In Harmony

Here at the Wayward Farm, we are all a little different and a little much to handle at times. One thing I can say here is we all live in harmony. The goats let the chickens lay eggs in their house. The cats live with Edith the chicken in the shop and no one has died. The donkeys live with the goats. The other donkeys live with the chickens and cows. We have dogs and cats in the house and it hasn’t fallen down yet. Some of the chickens roost with the donkeys and goats. Some of the chickens roost with the cows. The chickens do go over and visit the horses also. The donkeys and horses usually have a chat or two during the day over the fence. The cows and the little goats share their hay with Cracker Jack and Noma even. The cows are also giving enough to share their feed with the chickens. These guys accept each other and love each other, most of the time. For the end of 2021, I would like to challenge us all to accept each other and love each other in 2022 just like these animals do. Life is hard enough without us fighting and hating each other because of our differences. Let’s make the world a better place in 2022. Let go of your hate, that starts with you. Happy New Year!! 

Sunset

 Over the last few weeks, I have noticed a routine with some of the donkeys here. They come in to get a drink from the water trough while I’m feeding and watering all the animals. I do my usual petting and loving on them. When I go do something else, they turn and start walking toward the sunset. They will then graze out there and play. When I get up in the morning, they are usually in the barn or close to the house. It really is one of my favorite things to do, watch them walk into the sunset. They just make a line and start walking. These guys are so amazing.

Winter is on the way

 It’s the last day of the year. It’s about to get cold here this weekend. I always get stressed when it gets cold. I have set up some warm and cozy spots for the barn cats. I have bought extra straw for the pigs and will fill their houses tomorrow before it hits. The donkeys have dug their own holes in the dirt in the barn to stay warm. I have put straw in with the small goats. Noma and Cracker have a spot to stay out of the wind but refuse to go in it. We will make sure they have plenty of hay to eat to stay warm. We will do the same for the horses in their barn and the same for the donkeys and goats in their barn. I know I get nervous but these guys do know how to stay warm. We help them with what we can. Say a prayer for us this weekend. Probably more for me since I get horrible anxiety over the animals warmth and safety. 

Oh Goodness.

 Some days around here are just rough. Lately I have felt a little defeated. I think it’s just anxiety for the upcoming cold weather here. The other night I was taking water down to the pigs in 5 gallon buckets in bucket on the tractor. It had been a long day and I was too tired to carry them. Who am I kidding?? I do that daily. As I’m driving down to the pigs, apparently I was not paying attention to what I was doing and the buckets fell out of the tractor bucket and I actually ran over them. Oh my goodness. How does that even happen?? All I can say is that I demolished those buckets of water. The tractor was okay though. Hahahaha!!  Luckily we have more buckets. I jumped off that tractor so fast. I really cannot believe I did that. It was getting dark and I was in a hurry but that slowed me down. I had to clean up the buckets and refill more and then take them down there. Just another day in paradise. The things we do and see around here. It’s never dull. 

Coop

 This summer the chicken coop was fixed for the smaller chickens, the plan was to let them free range during the day and lock them in at night. After 8 of them drowned in a severe thunderstorm, I said forget that. They just free range all the time and roost in the barn. Now, these same chickens hang out in the chicken coop. Some of them even lay eggs in the coop. It’s just funny to me. They have been free range for so log now they decided they wanna hang out in the chicken coop. They like it in the little coop now. They are definitely too big now for all of them to be in there at once. They just hang out with the goats and donkeys in the barn now to roost but you can see them going in and out during the day from the coop. 

Rooster Saga

 There is definitely a rooster saga going on around here. Rowdy is a bully, or so I thought. I’m pretty sure he killed 2 roosters already. I have 4 left including Rowdy. I also have 24 hens which I think would be plenty. Regardless, I have been watching Rowdy closely. He went after a hen yesterday and I watched Junior running after him and protecting the hen. Junior seems to have put Rowdy in his place. I have seen him run Rowdy off a few times since then. Maybe now Rowdy will calm down and the other roosters will be safe. I sure hope so. Rowdy is a beautiful rooster. 

Egg Grave Yard

 Oh my goodness. I learn new things everyday around here. I was out next to the chicken coop looking for eggs. It’s serious a hunt every single day. Apparently I have missed a spot or two where eggs were at one time. I see eggs in different spots often. I wasn’t expecting to see about 10 eggs that the chickens did not sit on and by looking at them they look bad. I left them there. I wasn’t going to get in there and dispose of them. When it gets colder I will. It looked like an egg grave yard out there. I wonder how many other places have eggs in them. 

Doing Their Job

 When Earl got here, he was a barn cat from the start. He seems to love it. I got Peanut Butter and Jelly to keep him company. They tolerate each other fine but I don’t think they have all bonded. Not the point here. The longer we have these cats, the more small dead animals around the farm. There have been bird and a gopher. I went into the shop the other day and saw some baby mice. Then a couple days later, I see a huge mouse. We have tried to get that mouse out of the shop for a long time. I guess the cats took care of it. I hate to see all of that, I really do. I guess that’s nature for cats. They are doing their job. Hopefully it will keep the snakes out of the shop in the spring. 

Ummm… what??

 As I was working on some things Sunday afternoon, I heard some honking. Like a car horn. I didn’t think much of it and continued doing what I was doing. I heard it again and again. I get up and see someone in the driveway. I was super confused. Ronnie had worked that night so he was asleep. I woke him up. As he got up and around, the honing continued. I wasn’t go out there. I didn’t know who that was. Ronnie finally got out there to see what was going on. I tried to listen but they weren’t loud enough. When Ronnie came back in, he just shook his head and laughed. He said, first off, in Texas out in the country, it’s customary to honk instead of coming to the door. I didn’t know that but I do now. I said okay, what did he want?? Ronnie laughed some more and said, he wanted a donkey. Guys, everyone knows us by living in the house in the S curve with all the donkeys. He had to tell him they were not for sale and they would be staying where they were. I can’t imagine parting with one of these guys at this point. I’m sure I could have found him a donkey but he can’t have one of mine. The funny thing is, that’s not the first time. I almost Ed parted with Ned right after he got here because he had such a hard start here. He was not happy at all. I mean not even a little bit. But, he seems to be the happiest one of all now. I’m so glad I didn’t part with him. 

Morning Funny

 I got up to feed one morning and I saw one of the chickens, Squawk was over by the chicken coop. She was doing her normal squawking. I didn’t think much of it at that moment. As I finished feeding, she was still squawking in the same spot. I wondered over there to check on her. She came up to me and started squawking more. So, I followed her. I followed her into the coop hoping there wasn’t anything in there that I was going to have to run from. I looked into the dog house where the chickens have been laying eggs lately and I see another chicken laying an egg. I laughed so hard. Squawk was telling me another chicken was in there and she wanted in there. It was like watching kids tattling on each other. It was so funny. 

Bad Habit

 Daisy has started a bad habit. She is a little spoiled, but in reality, all the animals here are spoiled. When Daisy comes in for the night, she has to be petted and she needs to see Ronnie. When Ronnie is not home or he has worked all night and is asleep, she will bark and cry until I get up and pet on her more. When he is home, he lets her and talks to her to make sure she goes to sleep and doesn’t bark for an hour while it’s time to sleep. This dog knows how to get what she wants. 

On Guard

 Ronnie and I came home Christmas night after dark. It was a nice night. I see the goats out of the barn laying down enjoying the nice night. As I walk further, I see 2 donkeys laying down, not far from the goats. It made me smile thinking the donkeys were making sure the goats were okay and were on guard. I don’t think that was really the case. The other 2 donkeys were in the barn. They didn’t really care about the goats. That made me giggle. As I walked up, the donkeys got up and came over to me to get some petting. The goats stayed where they were. It’s just funny to me. I guess they were all enjoying their night under the stars. 

Another Shop Chicken

 I came home this week and saw another chicken in the shop. Edith continues to stay in the shop but now Gloria is in there also. After a few days, I think she might have followed Edith in and couldn’t get out. She has been in there several days. Both of the chickens in there have made the cats uncomfortable. They are all a little fearful of the chickens. I know 2 out of the 3 cats have had at least one run in with a chicken that didn’t go well. The chickens have been eating the cat food. It’s just been a crazy week. I didn’t try to run her out since I knew the cold weather was coming. The cold weather isn’t here yet, but Gloria did find her way out of the shop today and is roosting comfortably with her friends. I sometimes wish I had a video camera on some of these animals all day everyday. 

Maggie and the wind

 Oh my Maggie girl. We have some really strong wind some days. Maggie hates the wind. She does not want to be out there in it. If she does happen to be out there, she stays under the porch and even refuses to eat. I don’t blame her, I don’t like the wind that much either. I do my best to get her back in the house when the wind gets up like that. If I’m not home, we’ll, she just has to endure. She normally isn’t outside when I’m not home, but occasionally it does happen. Poor Maggie. She will be okay though. 

What Is Cracker Jack Thinking

 Cracker Jack has been getting aggravated with the chickens lately. Not really sure what has been happening here, but it seems dramatic. I know Rowdy has been driving the other chickens crazy lately, but no more of the chickens have turned up in a bad way, so that’s good. The other night, I was watching the animals. I see Cracker Jack out of no where chasing the chickens. I had to laugh. I haven’t seen him do it again, but whatever was happening when he was chasing the chickens, it must have really upset him to chase them. 

Slide

 I decided the goats were bored. They needed more to do. I don’t know why. They don’t seem to be unhappy and love being together. I’m still so glad we got Waldo also. Anywho. I ordered a slide. It’s a plastic slide for a youngster. I didn’t realize how rough they would be on it. I’m putting it back together everyday. They are so funny with that slide. They are trying so hard to figure it out. It could win on a funny contest. They are absolutely hilarious. Porkey did get on his hind legs and was able to slide his upper body down the slide. It really was funny. I hope they figure it out soon. 

Weird Moments

 So, I have been coming home and finding an egg in the crate I have set up in the shop for the cats when it’s cold out. I knew it wasn’t Edith but I had no idea which chicken it was. It had to be one of the few that were born here since the eggs were so small. Well, I went out to feed the other morning and the cats were acting weird. It was cold and they were not in the crate. I am guessing the chicken figured out where Edith was getting in and out and she decided to come in the shop. I try to discourage chicken in the shop after our egg and snake situation earlier this year. I got this chicken out of the shop twice, but she was determined. She ended up back in there and all 3 cats were looking at me like get her out of our house. I finally gave up since I needed to get to work. I got home and sure enough, there was an egg, and Peanut Butter was sitting on it. I know I have said it a dozen times but there is never a dull moment here. 

Showing Love

 I am not sure why I haven’t mentioned this before. When Romeo passed away, it was Hercules that comforted me. When George passed away, I happen to be by the fence with the little goats, who aren’t the friendliest. Waldo came right up to me and jumped up on the fence and stick his nose to my face. It seemed he was trying to tell me it would be okay. Of course, that melted my heart. It helped the pain I was feeling at that moment. It’s amazing what animals can feel and how they will react. I’m grateful everyday that all of these guys are here. 

Trust

 Well, I’m not sure what’s going on around here. Noma is getting friendly which amazes me. Today, Pete came right up to me, with the fence between us of course. He didn’t exactly let me pet him, but he did allow me to put my hand on his nose. Guys, Ronnie and I have worked for literally a year for these things to be happening. I know it might not seem like much for some, but these guys have never been handled. They are beyond terrified of humans and are starting to trust us. This means so much to me. Both Ronnie and I have worked so hard to show them we are not here to hurt them and that they will live their life here. They are starting to understand. I’m so happy. I sure do love them and I hope they start to see that. 

Warms my Heart

 Noma did something she hasn’t done since I had to separate her and Pete. She walked up to me and let me somewhat pet her. She is the most skittish animal we have here. I am desperately trying to get her to trust us because she needs hoof care done horribly. I am afraid to force her or try to halter her at this point. I am afraid she will hurt herself beyond repair. She is fragile. But this is a first step in her trusting me. Hopefully it will continue. I’m trying not to rush her, but it’s getting to be an emergency. She can barely walk as it is because of how bad her feet are. That’s rescue though. Baby steps. 

Rowdy

 I am not sure what to do with this rooster. I have not had a problem with having multiple roosters here until now. I have seen Rowdy fighting the other roosters. One of them disappeared, I have no idea what happened or where it happened. Now George is gone with no obvious reason as to why, but I have my suspicions that it was Rowdy. I am going to have to watch him closely. If he starts killing, he may have to go and that breaks my heart. He was born here. I watched him grow. But, I have to protect the other chickens. I have not witnessed him killing, but I have 2 roosters that are no longer with us and I don’t have another explanation. 

Wheezy the Protector

 I saw Wheezy fighting Rowdy off one of the other chickens. He was pecking him and chasing him. I have not seen that side of Wheezy. Rowdy didn’t fight him back and that really shocked me. I think Wheezy might be a rooster but he doesn’t look like the other roosters but he doesn’t look like hen either. Wheezy is special to me and I definitely don’t want him to be hurt at all. Rowdy is a mean little thing. So far wheezy is fine. It looks like they are getting along at this point. Wheezy is a brave little thing. 

Goodbye, George

 I came home on Friday and noticed something that didn’t look right. As I walked outside, I noticed it was a chicken laying down. I walked over and my brain didn’t want to process what I was seeing. It was George and he was already gone. I called Ronnie. He was at work. I asked if he had seen George that morning and he said yes that George was running around the farm that morning. I though it was possible he had been too weak after getting out of the fenced area. But after talking to Ronnie, I don’t think that was it. Poor George. I cannot explain to you how sad I am about George. He had been through so much. He was blind in one eye so he ran around in circles a lot. He lost his comb and a spur in the ice storm last year. He actually got stranded in a shelter for a couple days when it snowed one time this year. He refused to walk in the snow until I made him get out of there. He had a funny little personality. I know I’m not supposed to have favorites but he was my favorite rooster. I am going to miss him so much. Rest easy, George. 

Oh no, George!!

 We have this spot in the cow pen that we fenced to put a fan in there. The cows love that fan and sat in front of it the entire summer. I noticed George was in that fenced area. I didn’t think much of it because I see the chickens in there occasionally and they are able to get out. By day 2, I thought, well maybe he can’t get out. So, I struggled with the fencing and got him out. Once he was out, he went to his normal spot with Suzie Q, but he was being mean and pecking on her and the baby she still has with her. She finally got up and moved to a new spot and let George have his spot. He looked like he was just going to sleep. Crazy rooster, but he is my favorite. 

Routine

 These animals have a routine. I came home a little late and those horses were standing by their bowls and making noises for me to hurry. As soon as they started, the rest of the crowd started hollering at me. I am telling you, these guys are spoiled and they know when it’s time to eat. I try to feed at the same time everyday. Sometimes I’m late because I have other things to do. They don’t understand that though. It just makes me laugh. 

Another Peanut Butter post

 Oh Peanut Butter. That cat is a mess. I couldn’t love him more. I hadn’t seen him in a day, so I had started wondering where he was as I pulled in the driveway after work. As I was walking to the front door, I noticed a dead bird. I then knew Peanut Butter was okay. He was leaving me presents. Later as I was feeding, I was hollering for him. When the sun started to set, I saw something coming from the corner of my eye. I knew it was Peanut Butter. When I got back to the shop, I saw him sitting up on the hay bale and looking like, did you call me?? I took the trash out a little while later and my path to the trash, I saw another dead bird. I now know he has taken a page from Earl and is hanging out in the front bushes and killing things. I don’t really like that, but he is a cat and not much I can do about that. I’m just glad he is happy. 

Crazy Daisy

 I let the dogs out after I got home from work one day when it was a little chilly outside. Once they got in the backyard, I saw Daisy had found an egg and was eating a raw egg. I tried to take it from her, but that wasn’t happening. I thought, huh, when did they start laying in the backyard?? That seems weird. Then I didn’t think about it again. The next day, I watched Daisy get an egg off the trailer where they lay sometimes and she ate it. Oh, Daisy. The chickens aren’t laying there anymore at the moment, but I’m checking that spot before I let the dogs out now. I don’t need Daisy getting sick on raw eggs. You never know what is going to happen around here. 

Don’t take me

 When the kids were down last weekend they were looking forward to seeing Earl. Earl stuck around to see them. He let them love on him when they first got there. However, as they were leaving, he kept jumping out of their arms and struggling to get away. It was funny to watch. It was like he was saying please don’t take me, I like it here. Earl is definitely happy here, running around and doing whatever he wants to. I’m glad the kids got to see Earl. They love him and miss him. I know he is a cat, but I told him they were coming and he better stay around to see them. He did what I asked.