Bear, Coyotes, Hawks, Chickens & Barn

It seems we have lost summer, in the past two weeks we have had three frosts. Greenhouse is just about dead, the garden isn't looking too healthy either. Don't quite know why I bother year after year, gets a bit depressing to get it to the point of picking and then have either frost or hail wreck it. Oh well I know I will do it again next year and probably this time next year be complaining about the same thing. Will have to check back on my last years posts to see if I was whinning then.

I was out walking with the dogs on Wednesday morning and I went into our little bush trail, visited with the neighbours horses in the field where Pretty and Mystery used to be then continued on. Got almost to that clearing (the field where the green feed is) and saw something running towards our trail. I thought it was a big black wolf at first, grabbed the dogs and put them on leash then realized it was a black bear. Got my heart pumping let me tell you, so headed back as quick as I could the way we had just come from. On the trail back I noticed fresh bear poo that I must have walked over on the way in and never noticed!. If I had been a minute earlier or later we more then likely would have run right into each other. Also the dogs might have seen it and chased it and then would run back to me if they were scared!
Then that night I was out resetting the chicken lights and all of a sudden there was coyotes very close yelping and yipping. My nerves were still a bit rattled from the bear so I hustled my butt inside and ended up going to bed early.

Well had to bury another chicken yesterday. Man we are down to six now. I don't know what happened to this little girl, we went out three mornings ago and she was very lethargic and had a mucky back end. We separated her from the others right away (chickens are so mean to each other) and she seemed to just want to sleep. Yesterday morning I went out to check on her and she had died. It was poor little Blackie which was one of my favourites. I really have to stop making pets out of those things. Anyway in the past few months we have been letting them out to free range during the day while we are home. They have been having a great time and cruise around the yard entertaining us. On the weekend we were out working on the barn and heard this awful noise so I ran over to see what was going on. There was a big hawk trying to get two of the chickens, I luckily scared if off but now they have to be locked up in thier little yard again as I think that sucker is hanging around.

We have been really busy building the barn and have all the tin up on the sides and front, now need to get another piece of clear for the window on the side then start on the back.









Well that is it for this post. Take care all.