YJ Acres Updates

Fowl pox is clearing up nicely.  There have been no deaths.  Some chickens have thus far been unaffected, so I understand we have a reoccurrence/continuance of the unpleasantness.  Appetites seem good, as does general health.

This poor hen has had two neck injuries from fights.  They heal up, but it does leave her with a strange neck.

 Andromeda and the chickens aren't sure what to do with one another.

The guinea flock has remained stable since the fox attacks.  The babies have grown so much that, at first glance, they are indistinguishable from the adults.  Their faces don't yet have the "painted" look, but I can see it developing.

Behind them, the orchard is doing well.

 I am slowly redeeming the strawberry patch.  There is a distinct emphasis on the word "slowly."

 We're having the obligatory fall "odd" weather.  The wind, clouds, and animals all indicate that mischief may be afoot!

I'll leave you with our happy Hope!  She loves to bark at school buses, coyotes, foxes, and neighborhood dogs.

Until next time, remember, this is not paradise.  It's Purgatory Ranch.

More Bird Woes

Oh, chickens, must we be so challenging?

Meet Stew.  I named her Stew as she was, under initial observation, a pest.  She has been the runt of every chicken flock we introduced her to, so much so that she was constantly bloody and half the size of the other chickens.  She came to us in bad condition, and we had not succeeded in making her life more pleasant.  Out of a desire to give her a decent life (and since she doesn't lay eggs, probably due to malnourishment), we decided to throw her in with the guinea fowl and allow her to free range.

Oh, the peace.  She can be a bit aggressive with our guinea "teens," but not a single guinea attacks her.  She's eating pounds of food, enjoying exploring, and her condition is improving.

We recently added a chicken friend to the guinea run.  This is Darkest Winter (long story).  She broke her leg during a coop move thanks to our aggressive chickens (we're a work in progress here, people).  In order to protect her from attacks, we moved her into the run attached to the guinea coop.  Since it was unused except for when we had to be absent from home, she could rest quietly, access food and water, and not be harassed.

She's much spunkier than when we first moved her in, as you can see from her being on her feet.  Maybe we should have splinted her leg, but my research showed people to be ambivalent on this task, and she was already quite distressed.  Splinting might have killed her.

I am hopeful that Darkest Winter will heal and return to the coop.  If not, she may stay with the guineas.  Only time will tell.

Until next time, remember, this is not paradise.  It's Purgatory Ranch.

Fowl Pox

I feel terrible for our chickens, as it appears many of them are suffering from fowl pox (fortunately, it appears to be the dry/external type rather than the wet/internal/more deadly type).

Because Naked Necks have more "feather-free" areas, I noticed the spots on their necks before the faces, but I {think} fowl pox is the culprit.

 There's nothing to be done, and other than vaccinating, nothing to prevent it.  I haven't failed in sanitation or feeding, as pox is usually transmitted by mosquitoes.  What am I going to do about mosquitoes?

I pray we have few, if any, resulting deaths, and am grateful that thus far, their appetites and behavior seem to be pretty normal.

Until next time, remember, this is not paradise.  It's Purgatory Ranch.

No Idle Hands Here

"I don't know what that deer's thinkin', but she's thinkin' crazy."

The Assistant made the above comment about a deer that persists in running into our vehicles.  James has actually "love tapped" it once, and we've seen it repeatedly, usually far too close for comfort!

I think we might be "thinkin' crazy" around here too, as we have put far too many things on our plate!

There's corn to dry and separate for cornmeal.

A chicken coop to complete.

Neighbor's apples to harvest, juice, and can.  (I might try fruit vinegar this year as well!)

 Weeds (and more weeds) to pull.  At least I freed the mailbox from the volunteer mulberry tree and the chest high weeds.

 The same cannot be said about the flagpole bed.

 And then, in case we weren't busy enough, this lovely catapas tree was struck my lightning.  This was (and is) traumatic on many levels.  Firstly, it will have to be cut down, as the entire center is dying.

 Secondly, there is a large field of debris.  We are SO blessed that no one or no animal was near the tree, and that James' truck windows weren't burst.

 Unfortunately, said lightning strike fried a breaker in our house and I am having trouble getting an electrician.  We did get power back in a reasonable amount of time, and AT&T replaced our modem by midday, giving me the freedom of internet and phone access again.

There are bushes and weeds running rampant.

 At least I finally cleared the table of harvest mess.  You can still see the bucket of sunflower heads waiting me to the left, but all the peppers, beans, and tomatoes are corralled or preserved (for now!)/

With a grateful heart for the food and shelter around us, I'm back to work!

Until next time, remember, this is not paradise.  It's Purgatory Ranch.

Free-Range Flock

For the first time, I caught our keets, Big Red, and the adult guineas traveling as a flock.  It must have been the day spent in captivity yesterday, when I had no adult to help with cooping up, so they were left in a fenced yard.  It's a good thing we do that rarely, as they hated it.

Until next time, remember, this is not paradise.  It's Purgatory Ranch.

Chicken Update

The girls and I have been excited to collect our first eggs from the adopted chickens (not our original Naked-Necks... yet).  Knowing that I may not have to buy many eggs at the store in the near future is a rewarding feeling for all the hard work and trauma we've put into this chickens.

 Dinosaur legs!

The chickens have such different personalities.  We know exactly which two hens will be the last in at night.  Only one rooster (of three) crows of yet, and he starts early in the the morning.  Since their turken tank is directly outside our bedroom windows, I get to hear the symphony!  In reality, the noise is not yet as bothersome as some people make it out to be.  Since nearby neighbors have had adult roosters since before we moved in, the early crowing is a normal noise.

Until next time, remember, this is not paradise.  It's Purgatory Ranch.

YJ Acres

After 21+" of rain since July 14, we are enjoying drier.  I would not wish away any rain God sees fit to send us, but I am glad we are finally able to wade through the weeds and try to tame the chaos!

One of my three new rose bushes is blooming.  I normally don't choose something yellow, but this rose is cheery and bright against the rest of the green path.

The below hill has been a trouble spot for us.  We lost the only tree planted on it last year in the terrible drought.  When my mom and I were planting bulbs, the tree was so brittle that we could pop off large branches.  We planted a sweet cherry tree in its place.  The hill is also problematic because mowing over it, what with the stones and uneven ground, results in excessive need to trim as well as bald spots where the mower has scalped the high spots.  Our solution, over the next several years, will be to gradually kill of the grass and replace it with rose bushes and mulch.  I had to leave behind my collection of roses at our old house, so I am looking forward to choosing all over again!

 I started the spring with a cleaned up front walkway.  Herb plants were planted, weeding commenced, and... the summer and time escaped me.  This week, every time I leave the house to pick up or take the girls to school, I have been pulling a few weeds.  Although there's plenty left to do, I can now tell where the oregano, basil, echinacea, chamomile, sage, rosemary, lavender, and tarragon are... and where they aren't!  I ran out of mulch from chipped limbs, so I may be at a stopping place in this yard improvement for now.

 Apples and peaches are slowing approaching ripeness in our orchard. When we made a trip to Lowe's for supplies for the new and improved chicken tractor, we also splurged and bought several more fruit trees.  Even better, we already planted them!  Another honeycrisp, gala, and Wolf River apples were planted, as well as a plum.  We're looking forward to maturity in a few years!

Until next time, remember, this is not paradise.  It's Purgatory Ranch.