I thought you might want a catch-up and follow-up on the animals here at Little Pond Farm.

Although Eggers is better (she’s eating, drinking and hustles outside when there are treats) she still doesn’t seem vigorous to me. Partly, it’s because she’s on the very bottom of the pecking order, and so spends her days avoiding everyone. But, I don’t think that’s it entirely. Bantam White Leghorns are active, cheerful-looking birds. Eggers doesn’t seem to have that joie de vivre. Some chickens sulk when they molt. Yes, that’s anthropomorphic, but accurate. If your chicken is grumpy, you know it. Eggers is in a mood. I just don’t know if it’s health-related or not. I continue to keep a close eye on her.

Candy is six years old, and although some bunnies live much longer, she’s getting to the end of a normal rabbit life span. She’s now almost deaf, and so doesn’t have alert bunny behavior. She’s also quite confident and safe in her surroundings, so she doesn’t startle easily. Yesterday she was sprawled out in the sun – flat out on her side – legs stuck out. Honestly, she looked dead. But I could see her nose twitching and if I got close enough, I bet I could have heard her snore. Chickens were scratching nearby, but even chickens know not to wake a sleeping bunny, especially one that is on the top of the pecking order. Eventually, Candy roused herself, shook and hopped up. She looked quite refreshed after her nap.

By the way, we’ve removed the shade tarp that hung over her hutch in the summer. Now she can sunbathe in the doorway. We’ve also tacked black plastic to the sides of the the hutch, so her home is winterized.

After a false start of trying to integrate the punk rock girls into the big barn, they are doing fine in with the HenCam flock. They’ve even discovered that they are in the middle of the pecking order, not the bottom. Joy! No one has pecked their heads for a week. However, they’ve turned the roosting routine topsy-turvy. They now sleep where Marge and Petunia used to perch. The leghorns, instead of being on the second rung, now crowd into a nesting box.  The social order is settling out, but it’s not done yet.

I’ve got a long list of names for the new girls but am having the hardest time deciding. Yes, they do look like Phyllis Diller, and I remember thinking her very funny when I was young, but, honestly, that woman got way too scary after all of her cosmetic surgery. I like the name Lady Ga Ga, but my teenager said he’d be mortified if I named a hen that. He doesn’t mind Siouxie. Go figure. I promise to have them named by the end of the week.

The goat boys have done such a good job eating the brambles and golden rod that I spent yet another $150 on more electric fencing so that they could get to the further reaches of the meadow. Meanwhile, I bought ridiculously expensive pasture seed (timothy and alfalfa) to plant where the boys cleared. They’d rather eat weeds, so I don’t know why I bothered.

We’re having a particularly beautiful autumn. I hope you’re enjoying it from wherever you are.