Natures Way?

Nature is cruel and most of all it is cruel to animals or birds that are not perfect.  After watching the pea-chicks roll around their little box, both with one leg out at a right angle, wings spread, miserable, unable even to stand to eat, I decided that there was no way these birds were going to make it in the big playground I call my barn yard.  They could not scratch at the ground nor launch themselves onto a roost.  They would be cleaned up by predators if not the others of their species.  If I had caught this problem within 48 hours of their hatching it is possible I could have fixed it but I didn’t so it was kindest to the birds to put them down. It was sad but the right choice. 

Sometimes it is best to step in before nature has its way.  Nature is not always kind. I called a man who breeds peacocks and he said it was best not to let them drag on, it never ends well, he said. Now we are left with one little healthy pea-chick who almost immediately decided that my knee or my neck were good places to be.  She (or he) is now living out beside the turkeys for company when she is not snuggling into our pockets.  This will be interesting.

I know I did the right thing but it still feels rotten.

More storms blew in yesterday, more rain.  I took this shot of Sheila in her paddock to show you the water everywhere then looked up and saw this coming straight at us.

Then in the afternoon the sun came out and with it the most shocking humidity. I almost never sweat (preferring to Glow like all well brought up ladies) but yesterday as I was milking the cow I could taste the salt of my sweat as it ran down my face.

I am going to have to get higher gumboots. When I go out through this gate to bring Lady Aster in for the milking I am sinking dangerously close to the tops of my boots. I need fishing waders!

The forecast looks like the storms might be tailing off.   After today that is.

Yesterday the clouds were so low Amanda and I stood out in the field watching them in awe. They kept dropping towards us. I imagined I could drag out the ladder and standing on it reach up into the cloud, watching my hand disappear. It was getting dark and was very still. Then a small cloud broke away from the others and dipped even lower. Right above our heads.  It rolled gently like a wave coming into shore.  It was a significant intentional movement and just for that second it began to lift leaves and small sticks off the ground, playfully twirling them right in front of our faces into a perfect miniature whisper of a  whirlwind. Glancing small puffs of wind off our skin.  It was just for a moment. But a powerful moment. Before the little cloud stopped its playing and rolled on.

Soon after these playful clouds were replaced with the dense black menacing ones and we raced the animals in and trotted quickly back to the house as the wind rose and the rains started again.

After the sun came out I took Tima and Tane into the field with Sheila to begin my plan to combine these two groups for the winter (Sheila is a group of her own). I don’t think Tane was able to breed Tima this time either so these three pigs being pets, it makes sense that they might keep each other warm over the winter.  Poppy might be busy elsewhere.  Sheila gave a small start upon seeing Tima steam past then turned her attention back to her puddle. I think they might get on. Sheila is such a good girl. Poppy too. I am so impressed with Poppy’s maturity and gentleness, often sleeping across the door of the babies snug so they can pop out for a feed then go straight back to bed in the night.

I hope you have a lovely day. I am so sorry about the peachicks but I am fairly sure the fault was the incubator being too low. I will not make that mistake again.

Love your friend on the farm

celi