Donkeys with Hay and Flies

I've mentioned before how much I like hay.  I like the weight of it on the end of my pitch fork, and I like the way it smells like summer and tea leaves.  I even like to look closely at the individual pieces, and identify what plants it is.  The donkeys really like hay too, but they get to appreciate it's flavor.  They aren't picky about their hay, like the goats, and will eat hay that the goats have rejected.  I frequently pull all the big tough stems that collect in the bottom of the goat hay baskets and feed it to the donkeys.  They always appreciate it.  

I think Brandon likes hay too.  He likes the challenge of harvesting and storing it.  We have these circular thoughts about hay:  

We can buy hay - it's about fifteen dollars for a giant roll of not great quality hay, or three dollars for a bale, but it's a hassle to go get it.  Good hay grows for free in our fields, and we have to mow them anyway.  

With our tiny old tractor and the pull behind trail mower, Brandon can cut the hay.  It's not a clean cut with nice long fibers, like we would have if we used a real sickle bar cutter.  

We have an old hay rake that we borrowed from Joe.  Brandon can pull it with the jeep, and make long rows of cut hay in our fields.  He doesn't have as much control with the rake as he would if we had a powerful tractor.  

Once the hay has been raked a few times, we can scoop it up with pitchforks, and pile it on our wagon, then transfer it to the hay racks.  It's more labor than we would have to do if we had a strong tractor with a baling machine.  

Just imagine how much hay we could harvest if we had the right equipment!  Just imagine how much hay we could buy for the cost of all that equipment!   

Our hay racks are working out okay.  The original tarps we bought only lasted a year before they started to disintegrate.  This year we ordered a giant used billboard tarp. It advertises Planet Fitness on one side, and is black on the other.  Its very heavy duty material, and we got enough to cover all four racks from one big tarp.   With the billboard tarp draped over the top of the rack, our hay is staying dry.  We have a plan to upgrade our hay storage for next year.  

In this picture you can see the bald patch on Hattie's face were her tears run down.  She rubs her wet skin on things because it itches, which wears the hair off and makes her skin raw.  I think she itches because the wet skin attracts fly bites.  The vet says she has no tear ducts (I'm still unconvinced).  But, I think Hattie and I have figured out how to manage her leaky eyes better.  I've been rubbing coconut oil mixed with drops of lemongrass and eucalyptus essential oils on her face, twice a day.  It's the same concoction I use on myself to repel mosquitoes.  I hold a treat in my left hand and while she tries to pry it from my fingers with her lips, I rub the oil under her eyes and all over her face and on her ears.  She's not a great fan, but she's greedy enough for treats to allow it.    

Our little treat and face oil ritual is nice.  It guarantees that I spend a few minutes each morning and evening with the donkeys, feeding treats and giving hugs and pets.  They love to have their chins scratched and sometimes we end up in a big pile, with arms and necks draped over each other.  We all appreciate that the oil isn't toxic, and doesn't burn, too.  

To make sure we don't have more than our fair share of flies, I've maintained my monthly subscription for fly predators.  The box with tiny cocoons arrives in the mail each month, and I distribute them around the farm.  The teeny little wasp like insects that emerge from the cocoons are supposed to lay their eggs on the fly eggs in the manure piles, and kill the baby flies before they ever get old enough to bite Hattie on the nose.  I also ordered a couple of these sticky fly traps, which were recommended for stable flies, the kind that bite the animals on the legs and make them kick their feet.  

The traps sure have captured lots of insects.  Most of them appear to be flies, but there are a fair share of beetles and other bugs stuck to the trap too.  I really hope none of these are my fly predators!  

Egg Thief

For a few weeks now, we've been missing eggs.  We thought the hens were hiding them, like they do, and expected to find a nest in the hay, or tucked under something in the barn.  It wasn't until we started finding broken shells in the usual laying places that we started to get suspicious.  Who is eating our eggs?  I suspected our spare roosters, who are forced to steal their dinner from the watchful eye of Cogburn, the chief rooster.  To test, I placed an egg in each of the nests the hens usually use.  By nightfall, when the chickens were all tucked in bed, the eggs were still there.  The next morning, they were gone!  Not roosters then, it's something that comes in the night.  A rat?  A coon?  Now what?  

Because of this egg thief, we have had to use some of the frozen eggs I put away during the spring egg glut, which were supposed to be for use during the winter, when my old hens take a well earned break from laying.  An egg shortage always makes me wish for more chickens.  This hen must agree, because she was found sitting on a pile of eggs under the hay tarp.  Brandon and I waited until after dark, then moved her and all her eggs to a small crate, and locked them safely in the mobile coop.   There she sat, hardly moving, for three weeks.  

Right on schedule, she was up and moving about the coop with seven little fluff balls following her every move. 

Odds are, three or four of these new babies will be hens.  In six months, I'll have some young layers for my flock.  Young birds lay almost every day, and don't stop for as long in the winter.  The extra roosters will make some tasty meals, too. 

What Have I Been Up To?

I counted, and I have five blog posts waiting as drafts.  These posts have pictures loaded in them, to illustrate and remind me of the words I wanted to share with you, but I haven't taken the time to write the words down yet!  What have I been up to?  

For one thing, I've been trimming my trees.  It was just a few years ago when our side yard was an overgrown field, full of flowers and brambles.  Slowly, tiny tree seedlings began to poke their leaves above the tangle.  Now those little trees are starting to hold their own, and Brandon was able to drive the mower between the trees.  Suddenly a small forested park was born!  

Most of the little trees have multiple stems and many branches, giving them a wholly appearance.  I've been using my trusty clippers and saw to trim away some of the extra branches and make them look more like drawings of trees.  Tall thin trunks with branching tops.  It won't be long before we will have a shady canopy in our side yard instead of a sunny brush pile!  

I haven't spent all my time trimming trees though.  I got my car fixed after a bridge troll attack ruined my wheels.  I'm convinced it was a bridge troll because it is inconceivable that I would drive my car into the side of a bridge and cause myself all that trouble and expense.  With my newly repaired car, I drove all the way to the Atlantic ocean for a family beach camping odyssey.  Brandon and I had our twentieth wedding anniversary!  I cooked up a batch of tomato sauce with tomatoes and herbs from the garden.   I've been on several overnight trips for work.  We even bought and dismantled an entire greenhouse!  All these things have happened, but even without these extra adventures, my days are full to the brim - full of all good things!  

The pears are swelling and there is a whiff of fall in the morning air.   I make sure to stop occasionally to listen to the summer sounds as I go about my busy days.  Cicadas and katydids in the trees.  Crickets in the grass.  Baby chickens chirping in the coop.  Field sparrows and bob whites calling from the fields.  Toads singing from the tree lines.  Frogs croaking in the neighbors pond.  Brandon on the lawn mower!  Sounds like summer at home.  

How Does My Garden Grow?

I met a man whose last name was Rains.  He said when he was in school the kids would sing "rain, rain, go away," and he asked me if I got that to.  Yes!  It's like having a theme song.  So many people I meet immediately serenade me with this song.  If I was a Mary instead of a Rain, would mother goose ask me about my garden instead?  

My garden got off to such a good start.  The early greens in the greenhouse were prolific.  The seeds I planted turned into little plants.  The garden layout was more carefully considered this year, and we hauled over loads of old hay for mulch.  We even built a new compost bin and made some beautiful black gold.  Plus, it rained so much I never had to water the plants with the garden hose.  

I'm not complaining about the tomatoes, yet, but after dedicating so much space to the plants I expected to have more fruits.  I expected to have bushels of tomatoes!  I'll be happy  with baskets of tomatoes.  The plant in the photo above has more green fruits than it does leaves.  I'm not sure my soil is as nutritious as it will someday be.  

Tucked in the back corner of the garden, behind the compost bin, is a small patch that was thickly mulched with old hay.  In this space I planted lettuce, brussel sprouts, zinias, marigolds, cucumbers, and green beans.  The lettuce never amounted to enough for a harvest.  The brussel sprouts died.  The flowers are doing well, but they are buried in the weeds.   They make a pretty background for the cucumber vines.  

The cucumbers are taking over!  They are bitter, but they make wonderful cucumber water when slices and added to ice water.

The beans are climbing their skimpy trellis and making pods.  These are some of those cool heirloom beans that my friend gave me years ago.  I'm allowing one of the plants in the greenhouse to mature so I can harvest seeds for next year.  I'm doing it - I'm keeping the bean lineage alive!  

I should have brought a bigger basket.