Pioneer Chicken - April Happenings

[Baymule]

We lost our beloved Labrador Danny, on December 20, 2011. Our grown kids adopted a black Lab/Great Dane the day after Christmas for us. We named him Parker and we love him madly. The grief we felt for Danny endured, but as time went by, we could fondly recall him without wanting to cry. You will get there too, but first you have to cry it out. I found this video and played it over and over, tears rolling down my cheeks. It seemed to help.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V1bFr2SWP1I&feature=player_embedded

This is a link to the story I wrote about Danny the night he died.

http://www.backyardchickens.com/t/611066/danny-dog

 

[Scooby308]

So sorry for your loss. My Rottie turned 14 years old this year. She was a pound rescue at the age of 2. She's the best trained, smartest dog you will ever meet. I rarely have to give a command, she reads my mind. Every year for the last three years I keep saying this will probably be the last year. And every year so plugs on seemingly fine. She loves the cold and snow as much as I hate it. I so dread the day that will come.

Condolences

 

[Pioneer Chicken]

Thanks so much y'all. Your words mean a lot to me. I got some of my favorite photos of sally printed out and will be hanging up one of them in my room.

So sorry for your loss. My Rottie turned 14 years old this year. She was a pound rescue at the age of 2. She's the best trained, smartest dog you will ever meet. I rarely have to give a command, she reads my mind. Every year for the last three years I keep saying this will probably be the last year. And every year so plugs on seemingly fine. She loves the cold and snow as much as I hate it. I so dread the day that will come.

Condolences

I found sally on Craigslist, but I honestly consider her a rescue with how terrified and shy she was for the first half year or so. I'm afraid to think what would've happened to her had she gone to the shelter. I think the rescues really appreciate when they have a human who truly cares for them and is willing to put the time and effort to help them be the best dog possible and they show it by sticking by your side no matter what and doing whatever they can to please you.

We lost our beloved Labrador Danny, on December 20, 2011. Our grown kids adopted a black Lab/Great Dane the day after Christmas for us. We named him Parker and we love him madly. The grief we felt for Danny endured, but as time went by, we could fondly recall him without wanting to cry. You will get there too, but first you have to cry it out. I found this video and played it over and over, tears rolling down my cheeks. It seemed to help.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V1bFr2SWP1I&feature=player_embedded

This is a link to the story I wrote about Danny the night he died.

http://www.backyardchickens.com/t/611066/danny-dog

Thank you so much for sharing your story. You wrote it so well; Danny sounds like a great dog too. It really is a beautiful thing, the bond between a human and his dog.

 

[Latestarter]

I've never been one to make or have "close friends". I'm not anti-social as a rule, but it is what it is. My dogs have always been my best friends and I feel your pain at your loss. They are closer than family as they are ALWAYS there for you, no matter what. I will never understand a person who doesn't like or care about dogs. Again, condolences!

 

[Pioneer Chicken]

Earlier this year, a couple finally purchased the overgrown, forested lot and are in the process of getting their new house built. The house is looking marvelous, by the way; just beautiful. A good 'ol Texas home. Anyway, as they drew nearer to making much more progress, we needed to get our fence on our property line. We 'lost' a good slice of pie, but it's okay, we're finally getting all our property mapped out! My dad and three brothers have done most of the work; I did help with the goat fence though.

I'll start with our doe barn. Dad and my bros moved it up about 12-15 inches. Haven't got the new stairs in or made just yet. The shed to the right was also moved up and there is now a wood fence behind it and going down about six feet or so. We still have about half more of the backyard to fence. In the meantime, welded wire is fenced between the new fence and the neighbor's fence to keep critters from going in or out.

This is what it looked like before joining the three pens. I had a doe pen [to the right] and two kid pens [middle and left. The one on the left was the original which we had shortened for the third pen to make a 'hallway'].

The does had lost half their pen when the new fence was built so I decided their pen should be joined with the pen closest it. Now I have a doe pen and a kid pen, which is perfect for the time being.

The hay feeder is to the right in the doe pen and, yes, that is a cave one of my brothers built for the does to enjoy in the summertime or a light rain if they don't want to go in the barn.

The kid pen is to the left...

This is the buck barn where Joe and Gus reside. I think my favorite part about all this 'remodeling' is that they get a much larger pen. Really is quite nice actually. Probably the only thing we will [sadly] have to change is the fence. Had we known the new neighbors were going to build there fence close to where the old one was and left the gap in between, we never would've done the welded wire. Reason being, we don't want a whole lot of strangers coming by and watching us or looking at the animals[believe it or not, it has happened and they could pet our bucks or feed them- not good!], so in due time, we will be replacing that with a wood fence as well.

We- well, I should say Dad and my bros - just have to build some stairs and fix the buck barn sliding door so they can go in and out as they please.

The buck barn was moved up about 10 feet or so. You can kind of see where it used to be and how small their old pen was directly behind the barn and new fence.

Directly to the left of the first photo showing the goat barn, is the big chicken coop with its new pen {built this spring, if I recall correctly]. I LOVE it y'all! sooo much more room. Rhett, our handicapped-ish rooster, resides in the hutch that you see on the left.

Looking down at the goat pens when standing in front of the big chicken coop.

I have continued this post in the next post just because I have about ten more photos to upload here.

 

[Pioneer Chicken]

Going up to the left of the big chicken coop is a nice brick pathway. To the right is the banty coop and to the left is our garden. My mom has done a lot of work in the pathway areas recently so I need to post photos of that. It looks absolutely lovely now and ever so much tidier.

The Bantam Coop.

Our garden straight on...

To the right...

And to the left.

For some reason, I didn't get a photo of Pumpkin the pet rabbit located a little further up from the banties. The chick run, located in the Big Chicken Coop, is directly across from Pumpkin.

And, finally, even further up are Mom's rabbits. To the left of that wall is our campfire/ cool hangout area.

Hope y'all enjoyed! Take care now.

 

[Latestarter]

Thanks for sharing all the pics! Looks like you have a regular homestead all set up there in suburbia

Edit to ask; Do the goats use the "cave"?

 

[Pioneer Chicken]

Thanks for sharing all the pics! Looks like you have a regular homestead all set up there in suburbia

Edit to ask; Do the goats use the "cave"?

My original herd used it a lot more than my new girls, but my newer girls use it occasionally.

 

[Pioneer Chicken]

My sweet Rosey died early Thursday morning. I've had her since she was a tiny kitten and she passed at 15 years of age. My precious precious girl. I miss her so unbelievably much.

 

[Latestarter]

Let's hope this isn't one of those things that travel in threes... Sorry you lost yet another family member.