Another Disappointing Nest

Last May I bought another batch of hatchlings and this darling is one of the Buff Orphingtons that I had big hopes of hatching out a nest...I'm not giving up yet. I bought 6 pullet chicks and one rooster. I think I have 3 hens left and this one has been sitting on a nest for quite a while. I went out today and, apparently, one hatched out, fell to the floor (or she tossed it out) and left it and moved over to the adjoining nest to work on it. I have no idea how many eggs are under her but it can't too many. That's so disappointing. I want some of my own hatchlings on the farm.

Then there is this one that the rooster literally attacks (you can see the back of her scarred head --and that's not love pecks either) and she has chosen a life of solitary away from the rooster. She stays away from the other hens. Lately, she's been taking solace in the chicken house during the day so I carried her out yesterday to the barn to live with a couple other hens. I thought she would love it away from the rooster but she was back in the chicken yard today. Go figure...

Here's Food On The Table...I thought for sure I'd be rid of him last Saturday but the brakes went out on the truck so we couldn't haul him..now it has to wait another week.. All he does is eat and eat and eat some more....

Oh..and tear up the shed...

I'll be soooo glad when he's gone...

And Button is still acting like a dog and growing those horns longer every day. I wish I could get a good picture of how they are starting to turn at the tips.

If anyone has any great suggestions on what I can do to successfully hatch out a nest, I will welcome them. The only thing I can come up with is to put in a nest box closer to the ground. But I've got friends that have their nest boxes up higher and they don't have a problem.
Help!...

Happy Trails,

Still Alive Here

Here I sit on Christmas Eve morning, having coffee and reading other's blogs. Yes, it's been awhile. One of my friends told me to just check in and let everyone know that I'm still alive so here I am. I just don't find what I have to say very interesting but here's the latest since forever. Wow, how God has been working in our lives! Here's a quick review.

My sweet little Gretchen is not with us anymore. She was extremely blind with cataracts and 9 days shy of her 11th birthday when yours truly ran over her out in the orchard. It will be a day and feeling I will never forget. We still miss her running this orchard.

On a good note, Button did come to live with us on the farm. What a hoot! This bottle baby was raised with the grandkids and the dogs and she still loves to run and play like she's a dog. Unfortunately for the dogs, Button's longhorns are growing and she doesn't realize how they hurt. We had to pen her up with the feeder calf for months because she was too friendly. It's pretty freaky to be walking the orchard and have a longhorn calf come running up behind you. She's better now about rubbing up against my leg. She'll come running and stop about 2 feet from me.

You can see our latest addition to the family in this picture with Button and Jasper. Gussie is a red heeler or Cattle dog. She is now 5 months old is my compadre.

Shortly after my last post, through a lot of prayer, Buddy started his own dozer business. God has blessed us richly. Looking back over the year, God has put in black and white our direction. In the past, I would wonder if we're making the right decisions but not now. God has been closing doors and slamming wide open others for His direction. With the dozer business, it has allowed Buddy the freedom to do God's ministry and, without a long drawn out story, Buddy is a cowboy church planter and is pastoring the start-up of a cowboy church in Navasota. It is amazing to see God's work being done. Buddy's old rodeo and roping buddies are pretty much taken aback when they find out he's a pastor. How often we hear "You're a...pastor?!" God works in mysterious ways. He's the potter and we're the clay! This is certainly not something we set out to do.. it is definitely a calling.

This is a pretty quick post to cover several months but I have a dirty house calling my name. Ugh.. I will try and keep up with this.

Happy Trails...