dachshunds

6 04, 2018

Presents from the Dachshunds

By |2018-04-05T09:23:46-05:00April 6th, 2018|Friday on the Miller Farm, Miller Farm Friday|1 Comment

A blog by Chicken Wrangler Sara

I have had to accept the fact that part of living on a farm is living with rodents. The rat population varies from season to season.  We do what we can to keep it under control.  We’ve put traps in the garage and poison in the shed.

The rats like to share the chicken feed and the hens and roosters tend to be pretty selfish.  We also don’t need to feed any free loading animals.

I have also had to accept the fact that dachshunds catch and kill small animals.  They are not particular as to which small animals making the chickens on the wrong side of the fence fair game.  This is unfortunate.

In the “fortunate” column is the tendency the dachshunds have to hunt and kill rats. Penelope and Bella are particularly good at this endeavor.  Yesterday I let the dogs out while I checked eggs and fed the chickens.  When I was ready to get the dogs back in the house I discovered a present.I’m not sure who brought it to me but I am always grateful for the help with rodent control.

17 01, 2014

Under Construction – Miller Farm Friday

By |2014-01-17T06:00:29-06:00January 17th, 2014|Friday on the Miller Farm, Miller Farm Friday|2 Comments

A blog by Chicken Wrangler Sara

Our neighbors are moving.  It is a good thing for them, but sad for us.  It means their house is for sale and real estate agents get grumpy when they have to sell a house next door to chickens.

We’ve been through this with the neighbors on the other side. We prayed and prayed and God sent a single woman who loves the chickens.  She even comes outside to watch them.

The new neighbors on the other side will not have that pleasure.  A privacy fence is going up.

fence1I don’t take it personally.  Not everyone loves chickens the way we do.

The process is actually very stressful for the entire Miller farm.  Strange people are walking around next door, which requires a certain amount of barking on the part of the dachshunds. Of course, some of the dachshunds (Bella) believe that life requires a certain amount of barking all the time.

Then there is the dreaded air compressor.

Fortunately, I have experience with air compressors. Experience being that there is one in the garage, which moves on the front porch when Bee Keeper Brian is building something.

I know that it randomly comes on and makes noise so I’m not startled. The chickens, on the other hand, have never seen the air compressor in our garage and so when the one next door started making noise, they all rushed to the opposite side of the yard.

The fence is finished now. fence2

No more strange people or noises next door. We actually can’t tell what is next door.  All we see is this beautiful fence.

bella and fence2

Tucker is confused. He can’t see his friend Gus, the miniature schnauzer who lives next door, anymore.

Bella keeps barking at the fence hoping to scare it away.

The good news is the chickens won’t be flying into the neighbor’s yard on that side. They can’t see that the grass is greener.

As I stood in our back yard I couldn’t help but think of the show “Home Improvement” and wonder if our new neighbors will be named “Wilson.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

25 01, 2013

Goose eggs, adolescent roosters, and bullied hens – Miller Farm Friday

By |2013-01-25T07:00:00-06:00January 25th, 2013|Friday on the Miller Farm, Miller Farm Friday, Uncategorized|3 Comments

Welcome our very special Friday Guest blogger, Chicken Wrangler Sara and another tale from the Miller Farm.

Adolescent roosters are some of the most horrid creatures on earth, which makes putting them on death row much less traumatic for me. However, their imminent demise does nothing for the poor hens they harass until they reach a size large enough to eat. 

One poor hen, named Whitey, has been jumped on so many times I believe her right leg is broken. #2 Daughter Rachel and I found her trying to get through the fence and under the shed. 

Enter Chicken Wrangler Sara wearing her chicken rescue cape. 

Future nurse Rachel decided Whitney should spend  time in the Miller Chicken Infirmary until her leg healed. She reinforced the sides of a wooden crate, gave Whitey a bath (yes, you read that correctly, she bathed a chicken), then put the clean hen in the crate in her bedroom.

Then Future Nurse Rachel went out of town leaving me in charge.

Whitney in her bed

This is not the first fowl to be in the house. Remember, we had two rescued  roosters who were much kinder than any roosters we have right now.

Eventually I moved Whitey to the garage where she spent the night.

In the morning, I set her out in the yard (while the dachshunds were inside) and cleaned her crate. Marv, our big, old lab mix, found this change in the routine very interesting.

Marv and Whitney

Whitey ate some grass and hobbled around a bit. Before I left to volunteer at the food pantry, I returned her to her crate in the garage and secured the dachshunds inside the kitchen.

In the afternoon, Whitney spent more time outside in the yard although I’m suspicious that the roosters have spotted her. They lined the fence watching with great interest.

Fortunately, they cannot get over the fence so Whitey is safe.

I considered splinting her leg, but wasn’t sure how to go about it. I wasn’t keen on researching how to set chicken legs – cooking them maybe, but not setting them. 

In fact, one of my piano students asked why we didn’t just eat Whitey. I explained that we don’t eat any of the chickens we have named.

Just can’t do it.

Not only do I have to keep an eye on Whitey, with Rachel gone, I must turn the goose eggs in the incubator three times a day. I forgot. When Beekeeper Brian got home from work, he turned them. Since they can’t tell time, he assured me they would be fine.

We’ve decided I may be Chicken Wrangler Extraordinaire, but I’m no Mother Goose.

Future Nurse Rachel and I have also started walking the four dogs. We each take two dachshunds and provide entertainment for anyone driving down the street along with exercise for the dogs and ourselves.

Since Rachel was not home this afternoon, I took all four dogs on my own. After fighting twisted leads and pulling dogs, I’ve decided I could probably drive a bobsled now.

Tomorrow Rachel returns. I will be so happy to have her assistance with dachshunds and goose eggs.

Sunday the roosters go to death row. Whitney will return to the hen yard and be safe.

By Monday, the Miller Chicken Infirmary will close and life will return to normal – whatever that is.

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