The hummingbirds and indigo buntings have returned to my terrace garden. The buntings perch on the end of a gutter to survey the area. Next stop is this bit of decorative ironwork. When they’re sure it’s safe, they proceed to the bird feeder for a meal. The hummingbirds aren’t dining at our place yet [...]
Very bad weed! Hundreds of these young burdock plants have appeared in the pasture, the gardens, in full sun and shade. Sure, they look innocent now. And yes, I know the mature roots are edible and even useful in therapeutic preparations. (More about that another day…)
It’s the burrs that cause the problems. They’re often called [...]
The goslings took their first swim this afternoon while I cleaned the brooder. Ralphie, our English Shepherd, stayed close and guarded them from the gang of bully roosters. He wouldn’t let the other dogs come near either.
This morning I got the call as I was heading to the barn to milk the cow. My peeps had arrived at the local post office on the morning truck.
The 22 turkey poults and 8 goslings made the trip from the hatchery well and are settling in nicely. The turkeys are Kardosh Bronzes, a [...]
The Kardosh Bronze turkey poults can’t stand still for more than a second. They’re healthy, alert, and busily exploring every inch of the old hog waterer we recycled into a brooder pen a few years ago.
These American Buff goslings will spend their first week in the hose-out brooder. My genius husband built this brooder from the shell of our old dishwasher. It’s the easiest to clean and sanitize – a big plus. Waterfowl babies are MESSY! It’s also the most heat efficient of our brooders.
Fields covered with large swaths of lavender-tinted flowers are a common sight in rural Missouri this time of year. Pretty weeds, that’s all they are. Just henbit. You probably have a few here and there in your yard. They’re not particularly noticible in small numbers.
Henbit (Lamium amplexicaule) is a winter [...]
A different view, showing the leaves. Henbit blooms in late winter and early spring. It started in late January here at the farm and didn’t seem too bothered by freezing weather.
