FRANCIS'S BLOG 04/23/2026
Happy Easter! 🐴
We always have Easter eggs on the farm!
I’m not dressed up this year as the Easter Bunny. The honor goes to Sophie!
Here she is in a video:
Don’t let the video fool you—it was meant to be funny. Sophie loves to dress up for Easter, and for you! ❤️
Bad cat and chicken behavior! 😾
Well, yesterday afternoon we had chickens entirely too close to the road!
And his morning, just LOOK at where Onslow has decided to sit on our friend Jake’s truck:
Onslow, you’re lucky all our farm friends know to honk and look before driving. 🐴
Video potpourri 😺
Good morning! Our friend, Travis, is doing our hooves today:
My hooves don’t grow very fast, but today I need a pedicure like everyone else:
After that, I’m on my way to enjoy some grass:
But you know very well, no one worries about me running away. 🐴
Let’s watch a video! Just me and the chickens:
And here’s Red!
I know these videos are nothing spectacular, but I hope you like these little slices of farm life. ❤️
Schroeder supplements his diet 😺
Oh, good morning! I didn’t see you there. I’ll be up in a second.
We have glorious hyacinths in time for Easter!
And here’s our Schrödinger eating chicken feed:
Now Schroeder, you just had a breakfast of dry Kit-n-Kaboodle, topped with canned Friskies chicken! 🐴
What are the fish up to? 🐴
Stormy and Misty say, “Good morning!”
Good morning, too! Once again, someone is using me for a table:
Other than that, it’s going to be a nice day, although it is only in the 20’s:
Sometimes I envy the fish. Winter comes and goes, and they barely notice:
The tank heater keeps them comfortable all year. 🐴
Stuck chicken! 🐔
Good morning! It poured all night, and we spent most of it in the stable:
Betty, Onslow and Schroeder spent the night in the hay barn. The coop was supposed to be a cozy place for laying eggs, but only Onslow seems to like it:
Buttons says, “It will take a Noah-style deluge for the water to get to me!”
Finally, back in the stable, Roseanne tried to squeeze between Misty and RC’s stall and got stuck!
Don’t worry, Ann helped her push herself through:
There’s a lesson to be learned, Roseanne! 🐔
The topic today is poopie! 🐴
Good morning! Sophie is making a poopie in Jewel’s run. Don’t worry, it will get cleaned up with everybody else’s poopies:
Stormy says, “Good morning!”
“I’m afraid I got a poopie stain on my cheek when I was rolling.” (Don’t worry, the cat-cops will brush it right out.)
As you saw from the first picture, Sophie is with us:
We’re always glad to see her! 🐴
Oh that Sophie! 😺
Good morning! Oh my, just look at those clouds behind me. It’s Palm Sunday, let’s hope we have sunny, warmer weather next week for Easter!
Speaking of Easter, we have Easter eggs every day at the farm!
No dye required! 🥚
Finally, what has got Sophie’s attention?
You can’t see him, but Onslow is hiding in back of the drain spout. 😺
Sunny Saturday, 😺 but snowy Friday! 😾
Good morning! Martha and I just had a nice chat, and now she’s going to get her breakfast:
Can you believe it was spitting snow all day yesterday?
This was supposed to be a little chicken house, but now it’s a little Onslow house!
Finally, with the exception of three pieces of French fry, this ground is completely bare:
These chickens cleaned up this big dinner in 3 minutes:
They are fast workers! 🐔
Introducing our egg recycling program! 🐴
Henry says, “Good morning! Would you believe it’s spitting snow today?”
But, two days ago, it was crisp and sunny! We’ve been collecting broken eggs, and now is the time to recycle them! Let’s watch a video of how it’s done:
In a few days, we’ll have factory-refurbished eggs:
Just like new! 🐔
I shall not pass! 🐴
Good morning! Onslow has found a cozy place in the barn, between two bales of straw:
And here I am, whining until someone moves this hose:
Don’t worry, it got moved:
Hoses look too much like snakes for my taste. 🐍
Fowl deeds! 🐔
Good morning! I wish it would warm up a little. The weather we had a couple weeks ago spoiled me:
Before we get to the chickens, let’s watch DHS Deputy Onslow on patrol!
The chickens had been staying out of the hay barn for the longest time, but now they are back:
Remember last week we showed you Hazel laying an egg in the duck garage? Well, while Hazel laid her egg towards the door...
Frizzle hid her egg all the way in the back corner!
She had to jump over two duck fences to do it. 🐔
Anyway, let’s watch the chickens scarf down the ducks’ mealworms!
Now you know, ducks, you’re given a good 10 minutes to eat your breakfast before the chickens are let out. So any food you leave behind is on you! 🦆
A feather gets tickled 🐴
Good morning! It’s a nice day for breakfast outside:
I’ll only slip inside to clean up after Stormy:
Finally, let’s watch a cat-cop interrupt Jane’s dust bath:
Tickle-tickle! 🐴
Red on duty! 😺
Good morning! Let’s start right off with a video of me! I’m taking a break from eating hay to give you a smile!
Something has Jewel mesmerized—so much so, that she refuses to come to breakfast:
Darn if we can see what it is:
Your breakfast is waiting for you, Chavez. You don’t need to sample mine:
And Red is in training to be a Security Deputy:
Welcome to the force, Red! 😺
Breakfast in bed 🐔
Good morning! I’m due for a brushing; my winter coat is ready to go:
Jewel and Stormy are “tanking up” after breakfast:
Hmmm, this morning there were three eggs on the floor. It’s unlikely a whole 3 chickens decided to lay them there, so I bet they fell out of everybody’s favorite nest:
You may ask, “If they fell, why didn’t they break?” Well, our chickens eat a high quality diet, and the shells are tougher than you would think! 🐴
Anyway, a little later, we have one of the girls treated to mealworms:
Laying eggs is hard work—she deserves her snack brought to her. 🐴
Onslow is shocked! 🙀
Good morning! It’s going to be a windy day, but the sun is out!
Get up, Chezzie! Breakfast is ready!
What are you looking at, Onslow?
“Schroeder is eating mealworms, Francis!”
Schrödinger says, “Don’t knock it. . .”
“What’s good for the duck, is good for the chicken, is good for the cat.” 😺
There’s something (slightly) new on the menu, and new eggs in new places! 🐴
Chezzie! Wake up! Wish everyone a good morning, and show them our beautiful flowers!
Hmm, yesterday, Hazel laid her egg in the duck garage; and the Wyandottes laid their eggs in the cat garage:
Finally, as you know, most of us eat alfalfa pellets (the older horses eat “senior” feed). Well, the cat-cops accidentally took delivery of a bag of alfalfa cubes (about 2” square blocks of the same alfalfa we normally eat in small pellets):
No problem, they just softened up the cubes with water, and we could eat it just fine. Instead of alfalfa pellets, we had alfalfa pudding! 🐴
Hazel finds a new nest! 🐔
It’s been raining, and the mud is back, but I’ve got a reason to smile!
Farmer Rich has emptied out the manure cart!
What are you doing in the duck garage, Hazel?
Oh!
With the Faverolles and Wyandottes laying brown eggs, the olive-eggers laying green eggs, and the Easter-eggers laying blue and turquoise eggs—every day on the farm is an egg hunt! 🥚
Slow news day, but still a good day! 🐴
Good morning! From this picture, it looks like the sun’s not out. . .
But it is!
And one of the olive-eggers is doing what a lot of the older chickens do. . .
As soon as their door is open, they run into the other coop (the “babies’” coop) to lay their egg. We’re not sure why—both coops have nice fresh sawdust and plenty of “amenities,” like fresh food and water.
But, as long as she’s content, and makes an egg, everybody’s happy! 🐔
Baby carrots for a full-grown donkey (me)! 🐴
Good morning! Another nice day is on the way. Watch me eat my convenient, bite-size carrots:
Oh look! Betty has a surprise for you! Don’t worry, when she put it down, it flew away (they always do):
And please stay out of the feed cabinet, chicken:
What are you looking at?
Don’t even think about laying an egg! 🐔
Kitties in the duck house! 😺
Good morning! Nobody here but us chickens:
Iris says, “Good morning!” too:
“I’m munching a little new grass before Rose and my hay comes.”
Security Deputy Betty says, “Ferdinand’s water needs changed, and his overflow pan needs emptying.”
Chief Schroeder says, “Good call, Betty.”
Water quality inspector Onslow says, “This new water is approved!”
“I think I’ll have a drink myself!” 😺
Time change (and a video)!
Good morning! The cat-cops all set their clocks 1 hour forward (don’t ask me why). It doesn’t bother us, because we’re always up at the crack of dawn and ready to start the day:
Schroeder looks a little sleepy, though, and so do the chickens:
Anyway, remember on Friday, I showed you that someone knocked down a feed door? Well, here’s a movie of Rose inspecting the “horse crime.” She does not look happy! If you listen, and look carefully, you can tell she’s stamping the floor:
Don’t worry, Rose, it’ll get fixed right away! 🐎
Cool kitties! 😺
Onslow, Betty and Schrödinger say, “Good morning! We look a little grumpy, don’t we? Well, it's only 29, so we’re on the heating pad; however, we’re glad to see you!”
I’m glad to see you, too!
It poured most of the day yesterday, so I’m having “bag hay” this morning:
Stormy didn’t mind munching his hay outside. . .
He says, “The mud’s a nuisance, but the sun is just so nice!” 🐎
Horse crime! 🐎
On a rainy day. . .
The ducks will play!
Good morning! Hey, who knocked down this feed door?
Of course, it couldn’t have been little me!
I’m looking perky this morning, aren’t I? 🐴
H is for heater (and a video)! 😺
Sophie says, “Good morning. I’m waiting to go outside and have fun at the farm.”
Onslow says, “Good morning!” too:
“I forgot, Francis, where does that “H” come from?”
The tank heater makes those bubbles, Onslow.
Finally, let’s watch Jewel and I share this morning's hay:
Don’t worry, we’ll save plenty for Misty, RC, Chavez, Stormy, Iris and Rose! 🐎
Let’s have an RC video! 🐎
The sun is streaming through the stable:
Good morning!
Let’s soak up that sun!
RC says, “Good morning,” too!
Let’s watch him chow down!
A healthy horse with a healthy appetite! 🐴
Have we got an egg for YOU! 🥚
The mud says, “Good morning! I’m back! Did you miss me?”
A quick storm blew through yesterday, but it’s still nice and dry in here:
The chickens are happy: the bugs and worms are coming up for air.
Finally, what do you think of this egg?
Would you know it even was an egg, if I hadn’t told you? 🐴
A wonderful morning to be at the farm! 🐴
Rain is supposed to come this evening and cool us down, but for now it’s above 70!
Oh look! “Prairie chickens!”
And these girls are having a “spa day:”
What are we dust bathing in?
Why, manure dust! You’re welcome, chickens! 🐔
Hey chickens, a new “property” is available! 🐔
Good morning! It’s windy, sunny, warm; with a 100% chance of—carrots!
Jewel says, “Any weather feels better with carrots!”
As you know, the chickens love laying eggs in RC’s old feed bin:
Speaking of RC, he needs a brushing, doesn’t he? He’ll get one, as soon as he finishes Jewel’s leftovers:
Anyway, back to the nests—Ann set up a new one!
The girls can talk to each other while making eggs! 🐔
Busy chickens! 🐔
Good morning! Spring is on the way. The first crocus has arrived. . .
And daffodils are on the way:
Oh wow! 19 eggs on Thursday. . .
And another 19 on Friday:
The hens have spring fever! 🐔
March is here! 🐴
Red says, “Good morning. The other cats have elected me to ask what’s holding up breakfast.”
Speaking of breakfast, let’s see how the birds are doing:
Sharing is caring! 🐔🦆