chicken and the eggs

the weather is schizophrenic. it was 75 degrees tops on wednesday, but should be 110 by monday. most of the garden is kaput, though there are still flowers on some of the tomato plants. peppers and squash plants are still producing, too. some lettuces and carrots that i planted last weekend are sprouting, and hopefully will survive the heat this weekend. we still have figs on the trees, and the pomegranates are about a week or so away from being fully ripe. i've warned pattie to rest her arms in preparation for much juicing!

it's mating season. becky came into heat a couple of weeks ago, and sarah was being chased by the boys a couple of days ago. jacob was showing interest in maggie this morning (but she was not interested!). looks like we'll have the first lambs in early february. i've been waiting for james to get back from nyc before calling dr. rousch to wether the lamb rams. we need to find homes for last year's lambs, so i will probably post some notices at the local feed stores. i'll try to sell maggie along with one of the lamb rams, as a breeding pair.

maggie had some kind of abscessed growth on the top of her foot a couple of weeks ago. it looked like a cherry, and was located right between her toes. dr. martin came and, after a couple of attempts (and some rolling around on the ground!), i managed to secure her so that he could remove the growth and stitch it up. once she was healed, jacob somehow injured his ear, which is still alittle swollen. i drained it with a needle last night, and soaked it in betadyne. i think he either pinched it or was bitten by an insect. it's always something. dr. doolittle has nothing on me.

almost half of the bantam hens have been broody for about a month. five of them constantly sit in the nest boxes and have to be carried out to eat in the morning. they make a fuss when i take them out of the nests, though they seem to be getting used to it. when i put them down, they usually sit on the ground in protest for a minute before scampering off towards the feeders. they aren't sitting on any eggs, but refuse to leave the nests unless they're forced. one of the standard hampshire reds is broody, too, but she will come out to eat in the morning and evening. if tango's anywhere near her when she's out she will chase and peck him. she probably thinks he's a predator, since he'll often snoop for eggs around the nests. maybe the heat this weekend will be some incentive for all of them to leave the coop. i've made more of an effort to put some fruit and veggies in the bantam pen as an incentive, which the hens love (and it's good for their eggs!). they especially enjoy fresh corn, lettuce and melons.

we've had a run on eggs since the egg recall (courtesy of jack decoster). lots of new customers buying our eggs for the first time. hopefully this means people are thinking more about what they eat, and are making the effort to buy from smaller growers. it amazes me that most people haven't put together the connection between cut-rate animal products and the fact that this almost always means an inferior quality. a $1 hamburger can only mean the beef was raised as cheaply as possible, with little concern for the quality of the product (not to mention the animals' quality of life). if you want to buy $1.99 eggs from wal-mart, you should realize that those hens were raised in cages that are likely too small for them to stand in, that they're de-beaked, pumped full of antibiotics and fed gmo corn. and this, my friends, results in an vastly inferior product, which anyone who has eaten farm fresh eggs will tell you. responsible consumption is more important than responsible farming. without awareness, and the demand for quality food from healthy animals, farming practices won't change.

life of a rooster

little zack passed last night.

when i arrived home from work, he was sitting calmly in the den. i nestled him in a towel and sat with him next to the window. he looked up at the sky as dappled sunlight poured over him. his breath was labored and made a slight rattling sound. as tears rolled down my face, he looked at me with a confused expression and alittle bit of fear, i think. i told him not to be afraid and that he wasn't alone. he closed his eyes and lowered his head as i stroked his feathers. i thought that he might pass away right then while i was holding him. it was heartbreaking to see this beautiful, brave little bird reduced to skin and bones, struggling to breathe. i held him for awhile, then gently put the towel on a table next to the window so he could rest as the sun began to set. before i walked out the door, he stood up suddenly, then slowly sat down again.

five minutes later, when i came back to check on him, he was gone. he looked peaceful. james buried him under an olive tree, not far from his beloved hens.

what's one roosters life worth in the balance? many would say nothing, or not much. but my life is better for having known him. he showed courage and grace in the face of adversity. he reminded me that life is precious and each day should be embraced. he made me appreciate every creature still in my life.

work and play

we're having gorgeous weather, on the cool side for august. we were both working for the past couple of weekends, so it's been hectic. nothing quite like cleaning out the sheep shed and coops, and feeding all the animals at 6:30a before heading to location for a long day of filming. fortunately, we're both getting a break and looking forward to a leisurely weekend ahead.

james sheared skittle and isaac on monday with help from our neighbor, jim. glad to finally have that done, before it's too late for them to grown a winter coat. the ram lambs are challenging some of the adults now (levi actually pushed skittle onto her back with a head butt!), so it's time for wethering. i saw maggie nuzzling jacob this morning. love is in the air and, with the cool weather, mating season may arrive earlier than usual. time to call dr. rouche and his trusty emasculator!

i love when the long days allow me to spend some time in the garden after work. i picked the first ear of summer corn on tuesday evening, which was delicious. my favorite garden surprise is the lemon cucumber. it's an heirloom variety that's round like a lemon, looks alittle like a lemon when sliced, and tastes sweeter than most cucumbers. we're still harvesting zucchini galore (both green and yellow), and waiting patiently for the tomatoes (which are taking their sweet time). the figs are coming in, so everyone (dogs, sheep and chicks included) is enjoying the harvest. the pomegranates are heavy with green orbs, which should be red and ripe in another month.

dr. martin came out last saturday to look at bronte (a rhode island red hen) and zack (an old english-cross bantam rooster). after taking a culture and viewing it under a microscope, he determined that bronte has a bacterial infection in her throat. she's on an antibiotic and is slowly improving, though still alittle wheezy when stressed. she was thrilled to return to her red hen clique after being isolated for a week. poor zack has an impacted crop, which means his digestive system is clogged with food, grit and other debris. we've tried everything over the past week - filled his crop with water and tried to expel the material; put a plastic tube into his crop and tried to suction it; injected olive oil, vitamins, and baby bird formula - but we're not getting good results. dr. martin did not seem optimistic about treatment options (surgery is risky and often not effective), which was disappointing. after several attempts to empty his crop last night, we decided to let zack rest this morning. he seems weaker and his comb is darkening from lack of nutrition. i take him outside to lay in the sun for a bit when i'm home, and he relaxes in an open cage next to a window in the den during the rest of the day. it's very frustrating that we're unable to fix him, and to know that he will probably succumb to starvation in the coming days despite our best efforts. he's a beautiful, gentle bird, and it's sad to think about losing him.

james is home this week, and began demolishing a small add-on to the back of the barn. he was out with the tractor yesterday, dumping the debris into a 40-yard container. ace tree is coming today to give a quote for moving a quince tree that's growing too close to the barn. we've lost a couple of large olive limbs recently, so it will be time for a major pruning this winter. need to start saving up for that. nose back to the grindstone!

heatwave

it's crazy hot.  the kind of heat where you drip sweat from just standing outside.  went to east valley early to load up on hay and feed, since james and i are both working next weekend.  no horses on the streets or trails, just the odd sight of two hardy firemen taking a jog down wentworth.

it's gone from the 70's to 100+ in a week, and the poor garden is struggling.  almost everyone i know has a late blooming garden this year because of the cool temps in may and june.  now that the fruit is just starting to set, it's blazing.  my pineapple mint plant literally fried in the sun. the fig saplings are showing signs of heat damage, and the tomatoes are confused.  the squash plants seem to love the heat, though, especially the zucchini.  we still have lettuce growing, though i think that won't be for long.  i'm looking forward to the coming "cooler" week with temps in the low 90's.  in the meantime, water water water.

romeo had surgery on thursday.  i made the long trek to westlake, to dr. martin's hospital, where he removed all the scar tissue from his feet and stitched up the skin.  he did remarkably well and even tried to bound out of his kennel to join the hens when we got home.  alas, he will be off the ground and in a cage for a few days until the wounds heal a bit.  his stitches will come out in 2 or 3 weeks, and i'm hoping that spells the end of romeo's bumblefoot battle.

three and a half of the sheep are sheared.  becky, sarah and jacob were all good sports and cooperated nicely.   we set up the stancion near the sheep shed, so it would be easier to coral them, as they don't come willingly to be sheared.  the only problem child was scooter.  he's the boss and is clearly used to throwing his weight around (he is rather huge).  he buckled his legs while his head was in the stand and seemed like he couldn't stand up.  james and i frantically tried to upright him, but couldn't.  when we freed his head, he stood up perfectly and jumped off the stancion.  the second time he did this, we realized it wasn't an accident. the third time, we decided to call it a day.  his body is mostly sheared, but his head and neck are still wooly.  skittle and isaac still need to be sheared, but fortunately don't seem more bothered by the heat than the others.

we donated a truckbed full of compost to a master gardener-fried, salvatore, who has volunteered to build a garden for the westminister school in venice.  he came early this morning with a rented truck, and was thrilled to see that the compost was ready for planting -moist and rich.  james loaded him up with the skid steer and we sent him on his way with a couple of dozen eggs.  i'm happy to have met someone who has such a vast knowledge of growing food and i hope to benefit from his expertise as i learn more about gardening.

quyen came by later in the morning for some eggs with her neighbor, hilda.  hilda grew up on a farm in mexico and keeps bantam chickens in her backyard.  quyen brought some heirloom tomatoes from her garden, and left with lettuce and zucchini from ours.  i'm thinking of starting a small co-op next year with my gardener neighbors, so we can all grow a couple of crops for the group and can focus our gardens on what grows best. 

flashback

i'm still having flashbacks.  i woke up extra early on thursday for a 7am conference call with a director in prague and a storyboard artist in nyc.  i took the dogs out for a spin, then came inside and rolled up the blinds in the den.  that's when i saw him.  fresh off the bus, and stepping between a break in the brush cherries that line the chain link fence along the front of the property. the fat little man proceeded to drop trou (including his yellowed, oversized briefs) and squat to take a crap.  on our property.  in plain view.  i pushed the window open and started yelling, but he was unfazed.  then i ran outside in my robe, barking dogs following me, and confronted him.   i expected him to bolt, but he didn't even look at me and continued as calmly as if he were in his own bathroom.  if i was thinking more clearly, i would have turned the hose on him, or taken some incriminating snaps with my iphone (alas, i did neither).  the only thing i could do so early in the morning was to continue screaming at him, how he should be ashamed of himself, that i would call the police if i ever saw him here again, that he should go home and crap in his own yard.  this really takes the cake.  i'm more determined than ever to get a higher fence installed on the property line (which is nearly at the curb).  then there will be nowhere for people to crap, or piss, dump their shopping carts, or throw their trash.  in the meantime, i am hoping to catch him on another morning when i can get his picture and follow him home.  the nerve!

we live on the border.  this forgotten corner of los angeles has an identity crisis.  to the north, lies the disneyland that is santa clarita.  to the south, is the industrial wasteland of pacoima. to the east are the rugged mountains of the angeles national forest, and the western border is the golden state freeway.  not so long ago, this was an agricultural pocket populated by exclusively by white americans.  in the past 20 years, the demographic has shifted from majority white to majority latino, with nearly a quarter of residents here illegally.  this area has remained the bastard stepchild of l.a., lacking the basic city services enjoyed by the more affluent parts of the city.  our councilman doesn't even live in the district (ok, maybe on paper he does).  with a population topping 100,000, we have one fire station, but no hook and ladder.  last year, the city tried to take away funds for our sole emt unit.  much of the area has no sidewalks, and many have no city sewer hookup.  the city continues to approve zoning changes, pocketing the money from developers like kb homes without investing any of it back into our community.

before we moved here, our little neighborhood tried to secede from sylmar.  they erected a hideous granite and river rock monument to their dream - rancho cascades.  the marker still stands on the corner of our property, while the residents who built it have all moved out of the state.  the secession movement grew into a feud worthy of the hatfields and mccoys.  some yuppy homeowners moved in, and tried to join the local chamber of commerce.  they were met with a less than enthusiastic welcome by the old timers.  the older (white) members of the women's club turned their backs on the upstarts.  the newcomers continued to push their way in and tried to shake up the system, but the oldsters wouldn't budge and tried to shut them out.  eventually, the newcomers had the bright idea to split away, so they could have their own chamber and clubs.  what they didn't realize is that the city won't allow a split like this for an area as small as our neighborhood.  

now, we live in an area where the whir of police helicopters at night is nearly as common as the clip-clop of horses on the streets.  mariachi parties are a popular pastime on the weekends, so the lapd has thoughtfully designated a "party car" to address noise complaints (while denying us basic police services).   you'll see chickens running loose on the streets and "vaqueros" riding their horses while chatting on cell phones.  one thing you won't be seeing soon is that awful monument, which will hopefully be hidden behind a six foot fence within a few weeks.

june gloom

our plans to shear this weekend were foiled when the blade sharpener guy didn't show last week at east valley feed & tack.  would have been nice to get it done, but it'll have to wait until next weekend.  the weather is uneven - hazy and cool most mornings, warm and sunny on others.  temps are hovering in the high 70s and low 80s. 

instead of shearing, i spent part of the weekend building a chicken tractor for the bantam roosters.  a "tractor" is a pen on wheels, that can be moved from place to place.  figured it was the best solution until we're able to completely relocate the bantam pen away from our whiny neighbors.  the pen i'm building is 4 x 6, with a lockable hutch for nighttime. i'm recycling the wood from the old bantam pen, and cannibalizing parts of the old hutches. hope to have it finished next weekend, with the help of my dad, who'll be visiting.  james gave me some pointers (like reinforcing the corners), so i think it'll turn out well.

the garden is underway.  had to break down and buy some heirloom tomato plants from sperling, since all of my seedlings died after i transplanted them to the garden.  i should probably have planted them earlier, and transplanted them to transitional containers until they were bigger.  i also picked up a couple additional varieties of cucumber (persian and lemon), along with a yellow zucchini plant.  not buying hybrids this year, so hopefully i'll have more seeds to start next year (and greater wisdom, based on this year's experiment).  a couple of cuke and zucchini plants grown from seed have survived and seem to be thriving, and the heirloom lettuces are growing fast.  lettuce always does well in the garden, even during the hottest summer. we also have a couple of eggplants, some tiny pepper sprouts, and a few corn stalks growing. the sweet potato slips that pattie gave me are now in the ground.  i also have a few small herb plants started (purple basil, garlic chives and rosemary), and last year's oregano and thyme are still going strong.  my giant rosemary plant died suddenly last month, so i've been missing fresh rosemary.  pattie and scott gave us a clove of russian garlic to plant, which they received from a friend.  it's supposed to be especially delicious and expensive.

lamb abe has become especially friendly.  he'll approach me now, and let me rub his head.  he's started spending more time with the big rams and less time with mom.  the twins are curious, now that they see me touching abe, and will let me pet them briefly but aren't convinced that i'm harmless.  little maggie is still shy, just like her mom, but still enjoys jumping and romping (usually around the chickens and dogs) in a little dance.

the first mission figs are ripe - just a dozen or so ripen early every year as a teaser.  the trees are covered with little green fruit that will soon be plump and sweet.  it won't be long before the sheep are running for the trees every morning in search of figs for breakfast.  by then, it'll be warmer and the sheep will be enjoying their new haircuts.

 

it only takes one jerk

finally decompressing after a couple of stressful weeks.  we lost henrietta, romeo's bumblefoot continues, and the weather has gone from rainy and 50 degrees to sunny and 90 in 4 short days. adding to the burdens at work and home, one of our mcmansion neighbors thought that calling animal control was the best solution when our bantam roosters bothered them.  the same neighbor who chatted with james over the wall as he built the bantam pen, and said they liked hearing nemo crow when he wandered around.  we were served with a notice of compliance last week.  technically, roosters are supposed to be housed 100 feet from the nearest structure (our bantam pen is about 40 feet from the complainer's house).  and about 6 months ago, the city council passed an ordinance allowing only one rooster per property.

we had our animals before they even broke ground next door, and talked about this very issue with the developer before they began building.  they insisted that keeping the "k" equestrian zoning would be a sign to the new homeowners that they were moving to a neighborhood where animals were part of the landscape.  but this is how the face of neighborhoods change - new residents move in and complain, and zoning starts to change.  it will happen here eventually and the payback will come when we sell to a developer, who will inevitably push a variance through for some big, fat condos or apartments.

i went door to door this afternoon, with a sack full of eggs, to let all of our mcmansion neighbors know that they should call us directly if they have any problems with the animals.  i found the culprit who called animal control.  interestingly, he was the only white native-speaking american on the block, and the only one with a problem.  he said the bantams bother him when he's barbequing on his patio (otherwise, he can't hear them from the house).  what an ass.  he said he didn't realize they'd only give us 4 weeks to comply.  he asked if it was really necessary to have roosters with hens, and i replied that no one has yet discovered a way to only hatch hens.  i told him that we'd be moving the bantam roosters, and eventually the whole pen, away from his house and he seemed fine with that solution.  he seemed alittle confused that i had given him a prize (eggs) for being a jerk.  

at the end of the month, all of the roosters will go on a field trip for a day when animal control comes to inspect the property.  we'll be installing a higher, covered fence along the front of the property to prevent people from looking in.  the days of passers-by and neighbors stopping along the street to oogle the sheep and chickens will be over.  it's a drag that we have to shut ourselves away now, but it feels like the neighborhood has taken a turn.

spring chickens

miracles do happen.  stephanie, the blind bantam, seems to be healed.  i had nearly given up on her after a month of hand-feeding and watching her lay helpless.  i seriously considered stopping because she seemed so far gone.  a bowl of lay mash sat in her cage for weeks, untouched.  i meant to remove it several times but never did.  last week, we discovered her standing in the bowl, pecking away at the food with a full crop.  now she's eating and drinking on her own, and walking around - amazing!  when i asked him about it, dr. martin said it was "very unusual - in a good way". 

henrietta's still lame.  dr. m said a spinal injury probably effected a nerve in her left leg, and she's lost all control of it.  she was terribly thin, so i brought her inside and coaxed her to eat for about a week.  started with the usual favorites, corn and blueberries, but she wasn't interested - she preferred sunflower and flax seeds, mustard greens, yogurt and scrambled eggs. my catering skills have paid off, as she seems to have gained alittle weight.  she also had a couple of baths in the laundry sink, which she didn't seem to mind.  dr. m thinks she should be able to stand on one leg when she's stronger.  

our neighbor, jason, asked us to adopt 6 little white pullets (i think they're leghorns) that he couldn't keep.  he brought them over in a box on saturday, and we put them in a big cage inside the pen until they settled down.  they're too small to free range, so they're hanging out with ivan and natasha in the pen til they're bigger.  ivan seemed alittle overwhelmed by the youngsters, but he and natasha are being kind.  ivan's older hen-friends were not happy to be kicked out of the pen in favor of the chicks, and hover outside of it every morning, complaining.  the chicks sleep in ivan's pen in the coop, so he has his hands (feet?) full.

pattie is raising another flock of meat birds.  she ordered some cornish crosses from a hatchery, and she's not happy with them.  these birds were bred to grow big, fast - but apparently weren't bred for an attractive appearance or happy disposition.  unliked her previous chicks, these guys don't move around easily, have spotty feather coverage, are generally lethargic and do nothing but eat.  their legs and feet are huge, too.  they kind of remind me of the factory birds in "food, inc".  interesting to see that you can breed the personality out of an animal, if your only focus is meaty breasts.

egg-laying is increasing as the days grow longer and warmer.  we're collecting 8-12 eggs daily, along with a duck egg or two and 4-6 bantam eggs.  hopefully our customers will start increasing, too.  we have a customer who buys 4 dozen eggs a week and told me that we're charging 50 cents less than everyone else in the area.  i think our eggs are a bargain at twice the price!  whole foods and bristol farms are charging $6-8 for free range eggs, and they probably aren't as fresh as ours.  

once the new pullets start laying (around july), we will have eggs coming out of our ears, and the mountain of donated cartons in the closet will come in handy.

planting seeds

gorgeous day.  the air is sweet with orange blossoms.  everyone caught a nap today, including me.  on sundays, i felt deserving of one since i wake at dawn.  tango was up with me at 6:30 when i opened up the chicken coops, fed everyone, filled the water buckets, and let the sheep out.  i raked stray straw, and bits of alfalfa into piles, and made the sheep shed ready for james to clean with the tractor.  took out the perches, hosed them down and left them to dry in the sun.  then, it was time for a big bacon and egg breakfast and a recorded episode of "top chef masters".

my post-breakfast nap was interrupted by a visit from door-to-door missionaries.  both tango and banjo went ballistic.  fortunately james greeted them before i did.  these missionaries have canvased our neighborhood on random sundays as long as we've been here.  they start speaking spanish and, upon realizing that we don't "habla", they move along to the next house.  oddly, they are disinterested in converting non-hispanics.  they do dress nicely, though.

after a rude awakening, the beautiful weather inspired me to do alittle work in the garden. after watching the "spain" episode of anthony bourdain's show, i decided to chop off the root end of some brown onions and stick them in the ground.   hopefully, they'll grow into the delicious, leek-like veggies they roasted during that show.  i finally planted the snow pea shoots, and cleaned out last year's dead tomato stalks.  the garden is covered with clover, except for a row that i turned under for the onions and peas.

i opened the burpee seed starter kit that james bought me last year.  i've never started seed inside the house, so this is a first.  the kit's kind of genius - a tray of 70 small holes filled with little discs that transform into soil (in 60 seconds) after 9 cups of hot water are added.  there's a watering "blanket" under the seed cups to keep them moist, and a drainage tray below that. once the seeds are planted, there's a clear plastic top that acts as a greenhouse until sprouts appear.  i planted a few of nearly every heirloom seed i had (tomato, peppers, cukes, eggplant, basil, leeks, onions, zucchini) and put the tray near a sunny window.  it'll be interesting to see if the tomato seeds i saved from last year's fruit will sprout.  i'm already dreaming of roasted tomato sauce!

now, it's time to get dirty by replacing the bedding in the sheep shed (which inevitably leaves me covered with shaving and bits of straw).  then, i'll put the perches back in the coop, get ready to tuck everyone in for the night, and enjoy the last moments of  peace before another crazy week begins.

april showers

a storm is coming - it's grey, cool and winds are gusty.  this may be the last significant rain before summer.  james and i cleaned the sheds this morning before he went to work (hopefully they will dry out by afternoon).  we had some drizzle this morning, and the rain is forecasted to start early this evening.

went to pattie's to pick up 2 quarts of goat milk for james.  she also gave me 3 tiny sweet potato slips, rooted in a jar of water, which i planted in a pot in the garden when i returned home. next weekend, i'll plant the snow pea shoots and get some seeds started.  clover is covering the garden now.  the figs and pomegranates have small fruit on them, as do some of the boxed saplings planted last year.  all of the citrus are flowering, along with the two giant avocados.  the pollen in the air keeps me blowing my nose constantly (didn't know i was allergic to avocado blossoms until we moved here).  fortunately, the bees are back, i've seen them hovering around the hose hook-ups, drinking the drops that fall when the water's on.

stephanie is deteriorating.  she can no longer stand, and one of her legs has a small tremor.  we're still feeding her by syringe and trying to keep her comfortable.  it's hard to watch as whatever is effecting her brain continues to progress.  i wonder if we're doing the right thing by continuing to feed her...i'm torn.  there are times she is alert and times when she seems to fade away.  i wish there was more i could do.

what we thought was a bad foot, has turned out to be a muscular or neurological issue for henrietta.  she can't stand well - settles onto her hocks instead of standing on her feet.  other than that, she seems normal.  she was picked on by the other hens, so we separated her in the pen with ivan and his friends.  dr. martin gave her a steroid shot on saturday, saying that things would improve if she had an inflamed nerve (and wouldn't if it wasn't).   he said it could be a spinal, nerve or muscular issue.  i didn't know that chickens could have spinal problems.

speaking of ivan, i caught him mating for the first time in more than a year.  natasha was his willing victim.  seems she's quite smitten with him.  ivan  has to be carried in and out of the coop and into the pen each morning and evening.  natasha won't leave the coop in the morning until he's carried out to the pen, and follows him as he's carried back inside at night.

the lambs are thriving.  maggie is petite, just alittle bigger than tango at 4 weeks.  she follows him around, trying to get him to chase her.  i love to watch her jump and hop and do the happy lamb dance.  we're thinking about keeping her, even though i've already gotten 3 calls from people looking for babydoll ewes.  danny, who bought 3 of our lambs 2 years ago, emailed to let me know that rachel (sarah's baby) finally had a black ram lamb.  it seem that, like her mom, she had a black dominant gene.

finally, spring

it's nearly easter and spring is in the air.  the yard looks so much better with new leaves on the figs and pomegranates.  james planted clover in the veg garden, which is growing fast and will be turned under within the month.  the fruit tree cuttings that rooted a year ago are looking good enough to transplant into larger containers.

the lambs are getting big.  maggie's tail is finally docked, and she's frolicking with the boys.  the ewes are eating up a storm, and enjoying the oranges and tangerines that are blown off the trees.  when the shed is opened in the morning, they storm towards the trees, looking for fruit. everyone loves alfalfa, almost as much as they love sweet feed, and they are treated to a flake or two every day.  abe, levi and ezra are now old enough to graze, and they climb over each other to get to the alfalfa in the feeders. 

we moved stephanie into the bantam coop, so she could be around her friends.  her balance seems to have improved alittle, but we're still feeding her with a syringe.  she seems to be pecking at food and water, and eating alittle.  she enjoys being around the other birds, and occasionally chirps to them.  dr. martin thinks whatever made her blind is progressing to other parts of her brain.  it doesn't look like she'll improve, but we'll let her live out her days as long as she isn't in pain.

more bumblefoot.  the wrapping of chicken feet seems endless.  when one bird heals, another one succumbs.  henrietta's limping has improved since we've been treating and bandaging both feet.  romeo has a bad case, and will probably need to be treated for several weeks.  he's otherwise healthy and romping around, but his feet are a mess.  dr. m was here today to help clean them up and remove any dead tissue.  i've never bought so much gauze and first aid tape in my life...they are a permanent fixture on the laundry room shelf.

we paid a visit to pattie's new kids - a sweet, white doe named pearl, and a white and brown cutie named gypsy.  i held pearl and she snuggled with me - so adorable.  these are the kids of last year's bottle baby, ginger, and their mom's friendliness and sweet disposition have definitely been passed down.  pattie's thinking about keeping one of them, and i'm rooting for pearl.

finally planted some new herbs and flowers in the window boxes - a sign that winter is over. pattie gave us some snow pea shoots, which i'll plant next weekend.  her garden is already going full-tilt.

birthday tail

busy weekend.  dr. martin came on saturday to give maggie her first shots, and banjo his final (rabies) shot.  we banded maggie's tail last week with the elastrator, which will dock her tail (the band cuts off the circulation, causing the end of the tail to die and fall off).  i'd only done it once before, with our first ewe lamb, and it went smoothly.  little maggie is not as clean, and it's been warm, so we had to bathe her in the laundry room sink to prevent infection.  she now gets a daily dose of naxcel (antibiotic), and a squirt of betadine and anti-fly spray on her tail. stephanie the blind bantam is having problems with balance.  on saturday, i noticed she wasn't eating or drinking, and could barely stand.  dr. martin checked her out and suggested that we tube feed her, and start a course of antibiotics.  she's in a cage in the den, receiving bird formula via syringe 3-4 times a day.  i'm not sure what's going on, and hope that she's able to regain enough strength and balance to walk and eat on her own.

james and niko cleaned up the yard and washed the outdoor furniture in preparation for james' birthday bbq on saturday night.  i smoked back ribs, grass-fed trip-tip, and salmon on a cedar plank.  it was fun to have kids running around, gawking at the sheep and chicks.  pattie brought some of her home-made bleu goat cheese and gave james' some personalized egg cartons (hilarious).  it was good to spend time relaxing with family and friends.

yesterday, we took a long drive to hemet with the dogs to pick up more bantam hens.  now that there's more space in the pen, and since we have so many roosters, more hens would add some balance to the flock.  i found a woman online who raises bantams - never realized til i started looking just how hard they are to find.  we brought home 2 black silkies and 7 cochins of various colors.  

surprise

the ground is finally dry and the sun is out.  we've had a couple of days with high winds, but things seem to be calming.  a taste of spring is finally here.

we had a surprise on friday night.  as i drove home from work, james called to say that becky had a lamb.  whaaat?  little becky (who we assumed was infertile)?  after cleaning up in the back, james had decided to spend some time with the lambs in the sheep shed at dusk.  as he neared the shed, he could hear a lamb bleating.  then he saw becky moving close to a tiny lamb, laying in a feeder.  he realized that it must be hers and ran for a flashlight.  in her third year, becky finally delivered.

we've spend most of the weekend keeping an eye on both of them.  dr. martin was scheduled to visit on saturday morning to give the rams and lambs some shots, which was good timing for him to check out the new arrival.  mom and her lamb, maggie (at last, a girl!) seemed healthy, though maggie may be alittle underweight.  becky's been coughing more than usual, which is normal since she's been under stress, but we need to make sure she doesn't succumb to a respiratory infection.  we weighed maggie this morning, using an old t-shirt as a sling that hooked onto a hanging scale.  she's about five and a half pounds.  i guess it shouldn't be a surprise that she's small, since her mom is petite.  we'll need to make sure she gains enough weight as the days pass.  we finally let becky out of the shed with her lamb, who seems to stop every few feet for a nap.  becky calls to her, and seems to be staying close to her, which is a relief.

james finished the bantam "palace" last week, and the birds are enjoying their new home.  it's huge, with hanging waterers and feeders every couple of feet down the length of the pen. stephanie (the blind hen) and her companion hen, angel, are finally on the ground, in a pen within the pen.  at night, they're carried into a cage inside the coop, to protect them as they sleep.  the birds seem quieter now that they're further away from the rest of the chickens.  a couple of the roosters were sparring on their first day in the pen - tiny zeke and his grandson, zach, who's the largest roo.  zeke bloodied zach's comb and wattles, and chased him into the coop.  amazing that the smallest bird can intimidate the largest (i guess it's all about the attitude).  after that battle, all seems calm,  we've had a few friends stop by this weekend, to see the new lamb and the "palace", and all are impressed by james' handiwork.

pattie is aready planting some seeds this week, which makes me wonder if i should start some seedlings soon.  we're supposed to have a warm week.  the past couple of years we've had a warm snap in march, followed by a cold streak, which really confuses all of the plants.  maybe i'll wait until april.  

finally, twins

every morning, tango makes a bee-line for the shed to visit abe.  he's obsessed.  he sat out in the rain last week to watch abe as he grazed with his mama (and tango hates to get wet) until james carried him into the house.  this weekend was beautiful, sunny and warm.  the sheep enjoyed grazing on new grass and weeds, courtesy of the rain.  abe is thriving, but his right eye has been inflamed.  he has an ulcer on his cornea, probably caused by a bit of straw.  dr. martin came on saturday to check it out and give him his first chlostridia vaccine.   he left some antibiotic eyedrops and said abe's eye should heal just fine.

sarah's udder is so huge that she's had a hard time walking.  we were all speculating that she might have triplets this year.  she was large and uncomfortable and each day i thought she would surely lamb, but nothing - until yesterday.

early monday morning, tango and i walked out to the shed to check on sarah.  she was laying down, and didn't get up when i put some 4-way in the feeders.  she finally stood, but not to eat - she moved off into the corner.  i offered her some feed with my hand, and she nibbled alittle but wasn't really interested.  i could tell that it was finally time, and i let the other sheep out of the shed so she could be alone.

she paced, pawed at the floor, layed down, stood up, and grimmaced for about 5 hours.  we started to worry that something was wrong.  she had never taken so long to lamb, and it was obvious that she was in discomfort.  i called pattie and she eased my mind alittle.  i guess it can take as long as 15 hours for a ewe to throw a lamb.  i went out to check on her after lunch, and the first lamb was emerging.  sarah was on the ground, with her head down and eyes closed. the lamb slid out onto the straw, motionless.  then, a faint movement.  the lamb gurgled and began to breathe.  sarah continued to lay there as he began to wriggle and softly bleet.  i was tempted to help, but i knew that it was better if i didn't touch the lamb before she did.  after a few minutes, the lamb stood on shaky legs, walked towards sarah and she began to clean him. after a few minutes, she stood up to deliver the placenta.  for a moment i thought, wow - she's just having one lamb this year.  then, i noticed another bulge emerging next to to the placenta. it was another sac.  a moment later, i could see a nose and mouth peeking out from the sac. lamb #2 was on it's way!

sarah layed down and began to push.  she was on her side, occasionally throwing her legs up and looking behind her to see if the lamb was coming.  she was trying so hard to push him out, it looked as if she might actually roll onto her back.  i could see part of the lamb's face, but he wasn't coming out easily.  after a few minutes of effort, the head slipped partly back inside and sarah stood, walked back to her first lamb and resumed cleaning him.  i could see part of the lamb's head sticking out of her, which didn't seem right.  i brought some disposable gloves from the house and james went in to assist.  he checked to make sure the lamb was breathing (he was).  when sarah layed down again, james helped ease the lamb's head and front legs out as she pushed.  finally the lamb was on the ground!

sarah didn't miss a beat and resumed cleaning the first lamb, leaving the second lamb where he landed.  he began to cry, trying to stand, looking for mom, but she ignored him.  i finally moved in, removed part of the sac from his legs, lifted him in a towel and placed him next to sarah.  she turned away from the first lamb and began to clean the second.  just as the second lamb began to relax, the first lamb began to cry.  she turned back towards the first lamb for a moment, until he relaxed. then the second lamb started crying.  she looked at me, as if to say "why in the world did you move him?".  i realized that sarah knew exactly what she was doing, and left the three of them together for some private time.

a couple of hours later, i came back to make sure the lambs were eating.  they had a hard time finding her teets (lord knows why - they were huge!), but seemed to catch on after i moved their little faces to the right spot a few times.  sarah finally enjoyed some well-deserved 4-way, finished off most of the placenta (most animals eat theirs), and had a long drink of water.  she seemed relieved, and so were we.  as darkness fell, the lambs were stretched out on the straw, under the watchful eye of sarah, fast asleep.

this morning, tango and i made our daily early morning trek to the shed and the lambs were already nursing, which was good to see.  we've named the twins ezra and levi.  abe seems curious about his brothers, but skittle just gives them a nudge with her head when they move towards her.  the ewes will push away lambs that aren't theirs - they aren't willing to share their milk.  eventually, the lambs can tell one udder from another and don't need any nudging. when i left for work, the ewes and lambs were out together, grazing in the sun.

abe's arrival

we're drying out from another storm.  the rain started friday night and ended last night.  this morning was gloriously sunny and cool.  reminded me of a crisp fall day on the east coast.  gave the ewes some 4 way and alfalfa when i opened their shed.  the rams have been sleeping in the lambing shed, so it's easier to give the girls some grain in the mornings without having to worry about the boys hogging it all.  i checked sarah and skittle and they both looked full of milk and ready to throw.  after everyone was fed and let out, i went inside to relax until james was awake.  around 10, he went out to clean the pens.  a few minutes later, he was back.  he said that skittle was laying down in the shed, alone, and seemed ready to lamb.

by the time i put on my shoes and walked back, the lamb's head was emerging.  skittle just looked at me, cool as can be, as the little thing wiggled its way out.  the birth was easy and only took a few seconds.  she began to lick the lamb and severed the cord by chewing it.  as he wriggled along the ground, she continued to clean him.  after last year's drama, we kept our distance and tried not to interfere.   i gave skittle some 4 way and alfalfa, and she drank alot of water.  within a few minutes, her lamb was bleeting and trying to stand.  after about 30 minutes, he was on his feet, looking for milk.  i checked her teets, made sure they weren't plugged, helped the little guy latch on, then backed off.  tango and i watched from behind the chain-link gate. every so often, skittle would walk over and lower her head to make sure tango was in check. tango can be bossy with the sheep, but he loves the babies (probably because they're just his size).  the ewe's have his number, though, and usually try to run him off when he gets too close to the newborns.

momma and baby stayed in the shed together all afternoon.  later in the day, i trimmed his cord and dipped the end in betadyne.  put a little fleece jacket on him, since it was going to dip to 40 overnight.  he was calm when i handled him. when sarah and becky joined them in the shed for the night, he was already asleep.  james and i decided to name the lamb abraham (abe).  he has a wise little face.

i'll be surprised if sarah doesn't deliver within the next couple of days.

new beginnings

the standing water is gone, with only alittle mud left from last week's storms.   more than 8 inches of rain fell over 5 days.  the side yard was a lake, complete with 3 swimming ducks.  all of the animals were under cover, except for lucky and his two girls, who happily splashed from puddle to puddle all week.

the weekend before the storms, the enoch's came to pick up cain and abel.  they finally finished their shed, and were ready to begin the adventure of sheep ownership.  james helped to load them, which is always a good time.  the family brought some sweet feed for treats, which the lambs nibbled once they were in the truck, and we gave them a container of pink salt with selenium to start them out.  fortunately, their departure wasn't too traumatic to the other sheep.  animals move on more quickly than humans, and are usually doing well after a day or two in a new environment.  the family emailed pictures of the shed and the boys a couple of days later.  their shed has a foundation and french doors (fancy!).  the twins are in good hands.

we have a new furry creature in the house.  james brought home a 3-month-old yorkie puppy from the set of little fockers.  seems no one wanted to take him, though he is impossibly adorable.  his name is banjo and he is the tiniest dog i've ever seen.  he follows tango everywhere and eats 4 times a day.  he's big on stuffed animals and toys that squeak.  tango never really understood the concept of play (he was obviously deprived as a puppy, or reprimanded for playing), so banjo is trying to teach him.  tango's being very patient and remarkably tolerant.  banjo is fascinated by the birds and sheep, who tower over him.  the cats don't seem too intimidated, but they haven't quite figured out exactly what he is (a large gopher?  a squirrel with no tail?).

we'll be on serious lamb-watch starting next week.  every evening and morning, i walk by the pen to make sure there isn't a little one on the ground already.  we'll start separating the boys and girls this weekend.  skittle is really huge (i think she uses pregnancy as an excuse to over indulge).  i sneak her and sarah a couple of apples in the morning before i go to work.  skittle invariably finishes hers before i've driven out the gate, then trots over looking for more.

sowing and reaping

we're having a warm spell in january.  it's been sunny, in the 70's and it feels like spring is in the air (though i know it isn't...yet).  our caretaker, dusty, is out of town for a few days, so i was up early on both saturday and sunday.  washed the perches and went to the feed store on saturday, cleaned the coop and put fresh bedding in the sheep's shed on sunday.  the sheep seem hungrier than usual, probably because the soon-to-be mommas are ravenous.  we've been supplementing them with grain and alfalfa.  sarah has a kind of wild look in her eyes, and always seems to be prancing towards the next snack.  skittle is huge and kind of waddles, vacuuming up anything edible in her path.

pattie's doe, ellie mae, had 2 kids during new year's week.  i visited them on sunday.  jingles is a mostly-white, mostly-nubian buck and belle is a mostly-white, adorable little doe.  fortunately, ellie mae had an easy delivery and pattie didn't have to assist.  she's already burned jingles' horns - also known as "poling" - which is done when nubs just start to emerge to prevent horns from growing.  she's going to use an elastrator to neuter him in a couple of weeks (ouch).  the kids are only nursing from one side, so pattie has to milk ellie on the other side each day.  

over tea and leftover christmas cookies, pattie showed me her 2010 ledgers for the goats and chickens.  she's keeping a record of "dollars in" (egg proceeds) and "dollars out" (feed and supplies) for her chickens, as well as a daily tally of eggs layed.  we chatted about egg prices - i'm thinking of raising ours by a dollar - and she gave me a bag-full of 18-pack cartons that she saved for our bantam eggs.  i left her with a stack of pages from sand hill preservation center's website.  sand hill sells heirloom potato slips, and pattie would like to plant sweet potatoes but was having trouble finding anyone who would ship to california.  she's also keen on planting chayote, partly because the whole plant can be eaten - leaves, tubers and fruit.  i've never tried it.

our neighbor jim stopped by on saturday with a tiny blood orange sapling.  he works with treepeople, distributing fruit trees locally.  apparently he had also brought a tree to pattie (an apricot), along with a few grandkids who were excited to see jingles and belle.  we introduced jim and pattie a couple of years ago, knowing that jim was a big fan of fresh goat's milk, and both were farmers at heart.