Animals

 This week has been all about the animals.

Phoenix has been a new bright spot in our lives. She has been out most days exploring the barn, playing with the bunnies and avoiding the chickens.

We have been having some Dixie behavioural issues. So we finally got back to basics and started training again. She is so smart and I have quite enjoyed not feeling like my shoulder will be dislocated during our walks. This week has been exceptionally hard for our high energy girl since I won’t let her run off leash. It is hunting season and Dixie loves to chase deer. I know there are hunters that set up behind our property and I’m not willing to take that risk with her...so five walks a day is our goal and she is very quickly learning to walk calmly and not chase everything. 

I was very sad to find a dead bunny in Willows hutch. We knew she was pregnant and we were watching every morning for babies so it was heart breaking when we found only one baby that I believe was born dead. Not a great start to our bunny business.

And finally to the chickens: it has been a tough few months for them. I have 18 hens and two roosters. I got 7 eggs today which is a high as lately I have been only getting 2-5 a day. In June they had mites that I treated, then I introduced the babies in August and had to change their food, then they started moulting, now I have changed their food again to their higher protein winter food. I have heard it’s been a tough egg production fall for a lot of  farmers, but I am sure I have contributed some stress to the coop with all these changes that also affected their laying. And now Rachel is not looking good. She was missing too many feathers along her back. I put her in isolation so she didn’t get picked on but that seems to have made things worse. Whether she has plucked them herself or has lost feathers from stress she looks half naked today.