Autumn in the Rockies

Pumpkin Flowers

Fresh Eggs

Barbie laid her first egg on July 12th. We woke up to her melodious BAGAK! that morning. I thought some animal was trying to get in the coop so I sent John and Addy running outside while I pulled some pants on. No predators. We headed back inside and I got to thinking later about what I had read about singing chickens. Turns out the ladies will sing a little ditty when they lay so I headed out to the coop and checked in the nest box and there it was. A perfect, little white egg. Barbie was so proud she posed for a picture with it!

Fried started laying a few days later and we have been getting around 9 eggs a week for the last couple of months. They eggs are great. I have made a lot of fabulous hard boiled eggs with them and they are fun to give away to friends, family, and neighbors. Our neighbors to the south got the first half dozen since they have been so nice about our girls and they showed interest in trying farm fresh eggs.

 

You can see the difference between our fresh eggs and the store bought eggs by the color of the yolks. Our yolks are a lot brighter. I couldn't say I notice a huge difference in taste but I know our fresh eggs are healthier.

Tucker

My poor old man dog is starting to show his age. Tucker developed a rash and a small mass on his stomach about a month ago so I took him to the vet for the first time in a long time. The dermatology vet was not sure what the mass was so Tucker and I met with a general practice vet. Turns out the mass is the least of his problems at the moment (since it is not cancerous). Tucker has  a couple teeth that need to be pulled, he is arthritic, he may have a slipped disc in his back and he has Chronic Kidney Disease.

Fortunately we caught the kidney disease early and we can manage it with food and eventually meds. The vet has been a.m.a.z.i.n.g. through this process. Tucker was diagnosed on 08/29/14 and the vet called me everyday through the holiday weekend to check on Tucker and see how he was reacting to the new food and pain medication. That was way above and beyond anything I expected. I really appreciated it because at that point we did not know how advanced the kidney disease was. Tucker has been poked and prodded and shaved and prodded again and he has handled it in stride. I had to leave him with the vet on Tuesday so they could do an ultrasound. The vet ended up finishing her afternoon rounds with Tucker in tow. He is so spoiled!

If you have never seen a doped up dog it is both sad and comical. The meds made Tucker seem drunk. He could not walk in a straight line and he struggled to keep his back end up and operational. After a few days of that we decided to discontinue the pain meds. He seems to be doing fine,he is even enjoying his new prescription doggy food.

The Barn

John and I have wanted a shed for some time now. Recently it dawned on me that I might be able to find an affordable one on Craigslist. Turns out you can but you have to act fast. After a couple sheds slipped through our fingers we were able to buy this little 7x4x3 beaut for a quarter of what a new one costs. It is a couple of years old and in great shape. 

We have had this sitting in pieces on the side of the house for a month now while we got the backyard straightened up. John and I were able to get it together in about an hour yesterday. We will use it to store feed, hay, bedding, tools and other animal accoutrements so I am calling it the barn. The urban farm barn.  

Duncan "Dunk-Punk"

 

We gave Duncan the nickname Dunk-Punk the day he came home with us and he has lived up to it ever since. I think he has rabbit ADHD. The recent infusion of testosterone in his little body has not helped any.  Duncan reached maturity about a month ago and went from pesky to aggressive. I have given more time-outs to this bunny then I have every given to my daughter.

 

 

 

Last week Duncan had his bunny berry removal surgery. To us the term bunny berries means bunny poop and bunny boy bits. I think you know which one I am referring to in this case. Duncan came through surgery like a champ with no complications. .

I decided to let Duncan out today for the first time in a week to stretch his legs. It didn't last long. He caused one fight, took a chunk of fur out of Angel and mounted his brother Charlie so back to the bunny condo he went. He is going to have to be exercised on his own for a month of two to let the testosterone leave his system.  He is definitely a punk but we love him.

Handsome Bunny