One Never Sleeps Late In The Barnyard

Remember I said that since school is now out, I could probably sleep a little later? Well...all of you who have barn yard critters know sleeping late is not in the manual of owning barnyard critters..... also, my internal clock is set to automatically awaken at 5:45, with the help of Salem cat, who wants to go out. By then the roosters hear me (somehow)....they start to crow....

by 6:30 I am out to take care of the barnyard gang. Gideon looks as if to say "what took you so long??"
This week, I also introduced the new chicks to their hutch out in the hen house. They love it!


But I get the disapproving glare from Rose, the ruler of the nest boxes, who knows that something sinister has been about in the hen house and those babies .......well, if they were hers she wouldn't...........criticism, even from a sassy old hen!

Meanwhile, Charlie is daring Moses to show off his flying skills to Annabelle. Even if I am out in the pens......and he takes Charlie's dare.....and flies over the safety of the barnyard pen. I chase this silly Moses around and around until I finally catch him....



and give his wings a much needed trim.......





oohhh, can you tell he is not at all happy with me?
You were meant to float on the water "Moses" ....not fly away!




In the middle of all of this, Gideon takes a quiet retreat out of the hen house and away from all of the squawking.......

everyone wants the nest box on the far left......even though the other nest boxes are made the same and have just as much hay.....

a squabble, turns into a feather pulling, beak pecking , fight. That all calms down and I get busy out in the garden until I hear the babies cry out. I run to the hen house to find.....

another bullsnake.....inside of the baby chick's hutch, wrapped around a little yellow chick. I had been out pruning the trees and all I had in my hands were

these pruning shears. I grabbed the snake's body just enough to hang on to it, but not to cut it into. I dragged it out of the hutch still wrapped around the baby chick whose head was now dangling. I made it to our patio, gave the snake a good thump on the hard cement ground, and he uncurled and the baby chick went rolling across the patio. The snake got put in a bag and taken down the road a few miles to a new place to live.....and the baby chick....

was just shaken up and is now doing fine.

Here is Rose....telling me she told me so, sitting in the far left nesting box.