Around The Farm In Chilly Weather

I go out to do the morning chores as soon as there is enough light to see what I'm doing. That often means seeing glorious dawns in the eastern sky:


And on some late afternoons, I see amazing sights in the sky. This full moon was moving across my north field:


The bantam hens seem happy with their cloistered lives:

One hen kept laying occasional eggs but she finally gave it up for the winter. I eat so few eggs, though, that I've still got some in the refrigerator. It's a good thing eggs keep so long:

The white fantail pigeons get all excited when I top off their water. Maybe they think I've put vodka in there:

Our weather has been a wild roller coaster ride, swinging between sudden thaws and sudden winter storms. The herd has handled it all with aplomb:

Remy and Jasmine, the two friendliest animals in the herd. When I walk out to say hello, these two are always glad to see me and they enjoy being stroked - Remy likes the top of his face petted and Jasmine likes me to rub her neck, under her chin:

The little horses and big cows seem happy and content. I never see any dominance displays over the hay supply:

Every morning with new snow, I find an abundance of wildlife tracks. Usually they are cottontail and fox tracks as in this photo, but I sometimes see other tracks which I think are bobcat, coyote and snowshoe hare:

My Amish neighbor is also the horses' farrier, and he usually arrives very early in the morning. On this morning, the sun had not yet risen above the barn roof, which is why the north field is brightly lit but the horse and buggy are still shadowed. The good news is that he said both horses' hooves are healing and looking good:

The sheep farmers up the road brought another load of stemmy hay. Their sheep eat the leaves but leave the stems, which my cows are happy to eat:

This time I was able to position the bale feeder over the top of the stemmy hay:

Summer Shifts Into High Gear

The little hens seem happy enough in their room inside the barn. They'd like to go outdoors, but only because they don't realize the danger from foxes:

 The fantail pigeons are doing well but their room developed a mouse problem. I set bait trays underneath little baskets. The mice can get in, but the pigeons can't:

 The Bush Cherries are developing underneath the bird mesh. So far, it seems to be keeping the birds out:

 We had a beautiful, orange full moon but it was setting by the time I got my camera out. I took four photos in rapid succession and the rapidly setting moon was lower in each successive picture:

 Birds-Eye Speedwell is blooming all along the fence line in the south field:

 I had to drive the tractor along the fence line, searching for shorts in the electric fence. The big payoff was the stunning beauty in the far southern field, such as this tableau of Buttercups and Ragged Robin in bloom:

 And this miniature wildflower. It baffled me, but I finally decided that it was probably just a small version of Northern Bedstraw:

 And while I was in the far southern field, I stopped at the stone wall which separates the fields and looked back toward the house and barn:

 Closer to the barn, I found these Blue-Eyed Grass flowers. Most years they are quite common so I suspect I'll soon be seeing lots of them. This was the first wildflower my mother taught us to find in our childhood field guide and I still remember it well:

 The Rugosa Roses began blooming in June:

 Alas, a yearly chore is spraying weed killer along the fence lines to prevent the weeds and grasses from growing up and shorting out the fence. I have a 40 gallon sprayer, powered by the tractor, to perform this job. I also have to bush hog along the outside perimeter of the fence every year, but I haven't done that yet:

 One big problem is the proliferation of Thistle plants. They grow - well, like weeds - and are inedible and nightmarish to get rid of. A dose of weed killer, however, turned them into this within 24 hours:

Early Morning Chores

I get up about 2:00. I sip coffee at the computer, feed and water all the inside animals, clean litter boxes, sweep the downstairs floors and vacuum the carpet in my bedroom. I bundle up warmly and make sure the dogs and cats are comfortable before I go outdoors:

Here's one typical morning: At about 6:30, I left the dogs inside and went out to do the chores. The moon by then was in the western sky and there was just enough light to see the neighbors' barn:

I walked out to the county road and looked back at my house, where the lights inside gave it a welcoming look:

Across the road, the neighbors' horses were just waking up:

But I had chores to do, so I walked back toward the barn, passing my house on the way:

I turned on the lights in the pigeons' room and made sure they were OK, counting them:

Then I turned on the lights in the chickens' room, counting them also to be sure they were all there:

Then I rang a cowbell and the cows came in for some molasses covered grain. They don't really need the grain, but it keeps them tame and, I believe, puts an extra shine on their coats:

Then I shooed them back out of the barn - hopefully, before they pooped too much inside. They each drank some water and then returned to their hay bale feeder on the east side of the barn:

I was all done for the morning then, and returned to the house, glancing back once to see the sky turning pink from the rising sun:

August Around The Farm

The five Barred Rock Bantam chicks are about half grown but still peeping. I've been advised to keep them apart from the adults until they leave the peeping stage. The one little rooster tries to crow sometimes, but he sure hasn't got the knack of it yet:

One of the fantail pigeons continues to take short trips outside to enjoy the fresh air:

Queen Anne's Lace, also called Wild Carrot, bloomed everywhere during August:

And August gave us not just a full moon, but a "super moon:"

The baby pigeon left its nest but continued to grow rapidly:

Birds in general, and pigeons in particular, grow at an astounding rate:

Both parents tend the eggs and feed the babies. One of the parents was feeding the youngster when I walked in one day, so I snapped a picture. Like all the doves, they feed their babies partially digested food, often called "pigeon milk:"

Just look how quickly that baby has grown!:

There is the above breeding couple which has produced two offspring this summer. Then there is this couple, who sit together in a nest with no hay, no eggs and no baby. One day I saw this alarming and curious scene. One pigeon had its head beneath the other and didn't move. I became concerned and lifted it out of its strange position. It was fine. I guess that even in the pigeon world, some individuals are smarter than others:

The chickens have had the full run of the place for the entire summer and have managed to stay alive, well fed and happy. Each night they collect back inside the barn, where they have food, water and safety from predators:

They peck at bugs and leaves and gravel. They take dust baths and sun baths. They've had a good year:

But I couldn't end a series of farm photos without at least one photo of Rosella. She's already got neighbors watching her and stopping by to see her. And I've had a possible offer to buy any bull calf which is born (I'm still waiting for Jasmine to calve and she's overdue):