Around The Farm

The icicles hanging off the house addition were smaller this year, perhaps because it has been so cold that there have been fewer melts, perhaps because the heat is turned down inside the addition:

 The white fantail pigeons are getting restless, pairing up and choosing nest sites. I have cleaned up the manure buildup since I took this photo. They are pigeons, after all. Imagine what it would be like to be a statue:

 I also cleaned the main floor of the barn, a major job:

 But the biggest job was cleaning the chicken room. I began by letting the little hens outside, the first time since I last cleaned their room:

 They hurried excitedly toward the house:

 They knew there would be spilled seed beneath the bird feeders. They are overjoyed to be outside and it is a shame that our large and ravenous fox population makes it impossible for me to let them out anymore:

 When their room was clean, I used the leaf rake to herd them back inside. They remembered the routine. They're not as dumb as people like to say they are. I did notice, however, that their lack of time outdoors has allowed their toenails to grow overly long. I may have to trim them:

 Newly fallen snow means a morning of examining the tracks to see what wildlife passed through in the night. There was at least one Cottontail rabbit, and perhaps two;

 And a fox comes to visit every night, walking around the barn and then exploring inside:

 Over by the milk room, I saw this and interpreted it as evidence that a Least Weasel had killed something:

 One day I saw Remy and Gracie lying together and nuzzling. They are friends: