More Barns

Isn't this a great barn? It stands sentinel, both a guardian and a greeter. Notice the white horse on the building at the back. 

What a great color! The cows certainly consider this barn home. 

When Good Hens Go Bad

White leghorn chickens are known for being good layers, unlikely to go "broody" and set - sitting on their eggs to raise a family. My leghorns are great layers. I had noticed recently that the number of white eggs I was finding had diminished. Two days ago I discovered why.

This lovely girl came out of the woods with 15 chicks. Fifteen. She's challenged the geese and keeps a good eye on her babies, finding food and shelter for them all. Someone forgot to tell her that leghorns don't make good mothers.

Chicks are born with life skills intact. They stay close to Mom, seek shelter quickly, and find food efficiently. They are adorable.

 
One of my Sebright hens left her friends to make a solitary nest and hatch 9 eggs. She and her chicks hang out by my neighbor's house, foraging and hiding in tall grass and blackberry brambles. I've never thought of chickens as solitary, but I have  another hen who hangs by herself at great distance from the rest of the flock. Whenever I find her remote homes she looks at me as if I have no right to disturb her peace.

So much for a career of selling eggs. I seem to be in the business of raising poultry.

Drive-By Barns

My daily commute takes me through lovely rural areas. I see crops grown and harvested, animals appear and disappear from fields. In the morning grass waves in the breeze, in the evening the field is dotted with hay bales. This ever-changing land is secured by barns. Horses may come and go, but the barns they live in seem to stay forever.

I decided to share the barns on my daily route. This turned out to be more challenging than expected. The small state route that winds its way east has no shoulders to pull off on. I need some car-free time to stop in the middle of the road and take my pictures. Fortunately this is a sparsely populated part of western Washington, and this is an access road, with a larger, straighter cross-country route nearby. I was able to get four shots before picking up a tail. Hopefully more barns will follow soon.

I've shared these silos before - this is one of my favorite places. One grain silo, one tree silo.

This is heading east, away from the freeway.

Looking northwest. I would love to have this barn on my property. My animals would love to lounge under the protection of that roof, taking advantage of any local breeze.

Further down the road is this lovely barn, obviously well appreciated by it's owners. Some day I'll post a picture of the tree whose shadow adorns the barn. 

Here's where I picked up a tail, and my concern must have made my hands quake. Feeding time is soon, as the horses are working their way in. It's been fun watching this foal grow. 

You can see part of a beautiful sunset in my mirror. I may try for a rear mirror picture some day. There are times when I wish I could drive with my eyes glued to my mirror, the sunset is so stunning.

 

Chick Mania

This family of chicks have been motherless for a month, and now consider me Mom. They are adorable. When I come home from work they run to me at top speed, hoping I have some special treat. The two largest chicks are French Morans, and the brown chick between them is a Wellpinit. I bought these three as day-olds, as they lay chocolate brown eggs. I put them in with the newly-hatched chicks of my best brooder hen, who happily raised them with the bantams and other miscellaneous eggs she hatched.

After a good meal it's important to snuggle up and take a nap.

My little Seabright family. The roosters hang out with moms and chicks, pointing out tasty food items and warning of danger. 

Rest Secure

Polly doesn't think it's any of my business that she's trying to roust Jesse out of his resting spot. She thinks he's got some dogfood hidden in the area. Jesse hopes I've come to save the day.

Groucho feels safe and secure under the chair the sheep upended. She's pleased they made this great shelter for her.

I decided to line my big kennel with wire small enough to keep chicks in, since none of the dogs like to stay in it. I was half way through when, in between trips for wire, Ursa took up residence. This seems to be a nice, cool spot out of reach of other dogs or sheep or donkeys. Needless to say, I chose a different location for the chick shelter. Ursa now owns this kennel.

You Looking at Me?

I need to get a picture of my senior peacock displaying. His tail is so long now, it touches the ground when he perches on the gates. I love the way he was laying, resting his head on the shelter leg.

Summer Sky

Clouds make the sky interesting, and at sunset they reflect the suns light in such beautify ways!

I love living in a place where clouds frequently add another dimension to the sky, and make such stunning displays.

Deep Thinker

Dolka, my first Samoyed, was exceptionally good at abstract thought. She thought about situations and figured things out. 

We had friends with a house on a lake, and a dock that was really a raft, tied to the shore by heavy ropes. Dolka loved to chase the ducks who grazed on the lovely front lawn, and they would fly out to the raft to wait for her to leave.

Dolka did not like the water, and did not want to get wet. She sat, stared at the ducks, the raft, and the ropes. She turned her head, obviously deep in thought, and looked at everything again. Then she trotted to the shore, grabbed a rope, and pulled the raft in. It was heavy work, but she persisted. Unfortunately for her (but happily for the ducks) when she let go of the rope so she could jump on the raft it floated back out beyond her reach.

She repeated this process three times, then gave it up. She needed another mouth or an opposable thumb, which she didn't have. But she'd made a good, logical try.

Another Lovely Day

After a week of cool rainy weather, today is warm and mostly sunny. It's another beautiful cloud day in the Northwest.

Hay is in short supply this time of year. It's harder to get each year as more houses pop up in former grass fields. Every chance I get I let the sheep out to browse on the grass, weeds and berries along my lane. First thing this morning - still in my pajamas - I went down to check on my chicks and let the sheep out. Charlie darted out with the sheep. He doesn't like his sheep being outside of his patrol area. Jesse scrambled under the fence after him while I was heading back to the house to get dressed.

By the time I got back out the lane was totally quiet. No dogs, no sheep, no goats, no donkey. Knowing the sheep, I walked down to the road. My small flock of sheep and goats, guarded by the donkey, were providing free lawn service to the log house across the street. It's for sale, and the lawn definitely is due for a trimming. Fortunately my sheep are better at coming when called than my dogs are, and they happily followed me back across the street and headed up the 1/4 mile of lane home. They turned left towards the houses and pastures, and I went up the hill to the power lines, finding lots of footprints but no dogs. One of my hens seems to have taken up residence in the old railroad cut. She looked a bit offended that I intruded in her territory.

By the time I got back to the developed section of my farm, Charlie was next to the pasture fence looking like he wanted in. He joined me and we went to the gate and inserted ourselves. The sheep flock were browsing happily nearby, eating the plentiful grass and brush here at home. Ursa came up to give Charlie the once over (where HAVE you BEEN?) as I started up the hill to the house. Half way up Jesse lay next to the fence, looking mournful that he couldn't get back in. Why is it that animals can readily get OUT of somewhere, but are at a loss to get back IN?

So we are all now inside and fed, or outside and feeding. I had breakfast, and am working on a second cup of coffee. Once again I am grateful I chose to locate my farm well off the seldom-travelled road. Just another peaceful morning on the farm. 

Inside Beauties

My Night Blooming Jasmine is blooming. I am so in love with this plant. It's large leaves and delicate blooms, its voracious appetite for water and striving to be a tree all appeal to me. I have one plant I've let grow without pruning that is tall and leggy, and another that has been sheep-pruned a couple times when I've put it outside, so has a much more compact growth pattern. 

Cestrum nocturnum - Night Blooming Jasmine, Queen of the Night. Blossoms during the day.

Blossoms at night. The scent is pervasive, unmistakable, intoxicating.

Two cactus branches that were knocked off parent plants by a wagging Border Collie tail. I stuck them in a small pot, and the small pot in this lovely planter my mother made and painted. I didn't know the colors of the cactus when I planted them. I love the way they match their container.

All of my "Christmas" cacti are blooming right now. They love this house, and I love them. This one is another piece that the dogs broke off, and I dutifully stuck in a new pot. This is my reward.

News From China

My nephew and his wife live in Suzhou, over 700 miles from the epicenter of China's huge quake. Here's his report of the long-range effects of the unstable earth.

Aftershocks from a recent 7.8 earthquake rocked our office on the 19th floor like a boat out at sea! We had to race down the emergency staircase while the lights flickered on and off until finally shutting down completely. Emergency lights kicked in as the crowded staircase still rocked and people screamed in panic. I felt like we were in the Twin Towers during 9/11; racing down the 19 floors of staircases for our lives!  Each time we descended a floor, more screaming people pushed their way in; slowing headway to a standstill.  Everyone was screaming in Chinese: "Hurry, Hurry! We're all gonna get crushed!" 

 

After a 5-minute race down the emergency exit staircase, masses of people flooded the lobby and ran across the streets toward an expanse of green grass just outside of the buildings fallout range.  There is nothing quite so shocking as running behind others while their necks are strained backwards watching the building as if it were to fall when you haven't yet completely escaped. 

 

The epicenter was actually located in China's Sichuan (Szechuan) province in a city called Wen Chuan, 1200 km (appx.720 miles) away from our office in Suzhou. In this picture, an ancient pagoda in my wife's hometown (Anna May Deng from Langzhong) collapsed to the ground along with numerous apartment highrises that you can see along the river; behind my brother Dan and Anna.  Her family is okay; they were luckily all outside on ground level when it happened; although many poor families in the countryside had their brick houses collapse.  I attached pictures of what homes looked like two weeks ago when we last visited.

 

Aftershocks are still riveting through the province from eyewitness accounts via telephone and mobile phones.  Anna was on the phone 10 minutes ago, when her Grandma suddenly said; "Another one is hitting, I got to run!"  She also spoke to an Aunt who had just poured a cup of hot tea on the table when the first shock hit and bounced it through the air onto the ground. 

 

Both China's CCTV local news station and CNN have limited knowledge of the true extent of the earthquake.  Both have reported it as breaking news, but we have yet to see images from the epicenter, or the nearest metropolitan city; Chengdu.

-Mike Grigg

Smallest of the Small

Roosters are wonderful beings. They protect their hens, share food with them, and look after chicks after the hens abandon them to burgeoning adulthood. The problem with free range chickens when roosters are involved is that you end up with more chickens, and more roosters. And while roosters are wonderful, they don't play well in groups.

Small roosters, however, are easier to deal with. And I am totally enthralled with my Seabright bantams. So every hen that's gone broody this year has had Seabright eggs substituted for those they start with, and I now have 10 chicks growing up under those hens. The fact that the chicks are a variety of colors probably means the hens haven't been solely getting the attentions of the Seabright cocks. 

My young Golden Seabright hen with one of her chicks. The other one is black.

Aren't these the cutest chicks? Foster mom is one of my best mother hens. She's also taking care of the 4 chicks I bought (all females) as future egg layers. These bantams lay tiny eggs - great if you want to make a partial recipe, and need 1/4 egg.

Old Barn

After years of neglect this pasture is now home to some lovely young llamas. Even the old barn seems to have taken on new life now that it is being used again. I love old barns, crouching in their fields, like mother hens protecting their chicks from the cold. 

April Showers?

The weather gods are confused. So are the rest of us. Last Saturday it was 82 degrees, and last night it was 24 degrees. This morning it snowed. Here in the Pacific Northwest late April snows are pretty much unheard of.

Just notice the green of new leaves on the hardwoods. 

My turkey hen is decidedly not happy. The peafowl keep hunkering down on the porch, then flying off in panic when I open the door. I'm going to start knocking before I go outside, give them some warning.

Jesse is the only one who is thrilled with the weather. But then, he comes dressed for it. That's Ursa, hidden in the shelter staying dry.

Birds of Interest

In spite of the cold spell, snow, hail, and other inclement weather, the birds here know it's spring.

My oldest Peacock displaying for the hens, while last year's cock watches. Everyone displays - the hens even do sometimes - but no one is as pretty as my 4-year-old male.

When chickens hatch duck eggs, the baby ducks think they are chickens. This girl was hatched and raised by a black chicken. Look who she chooses as her companions...

A Den With a View

Providing shelters that are wind and water resistant is a continuing struggle, especially since much of my land is on a slope. For Millie I used an old stump, and tarped around it. This made a small shelter that Millie loves. It's open on both sides so she can see down toward the woods or check out someone sneaking up on her to take pictures.

These pictures were taken in the middle of a hail storm. We are all grateful that I got my shelters back up and running last month!

When You're Small...

What do you do if you are very small and it's cold and wet and you hate being wet?

You hang out in the dog shelter. It's dry, and with any luck the dogs will have missed some tasty food items. If you are very lucky a warm dog will be in there, and you can snuggle up.

It's ... Spring?

It's unusual to have snow in late March in the Pacific Northwest lowlands. This year the weather has been cold and occasionally snowy since the first day of spring. Today it outdid itself. It has snowed, hailed, snowed, hailed, snowed, rained, snowed.

Jesse, napping on the snow-covered pillow, recovering from some serious digging for moles.

Ursa keeping dry in her shelter. Notice the chickens taking refuge in Jesse's crate. Charlie keeps watch in the background.

The geese are the only birds not disgusted by the weather. Geese seem impervious to weather.

I'm hoping for some warm sunshine tomorrow!

Nunnery Protector

Another dog sighting from my correspondent in Greece:

I found this particular Big White Dog at a nunnery high in the Koziakas mountains (Vitouna Convent) where we went to scout some rocks.

The nuns are not very tall, and the dog is very big, but they seem to get on quite well.

The place is so beautiful, I'd have no problem becoming a nun and merging into the setting in my old age.

- Annie

Hannah Talks

Hannah never ceases to amaze me. Border Collies are active, intelligent dogs who need a job. Hannah came from the local shelter with a torn cruciate ligament. A year after that was fixed she broke her pelvis. No herding, agility, or other active sports for this BC!

Border Collies need jobs. So Hannah invents jobs for herself. She is my Door Dog, letting me know whenever another dog is thinking of wanting in or wanting out. It is her job to predict what I will do next, where I will go, and to precede me.

Hannah is a very vocal dog, something she learned from Jesse the Samoyed. Samoyeds woo-woo and talk prettily, which is encouraged because their barks tend to be sharp and penetrating. So Hannah does what Jesse gets praised for. Her voice is nowhere near as pleasant, and I have to admit to spending much time trying to get her to be quiet.

Lately I noticed she has a special bark for going outside. Completely different from her other barks and vocalizations. This morning I realize what it is. She is saying "Out". Her bark has been shaped into the English word. Today she got it clear enough that even I could tell exactly what she was saying. Out. She only uses it at the back door, when she wants Out. 

At a time when I am learning to communicate telepathically with animals, my BC is learning to speak English. We all have our jobs to do.

May I Help You?

Six months ago Alex the African Grey died unexpectedly. This morning I discovered a site about a Arielle, a macaw who speaks English fluently.

This made me think of Santi, who has been my friend longer than most humans. A Greater Sulpher Crested Cockatoo, Santi is a force of nature. He came to me while still a chick, and now lives with my mother. He has always communicated freely with humans, dogs, and other birds. One of my favorite stories is from when he was living with me in Seattle.

Santi loves being outside. He was in a large camillia tree next to my porch, and I was sitting on the steps reading. It was a sunny day, and the street was quiet. The phone rang. I ducked inside, grabbed the phone, and came back out. Santi was gone.

During the two minutes I was out of sight Santi climbed down the tree and walked across the road to visit the neighbor working under his car. He sauntered quietly up, crest raised, until he was next to the neighbor, his beak by the man's ear. Then he said "Hi! What'cha doin'?"

When I got down the stairs I saw a young man standing next to his vehicle holding Santi on one arm and rubbing his head with the other. They were still in conversation. There was a group of people around them. Santi was delighted to make new friends. He knew more people on the street than I did.

Every one on the street knew that story by the end of the day.

Berna the Protector

Berna was 5 months old when I got her. From the moment of her arrival she adored Ursa, the now 13 year old Caucasian Ovtcharka. I worried that as Berna grew up this would change, as Ursa is and always shall be top dog. Berna is now 3, and still thinks Ursa is the coolest thing ever. Here she has placed herself between Ursa and the other dogs, so Ursa can gnaw her bone in peace. Instead of challenging the old girl Berna protects her.

Millie's Next Step

I had a loose plan for training Millie. She's been living in the main sheep field, sans sheep, for the winter. She needed to burn off some of her puppy energy, get in touch with her guardian instincts, and spend time next door to the sheep, now locked in the smaller paddock. This has worked pretty well. Charlie goes in with her occasionally, and she's learned about patrolling fence lines, marking territory, and general good behaviors from him.

I had planned to put a smaller enclosure in her territory, but the portable fencing deal I made fell through, and that really needed to wait for better weather. She couldn't go in with the sheep until they lambed - no upsetting pregnant sheep allowed! So Millie has been mostly alone in a very large field, with sheep, goats, chickens, ducks and more to watch from a distance, and ravens to chase off close up.

Today as I was feeding and then getting set up to restore another shelter roof, I noticed a big white in with the sheep. I didn't remember putting Charlie in there. And while large, this dog was smaller than Charlie. Millie! She broke through the gate between fields, and was strolling around the sheep paddock. I watched from a distance as she checked the perimeter, sniffed the shelter, and did some digging for gophers. She was calm, the sheep were calm. All my new mammas are in a separate field now, so I thought I'd leave Millie while I was outside and keep an eye on her.

After a half hour or so I saw a white streak. Millie cornered a ram, and he was taking a stand. I calmly went into the field with a leash, merrily calling to Millie, saying "Leave it!" when she started being rambunctious, but mostly letting things play out. She did some chasing, but the ram kept stopping to take a stand. Millie let me walk up to her and clip on her leash. We then walked over to the group of sheep still lolling around the feeding area, sniff everyone, and slowly make our way back into her field.

I fixed the gate, played with Millie for awhile, and then got some really good food for Millie's lunch.

This was the next step I had planned, Millie just thought my timing was off. I'm very pleased at how well she did. She was much calmer than I expected her to be, and while she did chase, she didn't burst into the knot of sheep to disrupt them. She was playing, not trying to hurt them. I'm feeling more hopeful for her working future. She is more exuberant than I would like to see, but she didn't rush in and start chasing. She's growing up and learning.

I was also amazed at how much coat she's put on. Somehow I hadn't noticed that before. Her guard coat has come in, she now has a mane and a nice, full Pyr coat. And muscle. She keeps herself in shape!

Testing the Shelter

Trey had to test out the new tarp/crate/dog bed combo I set up for him. The winter's wind storms destroyed all my shelters, and had a very unsatisfactory fix in place for the "back of house" dogs. Berna tested out her favorite spot before I'd finished setting everything up, and Trey was next checking out his fav crate.



Squeak the irrepressible cat snoozes on Charlie's porch dog bed.