Temps were in the mid-50s today – too warm for this time of year. On the one hand, it means the rabbits’ water bottles aren’t frozen and they’re not eating “grassicles”. On the other, it means lots and lots of mud. The ground is solid when it’s frozen; once it thaws, it turns into a sloppy, slippery mess. Continue reading “If You Like Mud, These Are Good Times”
Category: Homesteading / Farming
Countdown To Chicks: One More Week
It’s Day 14 for the chicken eggs in the incubator, so we candled them again to check on development…and to avoid “exploders”. A bad egg can apparently explode and spread harmful bacteria to other eggs in the incubator. The thought of a stinky, slimy rotten egg blowing up and spreading deadly ooze on all the other lovely developing eggs is enough to send a shiver down the spine. Continue reading “Countdown To Chicks: One More Week”
A Clever Duck Named Coraline
It was another cold one out there this morning. The ducks’ pond had about an inch of ice on top, and the rabbits’ bottles were frozen solid. The chilly temperatures bring out a special kind of beauty, though: as we walked, in the darkness, to retrieve the rabbits’ bottles, the flashlight shone on the frosted grass, which sparkled like it was bejeweled, crunching underfoot.
Ice we broke out of the pool yesterday morning still lay by the pool, frozen, like large shards of glass.
The crescent moon glowed softly, with a bright planetary body to its lower left. Plumes of breath floated before us. We relished the peaceful pre-dawn calm. Continue reading “A Clever Duck Named Coraline”
This Tractor’s Not A Deere – And It’s For Rabbits
Because of the unseasonably warm weather we’ve had up to this point, we’ve been able to keep the rabbits on pasture – something both we and they have enjoyed. The rabbits, four New Zealands and a Silver Fox, enjoy fresh air, sunshine, and all the grass/leaves/weeds they can reach in the three “tractors” (portable shelters similar to a chicken tractor) that we built last year.
Continue reading “This Tractor’s Not A Deere – And It’s For Rabbits”
When The People Are Away, The Cats Will Play
Our cats (brothers) have plenty of toys, big indoor “trees” to scratch and climb, boxes to play in, a canine sister who loves to roughhouse…and yet, they’re always into mischief. A bored cat seems to equal a destructive cat. Case in point: the damage inflicted on an unsuspecting toilet paper roll, new and fluffy. The attacker’s malicious intent is clear from the evidence photos – the roll was ripped into, shredded, pretty much toast. Not much could be salvaged. From now on, the bathroom door stays shut. The boys will have to make do with absconding with the flip-top bottle gaskets at night; oh, and there’s a citrus reamer that still remains to be found…maybe they entertain themselves with it when we’re not around and hide it again when we return. Wherever it is, it’s in a pretty good hiding place.
Mr. Fox Is ‘Persona Non Grata’ Here
We know that free-range chickens risk predation by many other animals, but the fox(es?) has been whittling down our flock with annoying enthusiasm. We lost the last Partridge Rock on New Year’s Eve, and the only Cuckoo Marans (the dark brown egg layer) yesterday. Now, the flock numbers ten.
