Injured Chicken

 I really hate it when one of the animals is sick or injured. This morning I let the dogs out even with the rain and they immediately went under the porch which was filled with water. Out comes a chicken running. I could tell she was injured. She is limping and missing feathers. She was soaked from the storm. I was telling Ronnie about her and he said he had seen her get injured. She was trying to get out of the goat pen and away from one of the roosters and got caught in the fence. He was able to get her out of it and she is actually doing better than she was. He has been keeping an eye on her. She was one of the chickens that was left here by the previous owner for us. I went and checked on her a few minutes ago and she was out of her hiding spot and walking around. She is staying away from the other chickens because they would beat up on her since she is injured. Hopefully she will feel better soon. 

Peanut Butter and Jelly

 Welcome, Peanut Butter and Jelly. I had been looking for a cat to keep Earl company. I hadn’t found any, but I had not looked real hard. The shelter was only open for a few hours during the week and I work those hours. Ronnie is so busy all the time, he had not had time either. I was looking online Saturday and found a bonded pair that came to the shelter together and I knew they were the ones. My mom and I loaded up and drove to the town they were in. These cats are absolutely precious. I am excited to have added them. They will be outside but they have a big shop to themselves with Earl of course. They have their food, water, fans, beds, etc to make sure they are comfortable. Earl came in the shop this morning. He got to see them. They are all at opposite ends of the shop this morning with some hissing and growling but they will become friends before long. I was worried about the storm last night but I checked on them several times and they were okay. I had a panic moment this morning when I couldn’t find Jelly, but he was hiding. He found a good spot to hide it. I did find him. He was the friendly one yesterday but Peanut Butter was the friendly one this morning. I sat in the shop this morning with them and petted on Peanut Butter. Those two came from a home together and they will not be separated now. Earl will learn to be friends with them. It will just take time. I’m glad he won’t be lonely anymore and I’m glad Peanut Butter and Jelly did not have to be separated. 

Welcome Home

 We got the best welcome home I have ever had. After we got home, we were checking all the animals since it was time to feed. We were out doing what we needed to do. I had seen the donkeys way out in the field. I didn’t think much of it since they do roam around. I went into the barn and the chicken coop giving food and stuff. The next thing I know, the donkeys are literally running toward us. I had no idea if they were being chased or what was happening. Nope, not being chased. They ran right to me. Literally right to me. I guessed they missed us. They came up and wanted to be petted and loved on and then they went back to roaming. It was so funny the way they ran up to us and got some love and then went back to doing what they do. It was really funny. They way they were running, they could have run right over me, but they stopped right where I was. It’s nice to know they love us. 

Nerves

 Since my parents were here, we went on a little vacation. We had lots of fun. I always get nervous leaving the farm though. There is a lot of responsibility and I just get so nervous. However, it’s good to have friends that are willing to step in and help. All of the animals were taken good care of and I shouldn’t worry about it. I tried not to worry but I miss them and I do worry. We had a good time and all of the animals were fine. I appreciate my friends and glad we had a good time. 

Parents are Here

 My parents got here a few days ago. I was hoping they would love it here and it looks like they did!! Cracker Jack remembered them and came up to the fence. We left Arkansas with 21 animals. We now have 57 so they got to meet lots of new faces. They enjoyed seeing al of the new animals. Mom helped feed a few times and she was able to go with me to adopt some cats so Earl wouldn’t be lonely. They were amazed at all the animals and how friendly they were. They got to pet chickens and cows and the horse and donkeys. They had a good time seeing what we have done here. It makes me happy that they got to see how the little hobby farm had grown. 

Accidents Happen

 When you have animals that need treatment, you take them to the vet. We had an incident that was a total accident here recently. Don’t judge when you read this. Jeb, the horse had been having some hoof trouble and we had taken him to the vet and the vet had prescribed some pain meds for him. Friday I went to work and Ronnie was rushing around to go to work. I was excited since I would be on vacation the next week. I was stressed also since I had so much to do. Ronnie texted me later and said there was an accident but he was taking care of it.  Then I was really stressed. Apparently when Ronnie was rushing to go to work, Jeb would cooperate. Somehow he ended up getting too much medication. The vet came to the house quickly and had to pump his stomach. I can’t make this up, ya’ll. This stuff really happens. He had to be penned up for a few days to make sure he didn’t have any problems come up which he hated. But, he was fine. Thank goodness. Needless to say, Ronnie didn’t make it to work on Friday. We do what it takes around here. Jeb was pretty mad for a few days but he loves us again. 

Panic

 I had a panic moment several days ago. I was washing dishes and cleaning before my parents got here and for some reason I went out to check the animals in the heat of the day. I walk out toward the barn and stop at the chicken coop. Hercules was on his side and there were chickens on top of him. He wasn’t moving. I run in there and he still doesn’t move. He is breathing though. I start yelling his name. He finally rolls over and looks at me. His face is saying he was having a really good nap in the heat of the day. He still doesn’t get up and the chickens are standing on him and pecking on him. I was worried. They had water but I went over and got fresh water for them. When I came back he decided since I was nice enough to get fresh water he could get up and show me he was fine. And he really was fine. He was hot since it was 100 degrees outside. I have got to learn not to panic. It is hot here in west Texas. These animals are survivors. They know how to survive in the heat. They made it through the crazy blizzard this year also. I have got to calm down. 

Scorpions

 I left out the scorpions we have in Texas. I haven’t really thought much about them since I have not really seen any. I had been told there were scorpions. I knew they were here. However, I did not expect them to be in the house. The other night, Ronnie was walking around without shoes on and I hear his yelling. I went to check on him and he had stepped on a scorpion and it had stung him. Of course I freak out. He tells me he will be fine. He took some antihistamine and went to bed. He was fine but i worries myself sick over it. Move to Texas, it will be fun… well it’s definitely eventful. 

Age Old Question

 These is an age old question that has many different opinions and not a ton of answers. The question is, Do animals have a soul and do they go to heaven?? I have been doing some research on this. It really is a hard question to answer because everyone can interpret it differently. It’s just one of those questions that you have to research. I asked a few people what they thought and got lots of different responses. A lot of people think they don’t have a soul and therefore cannot go to heaven. I have been doing a lot of research and really, I do not believe that they don’t have a soul. If you are around animals enough, you know they do. You know these creatures have feelings and so on and so forth. I am continuing my research and I will put what I find in the next book I write. What do you think?? I would love some opinions. 

Sidekick

 Oh Wheezy. This chicken is amazing. I do believe she is a hen and not a rooster after she has gotten a bit bigger. This chicken is so loving. She lets me hold her and pet her. I have never seen a chicken do that. She will follow me around some. She is starting to branch out and go farther from the goats but she knows she lives with them and they take care of her. She is the cutest little thing running around. She has even decided she likes me enough to sit up on my shoulder. I didn’t know if this girl was going to make it a month ago and now she is thriving. Makes it all worth it to see her running around acting like she is happy. 

The Goats

 Hercules, Lucky, and Carlos have decided to live in the chicken coop. I guess it’s cooler in there. There is always water in there and they don’t have to walk in the hot to get to the water trough. They are so funny. They will just lay in there all day. The baby chickens are not complaining, they just lay in there with them when it’s hot. They do get up and move around the pasture with the donkeys, but not when it’s hot out. They really do crack me up. They are liking it in west Texas. 

The continued egg game

 If you have been keeping up, you know that I have a very real egg hunt every single day. These hens lay eggs in all kinds of places. I have not found any eggs in a week or two now. I have no idea where they are. I have noticed May sitting in the nest where most of them have put their eggs lately but when she got up the other day I went to look and no eggs were there. I have finally realized it may just be too hot out to lay any eggs. I have looked under the cargo trailer, the stock trailer, the cow pen, the goat pen, the barn, under the tractor, in the tall grass, etc, etc. I am telling you, there are no eggs. I will continue to look daily, but as long as it’s hot, I don’t think there will be any. The babies are too small to lay eggs yet. We will see what happens. The games will continue. 

The Pigs

 Pigs do not do well in the heat. They don’t sweat which puts them at risk for heat stroke. They have to have adequate water and a place to get out of the sun. They also can get sunburns. They are the animals that have me the most concerned out here in this west Texas heat. I got them a sun shade. They have shelters to get out of the sun also. We have made mud holes. They have 2 water troughs and they have a pool. They have not shed their hair since the weather here had been so crazy. It was still cold at night not long ago. They have just started shedding their hair which is called blowing their coat. Each of the pigs are covered in mud at the moment which will help them cool off and keeps the from getting a sun burn. Ronnie has started a unique way of watering them. He fills up the bucket of the tractor and makes sure the mud holes get filled up as well as the pool and water troughs. I do clean the water troughs out daily but as soon as the water is clean, one of them crawls in the water and gets it dirty again. It’s a never ending thing. They are doing well at this point. I do worry about them, but I’m praying they will be okay. They made it through the blizzard, so I am praying they will make it through the heat. We are doing what we can to keep them healthy. They are running around and they do stay out of the sun unless they are eating. 

Jeb to the Vet

 I posted last week about Jeb being lame in the right front leg. Watching him limp around was sad. He was taken to the vet and it was pretty much what Ronnie and I had discussed. The vet said it looked like he had a bruise on one side of the foot and he had an abscess in the hoof. He was given some meds and seems to be doing better. However, he was feeling so much better, he started running around like he does. He is a young colt and is learning. Now we are back to him limping around and not feeling good. Looks like we are going to have to be put into a small enclosure for him to heal so he will stay off of it more. This horse is something else. I’m grateful he will heal. Now to keep him off of it and how to do that is the question. He does not like to be in one spot and he wants to stay with Noma at all times. Let’s see how this goes. 

More of West Texas I didn’t know

 My understanding of West Texas was this; it’s hot in the summer, little humidity, hardly snows, hardly rains, no mosquitoes. Well, all of that has been gone by the wayside. I’m getting eaten alive by mosquitoes. You already know we had a blizzard here in February. There has been so much rain and it is just now getting hot. This year has already been crazy. I know there are snakes and bobcats and coyotes and foxes and black widows out here. We have heard the coyotes, only heard about the bobcats, seen snakes, black widows and coyotes. Some days I wonder where in the world I have moved, but I am liking it here. We are happy out here and I’m glad we are here. I’m taking the good with the not so good. The weather is crazy everywhere anymore. 

Success

 It seems like bringing Alex home has been good for Jasper. I knew Jasper was lonely but I wasn’t sure how lonely since he had the chickens living with him. Since getting Alex, Jasper’s personality has really taken off. He is liking having a friend. They play around and head butt each other but they are rarely not together. They sleep close to each other and they will eat out of the same feed trough. It’s really cute. Alex is starting to let me get close to him since Jasper has shown him he is okay. This was a good decision to get Jasper a friend. I’m grateful we were able to get Alex here. They are loving life. They are pretty spoiled already. They have fans and space to themselves. The chickens do still live with them. That in itself is funny. I catch both of them chasing the chickens to try to head butt them. Now I’m just waiting to get the barn built so we can fix the fence and the gate so they can run around on a couple of acres. They are going to love it.