansas had a wild ride of weather last week, 

from 57 early on Thursday morning (Valentine's Day) to 

29 by the time I finished up hauling hay that evening, and a plunge thereafter. 

I saw several memes on FB, showing sunny and grass covered ground in the 

morning, and snow in the afternoon... true that!

Our latest snow came in Thursday afternoon, and pretty much 

shut down the city on Friday, resulting in one forty car pileup (in which 

there was sadly a fatality) and numerous smaller ones.  

You can see that on Wednesday, pretty much all the snow and ice from the last event had melted. 

I finished chores Thursday morning, and within an hour, this had started. 

We actually got about 4 inches. 

We were predicted 3 more for Saturday night (didn't happen)... and 

a possibility of five for tomorrow (praying it won't happen). 

It's cold out Monday morning, as I write this. 

The chickens are in again, as it was only ten above when I trudged around doing chores. 

The ducks actually holed up in the duck barn to get out of the wind. 

I really felt sorry for them, because they had had several days of being able to 

play in big puddles, and eat grass.  I think this winter has been hard on them. 

This was yesterday morning, not as bitter as today. 

I have discovered something about the ducks. 

I have a young rooster, he was Biddy's last .... she hatched a 

pullet and cockerel.  This rooster is the spitting image of his dad, 

Ferdie.  

I call him Buddy, or Little Boy. 

He is becoming a terror, and I kept noticing that the duck pool by the 

big hen house was clear in the afternoon.  I couldn't figure out 

why they weren't using it, and one day, I saw Buddy go after the ducks. 

They won't go over there if he is loose. 

Their normal place to hang out during the day was under the front porch of the big hen house, near the pool and food bowl. 

So... the above pool is near the old hen house (I have about ten pools, large and small, in the barn, but have actually not had to replace either of these despite bitter weather).  I filled it and called the ducks, and they came waddling yesterday to get in.  This morning, they were in their old hangout by the big hen house, and I filled their large fortex and put their lettuce in it, which they promptly ate. 

I let them get settled, re-filled this big tub, and put their food near them and left them. 

Buddy and his dad are fighting, and I am going to have to re-home Buddy if I can, I think. 

He is a gorgeous boy. 

This is where he stays on the days I don't let them out, like this morning. 

He stays on top of the brooder pen in the big hen house.... so his dad can't get him.  He has water and food, but it's no life. 

He does come down when everyone goes out, but he is heck on the hens. 

Paiton and Jax spent the night on Saturday night, and Paiton 

decorated brownies for us. 

She is still riding, even in bitter winter weather.... and is becoming quite the artist, too. 

Jax is already practicing baseball at an indoor facility... he can't wait for the season to start. 

So Saturday, soon after the kids got here, 

this happened!

I look worried here, because I was not sure if Flicka was going to deliver 

more.... and Jim, my son, was trying to get Fluffy out of the barn and into 

the lot, so we could lock mom and baby up alone. 

I picked this little doll up and made sure it was dry. 

I looked yesterday, it is a ram lamb, and Paiton named him 

Cookie, for Cookies and Cream. 

He looks pure Dorper, like his mom. 

Fluffy is butting it around off and on, so I have her 

locked out of the barn this morning, to give Flicka and Cookie time to 

rest.  

Wednesday night, I had run a long cord to the place where Keith had left a 

cord looped around around fence, and connected the lights in the barn which we had used for the baby goats five years ago.  (almost six years!).  

Both lights still worked, and keep the barn warm.  The sheep were a little scared that first night, 

but by the next day, they had figured it out and were lounging inside.  I was so glad I had it ready to go. 

It was just a darn good thing I did it. 

I was so relieved Flicka had only one lamb.  I had bought colustrum, 

milk replacer, and two bottles with Pritchard nipples (remembering 

our goat days) just in case.  I was prepared to bring the third of a trio inside... but... it turned out 

not to be necessary, and I'm grateful for that.  So far, she is doing a good job. 

I have Fluffy blocked out this morning, to give Flicka and the baby time to 

chew cuds and rest after she ate. 

I have warm molasses water in there for her, too. 

I can't thank my son Jim enough for his help.  He came out two weeks 

ago and screwed all the boards back onto the barn which the larger 

herd of sheep had knocked off during the summer.  It is not a fancy 

little barn, but it is doing the trick.  IF I see Fluffy butting the baby today, 

I can put two by fours in the middle channel (if you look in the 

above picture, above this one, you will see a channel in the north wall).  Keith put this 

in when we had a mini and pony, and the pony was having trouble keeping weight on. 

We divided the barn so that they could go in and eat alone, 

and we could regulate what they were eating.  

To open the barn up again, you could simply lift the boards out. 

You can see the pole in the picture directly above this, and I figure two or three two x fours 

would keep Fluffy from being able to jump on the side with Flicka, but they could still be "together". 

I am locking them in at night, now, and yes, there is a warm water bucket. 

I have just checked my phone, and we are almost up to twenty degrees. The "feels like" is still nine degrees, however, so I will leave the chickens in a while longer.  I will go out and open the door to the barn and Fluffy can come and go.  Flicka did come out with her baby yesterday for a few minutes, but then led it back in. 

I am keeping Cookie, he will be wethered.  That's it for me, 

I can take care of maybe four, but no more. 

I do not think Fluffy is bred, though Diablo, the big ram lamb, 

was on most of them before the herd was sold.  That was 

early November... she would be delivering next month, if she were.  I just don't think so, as she and Freckles were best buds, and they stayed away from the other sheep. 

I'm hoping she is not. 

The girls are rocking it here lately!

When my son came out to get the kids yesterday, 

we talked about plans for summer. 

I am going to make pickles, I have not done that since 2016, the year 

Keith died.  I planted a straw bale garden that year that did very well, 

and I had an abundance of pickling cukes.  The kids love sweet pickles, 

so this year, I am going to try picking them as babies and making sweet 

gherkins.  

I am going to sit down today and work on my seed orders, 

as the big shop (barn) is ready for me to get set up to start seeds. 

It's hard to think of it when you are trudging around in the snow. 

I just went out to let Jester out, and saw legs going around the side of the hen house.  I grabbed the porch food bowl and went out, it was Petey, the tamest of the ferals, looking for something to eat. 

I usually leave a bowl just inside the hen house, but it is not open this morning. 

I called to him, and he started to go away, he IS feral, after all, and then realized it was me. 

He waited, and I put the bowl down and he came back to eat. 

As I stood up and started back to the house, I realized it is spitting snow. 

I'm looking out now and see it, and I'll watch the noon news to find out what is going on.  I have an eye appointment in the morning, my diabetic eye appointment. 

I think I am going to slip boots and coat on and go let 

Fluffy in the barn. 

Everyone take care... spring is just about thirty days away!

On the Porch at Night

Friends, most of you know that I took in four feral kittens last year, 

and raised them in my little red hen house on stilts until the raccoons sprang them. 

They were the reason I had the feral cat feeder in the pasture built. 

(the one that was "raccoon proof") 

Three of them did learn to use it. 

Since then, I have been keeping a bowl of cat food on the 

side deck of the hen spa, the big hen house, and another 

bowl on the front porch of the house, where I have a heated water bowl. 

Uh huh.  I took that through the front door window last night. 

That's actually a pretty small raccoon. 

Petey, who, as you can see, is in fine fettle, checks the porch regularly, 

even though he, of all the ferals, eats canned cat food as I lock up the 

hen spa each night. Petey is the only one who will let me handle him. 

Both of the black kitties (they were the two boys of the original group, 

which was all spayed and neutered) are still alive and in good flesh. 

Spooky and Rusty. 

Their sister Harlequin, Harley, is still doing well. 

It was Tippy, the other girl, who has disappeared, but she 

disappeared early on, soon after they were loose. 

And here is the gray tabby, the fifth of the ferals eating here. 

He is also the wildest. 

Some of the raccoons are HUGE, and I can see why they killed my ducks. 

This was not from the last two days, because I erased the one I wanted, sadly. 

But you get the picture. 

The funny thing is, the cats and possums pretty much co-habit. 

Jes goes out several times every evening to go to the bathroom, but 

I do not let him go out alone, I stand in the door and watch him. 

Our tenants lost a little dog while they lived here, they let him out alone. 

Not taking any chances, even though Jes is a chunk. 

Lilly had her own drama with Buttercup the cochin. 

I should note that as of the last two days, the starlings have found the 

feeder on the porch.  You see, the cats come and check it during the day, so 

I have been leaving food in it for them.  They don't bother the chickens, they 

just come and eat.  However, I can't afford (literally) to keep filling it over and over 

because of the starlings.  I have had to quit filling the feeder in the pasture in the morning, 

because the starlings were eating all of it.  I wait until about 3:30 or 4 now to fill it for the night. 

The starlings are wiping out the feed on the hen spa porch, too, along with the crows and the chickens, but I am still trying to keep a half bowl in it in case the cats drop by (and they do).  I have a theory that the cats use the water fountain (that has a heater base) in the hen spa for water during the day. 

And there is Harley on camera coming out. 

And there are the starlings eating cat food on the porch. 

(you can barely see them clustered on the rim of the bowl) 

Ugh. 

I have tried now for two weeks to get an electrician here to activate four outdoor outlets, so I can 

put warm water down in the garden area, but I am having NO luck getting anyone to actually come. 

Too cold, I am sure. 

One said "I'll swing by", as if I am home all day, every day. 

Lilly amazed me last night and got up onto the couch in the living room. 

She has not really been able to do this for months, though she does 

manage the lower loveseat in my bedroom.  I think she just wanted 

to be with Jester and me in the evening, instead of back in the lonely bedroom, where she usually sleeps. 

Christmas has commenced at Calamity Acres!