Unexpected visitor

Rumi was introduced to me a number of years back by my daughter, Lauren. I have come to carry Rumi's words in my heart and mind, esp during times of happiness, as well as difficult times. Rumi was a 13th century poet, mystic, scholar and theologian whose words continue to stand the test of time. The quotes from his poetry, and his poems themselves speak volumes. I refer to them regularly for strength, understanding and spiritual guidance. There's one in particular that a friend (who equally uses Rumi's writings to enrich his life) texted me recently to remind me that when an 'unexpected visitor' arrives, to embrace and welcome it. Thank you, Dr Waheed, for this reminder at this vulnerable and fragile time of my life. Rumi reminds us to take these opportunities to be vulnerable and open to what is in our future:  New delights.




Sew What Happened Was

My new arrival of back pain has led me to cancel my JOGLE race and trip to the UK. This journey was to start at the end of this week (and still will for others?) and I will be a cheerleader on the sidelines, pom-poms in hand. Ironically, the govt just issued a mandate as of midnight tonight, travel to the UK is halted. With our flight originally scheduled for tomorrow, it's all a bit mystic how these things happen.

When this unexpected visitor of new back pain started I was at the height of my training for the race from John O'Groat's, Scotland to Land's End, England. In the quiet of a run, it knocked on my door and made itself at home. This happens for millions of people, I not excluded, as back pain does not discriminate. I mentioned to this visitor that it's not a good time, as I'm very busy preparing for a running race. Maybe come back another day. Instead, it nestled in and unpacked its bags. Its arrival was there to teach me, fill me up with empathetic understanding, and use as a guide for what is to come in my life. Welcome mat not required.

Then, after the doctor visits and imaging were completed, I was told I had a compression fracture at T8, along with an existing back bone lesion at T12. After being informed that it's not likely to heal on its own (reasonably) due to the bone lesions, osteopenia and trauma to the area, that surgery was advised. The lesion on T12 along with the T8 fracture would need to be biopsy'd as well. The surgery would actually be a Kyphoplasty at T8 and T12 with biopsy's. The thoracic sections would be filled with special cement to repair the damage and fracture, and take tissue from the areas to see what the problem might be. This did indeed happen last Wednesday and brought about a new pain, different than before - both proving to be painful and limiting in all I do. The pain prior was from the fracture and now the pain is from the repair. Time and rest are the advised treatments. No lifting, no this, no that.


What A Girl Wants

As I move forward in this healing process mentally and physically, I'm reminded daily of what I used to be able to do, and what I cannot do at this time. I want to refill feed bins, carry hay to the donkeys, sweep out the barn, and mostly run and bike in this beautiful weather. The answer is no. Luckily, this back pain is self regulating. It will not allow you to do any of those things, even if you want to. Since I have a "desk job" now, it's do-able. It helps distract from my desire to "do what I used to do". Work is now an escape, and only one of a small collection of things I can still do - that I also used to do. That list has decreased drastically in size, and I now get to pick from a small selection of things I may do. Although the timeline on this new normal is unknown at this point, my faith and hope in this process carries me to the next steps of this journey. A journey very different than the one I would have started this week in the UK.


Trust Fall

This process I'm moving through is similar to the time you had to participate in the employee bonding seminar at work and tell your co-worker to fall backwards, promising to catch them. I didn't want to do that then, and I'm not fond of doing it right now. Trusting the process of healing, trusting the doctors and trusting the universe to catch me as I'm falling. Yet, I am. I'm doing just that. I've leaned into it, accepted it, and am moving through it. Luckily, just like that employee seminar, this too will find an end point. What have I learned? Acceptance of what I can and can't do. Learning to be okay with that. Welcoming the future, no matter what it will bring. Understanding that whether there's good or bad news to come, it's news that can be processed appropriately, dealt with dignity, confidence and understanding. This is my story that is already written. I will live it as God has outlined all for me, just as He has for you and your story. We are each handed a unique and special set of circumstances, which I am grateful to receive this blessing bestowed upon me to further my learning and understanding in life. Grace in this process is what I strive for.


Finding My Voice

This is not all about me. Yes, I've been fortunate to focus on finding my voice in it all, analyzing my path and setting the tone of not only my mood, but how I portray and handle my current situation. But really, it's about the world right now. Safety, concern for others and kindness is the goal while navigating through the unknown and fear that surrounds us. I'm a huge propionate of the theory: fear = bad decisions. Stepping out of the fear allows me to stay calm and think more rationally. We as humans will move through this crisis, and the verbiage of togetherness that is projected by the internet and news - warms my heart. We will all do our best to look after each other.


With so much virus talk these days.....let's talk chickens instead. They are not worrying about the virus or consequences, as they have work of their own to do. Egg laying.


Chickens, The Gateway Drug

Having a chicken just makes you want more. Just like with tattoos, drugs, sugar and potato chips, the more we have - the more we want. Our story last left off where we were keeping mamas (2), their eggs, and 2 chicks in the shower. Fast forward to 1) After candling the eggs (again), we determined the eggs they were sitting on were not viable. The eggs were discarded and both mamas returned to the Silkie Headquarters outside with their friends, and 2) The 2 chicks (one a silkie hatched onsite, and one chick intentionally purchased for it's housemate) were transferred to a large crate inside the house that was lined with shavings, water and food along with a heat lamp, then 3) David (remember that it was David, this time) decided we needed 2 MORE chicks to keep them company inside this crate and therefore purchased 2 more chicks. So, doing our chicken math, that equals twice the happiness in the Nursery with 4 cute little chicks being raised inside the house. 1 Silkie, 1 Leghorn and 2 Wyandotte's. They are all getting along wonderfully and we adore their little chick noises that fill the house with melody and sweetness. One of the chicks is significantly older than the rest, yet they are a flock of their own thriving and living their best chick life.

Chick Life in the Houz

Even though there's rarely a hard number I can accurately give for the chicken count around here, I'll just say there's 12 old school girls, 18 chicken farm girls, 6 silkies outside in their Silkie Headquarters on their own (fenced), and the new 4 chicks inside the house. 40. The number that represents that you are officially chicken crazy. But wait! Chompchi, one of the silkie hens is sitting on her own clutch of eggs now, in the upstairs portion of their chicken coop. We are about 9 days into that sitting, so with an estimated 21 day hatching timeframe, we will see what happens later this month. If we do have more silkies on site, we may get in the CraigsList business of selling them, as we can only have so many chickens, right? Luckily, the harsh of the cold weather is subsiding bringing brighter days of warmth and comfort - until the ball of fire strikes this summer and tortures all with fur and feathers.

It's an egg palooza around here.

I will say, with the grocery stores low on most items, my eggs are selling better now. Bright side in these dark days.


Pond Sweet Pond

David's vision of his pond is coming to life. The ducks are thriving and surviving well, as they are laying eggs faster than I can pick them up.

Sugar prefers the bridge, as the waterway to
the pond would require her to swim.

David has put in one bridge with RR ties over the waterway that feeds the pond. He has the RR ties ready for the bridge to go over the waterway where the pond overflows to the culvert out front. The bridges are so we can walk around the pond, but also for the animals and mowers to travel to the backside of the pond. This past week, we had 12 palates of grass laid so that erosion will be minimal with all the exposed new dirt around. The ground ate those 12 palates and we could probably use 12 more, but they zig zagged a portion of the area to help with increased coverage of the dirt. The ducks are happy and ridding the parameter of worms. Many bull frogs and other types of frogs are convening in the new pond, moving in and making themselves at home. I expect turtles will do the same, too. Our purple martin birds houses are filling quickly, as they migrate here and settle in, pushing the sparrows out. The mosquitos are already showing themselves, and we rely on the birds to help take care of (some) of that. Soon, we will purchase fish to stock the pond. Not until David completes the setup of the aerators, strategically placing them in the pond, will the fish arrive. The solar panels function well as they create the energy needed to supply the air to the water. This area of the property has been our most long term project thus far, and we are now seeing the fruit of the seeds we've sowed.

Work In Progress

The Bed I've Made

Let's talk gardens. As you may remember, my thumb is not green. It's not teal, or even blue. Therefore, I struggle with dirt and seeds. This year, I'm (once again) trying something different.

Seedlings planted. Now I wait.

I've dried seeds from spaghetti squash and a cantaloupe we had, and have planted these seeds to create my seedlings to transport into my garden. My outlay of cash is minimal, and I've begun using data from Hey Google to tell me when to plant - and any other details I ask it. Then, I'll have someone else to blame - or congratulate.
I digress. My seeds are planted, and I'll await the seedlings to pop up, and once the dirt outside has warmed to the appropriate temperature, they will be moved to their final resting place.

Twin and Full, awaiting their occupants

Bed 1 and Bed 2. I'd like to say I'm optimistic. Let's just say I hope Hey Google is right.


Are Mealwoms Really a Worm

No. They are in the lifecycle of a beetle, and are the bread and butter of that lifecycle in my opinion. Chickens love them, mealworms that is. My new mealworm farm is coming along nicely. Slowly, but nicely. Kind of like my back healing...slowly but surely.

Mealworm contraption

 I simply place the carrots for their water source and food in the appropriate drawers, and they make their magic happen. Drawer 1 = Mealworm time, Drawer 2 = Eggs/Babies, Drawer 3 = Beetles who are laying eggs (for 2 week cycles at a time). The game of switching these creatures around, and taking out the aliens (going from mealworm to beetle) is all about timing. When to do what. Luckily, there's thousands of YouTubers who want to share with you just how to manage a Mealworm Farm. This Chicken Mama is trying it and so far, it's slow. Good, but slow. I'll take that.

Mealworms, whom some are turning into aliens

Beetle Drawer

Aliens (mealworm turning into beetle)

Gardens, mealworms, my back healing and starting my egg business all have the same thing in common. Slow going. Yet, I'm getting there, one tiny step at a time. Let's just say that I'm going to need to step up my game at egg selling. I have some ideas......

That's more for next time, my friends.

Be safe out there,

Cyndi

Hoping to increase the business
with some advertising.
I'll need to work on my egg sign next.......

Get Eggcited

Mathemachicken

Math was always a good subject for me in school. Why? Because there's always a definitive answer to any math problem presented. The answer to a math question can be found, and that was always attractive to me. Yet now, not so much in the farm world. I can post in my blog "I have 39 chickens" but really, I don't - and don't necessarily even know it. I do a chicken count at least once a week so you would think one would know how many chickens they have. But no, chicken math does not work like that. Hawk, minus one. Miscounted one day, plus one, an egg hatched, plus one, a horrible chicken accident happens, minus one. And this never stops. I said I had 39 chickens recently, but upon further counting, I was down one experimental chicken farm girl AND a horrible accidental chicken drowning happened in the horses water trough (I'm still not over that one, as we lost Frizzle and there was no one else like her. Still crying). I always think I can keep up with the chicken math, but I've been proven wrong over and over. It's tricky you see, as it remains the same for awhile, to lure you into thinking everything is stable. Then, BAM a loss here and another loss there. I won't drone about about the down side of the chicken world, and instead will focus on the additions and positive things going on in our chicken world.  A stable chicken population is like finding a cure for dad jokes. It just doesn't seem possible.

Eat, Pray, Lay

Quite a few months back, we acquired 8 silkies from Craigslist. Yes, one of the roosters received, we ended up giving away which left us one rooster and 6 silkie hens. Post Malone is our only rooster on the property, and his ladies are sweet, small and docile. There was one day recently we came home and one silkie hen was gone. Just gone - likely from a hawk. Disappeared altogether. So this left us with Post and 5 silkie hens. Now, the eggs they lay are being fertilized, right? Post does not "play" with the other big girl chickens on the property, only his silkie ladies. After all, those other hens are bigger than him, but despite that, there's more of them and they are bossy, so he sticks to his own tribe.
The silkie ladies are laying eggs and sitting on them. We let that happen, and would you believe, a egg hatched and a baby chicken came out. After almost 5 years of having chickens, this was our first chick born on the property (thank you, Post). So you ask, what about the other eggs they are laying on? Good question. We have two of the Dorothy's who are sitting on eggs and awaiting to see if any more hatch. Then, one day, we witnessed a dog that looks like a skunk (Maybe) did a sneaky sneak thing and went and stole one of those precious eggs from underneath a Dorothy (on the ground in their coup is where they lay and sit) and proceeded to eat it. We were shocked to say the least. Disgusted and saddened at the thought that our own little Maybe was really a monster after all. And likely had been taking the sisters and brothers of this little chick who somehow has survived, and now may be an orphan chick.
On a positive note (this blog is really starting out morbid), we moved the two mamas sitting on eggs and a chick (yes, they sit on the chick to keep it warm) into the top portion of the coop to keep them safe from the skunk dog known as Maybe (because skunks will eat your chickens and eggs AND Maybe looks similar to a skunk, bless her heart).

Two silkie mamas, Baby Rainy and random egg that got moved around
while stationed in the top part of their coop (temporarily)

This is when we put them in the top portion of the coop, realizing it's just too small for all of them and what they need. We did fence the silkies area (again, because we like to move temporary fencing) and now everyone is safe and able to commence with their activities of egg laying, sitting and possibly more hatching of the eggs they are sitting on.

Asking for a friend

So there's this "friend" who has a dog who steals and eats chicken eggs, who is trying to figure out how to save the one chick she has left, and is trying to figure out how best to handle this situation. I advised her to go to the Feed Store, and buy another small chick, to put with the small chick she already has, and raise them inside the house, together (because chickens are flock animals). Chick + Chick + inside the house = Success.
Uh, no.
I did go buy a new-to-us chick (from the Feed Store as recommended by myself, I mean, my friend) for our very one-and-only chick we have, and did indeed place them in a cage inside the house with a heat lamp - and what did they do? Cry for mama. Cry and cry and cry - and mama is here, outside in her coop. What have I done?! Now I have an extra purchased chick (Brown Leghorn breed, by the way who lays big white eggs and is actually a smaller chicken, too). But what I SHOULD have done was bring mama, chick, other mama and all the eggs inside, right?
And that's what I finally ended up doing. I put them in my shower (in my bathroom) with shavings, food and water - and one of the Barn Cams so I can watch my own real life Nova show going on in my bathroom. They settled down, after being moved around numerous times recently, and the two mamas are now sitting on TWO chicks (one theirs, one not), along with about 8 eggs that we candled (used flashlight in a dark room) to verify that there is growth in the egg (dead or alive is not something I could tell though).
**Side note: Silkies are known for taking in other chickens eggs and chicks to raise them as their own.
So now this new Leghorn chick is accepted into their world and is kept warm under the silkie mamas just like their own baby chick is. It's all very sweet, actually. Just the journey of getting to this point all seems so silly. But that's how I roll. I'll keep you posted on any further hatchings.....but I'm not thinking it's going to happen due to many circumstances that have occurred along this journey. Only time will tell now.

Why might the eggs not hatch? Because they don't always
seem to be sitting on them and move around often.
What do I know though?

Silkies back in lockdown

Look at Little Rainy eating, while the mamas lay on the
eggs and other chick, in the shower area

Rainy (silkie chick) and Flower (bigger chick) are on the left looking at
each other. Are you my sister? 

Just when the silkies had handed over their orange jumpsuits and embraced their freedom, they are fenced again due to circumstances beyond their control......Maybe. Yet, I will say one more thing about isolating these silkies is: their eggs cannot be sold with the Chicken Farm eggs due to the fact they are fertilized. And the experimental chicken farm is moving towards new ventures and opportunities, of which the silkie eggs will not be a part of. Likely, we will raise silkie chickens (not for their eggs) due to their ability to lay their clutch, go broody and sit on them with a vengeance. That's another story, and is not yet written. Plus, we are learning how to go about all that business. It's new. I've got bigger fish to fry right now.


Super Power

It goes without saying that being able to poop breakfast is a super power. And we have a group of ladies who are doing just that. So much, that we cannot keep up with all the eggs and what to do with them. Drum roll please.........so lets start this egg selling venture. First up, I need egg cartons. Lots of them.

The local feed store is supplying me with cartons,
and putting up my janky Eggs For Sale
sign in their window

Up around town

And so it begins. David was kind enough to move the refrigerator that was in the garage, outside the garage for public access.

It's really not as crocked as it looks
or is it

Ignore the Topo Chico in there, too
Actually, I put a sign up that says,
Drinks $1.00, just in case

I will use this fridge as my Egg 101 start up.

Then, David made me this (honesty) money/cash box for people to come by, drop their money off and grab their eggs - esp when we are not here. That's what happens out here. For example, when I was crossing the U.S. on foot, I came across this sort of thing often on country roads. Sheds, tents and unattended produce, along with refrigerators full of fresh eggs and garden veggies/fruits - all for sale with a box whereby you placed your money in. Usually, there were explicit instructions on what to do, how much things were and the reminder that this is all Honest Based shopping. You pay, you take. I remember thinking, "Who does that?" and I did make multiple purchases on the side of the road for peaches and other fruit, leaving my money in the box. Once, a random shed out in the middle of nowhere had homemade whoopie pies in their fridge, and you can bet I bought one of those, too. I never would have dreamed that I, too, would have one of these side road gigs one day. #lifeisgoodandweird

Money/cash box, with a light weight lock,
as someone could unscrew the screws easier

Whether this venture is short lived, moderately successful or just for fun, I love it that here on this earth, where we are merely a speck not even seen from outer space - that I can be free to do this sort of thing. The only thing stopping me now, would be a visit from the city about some sort of ordinance issue. I probably should check on that sort of thing. Moving on.....

Egg Cluckection

So what about collecting all these eggs. For cluck sake, it takes an expedition to gather all the eggs in all the places around here. Here's the locations I check daily: Belle Tower, Big Girl Coop, Kitty Climber, Hay stored in Tack Room (sometimes find a surprise egg there), and now - a new place to check:

The Cat Corner in the Tack Room is a
now-popular resort for egg layers.
Sorry, Blackie, she'll be out soon

The cat's cozy sleeping boxes (which have warmers placed in each of them) are being used by the chickens for egg laying areas. Just one more place to check for eggs! Blackie occupies the blue cubby behind him, and the chickens are using the grey one as their new BnB for eggs. This is up on a shelf, close to the ceiling in the Tack Room (barn), and is commonly occupied by the barn cats. It's now the Cat and Egg Corner, for sure.
You could maybe consider the hunt for eggs each day like Easter. I take my pink Easter egg basket with me, frocking around like a little fairy in my white lace dress, with white ribbon flowing and fake metallic grass peeking out of the basket, and go around gathering the eggs. Record scratch.......uh no, it's not like that. I've got my egg box marching around to 5 different places around the property looking for eggs and wishing they are all centralized. You've created this yourself, Cyndi. No one to blame, my dear, but you.
The extra fun part is when I find the hens laying in a brand new spot, and there's 15 eggs that have been there for who-knows how long. Then, they all follow suit. I can hear them.....'this looks good, nice find! let's lay eggs here for awhile until we see somewhere better, then we'll abandon this spot and go to another', and so on and so on and so on.

Keeping it rural

It's now time to go and make my fair share of signs, menus and remaining tweaks needed to guide people here, and move them through the process of purchasing their eggs - mainly on their own. Since we are gone a fair amount of time, I will give this Honest Policy selling of eggs a chance. I'm not convinced that my Chicken and Egg Farm will develop down this road, and may eventually need to sell the eggs only when I'm here or at a Farmer's Market. But, I've got to start somewhere, and since this is a start-up business, there will be many more changes to come. Change is what happens here all the time, and as you may remember, my business plan for this whole egg selling thing was to take it day to day. First step? Start. Next step? Who knows.

Eggciting things are happening,

Cyndi

Activity Detected

Upon moving to our little slice of paradise coming up on 4 years ago, there was one thing I struggled with each night. Is everyone okay in the barn? Why is one of the guard dogs barking like that? I've heard about bands of raccoons attacking chickens at night. I've read that night is when your farm animals are most vulnerable. I was new to having a barn - and having precious animals in there that I love and adore without knowing if everything was okay, was not okay. Granted Whisper and Levi have always done a wonderful job protecting all the animals......but sometimes I would lay in bed and "think" I heard something that needed investigation out in the barn.

It wasn't long before I figured out that a Barn Cam (security camera) would be beneficial for my (regular nightly) concern that I had regarding everyones safety i.e. so that I could sleep at night. After a little research, I decided a Canary brand would be my choice - and have not regretted it one minute. The Canary security cameras are durable in the extreme heat and cold in the non-climate controlled barn. No where does it say "for outside use" - but after installing a wifi extender in the barn, the Canary security camera was set up. It has always been set on a table, edging of the barn, etc, so that at anytime I can chose to move it's location based on which part of the barn I want to monitor. Maybe I want it to watch the chickens, the sheep, or a particular door to the barn. So whichever area or whatever animal I wish to monitor - it's doable. It works so well out there - I bought another one. These cameras have been placed in many different areas of the barn depending on the current set up or activity going on. It's fun to use at story times that we have, or when the ewes are going to be birthing their lambs soon, but most importantly, it's always at my fingertips to (using the Canary App) view the goings-on in the barn anytime, day or night. 

Since we are constantly changing the configuration of the inside of the barn with movable fencing, one might find that from the inception of the security camera that we have had multitudes of areas with different animals for various reasons. That's the fun of it! I think the chicken area is the only area that has primarily not changed (maybe just increased in size). Let's take a trip down memory lane, along with some current day activities:

Older version

Present day
The area has been opened up for them as we expect lambs in the Spring.
This also allows the dogs and sheep to come in and out via 2 door options.
That's Deuce on the dog bed. 

The sheep pen. This particular area has ebbed and flowed in size, depending on the number of sheep we have. The sheep and guard dogs can come and go at their leisure. The camera (above) caught all the sheep chewing their cud and resting, along with many of the chickens. I'm guessing that it might have been raining and everyone is waiting it out together. Where is Levi and Whisper you ask? Either still outside the barn, or under the camera where there is more room for (esp) Whisper - as her favorite hang out spot when it rains/storms is "behind the bar", or hanging out laying with the sheep. **Side note: The prior owners had the barn set up with a pool table, bar, refrigerator, pool lights and was generally used as a Man Cave, from what we understood. They left that pool table there, too, as it was SO heavy that they dared not move it. We put it on CraigsList for Free.99 and had some takers come and attempt to lift and take it. And they did. 6 guys took it away and we were most grateful. 

Transition at move-in

Here's the hot mess it was as we attempted to take out what was left and begin moving in things (back in 2016). This was back when we had 2 chickens, Ginger and Butterscotch (RIP). Ginger is still the lead hen and well respected by the flock. Now, the pool table is in the left back corner with a cool pool table light hanging over it. I mean, it was okay. Any pool table would be difficult to remain in decent condition being in this environment. #AlwaysDusty.Always.

Sheep shearing time - Lauren is in the foreground watching
this all take place. These two young ladies can shear a sheep
like you pour a cup of coffee. #BadA$$

The events that occur in the barn are often caught on camera. Good and bad, mostly good. The sheep shearing is hard to replay and watch because it's so stressful for the sheep. This particular year, Lauren was my stand-in for assisting with this project. Thanks, Lauren! I got to watch it remotely from my phone. That's the thing about the Barn Cam, the App on my phone allows me to see it Live or go back (up to) 2 weeks and watch any activity that took place during that time. 

I'll pause here and say that at first, I used a setting on my phone that alerted me to "Barn Activity". Then, I could go check it out. Any movement in the barn would trigger this. As you can imagine, it was constant notifications. I now just check it randomly myself. At work, lying in bed, in the kitchen or anywhere - I can see what's happening inside the barn. It's my personal reality show right at my fingertips, on my phone. You likely have these same type of security cameras in your own home. Same thing, you can hear all the noises and watch all the action. I often check it during the day to see what's shaking in the barn. 

Story Time Event
We project the book pages up on the side on the barn (right), and I read the stories,
while my AV expert, Farmer Graves operates the Projecter.
This is all after we sing Old MacDonald and do the Chicken Dance.

On this occasion, the Barn Cam was strategically placed so that we could get a birds eye view of the event. We've had anywhere from 70 (first event we had) to 120 adults/children (this last event) that come to these events to pet and feed the animals, along with singing and read books. When everyone leaves with all 10 fingers, we're pleased. 

If you notice where the hammerhead shark is, we have since opened up that wall to include a door, and added fencing there as well. It all started because we needed a place for Whisper to be penned for 3 months after her surgery. Then, it became a stall for the horses and goats, who have access to the side and back pasture (sheep have access to the front pasture). 

         

Dora and Diego love their stall.                        They share (pretty) well with Chia and her kids Petunia and Dotty.
                                                                    The goats and mini horses rival whose feistiest. 

The goats and mini horses make great roommates because of their particular demeanors. Since the sheep are so docile, it's best they do not pasture with these bad influences. 

Kiddos at night, with the night vision on

Love these cuties!

Even at night, it's easy to see what everyone is doing. The goats and mini horses go in and out of stall at will - and often off and on all night. Sometimes they sleep in the stall and sometimes outside, weather dependent. They all prefer to be outside if possible, unless there's inclement weather or food in the stall. 

Shut in their stall awaiting the farrier, very patiently 

She arrives, and keeps their hooves looking pristine.

I learned something (many things!) from the farrier, whose name happens to be Shannon. Shannon is a horse person. She talks horse, has horses, and is a wealth of information that I so desperately need. She informed me that she thinks Diego is Dora's colt. AND that Dora is not 10 years old, but 20 years old. And that Dora appears to have likely been used as a baby horse maker and is not in that great of health. Poor Dora, you are safe here and can rest easy now. It all explains so much though! Dora and Diego are so close....because they are mother/son. Geez, the lady that gave them to me told me nothing really, looking back. It's all becoming clear now. I'm happy we can provide them a good home, and look forward to helping Dora get on a better path. We've started her on medication, as well as a new diet to help her be her best self. I also found out she must have birthed a mini horse not that long before coming to us, as her milk is still there, and trying to dry up. Wow. It's almost as surprising as it was to buy goats that were already pregnant. Just saying. Lots of secrets going on in the world of farm animals on CraigsList. 

Levi and Whisper's Dinner Table

Whisper and Levi eat in the barn, in the Sheep Pen area, on their table. Sometimes the sheep bother them while they're trying to eat, but the dogs "bark them off" and let them know not to eat their food. The sheep then usually skedaddle out the door and head back outside. Whisper and Levi deserve time to eat and enjoy their food. They work 24/7 after all. There is no food that goes to waste here on the farm. From plate to animal, there's animals that will eat any left overs, aging foods or extra food. Rarely does any food go in the trash. I even have people at work bring me their extra unwanted food that would have otherwise been thrown away, and depending on the food genre, it gets fed to an animal. Between the ducks, chickens and goats.....they eat most things. The mini horses diet is strict due to the nature of that type of horse, and the sheep are pickier (you'd never know it by looking at them).

What's wrong with this picture 

It's 2:35 in the afternoon, and I'm at work. If I look at the Barn Cam, it shows Maybe in the barn, eating the chicken food/scratch off the barn floor. So that explains her weight gain. Chicken food - she loves it. She's a sneaky sneak who waits until we are gone, and although having breakfast of her own, cleans up in the barn. There may or may not being some chicken poo eating going on, too.

Curious Maybe

At one point, the Barn Cam was placed on the ground to watch some possible possum activity. Maybe decided to investigate what exactly is in that shiny box.

There's been many things seen (funny, happy and sad) on the Barn Cam from chicken butts in front of the camera - to terrible tragedy's that are recorded in the life of having a farm. Throughout this continuing transformation of barn life, there is always hope and faith. Hope and Faith are two mainstays in my life. They are what I cling to every day, and every night when I lay my head down to sleep. Whenever there's a situation of the unknown (every night), having hope and faith (along with trust and prayer) is my way of coping and thriving. There's so many predators that want what we have. There's also unfortunate accidents and the circle of life swirling all around. The Barn Cams give me the connection I desire, to those I love.

I'll close with a few favorite photos.



Atop this wonderful barn is our mermaid. She tells us wind direction, and swims beautifully with perfect form, every day.



At the entrance to the gravel drive, we deemed our road as Lovebird Lane. Behind that sign, is our Purple Martin bird houses swaying in the wind, high above the pond. You'll often find Whisper and Levi out here monitoring things, and the sheep grazing and enjoying their lives. Now, with the beautiful white ducks sailing on the pond, they make it all complete.



At the end of the gravel drive, this is what you find. Simple and sweet. When the barn is bigger than the other buildings, that's when you know you've arrived Home.

Stay well,

Cyndi

Tour de Barn

Psst

In the grand scheme of things, I don't think I've ever given an exact layout of our barn. Likely because it's always ebbing and flowing, changing and evolving along with all the right-sizing of the animals. There's a couple of areas that have remained the same over time, one in particular is the chicken coop area. Chickens are like (some) people, they don't do well with change. Since we have an abundance of temporary fencing, we have been able to create temporary areas in the barn for baby lamb birthings, goat holding areas, and spaces needed for shorter periods of time such as Whisper's recovery pen for 3 months, after she had surgery. This, all along with the areas that remain in tact at all times (sheep pen, chicken coop area) make the barn a place of constant - and a place of change - all at the same time. The temporary fencing we purchased upon moving on this property has been one our most valuable investments. It's been set up and taken down more times than I can count. We are the Temporary Fencing Experts. Maybe there's a retirement opportunity in there somewhere.

Where I go, they go

Storage for the fencing is behind the barn, so at any time we can set up and tear down fencing, when needed.











Bugs Not Drugs

A shout out to all 39 chickens for being bug exterminators, snake and mice deterrents (chickens will kill and eat small snakes), table scrap clean up crew, all the while looking like little dinosaurs walking the earth. The chickens have full ability to free range the property - and that they do. But wait, you ask, who puts them to bed at night? They do. They are masters of heading-to-the-house (coop) when dusk arrives. It's just what they do, and they typically go to their same sleeping spot each night. Granted, the ECF (19 remaining experimental chicken farm) hens mostly sleep in the Belle Tower coop we have set up for them there, the 13 old school girlz all sleep in the barn, while the 7 silkies have their own coop set up. Let's take a closer look....

Coop area, with side roosting ladder

Party area, with mirror included

Inside the barn, the chickens have a coop along with fencing setup on sand/dirt whereby they enjoy dust bathing and socializing. This is their favorite afternoon activity, and spend time fluffing their feathers in the dirt to clean themselves all while sharing the latest gossip. We use diatomaceous dirt primarily which helps to repel mites/fleas, among other unwanted pest on the chickens. Then, at dusk the chickens all go to the favorite spot to roost for the night. Many of them roost on top of this fencing in their sand area, while others go into the coop just right next to it. It's a personal preference thing. Our original 13 hens all roost in the barn each night, while the others......

Side quarters for those who need to be alone

Silkie B&B

This coop is just outside the barn and is intended for the 7 silkies, Post (our one and only rooster), Chompchi, Frankie and the 4 Dots (all named Dorothy). This location works well for them, and although all the chickens get along well, we initially separated them while they adjusted to their new home with us. They free range with everyone else. Currently, two of the Dots are sitting on eggs.

One sitting, other out eating

Since those little silkies have a rooster, maybe, just maybe they will hatch some baby silkies. I believe they are on about Day 11 of sitting on their clutch. 21 days is the magic number - and then we'll see if anything is really cooking inside that coop. Wish them cluck!






And then another (non barn) coop is located in the Belle Tower. The ECF girlz roost out here, and call this their home. They, too are friendly with everyone and free range together with all the others. It's one happy family of 39 chickens who happen to go to their own homes each night. This also means looking in all these places for the eggs they lay. And laying eggs are what they are doing!

Nesting boxes are just up the stairs,
and to the right

The Belle Tower is a wonderful size for the ECF hens and it houses them well, providing wind protection, warmth, nesting boxes and a place of their own. All 39 chickens move about the property during the day as if they were at Disneyland playing, eating, moving about freely and being grateful that they do not live in a gated community.

Duck this

Although obviously not in the barn either, is the Duck House. David was able to build this from a pallet frame found at a dumpster, along with supplies we had here at the farm. I love repurposing materials!

The ducks love their little house.
The biggest issue is the guard dogs
eat the duck eggs before we
can get to them.

Get Your Sheep Together

Okay, let's get back to the barn. The sheep pen is one of the main stays in the barn. David has so kindly made signage for the different areas in the barn. Belle, our sweet now-almost 3 yr old, was only 1 day old when she came to us and was bottle fed as if she were our own baby. She was the catalyst for our future sheep acquisitions. Otherwise, if we didn't get her some sheep friends, she might ended up being more like a dog. After all, her best friend was Maybe.

Our little helper

BFF's Best Fur Friends

Even though Belle lived her first couple of months in the house wearing a diaper, we did get her some friends who taught her how to do sheep things. She did eventually move out to the barn with the other ewes, and has since grown into a beautiful ewe who mothered a lamb of her very own. Although Belle never had a sheep mom (besides us) of her own, she was the best mama any lamb could ask for. Just ask Lulu, her one and only baby, thus far.
Currently, we have 4 ewes (Belle, Lulu, Grace, Licorice) and our newly purchased ram, Deuce. We are in the midst of breeding Deuce with the ewes and hoping for some spring lambs.

Notice a deep sea fish theme yet?

There's sweet Grace and Licorice

The Sheep Pen in the barn is large enough for the 5 sheep, along with sleeping accommodations for Levi and Whisper, our LGD's who protect and guard so that everyone is able to be safe and comfortable. The large barn doors can be opened and closed, depending on the weather and wind. We also happen to keep one of the mowers and trailers in their area, too.


Neigh Neigh Hooray!

The horse and goat stall is located in the north west corner of the barn. The miniature horses and goats share this stall as it seems fitting, as they are the most feisty farm animals we have. The goats have their own GoatVille just outside the barn, and you'll often find them perched on top of one of their own little buildings. Yet, the option to come inside the barn is available to them anytime.

Our little three ring circus

Dora and Diego share this nicely with the goats,
most of the time

Diego enjoying the space

This stall in the barn is well protected by a hammerhead shark, and surrounded by bins of feed. Corn, grain, alfalfa cubes along with chicken feed and scratch. Lots of yummy treats to be had. As you can see behind the goats, in the back pasture is also another open barn for them and also where the round bales of hay are placed. Either way, the miniature horses and goats have choices when it comes to their accommodations.









Anything is pawssible

The Tack Room is an all purpose room that houses the cat condos, square bales of hay, other feed, tools, brooms, horse halters/ropes, and just about anything you'd need while out in the barn. The best part about the tack room is it also has access to the second story of it, which is available to the cats and chickens, as a kitty-climber is strategically stationed so that they may go up there. We have more cat condos there for the barn cats, extra chicken feeder supplies and is also where we keep the heated water buckets during the off season. It's a great storage area that has access with a ladder (and kitty climber if you're a chicken or cat).

Blackie sleeps in the far left cat condo,
and happens to have a heated setup for winter
Yes, he's a spoiled barn cat.

Stairs (left) take you to the top of Tack Room.
All purpose table holds cat food/dish.
Yes, the chickens eat the cat food.

Those chickens think they can reach the bird
feeder. It's a long way to the ground,
luckily they can fly.

Cat and chicken access to the top. This bar
is handy when storms come so Whisper
can hide behind it, poor thing.

From a birds eye view (there does happens to be bird feeders, bird houses and birds in the barn) here's the layout:



This panoramic shot is helpful to see all around the barn from left to right: it's the dog and sheep pen, around to the chicken coop area, then far right is the horse and goat stall. All the areas have outside access, as the sheep are in a different pasture than the horses/goats. Yet, everyone can always come in the barn. Everyone has wood name plates designating their areas. This is helpful when visitors are over and ask, Now what was their name?


Being schooled

The barn is not only a place of therapy and retreat, it's my classroom. There's plenty of do overs, lots of sloppy copies in progress, and often times, a sh$tstorm in the making. It is a working barn, a place of learning, love and labor. Animals get loose, get out and chaos ensures. It's usually because the humans have left a gate unlocked, open or mismanaged. Coming home everyday is a surprise. Sometimes good and sometimes not so good. It reminds me of the Life Is Good mantra. Life is good, and when life isn't good, it's still good. Because in the barn, through the chaos and cleaning, there is a bright light that shines through these animals hearts straight into mine. I'll clean up their poop anytime. It's the least I can do.

Did I mention we have a Barn Cam, actually 2 of them. Therefore, I can see what's shaking in the barn from the comfort of my phone so I won't miss moments I'm meant to see. That's a whole nother blog, my friend.

Let's meet here again soon,

Cyndi

Stare down in the barn