Spring Heat Wave

Look at what the sun woke up today! We had a couple daffodils in the woodland garden too. Loving it! It got even warmer today – 30’C in the back paddock. We had a nice breeze to start the day off. The goats and the donkeys were all up in the woods when I got out there. The ducks and the chickens high tailed it up the path to join them. I switched to my shoes today. Might need my big boots again next week … I wore my socks over the bottom of my pants. The chickens are finding something delicious in the leaves. I suspect there are quite a few ticks in those piles. I haven’t found them on the donkeys – yet.

I remember my grandmother saying our blood was still ‘winter thick’ when we first hit warm spring days. As I worked away removing the cardboard insulation out of the goat house, and removed their south facing windows, and fixed the pneumatic lift on the duck water room, and unloaded the feed from the truck bed, and did a dump run … (phew)… I can attest to feeling like I was carrying around heavy blood!

The chickens, on the other hand, are thriving on finding bugs again. And green shoots. They are everywhere you go here. Up in the woods, in the back of the donkey’s hay shelters, in the duck house, in the back of the donkey’s barns, under the tractor. There are 17 hens and Paddy (the rooster). He runs up and down – and up and down – the hill trying to soothe those laying eggs and protect those hunting bugs.

I was inside for an afternoon break from the sun when I noticed the blackbirds fly up out of the front yard. As I glanced out the window Paddy was running top speed up the hill with a group of hens in front of him. He looked a little more intense than usual … I stood up to look… and there was a HUGE hawk down in the garden. I was out the front door and clapping the hawk off with an eye to where the hens were. Paddy had herded most of them away. And these two girls came crawling out of a log pile. Hmmm… we may have a predator problem on our hands…

Once Paddy had everyone rounded up in the back paddock I brought them out a millet treat for a reward. Of course this required a handful of peanuts for the donkeys. Hehehe. I sent them off to let the chickens relax with their spread.

This warm weather has kicked the goats into shedding mode. Dottie has large clumps of loose undercoat wafting out all over. I installed new brushes for them – one on the hillside – one in their Cafe. They are not fans of being brushed. I will need to put them in a head hold and give them some relief. In the meantime the heat is really knocking them out in the afternoon. Good time for a siesta!

By the end of the afternoon my feet were happy to take a break! Tomorrow is going to be more of the same. Here’s to sunshine – gentle breezes – and the sounds of peepers in the spring.