We had a lot of wind here, too, but not much rain. Also blew back part of one of the barn roofs (like a sardine can), but luckily we had leftover tin stored in the loft so we patched it right up.

The grass is starting to green up. Bulbs are coming up. I hope we get some rain this year!

We have about 30 foals on the ground now, with about 25 left to be born. Checked 11th mare in foal today. Things are moving right along.

Here's a picture of my favorite baby:

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I'm trying to decide if I should breed my pony mare this year. She had such a cute little foal last year (albeit an accident!) that I kind of want to have another one. I have a nice spotty appaloosa stud picked out, but probably should sell her yearling before I consider breeding her again...

Nice picture!

We have talked about breeding our old mare again. I saw a palomino stallion with the right conformation and really good feet that I liked. Some folks breed for nice heads and bloodlines, I bred for good feet and temperment last time. Total missfire with temperment, but she's got great feet! Two out of three isn't bad! Nah, that's a joke, the young mare is a beauty! Not her fault that she's not been worked in 4 years.

It's really easy to get a "collection" of horses going. They start to come out of the woodwork if you aren't careful. I wouldn't put in the last stall of the barn because it is perfect size for a foaling stall, and I'd have alot of pressure on me to breed at least one of the mares.

I'm seriously thinking about advertising for a horseless female to come ride for me. If the two older horses are taken care of, I should have time for the brat. It's worked out very well for me 3 times, so I should give it a shot again.

Now that I'm able to spend time with them again, it's terrific to see how responsive they are to me. Answering to names, coming when called, backing on voice command. I was in the old mare's stall when she was laying down, and she never lunged to her feet. When I opened the door to let her out, I was able to pet her and move around the stall a bit. Then I had to urge her up. Back in December I couldn't touch her in the stall. She turned circles to get away from me.

Ah well. I need to get off the pc and to bed. I worked tonight and have to work tomorrow night as well.

Later!
Kitty

Interesting afternoon. It's raining, didn't let the horses out, started to clean stalls with the horses inside them. Put a bit in the young mare's mouth, later put a sursyngle on her, later yet put side reins on her. She got snarky over the side reins. (expected that)

Got all the stalls done. Started brushing them out. The old gelding remembered our last session, didn't squirm, walk away, bite or kick. The old mare even let me touch her face, something I spent a lot of time doing. Pretty cool. Gave me time to think about what each horse needs to learn to have better manners.

Took a tour through the clickryder.com site the other day, and found my clicker collection. Going to try it again.
I've got a plan for each horse. See if I can get the old gelding to stop pinning his ears at me. Get the old mare to offer her face instead of turning her rump to visitors. See if I can get the young mare to come on the bit in the stall. Just stop fighting reins.

No rocket science here. It would be cool if I could click chickens, too. Wonder what I'd have to offer them to get the best response? bugs most likely. Yuck.

Can I teach my yearling to lead via clicker training? I screwed up and didn't teach him to lead as a baby (hello--I had 75 foals at work to deal with--didn't have time/energy to teach my own). He is friendly and easily motivated by food, but he really doesn't like to lead unless there's a can of oats or a carrot in front of him....

I would try it instead of wrestling with him. (Or you can just tie him to a burro.) Check out the instructions on the site, then try the sideways pull, rope around the butt techniques, clicking for every step and jackpotting for the forward step.

As for the treat, I've heard everything from cheerios to carrot slices. I use carrot slices for reinforcement and either apple bits or sugar cubes for jackpots. Two of my horses like peppermints, it's all in what HE likes.

It's a slow process but it sticks in the mind quite nicely.

We have had some rain and wind here also but nothing too severe. Had temps in the 80s last week but this morning was pretty chilly. Tonight is supposed to even cooler.

I have been doing some early spring gardening. Onions and lettuces are up and potatoes are coming up. Planted radishes, carrots and more lettuces last Saturday. We got a nice little shower on it last night so maybe that will come on up.

The chickens are beginning to lay good. And the little ones are growing like weeds. There are more eggs in the incubator. We're hoping to have a good hatch out of them. Would love to put a lot of good homegrown meat and veggies in our freezer this year.

I couldn't keep my hens from roosting in their nesting boxes so I gave them (the boxes) another good cleaning and put fresh straw in them yesterday. Then I took an old plastic shower curtain liner and tacked it in front of the nesting boxes. Cut the liner up the center and tied it back during the daytime. At night I let it down and it keeps them from getting on the nests. Maybe after a while, they will stay on the roost and I can take down the curtain. Those hens got really frustrated last night trying to get in their regular roosting area. I had to laugh at them. They would fly up and bump into that plastic and then squawk like crazy.

Finally had some baby bunnies that survived. Two does had a total of 13 between them but only 7 have survived but they are growing and fat little rascals. So I know they are being fed well.

DH hasn't been doing well. He has been to several doctors and was diagnosised as have Coronary Ectasia (which is enlarged arteries in his heart causing the blood not to flow through the arteries as it should) This one was a new one to me. I had never heard of it even working around hospitals as long as I did. He also has arterial stenosis. He hates having to take the blood thinner and hates even more that he can't get out and do like he had been doing but he starts having pain each time he tries to do any heavy lifting even 50 pounds.

That is about all that is going on here except for this being spring break week and I have two of the little girls that kept until they started school staying with me everyday.

Hope everyone has a good week.
Jan

Aloha,

We've been doing rainy season with a vengence. Rain, rain and yet more rain. Then, just to spice it up, rain with wind. Arrgh! Today was the first day in several weeks that was rainless. Took a bit to get the mower and weedwhacker working again. Guess they don't like rainy season, either. Now, of course, if we get loads of sun after all this rain then everything will be growing so fast we will almost be able to see it go.

There have been peaches, though, in all this mess so it hasn't been a total loss. The chooks are starting to figure out Easter is around the corner and laying a lot more, too. No coffee, though. Mostly, I think, since it didn't get picked when I started the bath house renovation in December. So the coffee berries fell off and it will take awhile for the trees to cycle back into berries again.

Half the pineapples have set fruit. Kinda odd since they were all planted at different times. Got a big bunch of really ripe bananas today, too. Hadn't been out to look for bananas in the rain. Fortunately, chickens like bananas.

So, we've just been hunkered in out of the rain playing with plumbing and other bath house renovation projects.

A hui hou,
Cathy

Today is the last day at my part time job. I will be going to work full time as of monday. I'm gonna miss my "farm-mornings" but I've taken all the time we needed to get the croft going.

We have grass finally! I've cut everybodies feed back so they aren't bloating. Ducks STILL aren't laying. Not an egg or a sign of nesting. I'm worried. Maybe the older girls are too old?

Need a chicken tractor to get them out of the duck stall so my girls can lay and hatch in peace. I've got two hens with bare patches, and Pinky looks really sorry. Had her in a cage by herself for a week, but she was so miserable I let her out. Walked around making sorrowful chicken noises. Didn't know they would sound so sad!

Putting grass seed in with the manure I'm dumping along the bare patch where we repaired the contractors damage around the barn. I used to call it the moonscape but we got that fixed by Poor Man's Backhoe service.

Jan, I have the same trouble, the whole flock of chickens roost on the nest boxes. Which may be why the ducks aren't nesting. Can't get a seat, so to speak.

Haven't gotten the clicker out yet, though I did FIND them! Did get the old trailer away from the hitching post so I can hitch a horse outside.

I would like to put up cross ties, but the old mare gets panicked and ripped the last ones out of the wall. Need to find my panic snaps before I even try that again. Maybe panic snaps and 3 inch screws, 4 inch screws.