March Madness

Well, it's been 11 days since my last post, and just as I suspected I'm off to a slow start.  I am still working on finding the time.  At any rate, the snow has melted, and we are starting our farm spring clean up to prepare for the busy season ahead.  I've already had one set of twin lambs born and am anticipating more soon.  I also planted more asparagus - the Farmer's favorite veggie - and brushed out the guard girls' undercoats and cleaned their ears.  For some reason Atlas - my male Pyrenees - doesn't blow his fur until later.  If it's an exceptionally warm spring, I will let Atty in the house - where he has discovered something he loves as much as food and women - AIR CONDITIONING!

Speaking of Pyrenees, in my last blog I mentioned the hen house was under attack by an unknown predator. Our girls have a lot of area to guard since we have increased our fencing and flock.  The chicken area is at the top of a hill in the far corner of their domain, and it is boxed in with seven strands of wire to keep the nosy sheep out and the dogs also so every egg doesn't get devoured.  As helpful as the fencing is, it doesn't allow the dogs access to the house if a critter quietly slips in looking for a winner, winner chicken dinner.  

The easy answer is I put my girl Kia in the hens' boxed off chicken area each night after these loses.  Why Kia?  That's easy too.  She is low on the activity and aggression scale you rate Pyrenees with as puppies to see how much land, work, animals etc…  they need.   Kia is happy to guard a fourth of an acre, and she will guard it with her life.  Natasha, on the other hand, is a 10 on both the activity and aggression scale. She would be miserable locked in the chicken area, and besides I need her out with the flock.  Natasha is at the top of the dog pecking order - and the other girls AND Atlas - never question it.  Capable is an adjective I would use to describe Natasha. 

Okay long story short, the hens were safe at night with Ms. Kia, but one day after I let her out a raccoon darted right in.  Natasha was with me waiting for her "egg treat" - she sprang into the coop and grabbed the coon by the throat and flung the body out into the snow like a rag doll.  I guess the other predators didn't catch the newsfeed story because a few days later a possum was after one of the chickens and "No Nonsense Natasha" did the same thing to him.  Except the snow was melted, and this body got flung out into the mud.  I'm actually going to credit her with three wins this week - I didn't find a third victim, but she has skunk oder all over her.   

Whose ready for spring? 

This is Shasta - Natasha's granddaughter