Storms

It has not rained here in a while. The storm came out of no where tonight. There is lots of thunder and lightning. I have been out twice to check on Louie. He is not liking the storms with the sounds. Poor little guy is scared. I am glad they have shelter. I hope they do not get too wet in the shelter, Ronnie had to take off some of the shelter because it was too hot in there. I had to run out in the rain twice to take care of the fan. I thought it might sprinkle, but no, it was a big thunderstorm. 

That Was A Close One

I had already lost Raven and one of the turkens is not well. I round the corner to feed the chickens like usual and Tina Turken is overheating. She is already in the stage of unable to stand up. I drop everything I am doing and turn the water hose on her. I get her good and drenched. I picked her up and held her for a little bit because I really did not think she was going to make it, so I wanted her last moments to be filled with love. I put her back down in the water and continued to get the water good into the feathers and on her neck and all over her. I was just trying to cool her off. Her skin was so red. I knew she was too hot. She did start to cool off. I knew she was cooling off because her skin color started changing. She finally got tired of me messing with her, so she was strong enough and got up and walked away. I was so happy to see that. She was still weak, but she made it to the sheep and goat pen. She sat back down. I came back by a little while later and put more water on her. Then she went over into another corner. I moved her to a cooler place. I then decided to go ahead and put her in with Prada and. Louie in front of the fan. That did the trick. Tina cooled off quickly after that and got up and started moving around. Louie was happy to see her. I am so glad she is okay. That would have been devastating for so many reasons. Louie had to make sure she was okay, too. She will be staying with the goats at least the rest of the evening. She may stay there the next few days because of the fan situation. I do not want to do that again. She might hate that though. We will see. 

The Coop Turken

The one turken I have been concerned about is hanging in there. I did pour some water out on the ground for them. They all went for that water to sit in and cool off. It is a hot one. The one I am concerned about is still having the same symptoms, but maybe if she cools down she will be feeling better. I gave them fresh cold water, so that should help. I am ready for summer to be over already. This is awful. They are hanging in though. 

Raven

We lost Raven today. I found her overheating in the shop. I got her out of there as fast as I could to try to save her by cooling her down, but I was too late. She died while I was trying to cool her off. I hate this part. Today was a hot day. Not as hot as some of the days I have seen, but it was a hot one. I am so sad about it. We have lost a lot of chickens this year, most from the coyote, but some from other things. It hurts every time. 

Road Runner

There has been a road runner hanging around. I have seen it several times lately. Today it saw me and started running off. I guess I scared it off and it ran up the tree. I have never seen one in the tree, but it sure stayed there so I would leave it alone. I saw it come down later and look back to see where I was. I had to laugh at that. 

Never Know

You never know what is going to happen around here. As I was going down to feed the pigs, I saw out of the corner of my eye, something crawling out of the hay bale. Well, it was a hen. I was not surprised, but it goes to show, there is never a dull moment around here. 

Fireworks

I did hang out outside waiting for the fireworks. I am not a big fireworks fan for multiple reasons that I will not get into right now. I did finally get to see a few from the town I live in. Happy Birthday, America.

Fighting

There Were some chickens fighting. Hens that is. Snowflake was one of them. She has done that a time or two. This time, Craig, the rooster had to step in and make them stop. It was super weird watching them fight and him having to make them stop. Sometimes these animals do things that look human almost. It is wild. 

Pedro

I went out into the pasture with the donkeys and goats. They have been out in the pasture where I can’t see them lately. I got to pet and love on them. I miss that when they are out wondering the grounds. Pedro had to follow me, of course. He loves me the most, or that is what it looks like sometimes. I love them all and I know they all love me, too. Each of them are sure special creatures. 

Sick Turken

I am pretty sure I have a sick turken. She is one of the ones in the coop. I think I should name them, but I have not done that yet. She is having some diarrhea and just not acting right. I did get her out of the coop and gave her some medicine. I decided to put her with Tina for a bit to see if Tina would take her under her wing for a little while. That was a fail for sure. Tina wanted to fight with her. I put her back into the coop with the others. I watched her for a bit. She is still eating and drinking, but she looks like she is not feeling good. I guess we will see. I am hoping I am over reacting. 

Noma

Noma seems to be feeling better since her foot trim, too. That is a good thing. She is up a whole lot more than she used to be. She is with Willow and Mattie much of the time, too. Noma does like to lay down in the mornings in the shade, but is up more in the afternoon. I do like to see her being up. The farrier did a great job. 

The Odd Trio

The Odd trio are still hanging out. Ronnie and I are still letting Tina in and out of the pen in the morning and at night. They seem to be doing well. Louie still has a lot of energy and Tina does like to move away from him as fast as she can because of that. Prada seems tired, too. They are doing fine though. The three of them are not usually too far apart. It is so interesting. I still love to watch it. 

Chicken Feed

I have been putting out chicken feed for the chickens in the pasture in the back so they stay in the back instead of going up front. I started that for a couple of them who can’t go up front and because of the coyote, who has not been back, thank goodness. I have been putting that feed out for a while. Mattie and Willow have caught on. I watched Mattie eat with the chickens. I am telling you, these animals get along, most of the time. It is such a peaceful place. 

Pete

Pete is doing so much better since his feet trim. He is up moving around more with the rest of the donkeys. His feet look good since his trim, too. I am happy he is doing better. He was sore for a bit, but he is better and that is what matters. Now we will just have to stay on top of it and I am determined to do that. I know his feet can be fixed and stay that way. 

Growing Fast

Louie is growing so fast. He is now eating feed and hay. He is drinking water just like the rest of the animals. He does still nurse some, but Prada is not letting him nurse too often. I don’t blame her, he is aggressive about it. Louie is still running around and playing with his toys. He is loving life. That is what matters. He is growing up fast and loving every minute of it. 

Random Pumpkin

There is a random pumpkin in the pasture by the pig pen. I am not sure where the pumpkin seeds even came from. I guess that does not matter. Ronnie and I have had such a difficulty time growing anything out here, but then there is a random pumpkin in the pasture. I say that is pretty ironic. I am also doing my best to keep it alive to give it back to the pigs.

Quail

I saw a quail sitting up on the top of the pig pen. I thought that was an interesting spot for the bird to be sitting, but there it was. it was just hanging out. The pigs did not care at all. They probably did not even know. I watched it for a bit. When I walked closer, it flew off. There was a few more quail over in the pasture. I am seeing more and more quail around here lately. 

Yeller/Banana

I was so excited coming home, I saw a cat in the bushes. I thought for a minute it was Banana, but it wasn’t, it was Yeller. I always love to see Yeller, but I have not seen Banana since the whole coyote mess started. I am wondering if he is okay. I want to make sure he is okay and I need to see him to be able to do that. I hope he is somewhere safe and okay. 

It’s July

It is definitely July with the hot temps and everyone being miserable because of those hot temps. We are all doing our best to stay as cool as possible. The mornings are not too terribly bad, but those temps do not last long enough. It gets hot fast. We have mud holes for the pigs and fans for the goats. Everyone has shade and shelter. That is all we can do. I am reminded that they are animals and they have done this hot weather without me for a very long time. I just spoil them. They will be okay. I am not sure us humans will be. It is so hot.