Young Turkey In a Pickle

One of the perils of letting your poultry free range is that sometimes the birds get into places where they shouldn’t be. This young fellow had been trying to get in to (or out of) the goat pen when a single feather got caught up in the piece of string that used to hold the top edge of a fine mesh intended to keep the birds out. The mesh had been taken down because the birds had been tearing big holes in it when they perched on the fence rail and I had left the string so I could replace the lighter mesh with something heavier. The good news in all this is the bird was hung up in such a way that his foot reached the ground. Add to that the fact these Ridley Bronze turkeys are very mellow (so he didn’t panic or thrash around) and I was able to lift him up and set him free. He suffered no damage, except perhaps to his pride, and is now back at work cleaning out the summer vegetable beds.

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Piglets at Breakfast

Cora’s piglets are growing up so fast! From very early on she has encouraged them to come out of her hog hut to explore and forage. They have been quite happy to oblige and are actually more adventurous than their mother when it comes to tasting unfamiliar (to them) foods. This is very different to what’s going on with Olivia’s litter. They aren’t allowed out much at all – – when they try to roam Olivia gives a single short warning bark/grunt and they sprint back into their hut and stay there. For hours. Olivia is way more protective, perhaps because this is her first litter. It will be interesting to see if she chills out next time around.

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Why lie down…

Cora has figured out she can keep eating if she lets the piglets nurse while she is standing up. It looks quite comical, as if they are propping her up!

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This autumnal loveliness…

… Is hurting my eyes! Not really- everything is too soft and muted for that. But holy moley, every day brings some new ‘must stop a moment’ vista I can’t resist. My phone is feeling heavy with the weight of all that fog I’m stashing away inside. This photo was taken down at my neighbour’s pond where I lease a bit of land for sheep. They also have ewes, so we keep our sheep together and share the responsibilities of caring for them. I have the morning rounds which means I get to enjoy this sort of view every day while I’m digesting my oatmeal.

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Foggy fall days

Even in the middle of tossing hay down from the barn loft, there are moments in these foggy autumn days that force me to stop, take note, and be happy.

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