Goodbye Sarge

Sunset over the barn

It's a feeling I never get used to... the feeling that comes over me whenever I lose a member of my farm family. No matter how many animals I've lost (and believe me, it's been a bunch...) I still have a hard time wrapping my mind around the fact that they're gone.
Gone.
Even days afterwards I'm still counting heads and missing one....

Yesterday I lost one of my favorite hens in the whole world... Sarge.
Now just for the record, Sarge was no sweet cuddly chicken who loved to be picked up and held or made on over... but she was so unique and quirky it was laughable and this endeared her to me. She was odd-looking from the beginning; she had a huge comb that made you swear at first glance she was a rooster, and beautiful dark plumage around her head and neck that gave way to golden mottled feathers on her back and bottom. But it was her personality that made her such a hoot... almost like a drill sergeant she made the other hens walk the line. There was no question who was at the top of the pecking order in her coop, and if you tried to buck the system you were rewarded with a swift peck on the head. And when I came to the coop with treats, the other hens would gleefully come running while Sarge would cock her head to the side and glance at me with one eye as if to say, "this better be good."

I was so very sad when I found the pile of beautiful feathers she had left behind in her struggle with the predator, but I had to smile when I saw another pile... then another pile... I have no doubt she put up some kind of fight, and I had to chuckle when I pictured the predator thinking to itself that she was probably the toughest piece of meat it had ever tried to devour.
Her sister and constant companion Big Bird is very silent and still today... almost as if she is missing her and waiting for her to come back.

I started to post a picture of the feathers that were left behind, but then I thought, "no, that's not fitting enough for Sarge".... so instead I'll post my favorite picture of her- the way I will always remember her, with her head tilted and giving me the "look".

Sleep tight, Sarge..... you will be missed.

Alive and Cluckin'

Sarge has made a full recovery and wants to thank all of her well-wishers for your sweet words. She has taken back her position as Head Hen in the coop and is making sure everybody knows she's Sarge, large and in charge once more.

There is something I've always wondered, though.... am I the only one that sees the resemblance here?

This weekend was full of activity up at the barn- it's undergoing an extreme makover right now! I'll be posting pictures of the changes we've made in upcoming posts, plus a peek at my new and improved potting shed from last year.

And no bees as of yet- Dad says it may be the end of April before they arrive. I can't wait!

Sarge on sick leave

After a couple of days of looking sick and depressed, Sarge has been put in Intensive Care. (i.e., the laundry room.) We feared she was egg-bound the first of last week, but she seemed to perk up after a day or two. However, yesterday she started acting lethargic again and standing around with her tail feathers drooping. So this morning she received a good dose of medicine in the form of a liquid antibiotic and some electrolyte, and now is convalescing in private. Hopefully this will help her feel better soon... Sarge is my favorite green-egger and I would be very sad if anything happened to her.







On a happier note- my Dad surprised me yesterday with the news that he has ordered some honey bees for me! YAY! My dad kept bees for years but lost his hive about two years ago. I mentioned once to him that if he would teach me everything he knew about them then I would love to try bee keeping, so he not only ordered us bees, but also built two brand new hives! Since my dad is a carpenter, I have no doubt these hives are built very well and should last us a very long time. I'm so excited! He also gave me this wonderful book....



I've only had enough time to skip through it so far, but it has some awesome information in it- everything from how to maintain your hive to making beeswax candles!



Well, I'm off to check on Sarge again before I go outside and dig around in my raised beds.

Happy Monday, everybody!

Hostage Crisis, Part II (Here we go again...)

Well, our little terrorist is at it again.... she's decided to give motherhood another try. This time she is sitting on one of her own eggs, but she has also taken two LARGE green eggs hostage as well. I told Hubby that if she wants to be broody, then broody she will be. We waited until dark last night, then moved her (and her hostages) to her own private little brood coop away from everybody else. This way she will have her own space, and won't be scaring Sarge and the rest of the girls away from the nest. And let me tell you, Sarge and the girls are very happy about it, although it's hard to tell from this picture....




I'm also very anxious to see how these chicks turn out. After all, this is the father......

Hamburger, you should really be ashamed of yourself. I mean, SHE'S HALF YOUR SIZE FOR HEAVEN'S SAKE.

But I know you're not the least bit ashamed, so don't even try to hide.

Don't just stand there, feed me!

Good Morning. Allow me to introduce myself. I'm Sarge. I'm in charge around here. Nobody does anything until it's O.K. by me. We've got a little problem here. See, there's this chick in overalls and funny-looking boots that comes in here everyday with the good stuff- you know, corn?
Anyway, she won't let me have any until she talks to me first. Then, she wants to pet me. And I'm not a touchy-feely kind of gal, either. But I go along with it to humor her. And also because she feeds me corn from her hand.
Jeez, when will these stupid humans ever learn.