And now it starts

When I decided to start a small novelty farm the only thing I wanted was to experience one winter before bringing on the animals.  Now Elliott the horse was already here so just getting fencing up and a stall made in the barn seemed like plenty to keep me busy the first winter.  Well when it starts it just keeps coming.

 

We just finished this when the weather started to turn bad.  I have become a frequent shopper at Tractor Supply and this is where the next animal came from. It was a little chicken running around the parking lot of tractor supplies. Rescue is a big part of me that being said I just could not leave the little chicken there so I brought it home.

   

Elliott and the chicken became good friends from the get go. I soon just stated calling the chicken Tractor Supply baby and a week or so later. One of my new friends on the island sends me this add for Free chicken food and tells me it is close by check it out. Well that landed me 14 more chickens and no food. That's another story. 

 Now life with a horse and 15 chickens is a trip as I am clueless about being a country girl and need to ramp up my learning.  I was just getting use to how to feed them and what, then the eggs start. They are laying them every where. I am told I have 2 roosters. That's wrong there is 5 roosters and 10 hens. Those Damn Rooster are constantly jumping the hens. It is almost an X rated barn any more. Well to keep ahead of the chickens I had help getting a roost made for them and some boxes to lay them eggs in. Life is settling in the holidays came and went had lots of company and good times. 

 Now comes the next add, re-homing three dwarf Nigerian goats.

 Well I never made it through the first winter to get every thing ready for the animals.  I am scrambling to get everything set up for all. Now they are all in the same barn but I have decided another building is necessary for all the chickens. I have learned the hard way they do well in cold but no moisture in the coop it cause frost bite. So the horse and goats along with the chickens create a lot of moisture and the frost from this was my battle. I drilled holes all over the barn, left two window open and the doors never sealed tight. I could not keep the moisture out and two roosters got frost bit. They are now in my kitchen for a little more than a week while they heal up. The cock-a-doodle-do shit every 5 minutes will be the death of me.  I have survived the arctic vortex. As soon as we can reach at least the teens these boys are going back to the barn.  

My first rescue since I got to the island

I am on my weekly trip to town to do laundry, buy food and get a wheelbarrow. My last stop is Tractor supply to get a wheelbarrow. As I walked to the register to ask about the wheelbarrow I see the door open. The door opens again and I see a bird walking in front of the doors. I did't know what it was but thought it was strange hanging around a business. As we looked up prices the door opens again. A guy says you have a chicken out here. Clerk says ,"not ours". The next person comes in and again tells them there is a chicken outside. Now it has been raining all day and the chicken is trying to stay dry up by the door that opens when it tries to get shelter, scares it and then it runs away. I had to go out side to check the size wheelbarrow I wanted and watched as the chicken dodge rain, people and a steady moving door.
I went back in paid and came out and moved the van to get it loaded. The whole time watching all the foot traffic that went by this chicken, thinking who leaves a chicken in a shopping plaza. I got all loaded and went back in side and told the clerk I am going to rescue this chicken if someone come looking for it give them my phone number. She replied I don't know who you are Sue. So Rescue has no limits. Who knew, a chicken in a shopping plaza. It looks like all my farm critters are going to be rescues too.

 

 

She now has the name of Tractor Supply baby