ROOSTER CAM

Floyd the rooster has begun to crow. He isnt really very good at it yet. We wont tell him.

Go ahead and try to look innocent, Gibbs. I think we all know who dug those holes.

Sigh....

Apparently, tomatoes in patio pots and free range geese dont mix....

Starting Demolition

Before the whole shed gets knocked down, we salvaged what good usable material there is in there, including a window, a barn door and railing, and a few of the pressure treated 4x4 posts.  The posts were pulled out today.

Here goes what remains of the front wall.

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We thought for sure it would cave in, but it only sank a few inches, and we heard some creaking.
the old shed has stood for over 60 years, but her days are numbered. As with the original 200 year old barn, it is a problem with the foundation.  There is a life lesson in there, isnt there?

Just in Case....

I needed to get a thermometer to monitor the goats temp. They both have a little cough/cold thing going on. Goats normal healthy temperature is about 103, and temps are taken rectally.

the nice digital thermometer we bought looks just like the household one.

TRAILER PAINTING

One of today's chores was to prepare the small trailer that goes to our John Deere lawn tractor for painting. It was the gift of a friend, and it is very rusted and in need of painting.  So steve took it apart, and using a wire brush sanding disc sanded ot down and got all the loose paint off.

But first, we checked on a nest of phoebes, up in the rafters of the shed that is coming down later this week.  We discovered the nest about a week ago when we were clearing out the shed.  I have been concerned that the shed would be torn down before the babies were big enough to leave the nest. So today, Steve got the ladder to check on their progress.

Here is the nest , up in the rafters of the shed. Steve counted five babies, and judging from their feathers, it looks like they are at least a week  or maybe a week and a half old. Phoebes usually fledge at 15-18 days.

They are so sweet.  It is very possible they might fledge before demolition of the shed, but we will ask for delay if they are still in the nest.

Here is the tractor trailer, up on end.

After removing all the loose paint, Steve will prime with a  Rustoleum paint that bonds with the remaining rust and creates a paintable surface.

The wheels will also be painted, and the axle greased up.

Garden as it is today. Everything is planted, and most of the weeding is done for now.

The tomatoes got some twine to support them.

We even have tomatoes!

Moving the Chickens

Somebody is making himself very comfy in my chair.  I sit in the pen with them several times during the day, especially for Waldo who is so very shy and skittish., unless ot involves sittong in my chair apparently.

So, today was moving day for the chickens. The demolition of the old shed starts next week, so we had to get them out of the way of the bulldozer.  With my bum knee, it is hard for me to be of much help with moving the chicken tractor.  It is heavy, but two people can move it fairly easily, if both of them are fit.  But I am really limited right now, so steve figured out a way to move it.

First, we dismantled the fence. Most of the chickens stayed inside the boundries, even though the fence was down. Kinda funny.

Steve picked up the chicken tractor, and placed it over the trailer hitch on the John Deere lawn tractor.   Then he simply drove over to the new spot.  I love that lawn tractor!

Here is the chicken tractor almost in place.  The geese are supervising.  They are funny critters-anytime something is going on, they have to come check it out.  Angus'voice is starting to change... there are occasional honks mixed in with baby peeps. So funny...

Setting up the new electric fence perimeter. We have had some bear issues, so the electric fence is a much needed security.  For this move, we just let the hens out to free range while we moved the coop, figuring they would come running when we called them for dinner feeding time.  It worked out just fine. There were a couple of stragglers, but they were easily rounded up. Chickens want to be with their flock, so anybody left outiside the fence was pretty anxious to get in.

So everything went smoothly with the first big move of the chicken tractor.  With heavy equipment coming in, they will be staying here out of the way, for a good while.   I am excited about building the new barn... we are still working on the plans.

HENRY AND WALDO

Introducing the newest additions to the farm.  Meet Henry and Waldo.  They are named after two famous poets who visited Mt. Monadnock here, Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau.    Henry, on the left, is the more outgoing of the two. Waldo is still a bit shy.

Marley dog meets the youngsters. 

Henry, left, and Waldo. They are brothers.

Henry, inquisitive.

Why goats?  Besides the cuteness factor, they are fabulous brush clearers.  They will happily eat poison ivy, wild thorny raspberries, any weedy bush or vine that you want gotten rid of.  We have  lots of brush to clear.

Henry and Waldo are Nigerian Dwarf goats, a small dairy breed. They will only be about 2 feet tall when grown, and weigh about 60-80 pounds.  Maybe at some point I will get a doe and we can breed her and have goat milk for yogurt  or goat milk soap. But for now we just have these two little boys for helping to reclaim the edges of our pasture.

There will be many more goat pictures. How can I resist tjose little faces? Today, they need time to adjust to new surroundings and being away from mom. I will have my work cut out for me, teaching them to walk with a leash, to follow me, and gradually put them out to pasture to eat eat eat!