Archive for July, 2009

Darwin's survival of the fittest demonstrated.

Wednesday, July 29th, 2009

A couple years ago I got four roosters and one hen from my local Freecycle group. I wanted chickens to help with the bug population that plague my horses. The chickens were given free run of the property and quickly adjusted to our rhythms, cleaning up after the horses and eating bugs with abandon.

I knew with one hen there were bound to be issues. Sure enough many cock fights ensued. Still somehow they managed to not only survive but thrive. A few months later the hen hatched out a nice brood. I was delighted with the growth of my chicken population but it was short lived. The hen allowed her chicks to get too close to the horses and while stomping bugs they also stomped chicks. She managed to save two chicks from that brood one of which was a hen.

The next season both hens hatched out two separate broods. By the end of the summer I had 35 chickens. Now we were getting somewhere!

The cocks continued to fight and occasionally one would be killed so the numbers fluctuated a bit but still we had a decent sized flock of chickens working on the bug problem.

Fast forward to this year. I had four hens sitting on nests and was anxiously awaiting the hatchlings. Suddenly they began disappearing. Had they moved out to the woods? Had they become victims of some predator? Maybe the stray cats got them?

Finally the answer came: raccoons. For the first time in five years we had a coon family moving into the neighborhood and they were feasting on my chickens! One day I looked around to find I had a solitary hen left.

That did it. Time to relocate the coon family. Altogether we found four, so far anyway. One day a couple weeks after the coons were removed the hen showed up with a new brood. She had nine little hatchlings! I have no idea how she managed to escape the raccoons during her approximately 21 days of sitting on that nest, but I am delighted she did.

That determined little hen demonstrated Darwin’s theory splendidly.

Things were going great until a visiting dog went after the chicks and managed to kill two. Now we’re down to seven. The dog will not be returning. Sometimes Darwin needs a little help.

So now we cheer the little hen on as she continues her vigilant watch over her remaining chicks. If she has her way we’ll have another chicken population explosion next year. The horses are rooting for her too!

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Posted in Birds, Observations and anecdotes | 3 Comments »

Who says horses don't have a sense of humor?

Sunday, July 26th, 2009

For some time now I have been meaning to take a look at Rusty’s lip tattoo. I wanted to get the number and look up his history from the Jockey Club. He came to me with a sketchy history and no idea of his original name. He is a real character with a quirky personality so naturally I was curious about his background.

Well yesterday was the day. I got him from the pasture and brought him to the grooming/tacking area. After liberally applying fly spray (the bugs are awful this year), he was able to stand still long enough for me to curl back his upper lip. While this doesn’t hurt the horse, Rusty definitely doesn’t like it. After several false starts I finally got the lip in a position where I could read his tattoo.

I barely got the whole number when Rusty let loose with a big sneeze and blew gunk all over my face and head. Ewwwww. That was no accident. Rusty was laughing so hard that I half expected him to fall to the ground. Of course horses are way too cool to actually do that but all you had to do was look in his eyes to see the mirth.

Rusty has a twisted sense of humor.

After that we had a lovely arena ride. He gave me a super smooth collected trot that more than made up for his earlier antics. All in all it was a very good day.

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Posted in Horses, Observations and anecdotes | 3 Comments »

Clint Ritchie Horse Herd Dispersal

Saturday, July 18th, 2009

Photo courtesy of Clint Ritchie fan club.

Photo courtesy of Clint Ritchie fan club.

When Clint Ritchie died this past January he left behind a living, breathing, legacy, a herd of 30 horses. They are a combination of horses that he personally rescued and some that he bred on his ranch.

Clint, an actor, was well known and much loved for his role as Clint Buchanan on the ABC daytime drama, One Life to Live. From all accounts he was a committed horseman who took excellent care of his herd. However, he overlooked one very important aspect of their care: he failed to leave a will expressing his wishes for the horses upon his death. As a result, the county he resided in bears the responsibility of resolving his estate, which includes the horses. Clint’s rescued horses now need to be rescued. I can’t help thinking that this is not the outcome Clint Ritchie would have wanted and it could have easily been prevented. (See my June post: What Happens to My Pet(s) When I Die?)

Fortunately for the horses, the county asked Northern California Equine Rescue to handle the dispersal. They could just as easily have sold them off at auction and left them to whatever hand fate dealt. The county and rescue deserve huge kudos for stepping up in such an honorable way, particularly during a time when there are already huge numbers of horses needing homes and resources are stretched so thin.

Whether you’re a fan of Clint Richie or a horse lover you can help. Visit the rescue’s site for details on how you can help Clint’s horses find their happy ending.

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Law of Attraction, Bojangles, and a burned out headlight

Wednesday, July 8th, 2009

For a couple of years I’ve been contemplating getting a feeder calf or two. Problem is lack of pasture. I’m already feeding the horses hay year around which is a budget buster. Ideally organic, grass-fed beef is the way to go.

Last week I attended an auction planning to pick up a couple of goats to help keep my fence rows clean. There were no goats, but there were four young calves. (I’ve been to this particular auction a number of times and never seen calves.) Intrigued I thought if they went for less than $50 I should get one. But these were very young and looked to be Jerseys. Jerseys are great for milk production but are they good beef cattle? What does one feed such a young calf? By the time we got home it would be far too late to shop. While I was contemplating all of this, all four sold for bargain prices.

Then I began thinking that perhaps I could talk to the seller to see if he had any more available. If yes, I could pick one or two up at my leisure and be prepared for their arrival. My daughter, who was with me, went over to the holding area to look for the farmer. A short time later she returned and told me that one of the buyers had changed his mind and would be happy to sell his calf, which turned out to be the best of the four and not a Jersey.

That’s the short version of how I ended up with a Texas Longhorn calf in the back of my XUV. Thankfully he fit, but boosting him up there was a challenge.

I marveled at how Law of Attraction (LOA), had delivered what I wanted at a great price and the right time of year. But LOA had still more to deliver that night. On the way home I realized that one of my headlights was out, a good way to attract a ticket. So I set my intention to be invisible to police and expected the best.

Up ahead on the road was a mandatory sobriety checkpoint. Lots of police. I repeated my intention and pulled up. After answering the basic questions and explaining that we were heading home from an auction with a calf in the back, we were sent on our way without even a mention of the headlight!!

We arrived home safely and tucked the little guy in with some warmed milk. He’s temporarily residing in the play yard with Saphyre, our standard poodle. Which brings me to yet one more aspect of LOA.

Bojangles & Saphyre

Bojangles & Saphyre

The little guy, dubbed Bojangles, is getting plenty of exercise because Saphyre insists on rousing and herding him several times a day. They’ve become fast friends and thanks to Bojangles, Saphyre is significantly less hyperactive. That amazing Universe takes care of even the smallest details.

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Posted in Dogs, Observations and anecdotes | 3 Comments »