Exciting Animal Life

DOGS

Laura always asks after her dog.  Here is proof that Blackie is doing well.  He especially likes the sunny winter days.  On those days, he spends a long time outside just basking in the sun.  On the dreary days he stays inside and has to be coaxed outside.  I just ordered him some more chew toys from Amazon to at least keep him occupied and out of trouble on his inside days.

CHICKENS

The chickens are eating well.  I have been feeding them days old produce leftovers from Emily's visit.  Here they are having Brussel sprouts and apples.  These turned out to be a very popular snack.  

The chickens have picked up a new habit.  They like to spend the night either in their nests or on the roosts in front of it.  Mike and I assume they are trying to stay warmer.  Unfortunately this makes for very dirty nests and it is no longer any fun reaching into the nest to get an egg.  I might pick up an egg or I might pick up something worse.  Also, as a result of this arrangement, eggs are getting broken or eaten.  So now every late afternoon I go out and close up the nests.  This must be done prior to the chickens settling in for the night but after all the eggs are laid for the day.  Then once it is dark, I sneak back into the coop with my phone flashlight so as not to wake them and reopen the nests so they are ready for egg laying business in the morning.  Who knew these chickens could be so stubborn about their sleeping arrangements.  

GEESE

I finally saw some wildlife on my walk.  Well, to be exact, I heard them first.  I stopped and rotated 360 degrees looking for the source of the cacophony of honking.  Finally I could spot a large flock of snow geese flying and landing and then repeating the process on the neighboring empty corn fields.  Despite the fact that it is only January, mid winter, and cold again, they are in our area apparently migrating.   Mike and I have no idea if they are migrating to warmer climates or coming back home again from the warmer climates.  Either way we should not be seeing them at this point in the season.  

For a moment there on my walk I felt like I was an extra in the Alfred Hitchcock movie 'The Birds'.