Critter Update

I'm in the middle of several projects and so I'll wait to update you on my progress. Until then let me tell you what's happening with the critters in our world. This doe mule deer attacked our house cat Reginald for just walking across OUR yard. Yup, she came head down feet stopping after him when he came out of the garage and attempted to saunter slowly across the yard. No, no fawns were in tow. She was all by herself. Luckily the kids were at the breakfast table and witnessed with me the whole scene.
The cat escaped back into the garage.

We've kittens galore of three different ages at the corrals. This is one of the littlest ones.

Along with one of its siblings.

And I've grown rather fond of this Siamese looking one. We have tabbys, greys, calicoes, and black and white ones but these two are a novelty. I've called this kitten Danny. The name can easily be changed to Danielle if it is indeed a she, not a he. I hope it survives as few kittens each year do. Often none make it through the winter despite my feeding milk and cat food. I've yet to see the father of these two kittens. It is obviously a Siamese as we have none of that breed in our queens.
And the cats that mass around the entrance to the milking shed are what keeps our youngest grand daughter occupied while I'm milking. One day it was particularly entertaining as we watched the grey kitten and the white kitten take turns sticking their heads out from under the shed's door. A slightly older black and white kitten waited outside trying to thump them on the head making it a game between the three of them.
And a challenge for me to photograph.

In the chicken coop, I'm still kneeling in manure every few days trying to catch a decent picture of the elusive Austrolorp that's comb is not developing. I'm giving her until the middle of November to get her act together. The last few days I've been getting five eggs a day between the older hens and the pullets. Whoo... hoo... how I love fresh eggs!

The hen that was just starting to get her feathers back has most of them in now. My how they grow rapidly. She still looks like a rag muffin though.

Not nearly as bad as this frightful looking hen. And is she cranky about her looks. If she doesn't like the way another hen looks at her, my oh my, does she give them a peace of her mind and sometimes a peck to boot. One such hen nearly lost its head the other day. I told it one more move like that (it was picking on the young hens) and it was headed for the pot. Yes, it quit. It isn't always necessary to understand the language of another to understand one is in BIG trouble.

And yes, I still have the triplets of Chicory's. The whether was suppose to go bye bye a long time ago but alas he is still here so he just might be headed for our freezer in a couple months if no-one claims him.

And though I'd love to show you some nice pictures of the does, they just won't hold still and if I come anywhere near them, here they come on the run. I've been trying for weeks to get a decent photograph, alas, nothing. We've still got tattooing to do and get rid of a couple scurs growing. Too much to do and little ones underfoot make it impossible to get them all done.

Right now I'm trying to get my hubby to help me move the two beehives. After going through the hive boxes to remove the bees and flipping the bottom stand to shrink the entrance on the hives, I came home thoroughly stung. These are the same hives the kids and I sat within a couple feet of the entrances and watched. I've never been so late in the year to get this task done. The weather is turning colder and since I robbed honey boxes to shrink the size and weight of the hives, I commit ed a crave sin. Many solders (worker bees) in defense of their home lost their lives. Working as a team they ganged up where ever my joints bent and the fabric of my suit pressed against my skin. My elbows joint took a brutal beating with over thirty stings on one arm alone.

Not being lingual in bee humming, I couldn't tell them I'd give the honey back so I just suffered through until I was done.

Kirk went out after dark and to help me close up the hive's entrances for transport but after being stung right away and watching the bees begin to gather at the bottom entrance for flight cursing in a very angry hum, he said he was going home until the weather was below zero and too cold for them to come out and fight.

By then the army will starve and so I'll slip out there after the kids are in bed either tonight or tomorrow night with some honey water to feed them and see if I can't sweet talk them into a better mood. Then by Friday maybe we can move them without so big a commotion. I'll have to tape them up good though and then ask my husband to join me for the move. No way is he willing to suffer massive stings.