Chick update

Charlie on watch, with the chicks nearby

There are still seven chicks living near the house.  Charlie has done a good job.  When the chicks were two months old, their mother abruptly abandoned them.  Usually, a mother hen will start roosting when her chicks are that age, but because they all live together in the barn, the little ones can still be near her.  This hen moved back into the barn, but her chicks stayed at their pen beside the house, so they are completely on their own.

Well, not quite on their own.  Obviously, they don't feel totally independent yet, because they've taken to sleeping in a huddle right beside Charlie's evening resting spot on the porch.  It's pretty cute to see him there with his chicks when I walk out the door.  We'll let them do this for a while more, because thate's still a danger from the ravens, but then we'll start herding them over to the barn.  We really don't enjoy having chicken shit around the porch.

Dog cookies (and runaway horses)

I made some soup this morning, so I made a batch of dog biscuits at the same time.  The stock was ready, since I'd had it simmering on the cookstove all day yesterday.  I took out a cup before adding vegetables to the rest for my own dinner.

The cookies are very simple (like nearly everything I do!).  I put two cups of flour in a bowl, added a bit of baking powder (maybe 1/2 tsp) and a couple of shakes of salt.  Then I dumped in the cup of hot stock and stirred until it was a smooth dough.  After rolling it out to about 1/8 inch thickness, I cut it into roughly equal pieces, put the pieces on a pan, and baked them.  Usually, I try to take them out of the oven when the biscuits are pale brown, but this morning, I got distracted while they were in the oven.

Monty and Bree had knocked down a gate and escaped overnight.  Bree loves to do this.  She was born a mile away from here and she likes to go visit her family sometimes.  She probably wanted to introduce them to her new friend.  Anyway, I was baking dog cookies when I looked out the window to see that Monty had come home for his breakfast.  I ran out to put him in the paddock, and overcooked the biscuits.  (I'll have to go get Bree later, after she's had time for a nice visit.)

These dog cookies are a lot cheaper than the store-bought kind, and my dogs love them.  You don't need a recipe.  Use whatever broth you have (chicken giblets are great) and whatever kind of flour you have.  The salt and baking powder are optional.  Store them in a paper bag.

The Farm Dogs



Hunting mice

I've mentioned the dogs often, but haven't properly introduced them yet.  We have two dogs, Floyd and Charlie.  Floyd is a handsome blue merle mutt.  Charlie is a Border Collie cross.  They're both great dogs, but in very different ways.

We got Floyd as a puppy.  His mother was an Australian Shepherd/Black Lab cross and his father a Rottweiler/Doberman.  Everyone loves him and he loves everyone.  He has us almost completely trained to take him along wherever we go.  In town, people will often greet him by name before greeting us, and he's welcome in quite a few businesses, because he's so polite.  He likes to show off his knowledge of the right way to behave, which makes up for the fact that he doesn't like to be told what to do.  he doesn't herd the animals, or do much guard work, or any work at all, really.  He's simply a companion.

Floyd

Charlie only came to live with us last year, when a neighbour couldn't keep him because of illness.  Our farm is his fourth home (that we know of), and he was abused at some point in his youth.  He's shy, dislikes loud noises, and is afraid of enclosed spaces.  His Border Collie blood shows in his absolute devotion to the farm animals, and he's so happy to be living with us now.  Since we've had him, he's overcome his fears to a great extent and gained a lot of confidence.  Charles (my husband, not the dog--note the difference in their names) is always kind, but he's noisy and likes to rough-house with the animals; this has helped Charlie get over his nervousness.  Charlie takes care of the place while Floyd is off gallivanting with us.

Charlie