Feathers, Feathers, Everywhere!

One thing that we never have a shortage of is feathers.
There are feathers of all sizes, shapes and colors to be found on the ground around the farm.
Right now there are more than the average turkey feathers.


You see it's molting season for the turkeys.


They've lost their tail feathers and a lot of their fluff.


It's a normal part of the life... they do it every year.
But still, for a few weeks, they look a little sad...
and are less prone to puff themselves up and strut about as usual.


It's funny, but they seem to realize that they are not their usual handsomely dressed selves right now.


Yesterday morning we found several piles of feathers laying about...
the tell-tale sign of a chicken attack.


These are the types of feathers we hate to see!
Sadly, Spring brings an up-tick in the predatory attacks.
Predators are raising and feeding their young... so this is a dangerous time for chickens...
especially chickens who refuse to roost in the henhouse.


On a happier note...I found these precious blooms alongside our lane
yesterday as I was doing chores.
Spring is definitely here!


And lastly, I have to tell you the truth about my sheep.

They are lazy.
Yes, they are the laziest sheep I have ever seen.
They have gotten so used to having hay delivered to them,
that they now have no interest in grazing.


I decided that since the grass is coming back in,
I would cut their hay delivery in half.
No longer do I give them their morning flakes, but instead expect them to graze during the day.
Do they graze?


Why no, they just sleep the day away.
Lazy, lazy girls.

Comments

daisy g said…
Maybe they've forgotten how to graze since there was snow for so long. I can't say I really blame them. ;0P
Dawn said…
I am cutting rations for the Alpacas now after doing a body score check on them, dont want fat ones our grass is only just starting so they ar still having full rations of hay its there protein feed I have cut back we doubled it through the 4 months of rain we had over winter as they ere losing condition, I am sure the sheep will come round to grazing again :-)
jaz@octoberfarm said…
i have a couple lazy sheep around here too!
Alice said…
The flower is called coltsfoot. One of the first wild flowers of Spring.
Kathy said…
Knowing next to nothing about sheep personalities, I always imagined they would be more interactive with their caretakers, but they just seem to be stand-off-ish and now you say,lazy! it;s a good thing their smiling faces are so darn cute! Looking forward to shearing day!
Country Gal said…
On our farm many years ago our sheep were lazy to at times but I found they were lazy more with a full wool coat on , once the wool was sheared of they were back to their bouncy playful selves . That wool gets heavy for them and they don't want to move about to much . Oh the predators are out and hungry now poor birdies ! Oh Dandelions weeds to some pretty flowers to me lol ! Thanks for sharing , have a good day !
I know how your poor turkeys feel. I got a terrible haircut on the weekend. I'm not inclined to puff up and strut right now, either.
farm buddy said…
You need a Maremma livestock guardian dog! A Maremma will protect your chickens, sheep, and ALL your livestock. I raised mine from a tiny pup, and she loves all of my livestock, plus the cats and the border collies. However, she keeps the fox and coyotes away. Very effective and also very, very sweet!!
jerilanders said…
Beverly, My peacocks drop all their gorgeous tail feathers in July and August, I find them everywhere. And it's true, they seem to know, they've "lost their looks"! Those lazy sheep! I'm only serving up a 1/2 bale of hay now, and the ruminants are grazing all day long... they don't really want the hay anymore.
This N That said…
The turkeys are far from their normally gorgeous selves...Maybe the sheep will have more energy when they get rid of their heavy coats...
diane in wis said…
Love your pictures and your always classic comments, Bev. Love your blog. Hope your sheep come to life soon....I bet the shearing will do the trick. Seems like you can't even see their eyes with all that wool! Poor dears. Hope you don't get all the snow we're getting in Wisconsin!