The peacocks and the peahens are still living together in the loft of the barn in perfect harmony. I occasionally hear one of their big calls but so far they have all been very quiet. They tend to keep to the dark side of their palace, which runs almost the whole length of the barn.
They will stay in there until the vegetable gardens are established (they love to eat vegetable gardens) and until I am quite sure they see the barn as their night time roosting place. The wild is a dangerous place for big birds like this. Plus, minks can take down peacocks too. Best they stay up above the pigs and out of harms ways hopefully.
We still have not seen anything more of the mink, though I am afraid to turn off the big light in the chook house in case this is helping deter him. But it is very hard on the chooks to have light all the time. The wildlife camera has only seen chickens, nothing else so far. Every night I take Boo in there and he gets into all the corners with his nose but no excitement from him. I am hoping the smell of a dog may help keep a wild animal out but I am not sure about that either. Their coop is locked down hard I hope we can get away with it. But somehow I don’t think we have seen the last of the murderous mink.
The barn flock have escaped unscathed so far.
You may have seen the fire hydrants we have planted at the corners of the gardens, these are to pull the hoses around and it is getting drier now, so we are watering all the seedlings that have already been planted. Now my hose pulling muscles are getting a work out. Some of the hydrants are over 100 years old, and they do look for all the world like little happy people with very short arms. I love them and cannot help but pat them as I walk past. Or drag past as the case may be. 
The asparagus is coming up too! We may even have a bunch for dinner tonight.
Today I am going to drive down to the seed merchants and buy some more grass seed. There are a lot of unsettling dead patches in the fields, one variety of forage did not make it through the winter. So there is some resowing to do. And already the animals are looking longingly out into the fields. Not yet though. A few weeks to go yet. Sigh.
Daisy’s milk is still clean of any indications of mastitis and her last bad quarter is now milking at almost the same rate as the rest. The infection will come back because it is a low grade chronic variety, but I will be ready for it. Until then I think I can take her down to two milkings a day. I have started her mastoblast (a homeopathic remedy) to build her immune system and hopefully maintain her healthy udder for a while.
Now that it is warm the gardens are beckoning. Isn’t life a grand thing.
I hope you all have a lovely day.
Love your friend on the farm
celi
The Kitchen's Garden 
54 responses to “Peacock Palace”
I might suggest a simple trick I used to keep a pesky varmit out of my chicks house. Urine. Collect some and splash it around the outside of the chick house and I’ve never had a varmit since though plenty have been seen on the critter cam.
Don’t forget that Nite Guard lights really do work well…I’ve kept my hens save from raccoon, skunks and night prowling fox for over three years now with them.
✿♥ღLinda
http://coloradofarmlife.wordpress.com
I am getting those lights on friday, especially my dark side where he was getting in. Urine again.. goodness, wait til I tell John he has to walk right down the back for a pee! c
You gave me a chuckle. I also don’t put the lights where the dogs are. Oh, and another thing I did so I could have an alarm is I went to Harbor Freight (a cheaper hardware store) and got a security alarm system. I paid $16. I hung the red eye on the fence post and the ringer in the house…if something comes through it sets it off. Out I go with my deaf and almost blind old dog and the Beagle. Does a great job of scaring thing off.
✿♥ღLinda
http://coloradofarmlife.wordpress.com
that is a thought, I was thinking the other night as the dogs and I did our dark night rounds that you walking your dogs in the dead of night to watch the stars must make a difference too.. c
It does. Sometimes I get a start, but the dogs are usually first so whatever is there get a bigger start! 🙂
Never a dull moment in such a busy life
Love those little happy red people. Clever idea to keep hoses in line. We are planting sunflower seeds along the length of the fence today. South faces the neighbour, unfortunately, so she and her barking dogs will enjoy them more than us. Good afternoon, c!
Wasn’t this weekend’s weather a spirit-lifter? Such perfect weather! I join everyone in hoping that nightly raider has moved on or is too afraid to return. No matter the reason, just keep away. I pur Max in a kennel overnight to prepare him for next month. I’m off to pick him up now and tonight I’ll be on a rooftop watching the Cubs game — unless it rains. Have a great day, Celi.
A rooftop! marvellous/ c
Put some of the dog’s “piles” in and around the chicken house and that might help
Beautiful weekend here in Minnesota with all snow banished and temps in the 70s. Oh, grand and glorious spring!
The grass is beginning to green. Tulips and daffodils are poking through the earth… Sun shines. Just laundered clothes on the line.
Al is right with the world.. c
Your white peacock really is the most magnificent creature ever, Celi! Glad to hear things are on the up, hope you get that mink!
It looks like the peacocks & peahens are getting along well. Very cute ploinkers wanting some attention. Glad to hear the mink from Hell is staying away from the hens. How is the traumatized hen on the porch doing”? Maybe all the activity of you hammering all the hole closed the other day is helping to keep the murderer at bay too. Those hoses are so cumbersome to lug around the garden. Have you ever considered getting a few of those Pocket Hoses? They weight barely anything and collapse into a small coil when the water is off. Plus they do not crush your plants as you walk around. You can find them online or places like Ebay. Everyone who has gotten them has been very pleased with how light they are & how little small they become for storing. Just a thought. I know there are more important things on your list of needs. It’s always nice when there is something that makes your work easier.
Yes I must look into those hoses, i have to buy some new ones anyway, after this winter. The little hen on the porch just died, this afternoon. She had had enough poor lovey.. She was an old dear too. Hopefully she is the last of the Bastard Minks victims.. c
Envious of your asparagus – was just going to ask whether it was coming up. Hope you can make a dollar or two out of that crop too! Somehow a urine ‘barrier’ makes a lot of sense to me: perhaps it’s time for chamberpots which can be emptied in the appropriate areas 🙂 ?
Nice to hear of a reprieve, and fresh asparagus coming in – that must be such a pleasure.
What a great use for the old hydrants. They do add character and color to the gardens. Glad the mink hasn’t shown up again.
I’m glad that your new peacock is settling nicely. Have you tried leaving human hair tied in a stocking in the chook house to deter Mr Mink ? Also human urine is supposed to work as well ( get marking yer territory !!)E