rotisserie

We cooked the chicken in the toaster oven on the rotisserie and it turned out pretty good.

I tried to breed little mama since she would be 6 months old, and found out she is a he.

So rabbit stew will be on order soon.

Feeling a bit cheated since the same guy that sold me Big Mama who isn't doing her job, also sold me "Lil' Mama" who he said was a female.

The only one that is doing their job is Big Papa and I bought him from a different guy at the small animal swap so I would have different lines to breed together.

I wish the weather would stop being so cold.

I am diabetic.  Which I expected to happen eventually, but now I have to do something about it.

Need to gather myself up and put more effort into life.  Buy a new female rabbit and get my health back in order.  It can be done.  I just have to do it.

1st chicken

He never saw spring or summer.  He never flew more than a few feet.  But compared to the factory birds he had a descent life.  We didn't name him till the day before we were going to kill him, and it was with gallows humor Rob dubbed him : Rotisserie.

He was the black naked-neck chicken, the biggest of the three and one of the obvious roosters in the flock.

I am going to make a break here so that if you don't want to read or see the pictures of what happened you don't have to.

What is smart?

In my little muddleings of the day, I got to thinking about people and critters.  And then people and people.  It kind of amazes me still that we can live with carnivores and omnivores in our human habitats without fear of being eaten, or even threatened. Yet in the world some people live in fear for their lives from other humans.  Creatures we can actual converse with and share ideas through simple word of mouth or written language.  And yet we can't seem to work out all of our differences without violence.

We are supposed to be the creatures of logic and reason.  We are supposed to be able to negotiate and compromise, and yet... When you gather us in large groups those ideas separate us more than combine us.

There is nothing wrong with different opinions so long as it harms none.  Why can't we live with that?

If animals are so stupid, why do we invite them into our homes and give them free shelter and food?  Most people have pets dogs and cats, and all they are for is to be a pet, a companion, something to pet.  Could we not get the same fulfillment of relationship from another person?  Could we not just stroke a teddy bear and feel calmer?

I think there is something to humans having pets in their lives.  They keep us in that slight touch with nature.  To have another living thing with you, even if it is a house plant, that connects you back to the Earth.

Then why can't we get along with other people as well as we do our pets?

Maybe it goes back to the abusers of animals.  Maybe there is a type of person that is so out of touch with other people and the animals on this world that they offer violence.  I am not talking about self-defense violence either.  The violence of car bombing random people on a sidewalk because they believe a different idea of god than you.

Perhaps it is more complicated than that.  Maybe there is some other oppression going on.  But people are also killed for their sneakers.

FiFi doesn't kill Fido for his sweater.  They might fight over food, but rarely anything else.

Not really sure what I was trying to make of all this.  I guess I was just trying to put it from my head to a screen.

Still, who is smarter?  Us or our critters?

Roller Coaster

Seems like I have been mentioning weather a lot lately.  But when it has this much affect on your daily life you take notice.  When the temps drop to dangerous lows it makes it tough not only on me but the critters as well.  The water is the toughest issue, keeping everyone's liquid refreshment ... liquid.
The past few days have gone from highs of 50s - 60s to lows in the teens at night.  It can play havoc on a critters system.  I know with the horses at the barn we were always careful with them cause the shifts in weather like this could make them colic if you worked them to hard.
I have been getting over a sinus infection (I think).  Those few days of illness had me laid out.  Rob helped with the critters in the evening but the morning chores I was on my own.  Frequent breaks in walking were a must, I just didn't have any strength when I was sick.
The goats tore up the gate to the back of the garage to get at the hay.  So while sick, I had to put up a new gate made from a pallet.  It seems to working much better and is keeping them out of the remains of the hay reserves.
Now I just need to find somewhere close to replenish those hay reserves.  Next year I will get 20 instead of just 10 bales at the beginning of the season.

The Thaw

The snow is releasing its grasp on us.  Sliding off the roof in sheets of primordial glaciers and landing with all the force it can muster onto the deck.  If you don't know what it is you might think someone was trying to get into the house.  Except that the dogs didn't get upset about it.

It was finally warm enough for me to stand being outside with Rags.  In fact I even took the water for the chickens to them in a T-shirt.  I tell you, after -10 weather, 35 seems fantastic.

The warmer weather is making me feel better too.  I think I am done hibernating for awhile and I am eager to get out and do some work around the farm.  Like moving the chicken tractor as soon as possible (see: snow melt).
Those poor chickens have been stuck on that spot for a week now and it is wet and gross.  I threw hay and a piece of cardboard down for them during the week to give them a dryer place to stand, but very little can hold up to that many chickens in one spot for so long.  I don't like it, but it is what we have to contend with for now.  As soon as I can get them off their swamp of poop I will.

Been feeling a little froggy about my books too.  I may just buck up and self-publish them.  Maybe people will buy enough to pay for the cost.  Maybe it will get me an agent eventually.  And then again maybe I am just throwing money at my ego.  But it needs to be fed occasionally too.

Polar Vortex 2014

Well everyone but the three baby rabbits made it through the sub-zero temps.  I call that a success.  I was worried about the chickens but they don't seem any worse for the wear.

I have fallen out of my writing habit.  Not this blog, but the descriptive and narrative writing that I use for my books.  I read some of what other people write on their blogs and it is  .... poetic... even if it is about frozen poop.  I find myself jealous of their mastery of the language to paint such a mosaic of  ... poop.

So I am going to make an effort to describe things more eloquently in the hopes of retraining my brain to think like that.

But for now I think I need to clean my desk.  Nothing like a little procrastination when the blinking cursor mocks you.

8 inches, -10 degrees, -30 windchill

Not only did I twist my knee while trudging through the snow, but now all the critters are on a 5 hour water rotation, just to keep up with the freezing.  I leave you with pictures, as I am frustrated with winter.

 The snow might have been blown away from where I measured... but once you pass 5 inches, it doesn't matter much anymore.

The hard won path to the barn/garage (now being called the barrage).  The sun is just rising at 7 am or so.

 The path Rob and I cut through the snow on the driveway last night so he could get to work this morning. Once we got the car to the street he got it stuck on the gravel road so we had to fight to get it back in the driveway.  We left it at the end of the drive so he could try and drive out in the morning.  He made it to work.

Bad Mama

Well Big Mama only had 3 babies.  But that isn't the worst of it.  She didn't cover them in the nest box so they died.  I had gone out around 11 that night to check on them but she hadn't delivered and so when I went out around 7:30 they were cold in the nest box.  Very disappointing.  Especially after all the chances I gave her to have babies.  I guess I got took on buying her.  She is probably too old to have a proper litter (8 babies or so).

Snow is coming down heavily today again.  I think this is one of the snowiest winters I can remember (maybe I am wrong).  The news said it is falling about an inch an hour and won't let up until this afternoon or evening.  I put another piece of cardboard on the front of the covered area of the chicken tractor to give them more of a windbreak.  It is supposed to get to a high of -3 today or tomorrow.  Not looking forward to that.  I hope I have done enough for the chickens.  The rabbits and the goats are in the garage/barn so they should be alright.  I also have the big tractor's battery charging.

Not sure how deep the snow is going to get; we may have to do a test run of getting Rob's car out of the garage tonight.

Here's hoping everyone stays warm.

Making Babies!!

Or : Kindling isn't just for Amazon anymore....

As you can see there are tufts of white fur hanging around - which means Big Mama is finally making a nest!!
This was the last chance I was giving her to make babies so I guess she got the picture.
I have them in the garage/barn now because the temp is going to be down so low.  I do have a heat lamp on her so hopefully the babies will survive (provided she has them in the nest box provided).

I was getting very disheartened by the lack of babies from Big Mama (Lil' Mama will be able to be bred in Feb.)  That and Camo (the little goat buck) doesn't seem to be getting any bigger.  I am thinking I will see about talking to a vet to test for worms.

But the fact that Big Mama is actually building a nest is a huge boost.  I thought I was going to have an infertile farm there for awhile.

I will try and make the chickens as comfortable as possible since they are out in the weather.  Their tractor does have the cover and so far not even the roosters' combs have gotten frostbit.

Here's to hoping that we don't lose anyone in the coming cold.