We are currently housing 9 rabbits, 20 chickens and 1 dog. We will soon acquire 1 cat and 2-4 goats. And possibly a few horses. And let’s not forget the five humans that also reside here. That brings the total body count to 35. Possible growth…nearly half that. It’s gettin’ real people!
A while back we tried our hand at horse boarding. It was interesting to say the least. Our first big mistake was not knowing what the heck we were doing. Our second was poor communication. Oh my land and my stars! We were in hot soup there for a bit as I contemplated retiring to Arizona early in life…alone. All’s well that ends well though and we were left with zero boarders for a while. That was ok by me. We have new prospective customers again and will hopefully have a better go around this time.
Our goat pen is empty at the moment as they were sold at the county fair. New baby goats will be purchased around February and we will see them frolicking about as spring peeks around the corner. If you have never spent time with a baby goat, you don’t know what you are missing! Seriously, it’s impossible not to be happy watching them.
We had a dear, sweet kitty not long ago. Unfortunately she was allergic to the sedative given at the vets. We brought her in to get spayed and she never came home 😦 We now need a new kitty. Female, preferably with shots and spayed if you happen to have and extra 🙂
Seventeen of our meat birds made their way to freezer camp this summer and that was a good thing. They were getting kind of cranky and would peck mercilessly at you every time you came near. Also, they are cruel hearted animals. True story: while I was plucking feathers from one of the newly departed two of his fellow inmates began to peck his droopy little head. Cruel, cruel chickens.
My hens are also a bit pecky. They learned this behavior from the naughty meat birds. They will attack your feet in feverish pecks but will slow to a more curious pace when you brush them away. I was hoping they would not be swayed by bad influences. Those silly hens have no judgement. Oh well, my batch of birdies gives me eggs so I guess I can deal with them being little peckers!
Our lovely pooch is a beautiful (large) hound dog. She is sleek and black and tan. And mouthy! We love her and now that she is enrolled in doggy 4H we are loving that even more. Now to train her to stay out of the trash! I am taking any and all suggestions!
Oh, horses. This place was made for horses. I’m sure the original owner had several. We love them and they are so beautiful. We can’t actually afford them but are glad to house them as they add to the scenery and also to the income. It’s kinda cool that way.
I guess I could include the wildlife around here too while I’m at it. We have seen several deer in our back field and have had snakes in the woodshed. It is reported to me (by my son) that there is even an owl in the barn. I plan on collecting some pellets if there is. We dissected them at school as a kid and it might be interesting as a show and tell item.
The birds were singing some kind of mass chorus yesterday as we received our first good dose of rain in a while. I’m not sure if they were rejoicing over the worms that had come to the surface or what but it was amazing. I have never heard anything like it. It was as if every bird in the world was singing at the same time.
Some of our more pesky visitors include squirrels. While cute, these little rodents can be quite destructive. Thankfully we don’t have much of a problem with them. Other than the way they like to taunt the dog!
Well, that just about rounds out the whole cast around here! Happy farming!
The writing prompt today was homesteading. I often have too much on my mind to bother changing course but this one I can make an exception for.
Hennekes At Home 