Chickens!!! and Ice Storm

Chickens!! Yes, I said chickens. WE are getting some laying hens this weekend. I say "WE" Lichtly. Meaning that we as a family are getting them, but I will be caring for them. Beau wants nothing to do with them. I know that the first time one of 'em poops on a tool aro piece of tack, it will be the end of tolerance.

Anyway, I'm really excited!! I have wanted chickens since I knew we were getting this farm in April. For now they are going to go in the dog kennel in the barn. I have to get one of the books on making a coop that I've been eyeing online. That or I'll have to ask someone like Sugar Creek that I know from DMCD. (I haven't been to a meeting in months and I'm a lurker in the yahoo group.)

Ice Storm - Yes, it hit us. This morning I couldn't hardly walk to the barn. The entire road is a sheet of ice!! Don't know how myLove made it to town to go to work in one piece... School was cancelled, so I didn't have to wory about the girls riding the bus to school.

All of you ranch wives out there remember the days of choring with the kids. Well, Squeak is too tiny to come outside yet, so I waited until morning nap time, and had the girls play upstairs and listen for him. I ran (SKATED) to the barn and chored the calves and colts. Enjoying the quiet and work. I know it sounds crazy, but I do enjoy it. If I didn't have a barn and chores to do, I would BE crazy!!

While checking the colts, I noticed that 7-up was on 3 legs..... 7-up is our Shetland pony. I cleaned out his feet, felt his hock and hip (very hard to do under all that fur) and nothing notable. HMMMMM, don't know but he is still running on 3 legs. Yes, he can run when he didn't want to get caught. I moved him from the stud pen to with the colts, and gave him a little grain. I hope it is just a stone bruise from the hard ground, but I don't think so.

The calves are all eating at the bunk good and starting to grow. They didn't seem to be affected by all the ice and weather at all!

Then there is the "baby" pen. Most Ranch/Farm wives I know have "their" cow or horse. This animal is usually the bain of their husband. "MY" cow is Lacey. She is the first cow we bought as a couple. Lacey is truly my baby. "53" is in this pen too. She is MyLove's show cow from his senior year in High School. She hates me! Anyway, Lacey is impatient! Today, I made the mistake of feeding the calves first. Lacey was MAD!! Most people say that cows "MOOOOO" well they have other words too. Today it was "eeerrrEEEERRRR" (hard to describe in letters) but she was saying "FEEEEEDDDDD MEEEEEEE" FEEEDDD MEEEE NOOW!!! She bellerd at me the entire time I was filling buckets, and feeding calves. I finally walked in her pen, and she was in my back pocket on the walk to the bunk. She also takes up more than her share of the space at the bunk. Her calf is learning to be just like her. BTW, she is in a pen because one of the girls will get to show her calf this summer and we want to teach it to lead.

Well, that's my wierd rambling for the day. You can blame it on the ice and snow today. Now, we're going to start baking cookies to decorate this afternoon!!! Yeah girls!!! And, we put up the tree last night.