And Again

I did not learn my lesson. I went out to check on the chicks again. A couple more had hatched. One had already passed. The other one was struggling. I picked it up and took it to Josephine. This one tried to live, but it did not make it. It is heartbreaking to me to have to clean up the aftermath. At this point, 6 had hatched and 3 had passed away. Josephine isn’t staying close to the eggs anymore. She sits on them at night and then Copper comes in and sits on them for awhile. Eggs are hatching but there is not a hen to oversee any of them that hatch at this point. Later that evening, there was another one trying to hatch. It just could not get out. I ended up helping this one also. Josephine did take this chick back. This one is slower than the others, but she is still taking care of that one. So she has 4 now and 3 have passed. The next morning, 2 more have hatched, but so far, Josephine has not had interest in them but they are alive at the moment. Oh this is stressful for me. 

Now Here is A Story

I will remember this always. It’s devastating, but part of life I guess. Where Josephine laid her eggs is not really the best spot but with this story, no where would be good probably. I got home and went to check on the chicks. She had three at this point and was off the clutch of eggs. I figured she she was off the eggs, no more would hatch. I then notice there is a cracked egg with ants going in and out of it. I then thought, okay, the chick died. I pick it up to dispose of it and hear chirping coming from the egg. I then go into a frantic state to get the ants out of that egg. I finish cracking the egg open and get the chick out and get the ants off of it. I got bit by ants multiple times. I then tried to give the chick back to mom. I should have known when she was stepping on the chick that it would not live. I took the chick back. It was covered in ants again. I got the ants off and proceeded to put the chick in an area where it would be safe. I put it in a crate and closed the gate to keep the cats out. I went to check on it several times. It was still breathing. I decided the chick, who I named Charlie, would be okay for a while. I went and did my feeding and watering. Well, the ants found Charlie again. I got him out of the crate and got the ants off again. I tried to keep him warm and keep him alive, but it did not happen. He passed not long after that. At least I tried. He was loved and cared for. It just was not meant to be. I was heartbroken but it was eye opening for me. Those hens know when the chick will live or die. It was an experience. The part of this story that I do not want to forget is this. As all of this was going on, I look up in the sky and the clouds looked like an angel. It made me feel like the situation was being watched over. I will not forget Charlie and his short life. 

Rowdy

Rowdy did make it. He and Fred have put their differences aside for now. Hopefully they will stop fighting for a little while. I don’t know why they continue to fight. There are plenty of hens around here. Rojo is still young, but Fred has gone after him a time or two. Rojo just runs away, for now. I know it won’t always be that way. The only way to fix the rooster problem is to rehome some of them but I hate that thought also. What do I do? 

Losing Baby Hair

Mattie is growing up. He is starting to lose all of his baby hair. I cannot believe he is almost 5 months old already. That seems unreal to me. He still has such personality. He is growing so tall already also. It is so crazy to think back on Mattie being here. He represents a big thing here at Mattie’s Mountain. I sure do love this donkey. 

Failing

Sometimes I feel like I’m failing with the chickens. I pick up their eggs everyday, at least the ones I see and the places I always look. I came home from work and there was a hen in the shop acting funny. It was like she was trying to get out of the shop like she normally does, but something was in her way. I went back to the back of the shop and saw something I was not expecting. Josephine had been sitting on a huge clutch of eggs and chicks were already hatching. I did not know it was Josephine when I first saw her. I thought it was Annabeth but later figured out it was Josephine. Josephine is the momma hen who hatched 16 chicks earlier this year and only 5 survived. I’m going to have to watch her like a hawk. We will see how many survive this time or how many even hatch. So far she has 2. 

Fighting

We have 3 roosters left. Rojo is still young and stays away from most of the chickens. Rowdy and Fred are still fighting. I was hoping those two would stop fighting, but they haven’t. Fred is doing fine. Rowdy is not doing well but continues to try to fight with Fred. I’m afraid this is not going to work out too well. It breaks my heart. Rowdy is so beautiful and has been my favorite since George died. I’m hoping they stop soon and they both make it. 

Hummingbirds

I saw a hummingbird looking for food a few months ago. I finally bought a hummingbird feeder and Ronnie put it up for me. I actually got to see one on the hummingbird feeder. It made me happy. It also made me decide I was getting old if I’m watching for hummingbirds outside. 

RIP Junior

The roosters have started fighting again. I’m guessing they are fighting for the top spot. I’m not really sure why they have to do that. I hate it. I knew one of them was going to get hurt or even killed. I guess Junior is the one that ended up not making it. I was concerned about him last night, he looked rough. There was nothing I could do. What’s done was done. Junior did not make it. I was heartbroken but I had a feeling one of them was going to die. I really hate this part of all of this. Junior didn’t deserve any of that. Ronnie says it’s nature but I hate it. Poor Junior, I know he was old but it still hurts. 

Smart Jelly

Jelly is a smart cat. Every morning he waits until he sees Ronnie and I get in our vehicles and start to leave. He hangs around the house in the mornings until that happens. Hen that happens, he runs across the road into the trees to hang out in the shade all day. He comes back to eat when the sun starts going down so it’s not so hot. Jelly is definitely smart. He knows what he needs to do to survive. 

Athena is Brutal

Athena is brutal. She sat there and watched two roosters fighting for the whole fight like she had bought tickets. I had to laugh at her but I was disturbed completely by the whole thing. I hate when any of the animals fight. It makes my heart drop in my stomach. Athena does not share that feeling. 

Seriously??

I thought I had been doing well with picking up all of the eggs. Ronnie walked out the front door and saw a bunch of broken eggs up front. I guess the chickens had been laying in the big bush in the front again and a wild animal broke them. There were a few left that I picked up but they had been there a while. I guess I need to do better but seriously can’t the hens lay in one spot?? That’s a no. 

Just When You Think

Just when you think the goats have learned their lesson about breaking out of their pen, they remind you that it’s not true. We went on a day trip and came back. The night before, Porky had broken out of the pen and Mattie was chasing him. We got him from our trip and not one, but two of the goats were out. They were let back in without a problem. They did end up grounded though, Ronnie had to put the fence back up he had taken down to give them more room. That will stay in the pen better that way. 

Yeller Coming Out of His Shell

Yeller is coming out of his shell. He is working his way out of the shop. He is wondering more in the goat pen. He is playing with the goats in there. He is playing with the other kittens these days. He is out of the shop more. I am loving seeing him just and try to catch bugs and rolling in the only patch of green grass we have in the yard. He is starting to be playful and it makes me happy to see him coming out of his shell. 

Athena Vs Rowdy

I watched Rowdy going toward Athena. Athena did not act like it was a big deal, but only because she wasn’t watching for him. All of a sudden I see her running for dear life with Rowdy on her heels. I think the cat has figured out she may need to be scared of Rowdy. I’m glad she learned it this early in her young life. 

Peanut Butter

Peanut Butter is such a little lover. He walks in between my legs trying to trip me so I don’t go back inside. He will leave a food bowl to come over and get petted. I decided to sit on the steps with him and he rubbed all over me trying to get petted. He is such a sweet cat. Oh how I love Peanut Butter. Jelly is sweet also but he just lays down in front of me demanding to be petted. Those two are something. 

Conditioned

The cows have been conditioned to think that when equipment is running, they will get hay. They heard a tractor over at another house and they went over to the fence and started mooing. They stood there on the side of the fence toward where the noise was coming from for quite a while and then decided to walk away with sad faces. These guys are smart. 

Opening and closing the Gate

 I witnessed something that showed me how smart these donkeys really are. I’m not sure what Mattie was wanting to do. I look over and I see Mattie opening and closing the gate on one of the pens. It wasn’t latched, but Mattie had the chain by his mouth and was pulling it opened and closed. I had to laugh watching him. He finally looked up and saw me looking at him and let go of the chain and ran off. He is a funny little guy. 

Protective

Red is trying to get me to be protective of him. At least that’s what I initially thought. He had been following me at a little close to comfort ratio. He had been trying to get me to take him back through the gate. An interesting thing occurred though, I was in the chicken coop and all the donkeys had me surrounded. That can be nerve wracking. I came through the gate and Red kicked Pedro to get him away from me. He then stuck his body between me and Pedro. Apparently Red is protective of me. How sweet is that?? 

Purring

We finally have purring coming from Yeller. I am still picking him up every night once to show him that it’s okay and he is safe. I think he is starting to realize he is fine. It’s exiting to see the progress Yeller is starting to show. He is purring when I pick him up. That’s amazing and exciting. 

So Close

Yeller was so close to coming to me. It was short lived but it was close. I think half way to me he realized what he was doing and went the other way. I get it. It’s still hard for him to know he is okay. He will eventually know he is fine and will be good with coming to me. I know it will happen. 

Settling in

The new goats are settling in. It’s been a transition for them. They had not really eaten much in the first few days because of all the changes. They are now eating and are getting used to the noises and Ronnie and I being around. Tinkerbelle is doing well and loves attention. Cinderella at least does not run when she sees us. I call that progress. It’s hard on an animal when they get a change in address but they were loved in their previous home and they are loved here. 

Elvira is Funny

Elvira is a funny chicken. It was a hot day out. She was inside the water bowl we use to catch the run off water from the hose. The bowl was dry but she was sitting there patiently waiting for the hose to be turned on so she could cool off. She ran off when I turned it on but she was right back in it when I walked away. She stayed there for a long time. 

Queen Athena

Queen Athena now has a throne. She has a few actually and they are all up on fence posts. It’s like she is looking out over the farm. I’m not sure what she is really doing, but it’s so funny to watch her. She just sits up there for hours. She hasn’t tried to jump down on any of the chickens so she is not hunting. She is a climber though. She does think she is the queen around here. 

Jealous Onyx

It’s official, Onyx is jealous of Yeller. He does not like when I pay attention to him. I had picked up Yeller to love on him for literally a minute. Onyx was watching. When I put Yeller down, Onyx was beating up on him. I had to put a stop to that. I have not seen her being mean to him again. That was something though. 

Mattie, No!!!

I was sitting on the couch and got up and looked out the back door. I see something chasing one of the little goats. I ran to get my shoes on and ran outside. It was Porky that was out and Mattie was chasing him. I started yelling and Mattie stopped chasing him. Porky is the least friendly of the goats so I thought it might be hard to get him back in the pen. I walked behind him and Ronnie was standing by the gate. When Porky got close, Ronnie opened the gate and he went back in. That was something. Mattie could have hurt him if he had caught him. Hopefully it won’t happen again. 

Cooler Day

We had a cooler day not long ago. It was 91 instead of over 100. It was nice. I was able to stay outside longer that day with the animals. They were all loving the temperature drop and were more active. They were running around and playing. It was such a good day. I’m looking forward to more days like that. I know the animals will be happier than I will be. 

Sneaky

Oh Peanut Butter, he is a sneaky thing. I was out in the goat pen with Tinkerbelle and Cinderella and was not paying attention to my surroundings. It was dark out there and out of the corner of my eye, I saw something move. It was Peanut Butter on top of the goat shelter. He scared me. I was not expecting him to be in there. It seems like the goats are not going to have a problem with the cats which is good since apparently all of the cats hang out in there. I had no idea they still did that. 

Tries so Hard

Onyx and Athena try so hard to come inside. Every night when I go inside, they know when I’m opening the door and they try to be there to get inside. They used to be inside cats but since being here, they live in the barn. They seem to do fine and love to roam around all night and some during the day. They would never make it in the house, Persia would hate it. 

Nightly Check

I do a nightly check most nights. However, since we had new animals, I wanted to see how they were settling in. They still seemed to be doing well. They are nervous because they are in a new place, but I think they will be fine. Cinderella is staying in the shelter a lot. She is more nervous than Tinkerbelle. Tinkerbelle comes to the fence to get petted on. She loves the attention. I know this is going to be good. Of course I love them already. I did scare Cinderella when checking on her and she seized up. I was able to hold her and pet her. It did not last long, but that’s okay. Tinkerbelle is already licking my face like we have been friends for a long time. This is going to be fun. The cats have been over to check them out. 

Tinkerbelle and Cinderella are Here

Tinkerbelle and Cinderella are here now. I was so excited to get them here. Tinkerbelle is sweet and loves to be petted. Cinderella runs for her life when we come around. For fainting goats, they don’t faint much. Cinderella does seize up some but does not fall over. I have to be honest, I’m okay with that. I don’t want them to be scared and faint all the time. I’m sure I’m the only one on the planet that would say that. I did put them in with the sheep and then we cut the fence so the goats were able to join in and there was more room. Well, that did not work too well. I knew better. The new goats need to get used to the others before all that happens. We put the girls in the pen where the little goats were to keep them comfortable and get used to their new environment. They seem better after that. They are precious. 

Where’s the Cat??

Ronnie asked me, Where is the cat?? He had not seen him in a few days. I laughed and asked him if he was worried about Yeller. He said he wasn’t worried about the cat. I think he was though. Luckily I knew where Yeller was and was able to point him out. He hangs out in the same place most of the time so it’s easy to find him. 

Slowly

Yeller is warming up slowly. It’s taking less time than I thought it would. He is still skittish but he is doing better. He isn’t running away like he was, at least not as fast. He is progressing slowly. It helps that the other cats love me and Yeller watches me petting them every night. I have to remember he has only been here for three weeks and it takes time. He is doing so much better than I thought he would at this point considering how feral he was. I know deep down he just wants love like we all do. 

So Hot

It has been unbearably hot. I hate it for the animals, but we do what we can. These pigs keep digging their mud holes deeper and deeper. I come home in the evening and they have made a whole new mud hole or they have been in the water so much there is only mud left. They are staying as cool as they can in this west Texas heat. We fill up those mud holes twice a day for them. 

Chief and Jeb

Chief and Jeb have a bond. I am glad they did end up bonding. We did get Chief for Jeb to have a friend. I came home one evening and Chief was laying down. I am sure it was because it was hot and he was waiting on food. When I saw him on the ground, Jeb was nudging him and trying to get him up. Chief was fine and he did get up without a problem. I am happy they have each other. 

So Worried

When this kitten showed up, I was worried the cats were going to disappear again. I know they all disappeared when Athena and Onyx showed up. I have been upset about that. They finally came back. Earl came back for a while and is gone again. I was more worried about Peanut Butter with this new kitten. I’m not sure what the difference is in this situation and the situation with the other two kittens, but Peanut Butter and Jelly both continue to come home every night. I go out around the same time every night to make sure they are there. I don’t have to worry about anymore. 

What’s the Commotion?

I went outside and saw the dogs and the sheep looking at something. They were not looking away at all. What’s the Commotion?? I walk over toward the area they were all looking. I get past the gate and I see Yeller up on top of the fence. The goats are watching him, the sheep are watching him and the dogs are watching him balancing on the fence. He was so cute up on that fence. He saw me and started trying to run away but I was able to catch him and get him back down on the ground. It was a funny sight.