July 17, 2008

Summer surprises

I love surprises. I think it's wonderful when it seems like just an ordinary day and you stumble upon something really special by accident, or you get an unexpected phone call from a friend or a special package in the mail.
That being said, I'll share with you some of my recent Summer surprises....

Last October, Hubby put out a wonderful Fall decoration in our front yard complete with pumpkins, straw, and mums. When it was time to move this out of the way for Christmas decorations, I threw the straw in the woods behind the barn and disposed of the pumpkins at the edge of the garden.
Last week, while weed-eating around the garden, I found this....


Apparently, the seeds from the old pumpkins replanted themselves!




Last Saturday, our sweet little mail lady came up the driveway with a special delivery for me, so I ran inside to open it.... and found a boxful of wonderful goodies from my lovely and dear friend Linda. Thanks, sweetie- this unexpected little surprise made my week!





Remember the Little Terrorist and how she held the Fraker Farm hostage for 3 weeks back in April? (and March... lets not forget the first fiasco.) Hubby and I hadn't seen much of her lately... in fact we saw her chicks on several occasions, (which are not chicks anymore) but she was never with them. I told Hubby I was afraid something had gotten her. We have an abundance of hawks, and lately there has been a fox and her pups in the woods behind the barn at night. We were thinking the worst. Well, last Friday night, I was locking up all the hens at the barn, and there she was, sitting on the ground! I walked over to check and see if she was hurt or something, and when I picked her up, this was what she was sitting on.....

9 babies. Yes NINE of them. This little gal is a lean, mean, hatching machine!

One of our other Banty hens has gone missing now.

Uh-oh.....wait a minute.....


You have got to be kidding me.

SURPRISE!

37 comments:

  1. Paula, How in the world did you get that chicken out of the roll of fence wire?

    Rhonda

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  2. My dear SIL....I can't get her out! She'll come out when she wants to!
    I'm afraid of how many she's going to hatch- it looks like she's on about 12 eggs! Jeez!

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  3. Well life is surely exciting on your farm isn't it! Love the babies. I have a new White Leghorn rooster and pullett, and 5 older White Leghorn hens that I hope to have setting some day. Or at least some of my other hens may set for me on the White eggs.

    I love your Blog!!

    Have a great day!
    Becky

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  4. What great surprises!!! You've got some good hens. Sounds like you are having a good summer.

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  5. I love surprises and gifts from Nature are the best kind. It sure seems that there is never a dull moment at your place. I wish I had the room I'd have a few chickys of my own.

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  6. Lots of surprises and good ones too!
    Your hubby did good by decorating and I have chick envy, I miss those little cheeps! ~Kim

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  7. glad to see that you survived the green beans!
    so many of my hens went broody this summer, i was down to about 3 eggs a day a couple of weeks ago. now most have come to their senses and the egg production is slowing creeping back up! lol

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  8. What wonderful surprises you have had!!! :)
    That chicken in the fence is toooo funny! and the stuff about the lil terrorist...CRACKS ME UP!!! She just loves being a mama...huh? hehe!

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  9. It sounds like you never have a dull moment, Paula! I love hearing about all your adventures!

    I love the pumpkin surprise! That was a good one!

    And it looks like your chickens have a few surprises of their own for you....to keep you on your toes, I guess!

    Have a great Thursday!
    Tammy

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  10. Hi Paula,
    I love this post! I'm getting all my chickeny goodness from you my dear! And i do love that little terrorist...She sure is a lean, mean, baby machine! Please keep us updated! :)

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  11. Oh, Paula, I just love your posts! :-)

    I would have found all those surprises equally thrilling. What a blessed week you have had! :-)

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  12. LOL well those girls of yours sure are busy!!!!(-: LOL To cute. I love how she was hiding her babies....(-: I just love little chicks. They are so sweet. One of my hens wants to sit on some eggs but I told her she couldn't(-: LOL She might win if she goes somewhere and hides. She insists on sitting on the nest of everyone elses eggs. She wants to be a surrogate mother I guess(-:

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  13. You got surprise babies too!?!! They are SO cute. The punkin is cute too... we got a surprise zucchini plant. Boy, are we blessed or what?

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  14. Hey Paula. How is the garden doing?
    The pumpkin surprise looks like pie to me.lol..
    Linda's surprise looks so great too.
    I have 2 banties hiding eggs somewhere. They sure can hide in some odd places.
    Have a great weekend!

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  15. What awesome surprises!! Hopefully no one needs that roll of fence for a while... That's a great picture!

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  16. All nice surprises! I especially like the volunteer pumpkin.

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  17. I remember banties nesting in the rafters of our garage when I was a kid.They are funny little birds.
    You'll be glad to see yummy pumpkin pies ini October. I can smell them baking now.
    Nine chicks! She is determined to be a Mama! Bless her heart!
    Have a great weekend, dear.

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  18. So many wonderful surprises! The chicks are adorable. You will have to throw another pumpkin out there in the fall and see if you get another surprise next summer. How many new chicks do you normally have? Looks like you are going to have your hands full with all the babies running around. Can't wait to see the next pictures when this next group hatch. Take Care :)

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  19. What a wonderful surprise in every area of your corner of the world! The wind has been so harsh in our area that my pumpkins are just now starting to bloom, so I will get a late harvest. I just love your sweet motherly hens! Blessings, Kathleen

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  20. Oh wow Paula...Gosh I love coming here and reading about your chickens and your life.

    How neat to find the pumpkin surprise..we have a pumpkin patch, this is our third year and this year..everything is sooo wonderful looking, I need to take pictures and post them I guess.

    Love the box of goodies you got..how sweet of Linda.

    Put some of those chicks in a box and send them my way would you. When we get our new shed..i'm going to have to pick your brain for care and such..as we will be getting our chickens then.

    Have a wonderful day,
    Hugs,
    Doreen

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  21. Those sure are a lot of surprises!! I hope you have many many friends who like eggs :)>

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  22. Aren't surprises fun? And how about that Lil Terrorist- she's some gal!
    Hope your weekend is a lovely one-
    Blessings,
    Pam

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  23. Good luck on that brooder! You have the greates stories and photos!

    BTW, I just "tagged" you on my blog. You can go read my latest post to see what you need to do, if you so choose! Please don't feel obligated.

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  24. I am so happy about all your babies! WOW; Truly, it is a miracle coz I know with hawks, possums, skunks, and such,... -- they are sittin ducks when they are hiding out on a mess of eggs! Bet you are overjoyed!
    You my dear, have a BANTY-RANCH.
    ;)
    Lea
    your punkin surprise was great too! Love when that happens!

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  25. I love reading about your life on the farm....the pumpkin is already huge!! Neat!! The chicken in the rolled up fence is too funny. Cute, cute babies of the terrorist.

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  26. I just love visiting your blog..always something interesting and surprising at the Fraker Farm!
    p.s.
    I am having a giveaway in my embroidery blog....

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  27. Wow, that little hen amazes me. What a surprise to find eggs inside that roll of fence! It really makes you wonder how they decide where to hide their eggs. Oh wait a minute...these are chickens we're talking about!

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  28. Well Paula, there is never a dull moment on the Fraker Farm! You are so funny. I am so glad nothing happened to the Terrorist and that she is OK. (Sounds like one loose Chic if you ask me...) And your other one in that roll of wire sittin' on about 12 eggs??And what a surprise with the Pumpkin! I planted pumpkin seeds and I have no pumpkins on the vines and YOU, you didn't even take care of it and it has a pumpkin!!

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  29. What good surprises! Life's anything but boring on the farm!

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  30. I just love it!!!!! Your post just made my day today! I'm sitting here laughing at the terrorist and how she keeps winning and doing her own thing!!!! But the nest in the roll of fencing is just too much! PERFECT! You are going to be over run with little terrorists!!!!! Just be glad they aren't all kittens!!!!!

    Cora

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  31. Hello from New York! I'm totally in love with those baby chicks. I have to put my 3 geese in at night because we've got raccoons and coyotes galore. We lost one of our geese to a rabid raccoon, and I ended up getting rabies shots. I held my hurt girl when we took her to the vet. Couldn't help it. But then two years later, it happened again. That time the 'coon only made the goose bleed a bit, but we had the 'coon tested, and sure enough, it was rabid! Soooo, back to the doctor for more rabies shots. The goose is fine though(me too, and I'm ready to take on a pack of rabid racoons any day! Bring 'em on!)
    Your blog is so much fun, even commenting is fun! Love, Debra

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  32. Just had to stop by to see what's been happening at Fraker Farm. Looks like the Little Terrorist has been had at work again!

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  33. ROFL - you absolutely crack me up! That little terrorist banty is the best character ever. LOVE her newly hatched brood - she was just practicing before right? The one nesting in a roll of wire - strange how she has spaced them out - like a slot for Monday, Tuesday, - day off, Wednesday - ah God gives us animals to remind us how silly we seem to Him sometimes! Thanks for the laughs I needed that - BTW love "volunteer stuff" and that pumpkin is just wonderful.

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  34. Hi Paula, looks like lots of fun has been going on at your place! What a nice package from your friend! Don't those hens lay in the darndest places?! One of ours kept laying in a honeysuckle covered fence and of course they kept falling through~and getting eaten by that bad boy farm dog that we have.

    I have some of those surprise pumpkins, too~not sure what they'll be--there were a variety of decorative ones I through out for the chickens. Also have some volunteer squash~something I especially appreciate as some of mine died right off.

    Your chicks are so sweet. I'm hoping mine don't hatch out anymore for a while, though!

    R~Mary

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  35. I get such a kick out of your blog! You not only have great stories and insights, but you tell the stories in the most entertaining ways! I also have chickens and had to giggle reading about the antics of your chickens! Usually I am just a lurker, reading your posts and smiling, but today I wanted to compliment your wonderful blog!

    Juri

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  36. I love the pictures! The chicken in the roll of wire and the baby chicks. It's cool how the pumpkin came back by itself. And I always love mail surprises!

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  37. I love the chickens with the cheerios; but my doggies would probably freak out if a chicken got that close to them; except for my Murphy who was raised until 10 wks with chickens; Merrie

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