I'm not even sure where to start--things have been interesting around here lately! We got 4" of snow, that sure helps the ground moisture! We have rain coming in a day or two.....we'll take it! :) We had some bitter cold, now the temps are warming up in the daytime, slowly melting the snow.
My frozen hose thawed out, so I don't have to McGuyver the other hose now to fill the stock tank. :) That always helps cut down on the work load!
Jared and Chandra left the morning of the snow (on the 31st) , and managed to hit a patch of black ice down by St. Joe....and someone behind them ended up hitting them when they came across the black ice as well. They are all OK, but the truck was bashed up. It made it to NC....for which we were all grateful! They are now home safe, easing my mind!
We got Kyle back to Ft. Leonard Wood on schedule....a big thanks goes out to the neighbor Kesha for giving us rides to and from the car rental place at the last minute. All I know is January 3 was a loooooong day for all of us! Driving in the cold and dark + fog isn't my idea of fun trying to get home!
On an interesting note: we didn't see any deer on the way down, nor on the way back. Last time we went down that way they were all over the place!
I had two hens laying....I put them into a large enclosure next to the chicken coop, and they could get into the garden as well while we'd be gone for their safety.
But 'something' still got one of my hens. No dog/cat tracks....no blood, just feathers scattered about and drag mark(s) in the snow.
Then two days later, another hen missing, same scenario.
So I go out that night to check on things: low and behold, not one, not two, but three owls flew out of the cedar tree near the hen house. Culprits found! (I was thinking Red tailed/Chicken Hawk....I've had issues in the past with those.)
Sadly, it was the two hens currently laying that they got--the one was a banty cross and I was hoping she'd hatch chicks for me this spring. (If you remember Bwocky the Bantie [a real character!], it was her chick she had hatched almost a year and a half ago).
I will say, the owls haven't been back....yet. I'm amazed I haven't had missing cats, as they sleep in the stanchion area which is attached to the coop.
But it also means now I am down to 3 hens and a rooster. I had 10 hens, but the dog attack earlier this year, and now the flying predators have made the flock very nervous. That sure doesn't help egg production any! :(
Kyles inside cat managed to scratch me on the face the day after he left--giving my left eyebrow an interesting look. I say I have "cat scratch fever"! HA She is mad he is gone....but getting over it faster this time than the last time. The other cat could care less....some days I want to be a housecat with no worries! :)
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Jenene, life can be interesting, can't it. I'm glad to hear that all the traveling people made it to where they need to go without harm to them personally. I hate black ice and fog. They are worst ever to overcome while driving.
ReplyDeleteI guess owls like chicken. I didn't know they would go after something that big. It's kind of sad that they would get the best laying chickens. I have three hawks that guard my big garden but then I don't have chickens. I suspect they are after the mice, snakes, and rabbits. I'm sure they won't take on a wild turkey. The wild turkeys do a lot of scratching around in the garden but don't really bother the garden plants much. They eat mostly the bugs and weed seeds. It's a good thing because there's no keeping them out of the garden. The fenced in part only give them a good roosting place.
Life here has settled back into a routine now that school is back in session. Bradley, my eight year grandson that lives with me, went to see his Dad over Christmas break and spent most of the break in Texas with his Dad. I had to drive to Kansas City to pick him up because there were no direct flights back to Omaha.
We've only had one snow here before Christmas and it's still on the ground. It was pretty cold during December with the lowest temperature being one degree. This week the heat wave will bring temperature up into the 40s.
Have a great day.