With Molly and Jethro, Off on a Jaunt

There's nothing really exciting to see around here, but since I'm easy to please, I still enjoy it when Molly and Jethro take me for a walk.  There is plenty of flora and fauna in our little neck of the woods, and I tried to capture a little of it with my cell phone camera to share with you.

There were more pictures of various wildflowers and such, but my cell phone is being ornery and not letting me have them.  Some of the photos aren't the best, but here's what I was able to get.

I hope you enjoyed our little jaunt!

Saving Mom From the Killer Turtle

I went out to do some weeding and play a game of 'bring it' with the dogs, and it was only a few seconds before they alerted me that we had a visitor.

What is this?

Molly getting up close and personal

I don't recognize the smell

Then Jethro got in on the act and his barking sent 

the poor turtle scurrying to get under my car

Dang!  Who knew they could move so fast?

Let's tag team him

You hold him there, and I'll go this way

We've got him pinned now

Where'd he go?

And that is how my fearless pups saved me from the killer turtle that dared to infiltrate our space.

 

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Can You Trust Your Dogs With Your Chickens?

Do your dogs get along with your chickens?

I wasn't sure mine would, but I worked with them from the day I brought my first pullets home and before long, they were all getting along just fine.  Molly, my large Golden Retriever mix, and Jethro, my Jack Russell Terrier, could be trusted in the yard with the chickens at anytime.  With a little patience and plenty of supervision, your dogs and chickens can get along well too.

Read more:  Will My Dog Eat My Chickens?

I Hate Fleas!

I have to keep up with my dogs' flea treatment or it gets crazy around here. We were doing ok until I bought a new pup for a friend who lives with someone else who has two dogs in a place that's infested with fleas. Said friend brings his dog over to play with mine and oh boy, it took less than 24 hrs for my house to succumb to infestation.

I picked up flea meds for my dogs at the vet and even sprung for three extras for my buddy and his housemate's dogs, and bought the bombs to treat the house, which I also shared with him. Over $100 later and poor Molly was still scratching pretty bad after two days so I put another smaller dose on her to see if it would provide some relief.

I had a bottle of yard and kennel treatment left from last year that you hook up to the hose, so I treated the back yard last night and part of the front yard today.

We hate fleas!

I've never seen fleas like this in any one of the many other states I've lived in. I've had dogs that stayed outside a lot longer than my two do here in Ohio and never had to treat them for fleas at all.  If treating the dogs, house, yard and washing all bedding doesn't get things back down to a manageable level, I'm at a loss as to what else to try.

B is for Bertha, Bessie and Blue Belle

I couldn't let B get by me without talking about Bertha, Bessie and Blue Belle, three of my hens.

Bertha is one of the group of my first six chickens that I got as pullets a year ago December, just as they were starting to lay. She established herself as the matriarch of the bunch right away. Bertha is a black sex link hen, a NH Red/Barred Rock mix and is the biggest in my flock. I endured nuns for eight years of grammar school, and Big Bertha reminds me of one of them in particular (who appropriately enough, was named Sister HENrietta).

Bertha giving me 'the stare'

Bessie was another of the original six and while the same breed mix as Bertha, she got more of the barred characteristics and had much lighter colored feathers.  Sadly, Bessie died last October from unknown causes.

Bessie and Bertha

Blue Belle is one of the six chicks I picked up last spring. They were supposed to be Production Red pullets (NH Red/RI Red mix) but two ended up being roosters.  Of those four pullets, Blue Belle is the feistiest and constantly taunts Jethro whenever they're outside together.  She will chase him and peck at him relentlessly, and Jethro loves the game and will chase her right back.  Jethro can pick her out of the flock immediately and it's quite comical to watch them play.

I've tried to get video with my cell phone, but they're too quick to catch a decent shot.

I'm taking part in the A-Z Blogging Challenge, where I will post something from each letter of the alphabet on the corresponding day in April, except for Sundays.  I will be posting on at least one of my four blogs daily.  You can see my other blogs in the sidebar - More of Marie Anne.

Of Chickens, Dogs and Parasites

All of my chickens continue to do well and the 'babies' have filled out nicely.  The young roosters are still trying to learn how to crow and even when they catch one of the hens, they're not sure what to do with her.  All in due time, I suppose.

I still have one very broody hen, but that's a story for another day.

Here are a few recent photos of some of the young chickens, with Molly thrown in the mix. Molly doesn't bother the chickens, but one or two of the little 2-pounders like to peck at the big 65 lb chicken that dares to enter their domain.

Molly, oblivious to the fowl play behind her

Molly coming out of the run, with Herman waiting to get past the sentry.

Nice shot of Herman's plumage.  He's getting more handsome every day.  

(He's going to be a red-neck.)

Lurch up top with some of the girls.  He's lost all but one of his pretty tail feathers.

My friend Angie wrote a great piece about how to rid your chickens of parasites naturally.  I've not had any noticeable problems with worms in my chickens, but there's no harm in using the method she describes, so I may do it anyway.  If you'd rather use natural, organic methods to control parasites in your flock, read Angie's post.