Vegetables, fruit, and eggs

Well it's that time in the year when all the fall fruit is ready on the trees. Our pear tree is overflowing this year. None of the fruit will win a medal for beauty, but the taste is wonderful.

This was our first ever pumpkin. 

The spaghetti squash was quite the over-achiever this year with it's harvest. This is half of them. The sheep have already eaten a lot.

The bell pepper plant on the deck gave us 2 peppers that are ready to be picked. 

And here is a sample of the egg variety we are having. From left to right we have the mammoth egg by the mystery layer, pale green, pale pink and pale blue are the easter eggers, Rosalie's brown egg is next and finally we think this might be Annabelle's first egg as it seems to be bantam sized. We are still waiting for the silkies to get laying :) I believe their eggs are a creamy color.

Fall has arrived here and I am starting to look at breeding groups for the sheep in the next week. Let the fun begin.

Our newest house guest

On Saturday my partner asked me if I saw the mouse that one of our barn cats Miss Kitty had killed that morning. There was a tiny baby beside it. We didn't think the baby was alive at first. It was very cold and barely breathing. She put it in the sun with some hay to warm up while we mucked out and I think we both expected to find it dead when we had finished. But no he's a fighter (we think he's a he lol). 

So inside he came to get warmed up. He drank pedialyte for a day before starting on soy milk baby formula. He needs to drink from a piece of rag as everything else is too big for him.

He weighs less than an ounce. And for now he goes by the name Mighty Mouse. I'm happy to say he is doing very well...even if he does get his formula all over himself. His eyes are even beginning to open.

I guess we need to buy him a little cage with a wheel :) Hopefully he continues to be healthy and grow strong.

Finally sheep

I know I promised a sheep post a week or more ago but life went rather busy on me. Anyway it is a lovely day today, so I spent some time with the girls' in one of the small paddocks as the boys' enjoyed the pasture. 

Can you spot the sheep?

There she is.

This paddock needs mowing as the weeds are taking over the grass. Not that Sabrina is complaining.

Or Jewel.

Or any of the other girls' for that matter.

All of the girls' are doing great. I need to change a few coats for the next size up. I'd also like to get hooves trimmed this month. It's not long before I start breeding groups, which is always a fun time (trying to keep girls' away if they are not breeding). Oh and don't tell the sheep, but we have our first easter egger eggs this week. Aren't they pretty? Rosalie is still laying about 6 eggs a week too.

Have a great weekend everyone :)

Busy weekend

I apologize in advance for another chicken post. I promise the next one will be sheep related. Our labor day weekend was spent building a chicken pen that can be moved onto a fresh area of grass every day. 

It's 8ft by 8ft and the girls' seemed to really like it.

They already have the hang of waiting by the coop and pen door and then running to the new pen for their grass.  Annabelle has to be carried over, but she/he? still moves around just fine, and isn't getting picked on.

Rosalie is still our only egg layer so far and has given us 5 eggs in 6 days. I'm sure the others will start this month now they are 5 months old.

The cats like the pen too and are really enjoying 'chick TV' :) This is Sugar our abandoned barn cat. She's a sweetheart, hence the name.

Anyway that's all for today. I have college now and won't get to be home until it is dark. It's going to be a long day. I hope everyone had a great weekend.

What eggcellent surprise

Yeah it's a cheesy title I know. But today we got our first egg! 

It is small but perfectly formed, and great for a first attempt. My powers of deduction lead me to believe that it is from Rosalie our Buff Orpington.

I know what I am having for lunch today :)

What a nice day

The weather is lovely here in Massachusetts today. Not hot or humid, and not cold or rainy. If I was Goldilocks I would think it was just right. The geese are migrating, and in the evening they fly over the house calling each other.

The chickens run to the front of their pen every morning (or time I walk past) to see what I will drop in for them.

Miss Kitty (one of the barn cats) caught me a mouse today and then sat in the shade after she had eaten it...she was kind enough to leave the head on the barn floor. 

The sheep are happy enjoying the grass. After all the rain we had last month everything sort of exploded and grew. Amelia is mid-ear wag.

Daisy Mae is doing well and growing. She still feels thin but is getting better.

Jacqui is also growing very well, and has settled in great.

I don't have pictures but I have been riding again. I had my third ride back today and worked on getting Muppet in front of my leg. So far he has been super, and we are both having a good time getting back into work. Unfortunately college starts back on Friday so my summer vacation is over. I hope everyone had a great summer though.