Something got my chick:-(

It's ironic that I took this picture the day before.

Because the next morning Maple was gone.

In this picture Maple is on the right:(

When you grow up on a farm, like my children,

it's hard not to hate varmints like

raccoons, opossums, snakes, bobcats and others.

You learn real quick that those varmints eat meat.

And the animals we raise are.......well.......meat.

We also realize that our farm animals would not last very long

or do very well without our daily care,

but it still hurts when our protection is breached and they become part of the food chain.......the bottom of the food chain.

Our children learn that we do our best to keep our animals safe.

I also remind my children that some animals are meat eaters.

God designed them to eat meat.

It's our job to make it next to impossible for them to eat here.

Nuff said.

Back on the Clock

My chickens are laying eggs right and left,

like there's no tomorrow.

Forget about all that molting that went on between

Thanksgiving and Christmas.

They are BACK ON THE CLOCK.

Here are my eight layers in all their glory.

Henny

Penny

Jenny

All three are Buff Orpingtons and they lay large brown eggs.

This is Matilda.

Henrietta

Lucy

These three are Americana hens and they lay blue or green eggs.

This is a Cuckoo Maran hen I named Geraldine

after one of my favorite authors, Geraldine Brooks.

(Geraldine just sounds like a chicken, doesn't it?)

She lays dark brown eggs.

Last, but not least, is my hen Souffle.

She is a polish breed and she gives us small, white eggs.

But besides that, she is just a hoot.

And this is a typical day's work for my ladies.

Can anyone say omelet!