Critters

Another beautiful day, a ride for Jim, some free range time for the flock, a trip to town for me to deliver a few items I sold on Craigslist and to purchase a 50 gal plastic (Christmas Tree) storage tub for the 4 day old chicks.  When we brought them home on Sunday, I took the bottom half of a large plastic dog crate and cable tied the door in place.  That was set inside a large dog wire kennel cage set up in the garage and the heat lamp hung over it.  I realized that was too drafty and we are expecting another temperature plunge tomorrow night, down into the teens and the garage will be too cold even with the heat lamp.

The new set up can be brought into the house if necessary without getting pine shavings and chick poop on everything.  I don’t like them in the house, but if it is below freezing while they are this young, they will come inside.  The large storage tub having sides keeps the pine shaving contained and helps retain the heat.  An old clothes drying rack with the lower bars removed gives me a structure with metal bars that sits astride the tub and the heat lamp can be dangled over one end of the brooder, giving the chicks a warm spot to go when they are cold and enough space to get away from the heat if they are too warm.

They will stay in the garage tonight and during the day tomorrow, but they will then be brought in for two nights and a day until we have another bout of milder weather.  I will be glad when my hens can start raising their own chicks without my help.

Once Jim was home from his ride, we turned the pups out to roam and romp our farm for a while and they disappeared.  It is rare for them to leave the property, but since there has been very little leash time this winter, both are more stubborn about coming when called, especially if they are well away from the house in one of the fields.  After they had been outside for at least an hour and had disappeared from view I started calling, walked the long uphill driveway to check mail, still calling, walked over to look down into the sinkhole area still calling.  No response.  After getting in the car and driving up to the nearest main road, back down and around the perimeter of the two large fields calling and not seeing them, I walked back to the sinkhole.  Both creeks are flowing strongly into the sinkhole and it is wet and muddy.  The dogs finally wandered up, wet and muddy and quite content with themselves.  No way I was letting either of them back in the house I had been cleaning all afternoon, so both got hosed off at the yard hydrant and that water was cold.  Then both tied to heavy furniture on the front porch until they partially dried.

At least it was 73ºf outside.  I finally dried them off with beach towels and let them back inside.  So far we haven’t figured out how to keep them out of that part of the farm and as soon as it is consistently warm, we need to get back on leash work to remind them who is in charge.

Life is an adventure on our mountain farm.