Sue

I started this story quite some time ago and neglected to finish it and post it.

Sue living large in the yard as Eddie's wife

One little hen passed this week--unknown to the world, but special to the farm.  Sue had been a steady resident here for 11years and I do miss her presence.

Sue --you really think you can make me go up??

In July of 2002 (the 3rd to be exact) an emergency run was made to nearby Cackle Hatchery.   A determined hen of a non-setting breed-- Black Sex-Link--had hatched a chick.  A chick.  One.   This couldn't be, as life is easier when you are a chicken  if you have a big brood to run with.  In order for "Oney" to have any hope of being a raised a well-adjusted chicken I had to get her some siblings!   Luck was with me when I arrived on 'hatching day' at the hatchery and found a brood of available Ameracaunas.    I had them pick me out 12 day old hen chicks---and they threw in an extra, so off home I went to add the chicks under the hen after dark and expand Oney's family.  The hen agreed to her larger family and went about raising them.  One little chick died the next day but the other 13 thrived and grew.  The hen quickly became tired of them and as soon as they had feathers she was so out of there.  Of the 13 one of the purchased chicks was a rooster--the lovely King of The Barnyard in latter years.  The rest were a lively bunch of hens with the then unnamed and unremarkable Sue included.

Those were one of the most scatter brained bunch of young chickens I have ever seen.  Probably because there were so many that the older hens couldn't knock any sense into them.  Penning them up for the night was always an adventure.  Thankfully as they grew older they gradually got some sense, but it was a long hard haul there for awhile.  They were also the last large brood I raised here---the following year there were a few more hatched and that was that.

The flock a few years ago .  Sue is second from right--the Other Grey Hen is on the right and the Black Hen...oh, well you know where she is....

Sue's first years were uneventful in that large healthy flock of young chickens, but as they began to get older the rooster took a terrible dislike to her and used every opportunity to peck her within an inch of her life.  While scraggly looking and always looking over her shoulder she remained un-bowed.

Then fate struck her another blow---bumblefoot.  She was now crippled and still on the rooster's 'list'.  It didn't take long and unfortunately I was slow to realize what was happening,  but the tides had turned and Sue was in bad shape.  With her sore foot, the rooster could now catch her and peck her,  which led to the rest of the flock turning on her.  I came home one evening to a huddled bloodied grey form in the corner of the paddock.

Immediately she was removed from the general population, her wounds and foot tended to and placed in a cage in the breezeway.  She slowly grew stronger and I pondered what to do with her.  Her foot was not going to allow her to be fleet enough to live with the rest of the chickens.  Then it dawned on me that perhaps she could live with Eddie, my crippled rooster who also lived in a cage in the yard.  For more of their introduction and life together you can click on Eddie's Story.   This is when that plain grey hen became Sue.  My best friend's parents are named Eddie and Sue, so when I added the grey hen to Eddie's 'flock' it just rolled off the tongue, and so Sue was christened.

After Eddie and Sue had a rousing knock down drag out fight --or as rousing as a legless rooster and crippled hen could pull off--they settled in to living a happy quiet little chicken life.  At that time I had my sweet collie girls--Jody and Ariel who were in the fenced yard all day with the two chickens.  In the morning I would turn Eddie and Sue out and Eddie would generally hop out and putter around near the cage all day, whereas Sue would roam the extent of the yard.  Eddie would worry about her, but she would periodically stop back in to say 'hey' to him.   She was the dickens to catch up at night, because she would fade into the bushes or garden and I wouldn't be able to find her.  Seldom did she ever make it easy to pen them up!

At one time she got very attached to Ariel and started following her everywhere--Eddie wasn't amused, Ariel wasn't amused and I wasn't amused--especially when she would leave her chicken droppings inside the breezeway on the dog beds!  Admittedly it was pretty funny to see her just hanging out with the dogs.

Eventually Boone, my big mastiff joined the brood and I had to end up fencing and dividing half the yard.  Chickens in one area, dogs in another, because Boone was no mild manner collie and would have had chicken for supper with no regrets.

Sue didn't much like it, but she adapted--she always adapted, and Eddie was happier where he could keep her in his sights all day.  Then tragedy befell the little couple and Eddie became ill and died within in a few days.  Now Sue was alone--no Eddie and no dogs she could follow about.  It was okay for awhile, but Sue got sadder and sadder.  I thought about bringing another hen to the yard, but the logistics of dogs and chickens sharing the yard were getting harder and harder.

Then I came home and found Sue at the back fence --gazing longingly at the hated flock of chickens from whence  she had come.  The flock was smaller due to attrition, but still I hesitated about putting her back, since the same rooster was still in command.

Eventually though I did.  First in a cage in the hen house for a week, then finally out with the main flock.  It wasn't easy, and Sue was definitely treated as an outcast at first.  The rooster still wanted to kill her, but he was older and she was in  healthy shape so she ran fast and got away most of the time.  She seemed happy to be back in with chickens--even hateful ones.    In time she hung around with her grey sister and did okay.  The rooster would still catch her out sometimes and peck her head unmercifully--especially in the Spring, but I would treat her wounds and off she would go.

She had the last laugh anyway--she survived her brother by a year and had a very pleasant time in her final and full retirement.  With only three hens left in the flock there was allot of pottering around, sunning and just hanging out.  It did my heart good to see Sue swaying about  her business.  She always knew I'd give her special treats and protect her, and although she wasn't a 'pet' chicken, she was a smart chicken and enjoyed her special status.

Sue is survived by her sister--the Other Grey Hen and her niece--the ailing Black Hen.  Good bye my little feathered friend, your grace under fire always impressed me and I will miss your little grey ghostie form going about your important chicken business. 

And the long reign of this flock slowly comes to a close and I worry that one will outlive the other and then what to do?

I wrote this post after Sue died and never got around to publishing it.   Now several months later and the last sentence of my post proved prophetic.  The Black Hen died only a few weeks after Sue.  She was the youngest of the lot but began to ail and died a short time later.  This left the Other Grey Hen as an 'only'.   It was very sad.  First she freaked out and was very distraught for a couple of days.  She was flockless and knew that wasn't a good situation.  However after the first week she began to settle down and seemed to do okay.  She didn't stray far from the hen house, and tended to hang out with the sheep when she did.   I fixed a box full of straw and on really cold nights I would tuck her in and close the lid and she seemed to handle the cold okay.  She looked healthy and appeared content.  I debated on getting an older hen off craigslist, but knowing chickens it would have been ugly and at 11 she probably wold have gotten the worst of the deal.  (After all 'old' chickens on craigslist tend to be only 2 or 3).   Then one crisp but not deadly cold night in February the Other Grey Hen died. For the first time in 27 years, there were no chickens pottering about the little farm.   Suddenly I didn't have to worry 'did I shut the henhouse door' at all hours of the night.  No working my schedule on being around to 'put up the chickens' in the evening.  It was quite odd.  Will I get more chickens, so I can rearrange my schedule and worry myself crazy?  You betcha.   Now I just have to decide what kind and how many... 
 

Really, Spring?

Woke up this morning to 34 degrees and snow showers.  I vowed last Monday that I wasn't going to build any more fires.  Done with it--no fire, no ashes, no wood to carry in.  It was 80 degrees Wednesday.  It dropped to the 40s yesterday.  Today is cold.  Tonight is cold.  Probably tomorrow too.

So, I'm building fires again.  I'm down to my last two sticks of dry wood--kindling is getting low too.  I have bunches of 'green' wood that is damp from all the rain.  I hope we don't have a setback on the grass or lose the fruit tree blossoms tonight. 

While 80 degrees is a bit much, a nice steady 70s would be great.   Like it matters what I think though.

On the bright side.  The sun did come out today!  Woot. 

And last night I harvested 17 wild Morels and the old hens produced two eggs yesterday.   Not sure if we will have more Morels, but that 80 degree humid day did pop them up.   The old girls have been laying steadily for several weeks--a couple eggs every other day.  Pretty darn good for three ten year old hens.  I'm proud of them.  I don't think they see to good anymore and maybe a little chicken dementia setting in (or maybe they've just decided to do what they please to do, regardless of previous schedules), but they still lay good eggs.   Two are Americuanus and one is half Americauna so all the eggs are a light green. 

Hope Spring springs soon wherever you are.   Last year we were ahead a month or so, and that didn't end well (drought).  This year we've had ample rain (as in lots and lots) and are now about a month behind.  So we will see where that goes.

Have a great weekend!

Hot

And really really dry.  I'm laying low in the house today.  Up early to tend to all the beasties and will do a noon watering and check on all, but otherwise I'm hibernating!  Pastures are shot.  I worry about all the old ones--the ancient chickens, the elderly sheep.  Here was my (brief) morning outside in pictures.  Hope it's cooler at your house! 

Looks more like fall with all the downed leaves

Here are the five elderly members of the flock.  The youngest is nine (the black one) and the rest are ten. 

Chaco & Noah hanging out in the catio

The 'garden' is growing.  The tomatoes are thriving in the heat

Cherokee Purples--Maybe I'll have tomatoes this year!

Volunteer Sunflower--cheerfully greats the burning sun

Trumpet vines --- fill up station for the hummingbirds

Deck tomatoes are looking great!

Trinity soaks up the sun....even when it's too hot for the rest of us

Hot Dogs.   Ashley, Minty, Carly

Trumpet vine--early morning heat haze

Minty wants me to do something about the heat!

The heat is hard to handle...but it's the dryness that is dreadful.  It's hard to see everything withering and dying.  

Praying for rain!

Weekend Musings

Tibby looks down on her little catdom

The hot, miserably humid, sweat pouring in your eyes weather continues. I am handling it gracefully. Okay I'm not. Chores, are, well a chore. The animals are stupid and obstinate, as the heat continues to suck out their brain cells. The shepherd is not in any better shape and has no patience. There has been some yelling and name calling (from both sides). Frankly I don't know how the 'Old Squad' of chickens are hanging in there. Not only hanging in there but still giving me a couple of eggs every few days. Thank you ladies.


Along with these lovely yellow Cherry tomatoes it looks like I'll be having a good fifty percent produced on the farm breakfast (the other fifty will be a tortilla and Swiss cheese)!


Blue is rotated over to green grass again, but it's not going to last long. He didn't do well on hay over the winter, so I'm not sure what will happen when the grass is gone. Hopefully I can experiment and find some hay he will be happy with. He doesn't like being alone and I don't like it either, but it works best this way, as I can give him the special feeds he needs. He still shares a fence line with the sheep during the evening hours. One of his front legs continue to bother him and I wish I knew of some natural arthritis supplement to add to his feed, that wouldn't kill his stomach. Anyone have any ideas or experience in that area?


Most work that I accomplish outside is done in the early morning. I can squeeze in a few garden chores before work. Weekends I put out mineral and soda for the sheep and do any repairs needed. There is always tons to catch up on, especially with this hot weather slowing me down. It's always so hot when I get home from work, that I wait until nearly dark to finish out the chores.

I have gotten quite a bit done in the house this week, during the evenings. I've been taking a section at a time and moving everything and cleaning under things. Also spraying for spiders and fleas--mostly using an IGR spray that is suppose to be safe for the animals. Sometimes I have to use a regular bug spray if I see signs of spiders, but I try and limit it to that specific area. Throwing away alot of stuff too. Amazing the junk I can accumulate. The kittens have been having a blast. Just almost too much excitement for them to bear: Seeing all their long lost toys when I pull out the furniture; getting to go into normally forbidden closet areas; a new set of sheet covers on the couch and chairs; and etc. Yes it would be easier to do it without their 'help', but not nearly so entertaining. The only part they have to vacate for is during the spraying and drying of the bug stuff.

So, while the outside continues to deteriorate (garden, yards), the inside is looking better!

Friday after work I headed over to the Mennonite community (this is one of the communities that still use horse power to get around with ---real horse power) to pick up some veggies. Going on Saturday is a pain because every other person in the country also goes on Saturday! So I outfoxed 'em by going Friday afternoon. There were still people out and about, but only a few. Usually I go to the vegetable stand, the bakery and the bulk store. Yesterday I just went to the veggie stand and another store that sells lots of old fashioned things (Like cast iron cook wear, canning supplies etc), also run by a Mennonite. I consider it a 'dry goods' store.

The vegetable stand is 'open air', but has a roof, and three sides. There was a good breeze blowing through and as usual they had a wonderful selection of fruits and vegetables. However the biggest draw (to me) is this lady's home-made bread. She says her mom actually makes it, but it is the absolute best whole wheat bread I have ever tasted. There were three loaves left and I snatched up two and put them on the counter. I also got a loaf of zucchini bread--all made in Das Brot Haus (The Bread House)--'all made in a kitchen not subject to inspection by the dept. of health'. I've made lots of bread, and have tasted allot of homemade bread and while the bakery down there has some pretty wonderful stuff, this lady wins hands down in the bread making. I really wish I had her recipe.

So anyway I also went to get veggies, really I did! I got baking potatoes--lovely Yukon Golds minus the tough skin you find in the ones from the supermarket. Twelve ears of sweet corn (for 2.50), two small heads of cabbage, some squash, a few tomatoes, peppers, and a small yellow watermelon and a huge cantaloupe (for 1.75). I shared most of it with my folks (including the baked goods because they are addicted to it also). If the stand was closer I would go every week, uh, for the vegetables, right.

At the dry goods store, I roamed around and enjoyed looking at things. It's quite a nice store and even air conditioned. It's lighting is from solar panels in the ceiling. There is a wide and eclectic selection of goods---cast iron cookware, canning supplies, material, hats and boots (Most of this geared towards the Mennonite customers), lots of kitchen tools, and non-electric items. There is also a small selection of bulk spices and foods, including jams and jellies. (I bought some blackberry and apple butter). Very large sections filled with lots of 'how to books' on farming, gardening, putting up foods, livestock care etc. I ended up buying one of those three tiered wire baskets to hang up and put produce in that doesn't need to be refrigerated. This one is much nicer and sturdier than the ones that typically sell in the Mart stores.

Echo has found a cool place on the roof of Boone's old house

All in all a fun little side trip before heading home to hibernate. Hope you all have a good week, hopefully not too hot!

Don't forget to leave a comment if you want to enter to win a Cat Calendar featuring the kitten six-pack! Only a few more days left before the drawing!

It Makes All The Difference....

....Sunshine that is.....

...I believe Mr. Rooster agrees....

So Goes Another Week

Hen Party
(That is Sue on the left, for those that remember the Eddie & Sue story)

Summer is clicking along. The weather has been pretty decent, except for the awful humidity. It seems like we have had overcast and rain everyday for a spell. The rain usually comes in about a 1/4 inch at a time, but it adds up. Everything needed a good drink.

Last night I moved Blue and Lanny Wilson over to their second 'pocket pasture' (as Michelle calls them). They were thrilled to pieces and looked very self satisfied by nightfall. This is the same pasture that the ewes ransacked a week or so ago when they went through the chicken pen. The ewes were very displeased to see Lanny and Blue over there. So much so that they set up a ruckus that made me run out, expecting another break out. I also might add that they had just come in off their evening pasture, which still has some good grass on it. I've been doing quite a bit of limb trimming over the past week and always give Blue and Lanny a pile of limbs in the evening. With them moved over on grass for a few weeks, I'm going to stack the leftover limb pieces on the leftover hay stack (that I've been forcing them to eat all summer) and try to burn the whole thing. Then we can move another big bale out for them for the rest of the summer.

Cockleburrs.....I'm pretty sure I hate them more than thistles. At least with thistles they don't (unless the infestation is severe) trash the fleeces. Two winters ago I had some hay with cockleburrs in it. This was good hay from my good hay supplier, so it came as quite a shock. It wasn't all that way, but there was enough to cause hardship with the fleeces and now the aftereffects on the farm. From that bit of hay, almost every one of my little pastures has some cockleburrs coming up. I'm being very vigilant, but if I miss even one, it will reseed and compound the problem. I'm worried the neighbors field will get infested and if it does...it'll be the thistle nightmare all over again. The only good thing about them is that they are easy to pull up. It's just in some places there are so many. The sheep don't seem to want to eat them either, even when the plants are small. So I've been cockleburr plant pulling in between other projects.

If all goes well, both Conway (ram lamb) and Marty (wether lamb) will be going to their new home in Kansas tomorrow. I will be meeting Kim somewhere along the route. First I will swing by the vet's office to get their health papers since they are crossing into another state. Earlier in the week I got their ear tags in. I'm really going to miss little Marty, but have been assured he will gets lots of loving. Conway is pretty standoffish and I'm glad he is heading out this weekend, as he needs to be separated out from the ewes anyway. Last year Kim bought a couple of ewe lambs, so she was ready for a ram to add to the flock this summer. We think that Conway will be a good fit and give a nice variety of color paired with these girls. They should produce some nice spots too. I'm very thrilled Conway is going to a breeding flock as he is a pretty nice fellow. I still have two spotted 2008 rams if anyone would like a nice ram. They need to be moved out before fall, so I'm willing to deal on them. I'm happy though that all my 2009 rams/wethers are sold and moved on to new homes, except Jackdaw, my little black and white flecket that I'm holding on to for a bit.

Fleece sales and interest has been pretty good the last month. I've not really advertised much, since I was trying to get them all updated on the website before I did. So it's been a pleasant surprise to have a consistent interest. I have two fleeces left skirt! Two! Yippee. Both are white Dorset/Merino's so they should go pretty fast. Then I can rake up all the bits of wool from the pavement and put away the panel I've been skirting on and call it done for another year.

What?..no..I wasn't sleeping...just resting my eyes...

Boone's talent as a watchdog has been revealed and I must say he is sadly lacking in that area. I knew he was a deep sleeper, but I had no idea how deep. Evidently, Ariel, as deaf as she was getting to be, was the one that alerted him to cars in the driveway, people coming up to the house and me coming home. Last night he scared me to death. I came home, stopped opened/shut gates, pulled up by the garage, unloaded some cans, and still no Boone at the fence. I was getting concerned. As I walked around the side where he was, I could see him stretched out against the gate. My heart dropped and I was yelling, oh no, Boone! Boone! I was sure he was dead. About two seconds after I yelled at him, he raised his head up all groggy, looking around like whaaaa? Then he saw it was me and hopped up and started acting all goofy like he hadn't been caught asleep. I've been thinking that maybe he can't hear, but he seems to hear fine when he is awake! He can hear the neighbors when they are outside and barks, but once he conks out, the world spins without him, I guess.

Couple pictures of my crowing hen....She is around ten years old, and was one of the hens that had bumblefoot a month or so ago. She is walking just fine now.

I started this post during the week, and am just now finishing it up. The weather has turned uncommonly cool and delightful! It's amazing for July to be this cool and pleasant. We got another hard half inch of rain, and everything is growing like crazy. Conway and Marty are in their new home since yesterday. I miss little Marty's sweet friendly face, but I know he will be loved on and spoiled at his new home. Someone has (most likely) dumped a sweet little white/calico cat in town. She is at my Mom's barn now, but not sure what we are going to do. She had a flea collar on, so there is a distant hope she belongs to someone. I'm going to put a 'found' ad in the paper. Most likely though, she won't be claimed, since she is very close to having kittens. People just suck sometimes. Probably will set up the two story kitty condo and put her in it, in my garage so that the kittens will be born there. We sure don't need any wild kittens around. The momma is very sweet and friendly. And so it goes.....anyone want dibs on a kitten??

Random Snow Shots

Just a few more pictures of the snow from the other day. It was really pretty--which I can happily say because I didn't have to drive in it. Usually the reality overrides the lovely for me. By Thursday the roads were in great shape so it was back to work to catch up on what needed to be done. The temperatures have gradually warmed up, and I was finally able to dump out all the water tubs. I use the black rubber ones, but when there have been too many below freezing days, they get frozen solid and not easy to dump out. Today (Saturday) the temperatures are into the fifties and it's nice outside, despite the snow cover. Much of it is melting, but I don't believe it will all melt off today. All the critters are basking in the sun and enjoying the warmth.

I'm not sure why but this picture of the birdbath, looking slightly tipsy and whimsical in a snow hat, makes me smile.

The chickens hesitate to step into the white stuff, but the rooster thinks it might taste pretty good.

The girls enjoying some 'free hay' and you can tell several of them opted to spend the night outside and are wearing snow blankets.

A little dark, but here is Boone enjoying the snow.

Chick(en) Pics

As most readers of this blog know, my flock of chickens, is, well, old. Senior citizens with feathers, as it were. I don't 'plan' (and we know how that goes) to get any new chickens until the Tough Old Birds finish out their lives here. In the meantime, I get enough eggs, most of the year, to keep me supplied, with an occasional overflow to family members.

In the distant future, when I start a new little flock, I might try something that is on the rare list, but I do like my Ameracuanas, which are most likely 'easter eggers', but I really don't give a hoot. They are such a tough little bird,lay consistently and come in a large variety of colors.

So, anyway, back 'in the day', about every other year I would buy a small batch of assorted breeds from the hatchery. Then there were a few years where a determined hen 'stole' a nest and tried to hatch out a few babies (usually with disastrous results, so that I would end up going to the hatchery anyway to supplement her hatch.) In the end, my flock was pretty diverse, but for the most part purebred---Dominiques, Production Reds, Buff Orpingtons, Barred Rock, Black sex-links, and a colorful assortment of the Ameracuanas.

Here is a picture of a Black Sex-link (these are very similar to Production Reds, in shape and production values, but can be sexed at birth as the hens are always black, if I remember correctly). They lay a large brown egg. I bought six of these little chicks in 1997--yep, 1997, so that makes her.... 11 and almost a half. She is the last of these girls. Really she has aged remarkably well, she isn't hunched up like her picture implies, (she thought there was a bit to eat there on the ground), and until she molted a few weeks ago she looked shiny and very healthy. She also crows. Quite well, in fact. Wing flapping and all. The rooster doesn't seem to mind, as she is one of his special ladies.


Next is one of the 'younger' generation. Her name is On'y (as in Only) as the broody hen who hatched her only managed to produce one live chick. Of course this resulted in me purchasing 13 day old Ameracuana chicks from the hatchery to 'keep her company'. Hatched in July of 2002, On'y is in her prime at just 6 years old. Her dad was a lovely russet colored Ameracauna, and her mom was, you guessed it--a black sex-link! She really is a pretty girl, and even has the full muff and beard of the Ameracuana. I think she lays brown eggs, but have never been able to catch her in the act to know for sure.


Lastly are two hens that are simply known as 'the twins'. They have been inseparable since hatching back in July of 2003, and are the youngest and last hatch on the farm. They did have two Ameracauna hatch mates, and I purchased some Buff Orpingtons to round out the hatch. I ended up selling all but these two and one silver Ameracauna hen (I suspected the ones I sold were all roosters). These girls are very petite and almost 'game -like' in their appearance. They are 'slick feathered' and have no muffs or beards. They are also very fast, and on the spooky side. Interestingly enough, they are also an Ameracuana and Black Sex-link cross, even though they look totally different from On'y. Again, I'm unsure what color eggs they lay.

That's it for today, from the hen house at Fairlight Farm!

Goodbye, Eddie

Eddie
May 15, 2001--September 9, 2008

Back in May of 2001 the fruits of a determined broody hen were about to hatch. She had been a good diligent hen, despite the fact she was a 'production' breed and should have never gone to setting. On day 21 chicks started to hatch, and disaster struck. The chicks were weak, and the hen was inadvertently smashing them. I had to pull the rest of the eggs out and rush them into the house. Once inside I set up both an emergency incubator (hot water bottle, heat lamp and a mister bottle), side by side with a Chickie ICU (heat lamp, soft towels). The chicks were pipping, and a few started to break through their shells. After several hours, it was apparent though that some just could not break out of the shells. Even though you are never, never, never suppose to peel chicks out of the eggs, there wasn't any choice. It was worth a try. I peeled three out of their shells--two lived and the third faded away. In the end there were five little chicks all tucked up under the heat lamp. Back out in the brooder house, the hen was still patiently sitting on her (now empty) nest. She wanted to be a momma so bad, that although I felt the newly hatched chicks were too fragile to put under her, I relented and the next day went and bought seven little day old chicks at the hatchery. I slipped them under her that evening, and she never realized the deception. She went on to happily raise her little adopted brood, while I begrudgingly raised her real brood.

Out of the five chicks three turned out to be roosters--Little Three Crows (who became Eddie), Watch and Erin. There were two hens--Chesney and Tweed and all were Ameracuanas. (Do you see the double deception here---I didn't even put the hen's real eggs under her!). The chicks were firmly imprinted on me, and were always eager to see me. Eventually Momma hen got sick of her kids, and wanted out, so I combined both bunches of chicks and gradually gave them more freedom in a separate chicken yard. Disaster struck once again when they were about three months old. Watch, Chesney, Cinnamon Queen, Henny2 (white rock), and Golden 205 were all murdered in a single day. Not one body was ever found or recovered. Whatever the villain was, they left no trace and I was never able to solve the mystery. The chicks went back into tight confinement. Eddie and Erin squabbled constantly. Eventually, when they were much larger, and the fences had all been triple reinforced they were given more room to roam. Erin went on to the main flock and became king rooster until I gave him away to a fellow Shetland breeder years later.

Eddie was always friendly and was often trailing around after me, when I was doing chores.

One day, Eddie had trouble standing up. Gradually he lost the ability to walk and his legs became weaker and weaker. I moved him down to the yard and babied him. Something happened to his legs and they withered and rotted off. It was bad, real bad, but Eddie never faltered or lost his appetite. What in the world was I going to do with a legless rooster? Over time, while he lived in a rabbit cage well padded with hay, his legs healed and he developed a thick pad over the ends of the stubs. He had about two to three inches of stubs. I would lift him out and let him rummage about. He got where he could sorta hop about using his stubs and wings. He took dust baths and he always liked special treats.

I worried about him, but he seemed happy and adjusted. He would have crowing competitions (every morning) with the other rooster. He talked and sang and seemed content.

Then one day, I noticed one of the old hens out in the chicken yard looking bedraggled and beaten and she was limping badly. In order to keep her from being pecked to death by the others, I caught her, lanced and disinfected her foot, and put her in a cage...down in the yard. After about a week of this, I thought to myself--this is crazy, having two crippled chickens in two separate pens. Once I was sure the hen's foot was healed of infection, I did the big merge. It was bitter and ugly. The hen was tired of being beaten and abused and wasn't taking it anymore. Eddie gave his best, rearing up on his stubs, fluffing his neck feathers out and looking tall and mean. They had it out for a good ten minutes, before they called a truce. From that moment on they were devoted to each other. Sue had found a safe home and Eddie had found true love. While Sue would roam about the yard in the daytime when I let her out, Eddie would never go far from the pen. If he heard her cackle or sound distressed (like the time I had to catch her and pitch her back over the fence), he would carry on something fierce, trying his best to scare off her attacker.

They sang and clucked and coo-ed to each other and to life in general. Sue would occasionally lay an egg, which was a big deal to them both. Eddie and Sue became a prominent fixture in the yard. Eddie still enjoyed special treats, but he always made sure Sue got what she wanted first.

Eddie started fading just a few days ago. He ate a little when I went to work on Tuesday, but when I got home, he hadn't moved. He was still holding on, but barely. I wrapped him up in a towel and tried to coax him to eat or drink. He died just a little while later. I peeled Eddie into this world seven and half years ago, and being with him when he left seemed like a little gift, even though it was sad.

Eddie was 'just' a rooster, and I never imagined he would live as long and cheerfully as he did. And I never imagined how firmly he had entrenched himself in my heart.

Goodbye my feathered friend. You had a good run, despite all the hardships you had to overcome. You showed me a truly noble spirit and inspired me with your determination. I'll miss you, and I know Sue misses you too.

New Chicken Perch

Out doing chores the other morning, I happened to glance up and see this. Of course I didn't have my camera with me, but I thought it was worth trying to dash to the house and back to capture it. I managed to snap one distant picture before Blue started to walk away, but I was able to 'enlarge' it enough to get a decent showing. (Gotta love digital cameras!) It's not the greatest quality, but it tickles my funny bone. You have to know Blue, to really appreciate this. He is a seven year old Merino ram. An old man. A very crotchety and cranky old man. He seemed unperturbed by his passenger, and the hen was evidently enjoying her foot massage therapy on her wool cushioned, lanolin coated perch.

So Hot

Echo Officially Protests the Heat Wave

This past week has been horrible. The heat and humidity combined to make temperatures in the triple digits. After a few days of that, and everything was dragging. I feared for all my senior citizen critters, and tried my best to keep everyone alive. Fans, and extra water, and ice in water bowls, when I was home on the weekends. Boone got his smaller plastic pool moved into his daytime pen, so he could wade around if it got too bad. I cleaned out his big shed of all the straw and bedding, so he would have a cooler spot to lay inside. A few weeks ago, I added another 10 foot or so to his pen, so he could have more shade options.Heat Shimmers Across the Sheep Pasture

Eddie and Sue the two 'handicapped' yard chickens were heavy on my mind, but they made it through in pretty good shape. The other chickens free range during the day, so have allot of shade options. However, their house at night was beastly hot. I ended up losing one of my old Ameracuanas despite all my efforts. She looked liked she had just climbed off the nest box when she collapsed. All of my chickens are six years old or older, so it gets hard on them when the heat gets turned up. The sheep took the heat hard as well, and I worried I might lose some of them as well. So far they are hanging in there though. I have some girls that are very overweight (my big Dorset/Merino crosses, who never say no to food, and get fat on grass) as well as some that are getting older. The sheep stayed in the deep shade as much as possible, at times with mouths agape, panting hard. I waited until late in the evening to turn them on fresh grass, and even then almost had a few that had trouble processing all that gassy green grass in the intense heat. Old Dominque Hen

I rarely turn my air conditioner on, as I prefer keeping my windows open and enjoying the fresh air when I'm home. My air conditioner is very, very old and huge and noisy. Extremely noisy. However I was more than ready to kick it on, when this heat wave descended and decided to stick around. Unfortunately it wasn't cooling, so it was a pretty rough weekend. Then at some prodding from my Mom, I rechecked it all over and discovered that somehow the button for 'fan' had gotten pushed, and so once the proper buttons were reset, it has worked like a charm. Funny how that works. When it's this hot, I turn it on when I get home and shut off the back of the house, so it will cool down. Then when I put Boone out around 10:30 or 11:00 p.m., I turn it off. Usually this will make it very comfortable to sleep. However during the worst of the heat wave, I would have to get up and plug it in around 3 or 4 a.m. and let it run until time to get up at 5:00 a.m., since it would get so oppressive inside, even with the fans turned on high.Half Ameracuana/Half Black Sex Link Hen
She is one of the 'young ones' at 5 years old

Cooler (high 80s) weather is suppose to be with us now for a few days, and I am hopeful that this intense heat will go away. Back in 1980 we had a terrible heat wave all summer---started in June, I think and lasted all the way into October. There was no breeze, no relief, and temperatures were over 100 every day. I was still living at my parents, and we didn't have air conditioning. I slept on the couch downstairs all summer instead of in my upstairs room. My grandmother was having health difficulties and my Mom tried to find an air conditioner for her. There were none to be found anywhere. Finally she tracked one down in a neighboring town, and my Uncle made a flying (knowing him, this isn't an exaggeration..ha) trip over there and got it for Grandma. Ever since that miserable year, I am always filled with dread when a heat wave sets in.

So the summer goes, it is August after all, but I still don't have to like it!

Snow Day!

I took these pictures after we had several inches of snow last week. It was quite amusing to watch the animal's reactions to the white stuff.

Blanket of snow? The Dorset/Merino girls lining up at the feed trough.

Six tiny Reindeer, er, Sheep

Giddiness reigns amongst the young ewes.
(Note the hoof waving being down by the front sheep)

Come on you little pip-squeak's I can take you all!

Moorit & Snow

Willow says, I'll stay in the barn, thank you very much!

Cookies would make it better!

Ameracuana hen samples the snow. Ummm.. not to bad...

Boone runs like the wind! Or an elephant....whatever...
(about now is when I start screeching, Boone, slow down! Boone, you better go around me! Boone? Boone!!!)

Heres my bone, heres da snow, oh happy (snow) days!

Uh Oh! Ariel is down with frozen feets!