First, it snowed about 12 inches in October, warmed back to about 50-60 degrees then snowed again back to a balmy -4 degrees at 9:30 on Dec 31.
On the happy side, my dad fixed the automatic chicken door so we do not have to go out in the morning. It is set on a timer, so we can decide when the chicken door comes open and closes.
The timer is also connected to a light because the chickens lay more eggs in when it is light, or if they are out side when it gets dark, instinct tells them that they should go to shelter so they go hide under the pine tree. If the light is on then they can see where the door is and they will go inside. As well we have the light so when we go to feed them and gather the eggs we can actually see.
Last is an update on Little orphan Annie, who really isn't an orphan anymore. First of all the next day my dad was woken up early because heard a lot of ruckus. He got up and checked on the cows to see what was wrong. He opened the curtains and saw Farlow (the surrogate) trying to kill Annie. She probably realized that Annie was not her calf so she chose the stronger one which was Henry. As the story plays out when we moved the bulls down from the back separation pasture and the girls dow the road to summer grazing they knocked our shed down and Eleanor injured three of her ankles. When we moved the bulls and since then made steers in with the cows and calves we moved Annie in as a pasture buddy for Eleanor. Annie soon figured out that Eleanor could not get away very well or at all because of her ankles so she kept her persistence and succeeded in nursing off of Eleanor. One day when we went out to milk we did not get a drop so from then on Annie is now our little fatted calf. SOOO.... when life gives us a calf with no mother and a mother with no calf (who's story will be in the next post) we put them together for a match made in heaven.
