GRACE
Aunty Anna and her baby Inky are having a few days grace. Aunty Anna continues to be very nervous so it is best to leave her quite alone for a few days. And every time I come near, the baby rushed for the fence looking for a way through so she can go and hide in the corn again. So their barn door is open, they are free to come and go into the field but I am not stalking them with a camera
Moon comes and goes.
The white rock chickens are reaching critical mass in their mobile home. Soon I will need to focus carefully on them and pull out all the hens leaving behind the larger faster growing roosters. The little hens will go to the Tin House chicken tractor that is not mobile, change over to a lighter layers feed and grow a little more before going in with the big chickens in the chook house.
The roosters will continue going through the field in the chicken tractor and end up n the freezer by late fall. 
They are a good looking bunch of chickens, very active and healthy – I will be interested to see how long it takes me to grow the roosters into roasters. Quite a while I think. Some of the roosters are easy to pick because of their aggressive attitude but the hens are harder to be sure of. It is a fun puzzle.
I have renewed my inspections of Alex but she continues to look like she is carrying triplets or eating way too much and her udder is just the same (no growth) . Yet I find it hard to believe that Carlos would get Aunty Anna pregnant and not Alex. He had been with her since a month or so after Txiki was born. Almost eighteen months ago. Ah well. We will give her a bit longer. 
She is certainly too fat to breed now.
Wai is still healing and has three open wounds that he rubs back open every day so I am still drying and applying cream two or three times a day. They are shrinking but slower now as we totter towards the finish line. Many of the other wounds have healed down to slivers of scar. The fastest to heal are the ones he cannot scratch of course. And he smells like a regular pig now.
I am still working on keeping him warm at night. (Though our weather has warmed up again it will not last much longer). If I make a mound of his straw and top it with a blanket Wai has found a way to wriggle right under his night blanket but this only works once. In the morning he is on top of the blanket. I am considering finding one of those insulated dog kennel igloos for the winter if I can find a second hand really big one and train him to go in and out. (Maybe not I just saw the price and pigs don’t curl up like dogs he will need something long). He is not an inside pig at all. Shys away from ramps. But the fat has gone from his back due to his injuries, he is a puzzle of scars, he is not round, kind of dented all over and he will be cold.
I wil find an answer though.
I hope you all have a lovely day.
Love celi
WEATHER
Monday 09/18 20% / 0 inPartly cloudy skies in the morning will give way to cloudy skies during the afternoon. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High near 80F. Winds light and variable.
Monday Night 09/18 80% / 0.15 inThunderstorms likely, especially in the evening. Low 62F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 80%.
Sun
am pm
Moon
Waning Crescent, 2% visible am pm
28 Comments on “GRACE”
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thekitchensgarden 
There is so much grace on your farm. In every corner. In all those beating hearts.
Would Wai find a way to tear off a jacket? I’m thinking of something insulated and tough, but if it would torment him to the extent he’d find any way to scrape it off, perhaps it’s not such a good idea. Would it be possible to lay a plastic barrel on its side with top and bottom taken out, and line it with straw, so he could walk through it and not get stuck, but it would keep the drafts off?
Hopefully Wai will learn how to keep the blanket on as it gets colder. Perhaps at present he gets too hot during the night. I’m glad he’s got his pig smell back!
Probably. Once he is healed Kim will make him winter coats. That will work if I can get a coat on him. He is still quite a wild grumpy wee fellow
Ha ha – he’ll want a spot indoors by the fire!
Reblogged this on All About Writing and more.
My laptop spat its dummy over the weekend, so frustrated I can’t comment 😥 so now trying phone. Inky is gorgeous, congratulations. Laura
What about a calf hutch for Wai? You could even block off some of the door and fill it partially with straw plus mound some up over the top for warmth.
I have a calf hut too/ the pigs sleep in it outside – won’t fit in wais sunroom though – sadly
What about a straw house for Wai? Didn’t you do something like that for Tima and Tane at one time?
Just typing that reminded me of the children’s story of the 3 little pigs and the wolf – Tima, Tane, and Wai all have Miss C so now wolves allowed!
NO Wolves Allowed – fat finger syndrome this morning
Yes I did – that is what he will have I think-
I love the new look! Just catching up, so many things to read about and inky what a lovely surprise! Poor Moon he always looks so sad. Dejected looking fellow. 😂
Sure do know what you mean about the cost of the dog igloo! They are quite expensive! We were fortunate to find a second hand one, and were hoping both dogs would curl up in there, but whoever gets in first doesn’t want to share. They curled up together when they were puppies, but no more. 😦 Good to see Moon hanging around. He reminds me of Yoda in the Star Wars movies! 🙂
Maybe Alex was just not Carlos’ type😂
Would a heat lamp help the wee Wai? It would keep him warm and help with the healing.
Moon does look down in the dumps….he needs some cuddling I think. Inky is a lovely calf she will eventually not want to run and hide. AS for Wai I have no doubt you will figure out how to keep him toasty warm. Lots of grace to go around on your farmy!
I went away for a week and look at all the changes! Inky is ADORABLE! Imagine that, a cow hiding her pregnancy until a few days after the calf was born!
I love the new format!
Feather sexing is probably the easiest.
The hens have rounded saddle feathers and the roosters have points (on 95% of the breeds out there). Rather like crabs honestly.
Thank you! I will check it out – usually I just go by size at this age but they are looking so uniform. c
Maybe a dog crate for Wai? Wrapped in a blanket or tarp with hay bales all around and filled with bedding? Better yet, a dog crate with rigid foam insulation strapped to the outside and underneath and hay bales all around!
Probably the latter – and a plastic one – a metal one would be nasty in sub zero. Though honestly if it gets that cold he will have to come in. And just complain
We secured rigid foam to the horses’ steel water tank. It does have a heater in it but it used to freeze around the edges and sometimes even scrim over. Since we put the foam on it never does and I have the heater on a timer so it turns on and off over night.
Good thinking . My peacocks eat insulation. But I should do that for the cows too.
We used construction adhesive to glue thin plywood over the top of the insulation so nobody would nibble. Chickens will eat it too.
Oh I am late again – or was the post late? Anyway, might I suggest a big big cardboard box? Refrigerator or bigger? You could insulate it with more straw on and burlap maybe….
Love that gorgeous moon boy. Good luck with keeping Wai warm 🙂