Well..... here we go
A couple days ago I went out to feed everybody and while I'm feeding Tootsie (calf) I look over at the rabbit hutch and see one of the rabbits laying very un-naturally while the others are running around trying to get my attention (they're very very friendly). When Tootsie is done with her bottle I walk around to the front of the hutch and there's my new mini rex buck torn to shreds... I thought maybe the other rabbits had done it but they had been getting along fine from the get go and he'd been in there several days. Plus these rabbits have never had a problem adding another bunny to the group. Then I look down and what do I see? Raccoon tracks.... I look back up at the hutch and notice that the square piece of hardware cloth that covers the hole where a feeder would normally go has been pulled halfway down. So it looks like a raccoon is the culprit.
Then my mind flashes to the ducks who are kept on the pond. We lost one the day before and have no idea what happened to it. There weren't any tracks, no body, no feathers, absolutely no sign as to what happened to it. Which is exactly what happened to the last three ducks I lost, no sign. So I look over to where the ducks usually are in the mornings and no ducks. There should be three and there are zero. So I go look on both ponds and still no ducks. They're no where to be found. So I'm thinkin, "Great. What could possibly happen to three ducks all at once?" I understand one going missing here and there but all three and no sign of what happened?
So I go about my feeding while Ryan sets a trap for the raccoon using the dead rabbit. I'm feeding the horses and all of a sudden, here come the ducks. I have no idea where they came from or where they were hiding but I'm sure glad they're ok. Hopefully we'll catch the raccoon and whatever else is lurking around and not have this problem anymore.
On a happier note, my buff orpington and rhode island red chicks are doing really well. I'm please with how well the setup is working. We really didn't have a brooder big enough for over 100 chicks so we used the 8' x 4' coop with heat lamps and sawdust. I usually use pine shavings for my chicks but we didn't have any on hand and as you know if you've been keeping up with my journal the chicks arrived a day early and we weren't prepared. So pine sawdust from the sawmill Ryan runs is what we used, and I'll tell you what, I'll probably never use shavings again. The chicks can scratch in the sawdust just like it was dirt and it doesn't fling everywhere and get in the feeders and waterers like the shavings do. I can turn the sawdust and mix the droppings and have a new layer of clean sawdust instead of the droppings just falling all through the shavings and all of it being soiled. Also, if the waterer spills or they knock it over I can just remove the wet sawdust like you would kitty litter instead of the water spreading through all the shavings and having to dump all of it. And there is always the added plus of the sawdust is free since its produced when Ryan saws pine logs. lol.
We've only had a few chicks die out of 110 and they're going on two weeks old I believe. I went ahead and put my precious cochins chicks in with all these guys and they are absolutely thriving! I haven't lost a single one which makes me soooo happy as I really really wanted these guys to make it. And on top of that I think out of the 7, I may only have 1 rooster, maybe two which is fine with me! lol
An even happier note? We got more hay! Woohoo! We were down to our last 3 square bales and they aren't that great of quality either. We had to feed more than we should have and it really wasn't doing much for the horses other than just keeping them alive. They've all dropped a lot of weight so I'm sooo excited that we found this guy. It's great quality hay, huge bales (I can barely get them off the ground), and at $9 a bale it's the best deal we've found. We gave a whole bale to every two horses and it took them almost 2 days to finish it. And it's not becuase they just didn't want to eat it. They would chow down for a while and then just go lay down or stand in the sun and then they'd go back and do the same thing all over again. They should get nice and fat and happy now.
We went to get the hay with the man that keeps a bunch of tennessee walking horses on our back pasture. He hauled it all on his trailer and then we moved ours to our truck at his house. They have a bunch of horses, dogs, chickens, guineas, etc. They had a mama dog (dachshund) show up at their house a few weeks ago and she had 4 little bitty puppies with her. Well they've gotten bigger now and two of them are off to their new homes. Don't get me wrong, these people are really nice and would never let an animal go hungry, but these puppies have extremely short hair and it's been really cold out. I picked up one of the little guys and his feet and ears were like ice! But they won't bring them in the house. I just couldn't let him freeze like that. The other puppy seemed to be ok but this one was having a hard time, he was smaller than the others, so I brought him home. I really didnt need another dog, we have three, but he was so sweet and freezing cold, I just had to do it. I'm very impulsive sometimes. I named him Buster but this morning Ryan called him Mr. Weenie (Open Season the movie) and it just stuck. So he's now Mr. Weenie. I'll try to get a picture when I can but no promises.
Last night I started working at a restaurant here in town as a waitress because I need a little more cash on hand between paychecks. O...M....G..... I have never worked in a restaurant that was soo un-organized and just outright rediculous! I was supposed to be training? There was no training to it. On top of that they fired the two waitresses that were supposed to be working there last night and just had me and another new girl. Neither one of us knew a single thing about how they do things. I've waitressed a lot in the last 5 years and I know what I'm doing and I'm good at it. But they were so un-organized that I didn't know which way was up! There's too much to go into detail but I highly doubt I'll continue working there unless things change. I'll give it a few days but I can't work somewhere like that. I'm planning on talking to the man that owns the other restaurant in town and see if he'll hire me. His place was actually my first choice but this other restaurant was already hiring and i'm not sure if this man is or not. I'm crossing my fingers.
I'm supposed to be getting my income tax refund this coming week and I've got sooo much that I need to do with it. Gotta get the oil leak on my truck fixed, pay for the hay, and then maybe build some more chicken pens or something with the rest. Who knows. I can't decide. lol
So we actually had a little excitement this week.
They'll keep you entertained for hours on end. 
