Around The Farm In March

We had several brief thaws, during which the cows and horses got to lounge around in comfort. You can see that Gracie's two ringworm spots have not cleared up. They're only white, though, because the spray I'm using on them is white:

The bird feeders continue to draw a crowd, including this Hairy Woodpecker:

And many Chickadees:


Inside the barn, the white fantail pigeons are safe and protected from the weather:


And some have been nesting, though only two eggs have so far been laid (and then abandoned):

But our early March thaws were soon replaced by cold snaps. I saw these icicles leaning in so far that they were pressing against the house windows. I broke them off with a snow shovel, but the whole ice jam slid off while I was doing it. It was massive, so I was lucky it didn't hit me:

The bantam hens have begun laying a few eggs, though not yet many:

The Barred Rock bantams are getting kind of old now for egg laying, but I imagine they'll still lay when it warms up:

Every morning we have new snow, I can see fox tracks coming from the field across the road, up my driveway, around the barn and inside. The fox explores the barn, even going inside the old milk room:

The herd's appetite has increased and I usually have to bring out a new hay bale every other day now:

They are wrapped in plastic mesh, and it must be removed before giving the bale to the animals. If it's not locked in ice, that's a simple job. If, however, it's all iced up, it becomes a difficult and frustrating, even infuriating, task:


We've had Snow Buntings in the wintry corn and hay fields all winter, but they are skittish and nearly impossible to photograph. This was the only shot I got. They look like  a flock of white parakeets when they flit around the fields. They won't hold still and they won't allow me to get close: