Culprit

I finally found out one of the hens laying eggs in the feed sacks. Meridia is the one laying eggs in the feed sacks. I guess she can see everything around her while she is laying an egg, and she does fine that way. Usually, she would lay eggs in the crate, but I guess a different hen is doing that now, so she moved to a different spot. I guess whatever works. 

The Goats plus Bill

The goats and Bill are doing well. Feeding time is pure chaos, but they seem to make it work. The goats and Bill act like the pigs with moving from bowl to bowl and all over the place. It is funny to watch them going back and forth and all over the place. It does seem like they are getting along just fine though, so that is a good thing. I am happy they are getting along. That is what is important to me. 

Smart Mattie

Mattie is a mess. He had learned to open and close one of the gate Ronnie and I go through often. We had started locking the gate so he could not get in there. Well, he is too smart for his own good. Ronnie and I were in the breezeway talking and Mattie stuck his head through that gate wondering what we were doing. I guess we will be locking the gate again. He is just so smart. 

Halo

I have never seen a full one, but sometimes the sun will have a halo effect around it. I was out in the pasture and for some reason was having a bad day. I looked up and saw part of a halo around the sun. There were small rainbows around the sun. It was such a beautiful sight to see. I have seen several partial halos. Maybe one day I will see a full one in person. 

Adjustment

The adjustment period did not last as long as I thought it would. It does seem to me that the goats are settling in just fine. I even saw the girls laying down which means they are starting to relax. They still have their moments of fighting with Bill. Cinderella was trying to head butt Bill through the gates, which was a funny sight. They are acting like things are going to be fine, so I am going to leave them alone and let them stay in there with Bill. It is fun to watch right now. 

New Place

I saw Raven up high on a roost in the shop one morning. As I looked closer, I saw some eggs up there, too. I just thought, well, that has not happened in a while. I do not know who laid those eggs, but it sure does crack me up to see where the eggs get laid. This world with all of these animals is just like waking up to something new every day. I guess they do not know I am not good with new things, but I do it for them. 

Tinkerbelle and Chickens

The chickens have always been around Tinkerbelle and Cinderella, so they all know each other. Tinkerbelle and Bill have been picking up the slack since Ted is gone with the chickens getting on their backs to fly up to the roost. It did do my heart some good to see that the chickens are still going to have their way of getting on the roost. I am hoping all of this works out and the goats will be fine in there with Bill.  

Foxy Roxy

That Foxy Roxy is a mess. I know I did this to them in teaching them to not fear me, but for some reason, that girl likes to be on my head. She got up there and I swear she was trying to give me a scalp massage. It did not feel well with those claws on my head. It took a bit, but I finally got her off my head. She is such a funny little hen. I am sure we will go through this again at some point. 

Moving Goats

Ronnie and I decided to move Tinkerbelle and Cinderella in with Bill. We did let Bill decompress for a couple of days, but I did not want Bill to be in there alone. That is how my mind works. I do not want any of these animals to feel alone. I know Tinkerbelle is getting older and Cinderella will need to have a friend when she is gone, so I thought this would be the best option. Ronnie got the gates opened so the goats could go across the way and into the bigger pen. Moving fainting goats is not an easy task. Cinderella was not having it and she kept freezing up. Tinkerbelle even was frozen up a time or two. It was quite the challenge, but we finally made it and got it done. I will say the whole farm was agitated and running around because of the change. All of the other animals were watching and running around anxiously. It was a sight. Once both goats got over there and Bill introduced himself, things did not go really well. The girls were not liking him at all. I almost put them back where they usually were but decided to leave them for a day or two and see how things went. If things did not calm down, I would move them back and make another plan. I know change is hard for everyone, so there needs to be time to adjust. We will see what happens. 

Right Up on Me

Ursula is like my baby. She has to be beside me all the time when I am home. Ronnie has told me that she sits at the front door crying from about 2:30pm until I get home. I think she knows I rescued her and she is so grateful. If I am sitting anywhere, she wants to be right up on me. I mean right up on me. She gets so comfortable. I am glad she is here. Ursula is happy where she is, that is obvious. 

Checking for Eggs

Let me tell you; sometimes you can look in certain places over and over for eggs and when you stop looking for them in a particular spot, that is where they will start to lay them again. Those chickens know what they are doing. I had stopped looking in the fainting goat pen for eggs, but I saw a lone egg just hanging out there and so when I went to pick it up, I found two dozen more eggs laying there. I could not believe my eyes, but it was there. So, let the egg hunt daily start again because that is where we are. 

Pigs

I have not mentioned the pigs too much. Those guys are so happy. They have all they need and they are doing fine. I know the weather is going to change soon and they are going to be making mud puddles and all that good stuff. It has already started and it is only February, but I know I will talk about them more later. They are all doing well. 

The Gate

Some of these animals know how to get what they want. Foxy Roxy may be a smart one. She will stand at the gate and watch me until I open it for her so she can either go in or out of that gate. I guess she has decided she can get by with that since I always open the gate for her. I have really spoiled these babies, who aren't babies anymore. I have done this to them. I would probably do this to them again, too. 

Silly Chickens

Since Raven has figured out how to get in the shop, she has taught several of the other chickens how to get in and out of the shop. I opened up the door and there were 4 of them waiting on me to open the door so they could get out of there. I know they are all in the shop eating cat food. It is crazy to see them all piling in and out of the shop. I guess they are allowed to do that. I cannot stop them. 

Cats

I have not made a post about the cats lately. They are all doing fine. I did happen to see all the cats in a day. I am glad to see them all being where they are supposed to be. I even saw Banana on a day when I saw the rest of the cats. So, it is good to see them all in a day. They are all happy and healthy without any problems. Thank goodness!! 

Wild Places

Our chickens are all free range. I never know where the eggs are going to end up and some days those eggs are in wild places. I found some eggs hidden again in the shop in the empty feed bags again. I just sit back and laugh about that every time I see it. This very thing is happening more often. I have learned to check in those areas along with some other places for eggs, so I do not miss them. But if I had not seen them that first time, I would have a lot of eggs in that area that I would have eventually seen. 

Banana Progress

I watched Banana going across the yard. He stopped and watched me. I continued on with what I was doing, but I kept looking over at him and he was watching what I was doing. I talked to him a little, which did not seem to bother him. He decided to walk across the pasture. He went in the horse pasture and just started walking. He did not run though, so I do think that is some progress. Banana did look right at me and did not run, so that is a good thing. We will see what happens.  

Raven in the Shop

I am not real sure why the chickens like the shop so much, but they do. There are a select few that stay there all the time, no matter what. I may have to work on that when the temps get into the 100s. I have had a couple overheat and die. I was able to save a couple of them, too. But I would rather avoid that situation. Anyway. Raven had figured out how to get into the shop a while back. She stays in there all day it would seem to eat the cat food. All the chickens in there eat the cat food. I try to kick Raven out of there, but she just comes back like the rest of them do. I went in the shop late one night, after dark, and there was Raven with the rest of the hens that roost in there. I guess she has decided to stop roosting with the other chicks and stay in the shop. I guess she can do what she wants to. It sure is weird to see her in there and not with the other chicks in the coop. She does come out some mornings to greet them as I am letting them out of the coop. 

Bill

Bill has been by himself. I mean, in reality he is not completely alone. He has the chickens and he can see all the goats. He can also see all the other animals on the farm where he is. We are giving him time to decompress without Ted. It is sure hard on me to look out there and not see Ted out there with Bill, so I am sure Bill is feeling it, too. The first day he seemed okay. The second day he seemed a little sad. I guess I need to make a plan on who needs to go where so he is not alone. That will be interesting.  

Oh Bella

Bella is something else. She is such a mess. I have caught her several times lately chasing the chickens. I am like what in the world has started that? I had not seen her do that much before, but now she really is. Unless she was doing it when I could not see her. I mean, that is possible. Dogs are smart. I watched her chasing Snowflake around and put a stop to that. Maybe she does not like the chickens. I just don't know what has gotten into her. Hopefully that stopped it, at least for now. 

Ted

When I got home from work, Ted was looking worse. I hate that. I had a feeling things were going in the wrong direction. I got everyone else fed and watered and then I went to Ted. I tried to feed him and give him some water. He was not having it. He would not swallow anything. I knew then that things were bad. He was shivering. I got him up; he was a heavy boy and had him walk around the pen. He was not walking well. He was going all over the place and his head was down. I finally gave up and just pulled him on my lap and held him. We sat like that for a long time. I loved on him and just held him. Bill came over pawing at him and at me. Foxy Roxy felt the need to sit on my shoulder while I was loving on Ted. Mattie even came over. I knew in my heart that Ted was not going to make it. I stayed out there for a long time. I got up and got Ted up with me. He walked a little bit and then he collapsed. He started having a seizure and he passed away. Ronnie buried him. I am devastated beyond belief, but I know Ted is not suffering anymore. I am grateful I got to spend the last moments with him. He was a special little guy and was so loved here. He will be remembered. I do not like this part of farm life, but death is part of it. 

Loving on Ted

Ted is so sad looking. I am absolutely hating it. I am working on just loving on him every morning and during the evening, too. I do not want him to feel like he is being abandoned or alone. At this point, he would probably welcome some peace since I am forcing fluids and medicine down him. I usually sit and let him lay in my lap for a bit after all that. He just looks so tired and sad. I know this is part of it, but I do not like this part. It is hard on me. I love these animals and do everything I can for them. I know they do not live forever, but I hate when they go. I hate when they are sick and look like they are suffering. I am going to keep loving on him and hope for the best. 

Daisy and Eggs

You know, I do not know why or how she even decided to try, but Daisy loves to eat raw eggs, shell and all. She knows where to find them, too. Daisy somehow got a hold of 2 eggs at once and took them in the backyard to eat. As she was eating them, Twilight and Ginger came over and started to try to get in on some of that. I was afraid I was about to have two less chickens with Daisy and her food aggression. She only had to snap at them once and they both took off. I was glad they left when they did. Daisy ended up eating all of the eggs. I try to stop her before she gets them, but sometimes I am not fast enough. I do not think you can break a dog from doing that either. 

Another Rainbow Cloud

I have been seeing more rainbow clouds lately. I sure do like to look up and see those rainbow clouds in the sky. They are so beautiful. I always want to be able to stop and take the time to notice things like that. I am one of those people who has a difficult time when I do not have a lot of things to do all at once. It is like my brain can never stop, but when I see those rainbow clouds, I make myself stop and enjoy them, even for a few minutes. We all need to stop every once in a while, even when it is hard to do. 

Athena

Athena is my unfriendly cat. She is not mean; she just does not want to be handled. She is a tortoise shell cat, and they are known to not be friendly. I do surprise her sometimes and get to pet her or grab her and love on her. She will allow it for a minute and then she makes a noise and I know she is about to go crazy, so I put her down. But she needs to know that I love her even though she is not too friendly. She has been hanging out in the sheep pen a lot more lately. I am not sure what that is about, but I found her completely asleep in there. She was actually sound asleep. So, every once in a while, I get to pick Athena up and hold her, but it is few and far in between. 

Foxy Roxy and Jealousy

I was loving on Ted, and he was halfway across my lap trying to make him feel better. I want to make sure he knows he is loved regardless of anything else. Next thing I know, I feel some clawing on my shoulder, and it was Foxy Roxy. She was jealous because I was giving Ted attention and not her. I then decided to give her some food from my hand to see if she would eat it, and she did. I think it is funny that she decides to fly up on my shoulder when she wants my attention. She definitely will get it that way. 

Good Friends

I had some good friends go down to the house while I was at work to check on Ted. He was not doing well and I was so concerned. So, I called and asked for them to go check on him if they got time. I am telling you what, Ted got up for them. He walked around with them a bit. He was engaged with them while they were there. They sent me pictures of him so I could see he was up and around. When I got home, he was drinking water on his own. He even took some bites of the mineral block. He still won't eat anything else I give him. That makes me stay concerned about him and I can tell he is losing weight. At the moment things are looking up though. We will see what happens. 

Treats

I took some treats out and was giving them to Willow. This is the first time Willow has taken treats from me. She has always been apprehensive about taking treats from my hand, even with watching Noma and Mattie taking them from me. After she took the first one, she was ready to take the rest. It is so interesting watching these animals learn something new. I have worked on that for a long time and finally she will eat the treats. Of course, Mattie had to come over and investigate. He did get some treats, too. 

Oh Ted

Ted is still not feeling well. He is still lethargic and he is now not eating. I have been drenching him with electrolytes and water and B12. I have been working on feeding him, but I have tried everything: alfalfa, treats, oats, their regular feed, he wants no part in any of it. He is just laying around and looking miserable. I feel awful for him. I just love on him every time I can. I will sit and hug on him. He does not particularly love that, but it makes me feel better. We are doing absolutely everything we can to make him better. We will see what happens. If he does not start eating, the outcome will not be what we want, but we are trying. I just hate this. It breaks my heart. This is the part no one wants to talk about, but it is reality.