this blog! Everyone is fuzzy and not really fit for pictures, and now there is mud everywhere you look! Tank heaters have been running in full force and there's been frozen turds to pick up everywhere you look. Winter in Wisconsin....but what can we do! Katie, our mini donkey baby, is getting big, and still as sweet and loving as can be. She looks more like a wooly mammoth than a donkey, with all the hair she has! I decided to hold off on weaning her until spring. She's a good girl, stands to have her feet messed with, and doesn't have any touchy spots anywhere. She's quite a talker, but has a very low, raspy bray, very much unlike any bray I have ever heard. Her mother, on the other hand, has the loudest bray I've ever heard, ear piercing to be exact, and I'd be thrilled if Katie doesn't end up inheriting that from her mom! I usually try to get them fed before Kochia, her mom, really gets going, because she's just TOO loud. We decided not to winter with chickens, and gave our chickens away to a woman who sells eggs and free ranges her layers way out in the country. The girls look very happy. We wanted more
peaceful chickens anyway, as leghorns are not known for being calm, friendly, peaceful chickens generally, and ours were no exception. They were, in one word, crazy! Even though they were hand raised, and handled daily from the day they hatched! So, we have our next generation of layers, when on February 9th, we received our 10 chicks by mail order from McMurray Hatchery. 5 Rhode Island Reds and 5 Black Australorps. They are currently in a brooder in our garage, but I am not-so-patiently waiting for the weather to warm up so we can introduce them to the coop. They are growing fast! And growing into beautiful birds. And, with a 90% sexing accuracy rate, I knew there could be a chance we may end up with a rooster or two....but after 4 weeks, I see no signs of roosters in there, so I think we got all pullets, just like we ordered!
peaceful chickens anyway, as leghorns are not known for being calm, friendly, peaceful chickens generally, and ours were no exception. They were, in one word, crazy! Even though they were hand raised, and handled daily from the day they hatched! So, we have our next generation of layers, when on February 9th, we received our 10 chicks by mail order from McMurray Hatchery. 5 Rhode Island Reds and 5 Black Australorps. They are currently in a brooder in our garage, but I am not-so-patiently waiting for the weather to warm up so we can introduce them to the coop. They are growing fast! And growing into beautiful birds. And, with a 90% sexing accuracy rate, I knew there could be a chance we may end up with a rooster or two....but after 4 weeks, I see no signs of roosters in there, so I think we got all pullets, just like we ordered! So there's the update....unfortunately, with winter still upon us, there is not much else to say...except that it's not a good sign that it's March and I have already had flooding in my barn, and the pond in our back yard has already flooded its banks. We may be in for a "flood of a spring" I'm afraid. We'll just have to wait and see! Till next time....
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