Unexpected

 I just talked about Pete and Noma. I will say this, I have a friend that came over a few weeks ago to see all the animals and I am not kidding when I tell you what happened. I was so shocked. We were out where Noma, Cracker Jack and Jeb are and Jeb walks up to her like he has known her a long time. That wasn’t surprising because he loves everyone. However, Noma went up to her also. I could not believe what I was seeing. Ned isn’t real friendly either most of the time, but he walked up to her also. Ned is friendly with us just not all of the time. It did make my heart happy that Noma did go up to her. I may have to get Heather over here to get a halter on Noma for me so we can get her feet done. They are awful!! They were like that when we rescued her but she hasn’t trusted us enough to be able to help her with it. It will happen though. 

Progress with Pete and Noma

 So, if you have been reading this blog, you know about Pete and Noma. If you haven’t been keeping up with it, Noma and Pete are mother and son donkeys. They came from a kill pen back in December. They have been hard to get to open up. Pete had never been handled and I can only wish I knew Noma’s story. I’m sure it isn’t good. She is not trusting and neither is he. However, I’m not giving up. The other day, I was outside feeding and Noma stood there. I walked toward her and she didn’t move like she normally does. I was able to pet her nose. She then walked away. That’s okay, it’s progress. My husband was able to feed her treats from his hand which is a huge step. A couple days later, I was giving treats to the other donkeys, Pete being one of them. He sees the other 3 donkeys (Ned, Red, and Pedro) eating out of my hand and letting me pet them. So, he walks over and takes a treat from my hand and then another one. The progress is slow with them. It was getting better and then I had to separate them which caused things to slow down even more. I can see they want to trust us, but it’s hard for them to let their guard down. I’m not giving up and even the smallest progress is good progress with these two. One day they will understand we are not here to hurt them. They are here to stay regardless of what happens. 

Rough night

 Well, we had a rough night the other night. Jeb had finally got into the trailer and he was there for the night to get used to it and go to the vet the next day. He had food and water and he was fine. However, Ronnie and I did not realize what would happen without Jeb in the pasture with Noma and Cracker Jack. It was getting late and Ronnie went out to check on the animals. He came running back into the house to grab his shoes. He said Ned was over with Noma and Cracker Jack and must have jumped the fence. Let me explain why that is such a big deal. Noma was a rescue from a kill pen, but so was Ned. Noma has a hard time getting around because of her feet. It’s heartbreaking to see if she is trying to get away from a male. The males have an appointment to get fixed, but haven’t been fixed yet. Noma is the only female here. Her feet are awful. We are trying to get her feet worked on, but she isn’t trusting and we have been unable to get a halter on her and I’m trying not to rush her so she will learn to trust us. Back to the story. Ned is chasing Noma and she is going as fast as she can kicking at him every few steps. Ronnie is chasing them and trying to rope Ned to get him back into his own pasture. Jeb is in the trailer and stomping as loud as he can. Let’s just say it was truly chaotic. After an hour of this, Ronnie finally ropes Ned. Ned refuses to go down without a fight. He fought all the way into the pasture. I get Noma and Cracker Jack in a pen with food and water for their safety for the night. Poor girl, she ate and drank some water and then layed  down. She was exhausted. Ned was still fighting and wouldn’t let Ronnie get the rope off. He went inside to cool off. I went back out to get the rope off of Ned so he didn’t injure himself. He wasn’t going to let me get it off while I was in the pasture with him. He started kicking. So I backed out and went to him from across the fence. I told him to come here so I could get the rope off and he quietly walked to me so I could get it off. He ran off as soon as he was free. Noma and Cracker Jack were left in the pen until Jeb was back from his appointment. I’m telling you, never a dull moment around here. Ned has stayed on his side of the fence but Noma will not for any reason leave Jeb’s side. 

Jeb Going to the vet

 We had an appointment this past week for Jeb to go to the vet to be fixed. The day came and he was not going to get in that trailer. It was not going to happen. Nope. So, the appointment was rescheduled for a few days later. Ronnie worked with Jeb to get him in the trailer, he finally went in. He goes to the vet and we got a big surprise. I will be honest and tell you I had never tried to figure out an age of a horse, but I thought he was older than he is. I was shocked when Ronnie called to tell me that Jeb was not even a year old yet. It was not time for him to be fixed since he was so young. This horse is going to be huge. He is a big horse already and we knew he was young but had no idea how young. He is learning everything. He is so smart for being so young. He is a good natured horse for him being so young also. I really just could not believe it. I am excited to see him grow up here. He is such a joy but it does explain why he does some things he does. For example, he likes to nip at me. He was so jealous the other day since I took Jasper for a walk. When I got Jasper back into his spot, Jeb ran over to me and nipped me on the arm and literally ran off. I wasn’t mad by knew that couldn’t happen again. Apparently he is young and has to learn. He will. He isn’t going anywhere. This will be a challenge. 

Sad times

 The weather here the last week has been a mess to say the least. Out here there was hail three nights in a row. The rain has been coming down. Our shop flooded and ruined several bags of feed. We lost 10 baby chickens last week alone because of the rain. We didn’t get a lot of hail damage like a lot of people did. I’m grateful for that. It has been a rough week for sure though. My heart is broken because of all of the baby chickens. I really hate that. They just were too young to know how to survive in the weather. The rain has stopped for now and I’m told it doesn’t rain much here, but this is just a weird year for the weather. I guess time will tell. 

Protection for Wheezy

 Wheezy is one awesome chicken. He has started branching out into the yard some. When one of the other chickens or any of the other animals, he runs back into the pen with the goats. When he is scared, he runs under the legs of one of the goats. He is getting more comfortable around the other chickens to a point. He can be in the shelter when one of them is laying an egg or hanging out in the pen. This chicken will walk u to me now. He is not scared of me at all. This chicken is super friendly. I’ve never been around a friendly chicken, but this is amazing. He is one funny guy. I hope he stays that way as he gets older but as long as I keep showing him I’m not going to hurt him, I’m sure he will stay friendly. 

Trapped chicken

 I believe Edith was in the chicken coop today. It was getting dark out because another storm was coming through when I got home. I was running around trying to get everything fed and watered before it hit. I got all the animals fed and all the baby chicks into the coop and shut the door. I started doing other stuff since Ronnie got home and was helping water. I look out the window and I see a chicken on top of the laying box just walking back and forth. It looked to be in distress. I walked out there and sure enough, Edith is trapped in there with the babies. The babies look terrified and are all huddled in a corner. She is desperately trying to find a way out. I took off my jacket and was going to try to grab her and carry her out. Oh no, that wasn’t happening. She flipped out. She was finally herded out of the pen and she was so glad. Apparently she has been laying eggs in the chicken coop in one of the boxes while the babies are running around during the day. I was a few hours early with putting them in the coop today. Poor Edith. She was upset enough and trying to get out of there so desperately I was afraid she was going to get hurt. But, everything turned out fine. 

The Hail!!

 So, Ronnie and I were fixing to clean the kitchen after dinner and we heard some thunder. The baby chicks were still out do we decided to run out and get them in the coop. The donkeys and goats had come in from the pasture and on the other side the donkeys and the horse had come in from the pasture. The clouds were rolling in fast as well as the thunder and lighting. The baby chickens didn’t put up much of a fight and ran into the coop. We are still keeping them there since they are still so small. We got them in and then the dogs in the house and then Ronnie and I went in. The minute we went in, it started hailing. We were watching out the window. This was some big hail. Ping pong size hail I would say. Luckily we had 2 of the vehicles under the carport. I wasn’t so grateful for the carport but it has hailed enough already this year for it to have been worth getting it. I think this is the fourth time since we moved here. Anyway. As we are watching out the winds, I see Jeb, Noma and Cracker Jack going for the shelter and then they all bolted out of there so fast into the hail. Then I see Earl running out of the shop and into the hail. All of the donkeys and goats were out of the barn, too. I’m thinking, what is wrong with these animals. They were all under different trees. Ronnie sad, everything we have out here is sheet metal, they don’t like the sound. That makes a lot of sense. I haven’t seen them all since the storm isn’t finished and it’s dark. The hail has stopped for now though so I’m sure they are all fine. Ronnie did check on Wheezy, the little goats and Jasper. The goats and wheezy did stay under their shelter even though it’s sheet metal and jasper was gated in. I’m hoping everyone is fine out there. I’m sure they are, they know how to survive. Goodness, this weather is crazy. 

A Day in the Life of Wheezy

 Wheezy is going to end up being one spoiled chicken. He is living it up with the goats. I’m actually not sure yet if that chicken is a boy or a girl but I will know soon. They are getting older. For now I will say the chicken is a he. So, he is so smart. The other morning I went out to check on him and one of the older chickens was chasing him, he ran back into the pen and hid underneath Waldo. As Waldo would walk, Wheezy would walk to so he was hidden. It was so funny. He curls up with the goats to sleep so he is protected from the big chickens. That guy is definitely one happy chicken. He is living the good life. I really think the big chickens are getting used to him because they are in that area a lot and don’t bother him much anymore. He will get in the shelter and lay down sometimes when he is tired. He has learned how to stay out of the path of the goats playing. It is an interesting relationship to watch. I’m just grateful Wheezy has made it and is happy. 

Oh Rona

 I really do not want to make this post, but I guess I need to. Rona, one of the barn cats has been gone for a month. It does not look like she is coming back. I wish I knew where she went but I don’t. She was a free spirit and she did what she wanted. I knew that when she came to live here. She was the sweetest and most cuddly cat but she wanted to roam. She was all over the place. Earl seems to be doing okay without her. He seemed depressed for a bit but he is out hunting and roaming on his own. He does not roam far from his home in the shop. He seems content where he is. I am looking for a companion for him to live in the shop at the moment though. My heart is broken for Rona but I have stopped looking for her. She did this once before but was only gone for 3 days. It’s been a month now. 

New shelter

 We finally put up a loafing shed for Jeb, Noma, and Cracker Jack for raining weather. Noma and Cracker are using it but Jeb seems content by Jasper’s fence under the shelter. That’s where he stays. As long as they all have a spot when it’s raining, I feel better. Most of the animals don’t care about the weather but it just makes me feel better for them. I’m happy it’s up and it’s being used. Noma and Cracker have been moved around a bit and I’m happy thy have their own shelter now. I am planning on getting a big barn soon and then I won’t have to worry about it at all. They will have the option to get in there or not. 

Wheezy

 Let’s talk about Wheezy. Wheezy is a chicken I pulled out of the coop yesterday. This chicken was the next to be pecked off in the pecking order. He was named Wheezy because when I picked it up, the little chicken was wheezing. Poor thing had already been pecked into the ground. It could still get up but several of the chickens were pecking on it. I didn’t really have anywhere to put Wheezy but Ronnie said to put it in the shop. So, I did. I knew Earl wouldn’t hurt the chicken so until it was bigger, that’s where it would stay. Not ideal in the least, but it would be warm and dry and still alive. I went out later to check on the chicken, and Wheezy was gone. I could not find that chicken. I had no idea where to look. This morning, Ronnie found Wheezy alive and well in the small goat pen. I was still worried, I knew the big chickens were in and out of there daily, so I hoped they wouldn’t try to hurt Wheezy. Well, they didn’t hurt Wheezy. Wheezy became friends with the goats. Ronnie sent me a pic when he got home since I was still at work and it warmed my heart. The pic was of Wheezy and one of the goats. Looks like Wheezy will be fine. That chicken is living life. And likes to be petted and loved on by me. Yay!!

Chicken pecking order

 As I am sure you know, I am learning as I go with all of these farm animals. I do my research on them, but sometimes it’s trial and error. We had 28 baby chicks here, they got too big for where they were, so we put them in the chicken coop. We are down to 23 chickens now. The pecking order has not gone well and we have lost 5 chickens. Chickens are brutal. Badly brutal. I had no idea. They are literally killing each other. It looks like things were not going to get better, so I opened the gate and let them go. They all stayed close to the coop but they ran around eating and doing their thing. I didn’t really know what I was going to do after that. There was no plan for after that. I felt they were too small to stay out in the open because of predators. But I didn’t want anymore of them to die. My heart is broken for the ones we have lost. I just didn’t know what to do. They stayed out for a couple of hours. I knew it was going to rain last night but didn’t think I had another choice. The next thing I know, the chicken I now call Momma May, was on top of the chicken coop and was calling them all back into the coop. Every one of them went back in without a fight and cuddled together against the cold night and the rain. All were alive this morning. They were let out for several hours tonight and then they all went back in when they were called. It was an awesome sight. Hopefully this will help them all. They need to get a title bigger and then they can be free range like the other chickens. I don’t think Momma May has much time left with us. She basically stays in one spot laying in straw and doesn’t get up much anymore. For now she is Momma to all f those chicks. It’s heartwarming to see. 

Jealous Jeb

 So, went out to check on Jasper one day, it was hot outside and for some reason the fan wasn’t worker. The pull chain didn’t work. I meant to tell Ronnie and forgot. The next morning, Ronnie sent me a text after I had went to work and asked where the cord was for the fan. The cord?? Yeah, the electrical cord that plugs into the wall. What?? Apparently, Jeb was either jealous or was trying to play and ripped that cord right out of the fan. Ronnie found the cord in the field. That could have gone terribly wrong for Jeb. The new fan is now inside the shelter and he cannot get into Jasper’s pen to do that again. Never a dull moment around here. You never know what you will walk into. 

Egg stealer

 It’s springtime and I am now aware that snakes are out. I knew they were but I wasn’t too worried about it. That has changed a bit. I mean, I’m not going to live in fear of snakes. I live on a farm. I know they are here. I think I just don’t want to see them. Ronnie had found one and took care of it on Sunday morning. That was the first one I had seen on our property. I didn’t think much of it after that. Later in the day, I went out to feed the animals. I had a crate in the shop for when the ice storm hit to keep the cats warm. Since then, the chickens come in daily to lay eggs in there. I pick them up daily, so I wasn’t thinking of snakes. When I went to look in the crate earlier in the day, I noticed there were several but not all of the chickens had been in there yet, so I left them. I went to check on the eggs before I fed and something made me look up in the corner of the crate. I saw some of the eggs were missing... not a good sign. When I looked up in the corner, I saw the body of a snake. Not the head or the tail, but just a small portion of the body. I calmly walked out with Earl in my arms. I texted Ronnie and said there was a snake in the shop. He came out and sure enough, there was a snake. A big snake. He moved that crate and told me it was a dragon it was so big. I had to see it, not sure why I needed to, now I have nightmares and don’t want to go in the shop. This thing was huge. The snake is gone and hopefully we won’t have any more. When I started thinking about it, Earl had been sleeping up on the shelves and I thought I was crazy with counting eggs and seeing some missing, so now I think that the snake had been in there awhile. Luckily, I had not seen it before. And it didn’t come out and scare me but I did have this weird feeling the last several times I got eggs out of there. Good grief. I know it just wanted some food and it got some meals. But, I was nervous. No, it wasn’t a rattlesnake but I didn’t know that at the time. Now we have some moth balls in place and snake away stuff. Hopefully that will work. I also took the crate out and Ronnie chicken proofed the shop. I found all of the eggs in the goat pen today, Ronnie will have to see if he can snake proof that with moth balls and snake away. What an adventure this has been. 

Jasper Spoiled

 Jasper may be the most spoiled cow. He is so sweet and loving. He walks on a leash. He will sit down beside me. He will run around the yard with me. He loves attention. He has his own area and it’s about to get bigger. Having Clare with him did not work out, but we are going to be getting another one so Jasper isn’t lonely. He does not act like he is lonely and he has his chicken friends to hang out with him in the evenings. He has his own fan to keep him cool and to keep the flies off of him. He even has his own radio to keep him from being lonely. I never thought I would have a cow and to have Jasper is just amazing. He is so much fun to have around. I will get him on the leash and take him around so he can have fresh grass, until we get the fencing fixed. The donkeys and goats are sure interested in him. I think they are wondering what he is exactly. Jeb is so jealous, he cannot stand it. Jasper is definitely awesome and I’m grateful he is here.