Pages

Showing posts with label Pets. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Pets. Show all posts

Saturday, August 30, 2014

Lily is HOME!

Lily is Home! 9_30_14

Around noon today, September 30, 2014, and 10 days after she went missing, Lily has been returned to us!  A neighbor’s son-in-law heard her whimpers and took the time to look around.  He saw her with her paws on the windowsill and head out the broken out window on the second story of an abandoned farmhouse.  This farmhouse was within our search area, but we didn’t hear or see her during the time we were in the area.

She is very thin, but was happy to be back on the farm.  We are all thrilled she’s back.  It’s definitely a lesson in not giving up hope.  Thank you to all the friends and family who kept up the prayers and for locals who kept their eyes and ears open. 

Tuesday, August 16, 2011

32/52

Joining Barbara in commemorating the year in once a week posts … just whatever is going on in your life: the mundane, the crazy, the normal, the everyday. 

It’s been a crazy week. 

New chicks 8.12.11

Friday, Ausust 12, after our homeschool group’s booksale set-up, I brought home a couple extra ‘friends’!  A good friend, Laura, purchased them for small change after a local fair, but only had room to keep 4.  She asked if I’d be willing to take any males and extra pullets.  I’m just silly enough to agree…

So, looks like we are adding another Ameraucana pullet and a pair of feather-footed chicks.  I think they’re cochin bantams because although they are the same age as the Ameraucana, they are about half the size. Also, they don’t have feathered heads like silkies. 

Mystery chicks!  It’ll be fun to see them grow. 

Wednesday, June 29, 2011

2011 Achievement Days–DAY 2

 

LaMoure county 4-H Achievement Days was held on June 28-29.  This is a small county; the kids completed a large number of projects; all the kids did very well.

Today’s events included the small animal judging, tractor driving, large animal judging and project pick-up.

018 (5)

Dash and Angelina competing in the 'Hen over 1 year’ category (above) and below they are showing their ‘3 pullets’.  Angelina showed the Buff Orpington and Dash showed the Barred Rocks.

019 (5)

020 (5)

Angelina and Zeke in the Senior Buck lot of rabbits.  We later learned that Zeke’s rabbit, Oreo, is really a Doe!!  Well, I had checked earlier and really thought it was a doe, too, but the kids were insistent.  Nothing like a great vet to confirm your suspicions.  Rabbits are hard to sex when they are young, so I’m sure the breeder thought he/she had it right, but only time will tell.  Good thing the name Oreo fits either buck or doe.

021 (5)022 (5)

Dash was the only entry in the Senior Doe class.

023 (5)

024 (4)

Junior Rabbit Showmanship, above.  Dash was the only Senior Showman in his class, below.

025 (4)

026 (4)

Eating pizza with grandpa is the best.  Just don’t even look at the dirty suburban in the background…

028 (4)

029 (4)

Cleaning those dirty sheep is a real treat!

002 (8)

Angelina in her outfit.

 

044 (2)

045 (2)

Zeke competing in the tractor driving contest.

046 (2)

047 (2)

052 (2)

Dash, true to his nickname, speeding through the course!

056 (2)

 

033 (3)

My sister, Julianne, and her son Weston were able to come and visit during Achievement Days.  She helped by leading a workshop for the Fashion Revue yesterday.

037 (3)

Weston running around the barn – we all gave up on shoes and let the kids wear rubber boots.  WAY less messy!

041 (3)

My dad, holding down the sheep stand, and visiting with another 4-H parent.

042 (2)

Dash, on the far right, visiting with a friend.

049 (2)

Unfortunately, one end of the show barn was swamped with water (if you can call the sludgey stuff water!).  Of course, the boys couldn’t resist playing in it … I pray they’ll stay healthy.  Graham is on the left and a 4-H friend is on the right.

051 (2)

Angelina with her hogs (above) and Louis playing in the water (below).

060 (2)

064 (2)

Angelina’s ewe lamb class.

065 (2)

067 (2)

Zeke, left, and Dash, right, in their market wether class.  Dash placed first in the class.

070

Sheep showmanship, above.  Dash was Grand, Angelina was Reserve.  Below, they are showing their hogs.  Not sure if it was the barrows or gilts.  Angelina placed first in both classes … the judge joked that he ‘must like cute girls today’, but her hogs were bigger than Dash’s.

071

072

073

074

076

Round Robin Showmanship:  Since Dash received Grand in both Sheep and Pig showmanship, Angelina moved up to the Round Robin in the sheep.  She did well with the heifer!  Dash was the Overall Showman and Angelina was the Reserve Overall Showman.

079

 

090

Angelina’s results above, Dash’s ribbons below.

092

093

Dash’s electricity display above and his Premium ribbon winning Mini-Chocolate Chip Scones (yes, the recipe is at King Arthur…. yes, there is no frosting because it’s a RULE!)

094096

Zeke showed three static exhibits this year as a Cloverbud.  He also showed his rabbit, Oreo (whom we learned was a doe and NOT a buck … I had a hunch and the vet confirmed it for us), and a market wether.  He also received a blue ribbon in the rabbit and sheep showmanship classes. 

081

082

084

Our rhubarb isn’t that great, but at least we had some left!  The stalks are supposed to be uniform in length and diameter.  Diameter was easier to match than length!

085

Angelina’s herb garden is on the left, Dash’s on the right.

And that is the end of 4-H for this year.  There will be no ND State Fair competitions this year.  The fairgrounds were affected by the flooding in Minot.  The Fair Board decided to hold the Commercial exhibits in the State Fair Building (normally where the 4-H, FFA and Open class exhibits would be housed); the concerts will also go on as planned because the crews were able to save the grandstand, too.  The livestock and small animal barns were flooded.  So, while our kids are disappointed, we are looking at it as a FREE week for family … time to fill as we desire.  We haven’t decided what we’ll do with our week, yet, but you can be sure you’ll be filled in later!

Thursday, June 23, 2011

New chicks on the farm

Who’d have thought I’d be doing this routine again!  But, the little fluff balls win us over, we enjoy watching their antics, and we don’t care so much about the extra chores anymore. 

Ameraucana’s are a heritage breed.  That basically means they have been around for quite a while, but heritage breeds also tend to mature at a slower rate.  They haven’t been bred to develop in 12 weeks like the broilers!  I like the breed because they lay green to blue tinted eggs; they’re also know as Easter Egg chickens.  In addition, they’re cold hardy – necessary for our ND winters – and are considered good producers of large eggs.

I ordered from Randall Burkey this time because they will ship smaller orders.  The little group of 15 was perfect for us this time.

The chicks arrived today, after being shipped out on the 21st.  I was expecting them on the 24th, so was caught off guard … AGAIN!!  There’s nothing to do, but go pick them up at the post office and set up their brooder.  Around twenty weeks from now, they could start laying pullet sized eggs …. that’s around the end of November.  I can hardly wait.

020 (4)

021 (4)

022 (4)

The chicks are all different colors and so are the adults.  It’ll be fun to see what grows.  Three of the chicks are yellow, the rest various shades of brown with some striping.

023 (4)

026 (3)

Their eyes look so cool. The dark chicks have black encircling their eyes, which makes them look exotic.

027 (3)

028 (3)

029 (3)

Louis was VERY excited to see the chicks.  Although, he keeps banging on their water tank brooder, which gets them all riled up. 

030 (3)