FRANCIS'S BLOG 04/19/2026
Bat check! 🦇
Dukie says, “Good morning! It may be hot, but I’m still glad to be at the farm!”
Hey, get that carrot out of my nose and in to my mouth!
Speaking of “getting out,” Stormy and Misty, please leave Chavez’s stall:
Finally, who’s that, way up in the rafters?
Welcome back for the summer, bat:
You and your friends eat up mosquitos! 🦟
Signs of summer! 🐎
Red says, “Good morning! What’s for breakfast?”
It’s a hot day, but the carrots are cold:
Well, it’s summer—out come the fly masks:
Iris has a new one. Don’t lose it, Iris:
And guess what else come out? The mulberries!
The chickens love them! 🐔
We hope our hen is ok 😿
We hope this hen is ok, but watch how strangely she’s acting. We think she’s having trouble laying an egg:
Poor chicken! We’ll be certain to keep an eye on you, and Ann will check you out hen she gets off from work. The cat-cops love their birds!
Finally, let’s try and cheer up by watching a chick that jumped on Uncle Bud’s back:
Don’t make a poopie, little chick! 😺
Slow Sunday 😺
Good morning! Things are a little slow, for me at least:
The chicks are, of course, hopping around like crickets being—well, crickets being chased by chickens!
The kitties are lazy, too:
Buttons want to go back to bed! 😺
The things they make me do around here! 🐴
Let’s watch the chicks having their breakfast pudding (chick starter soaked in water):
The grownups are laying their eggs as usual:
The buckets are always popular places. One at a time, please:
Oh, just look at what the cat-cops have done to me!
I am not a pack animal! I eat hay, I don’t deliver it!
I am also not a convenient place to set things:
This bug spray is about to get bucked over the fence. 🐴
Swallows everywhere (and some movies) 😺
Good morning! I’m having a little trouble waking up, but I’ll get up soon, I promise.
Anyway, in the background, you’ll notice Missy (who always jumps out of the chicken yard to lay her egg in the stable) is tearing up our poopies, looking for bugs.
If we could only let all the chickens in the paddock, we’d have no poopies to clean up at all!
But, unfortunately, the chickens can’t be trusted to not wander into the neighbor’s yard or the street!
Stormy says, “Would I like a carrot? Why, of course!”
The stable is full of swallows!
Now let’s watch the kitties have breakfast:
And yesterday, Rose munched some grass near the daisies:
But she’s a good girl and won’t eat the daisies! 🐎
It’s a nice morning for a ride 🐎
It’s cooler today. I'm glad I didn’t get my coat shaved just yet:
RC says, “Good morning! How about a kiss?”
Our friend Farmer Rich got our manure. Happiness is an empty cart!
Jewel is getting ridden today:
And so is Rose:
Ann and Mary, and Rose and Jewel will have a good time. Nobody will get overheated today! 🐴
Chick (not chickEN this time) crime! 🐥
Aoife, Danny Fairbrass, and Patrick (clockwise from left) say, “Good morning! It’s going to be a hot one. We’ll be following the shade today:” 
Those chicks are following Missy’s bad example, by hopping the fence:
Finally, last night, I’m afraid I stirred up too much dust and made Dukie cough:
I’m sorry, Dukie, I’ll be more considerate when you’re in the stable. 🐴
Forecast: Sunny and hot with a high chance of flies! 🐴
Good morning! We’ll have to wait for later in the week for cooler weather, and I’m overdue for my shave:
I wish I were you, Buttons. I know you don’t look happy, but I bet you’re cooler:
The chickens have a marquee-tent for shade:
The watermelon was so popular, it’s gone this morning!
Onslow has already found a cool hideaway:
And Missy, who wears leg band #3, has already hopped over the fence:
As she says, “Number three, must be free!” 🐔
Missy goes a long way to lay her egg 🐔
We have pretty shades of purple this morning:
Baldy is finishing up the watermelon:
Let’s watch a video of the girls getting their share:
I’m of course having a delicious and healthy carrot:
Finally, here’s Missy coming into the stable! Every morning she jumps the fence...
And lays her egg!
We’ll give here some privacy, now. 🐔
It’s a Sunday full of color and motion! 😺
Good morning!
Here’s a movie of the hens, chatting and visiting as they make eggs:
Our Bill brought them a watermelon dessert!
Yummy-yum!—and such a bright pink!
Baldy says, “I don’t think I’ve seen a watermelon before, but it looks delicious!”
The sun brings out the green and yellow in the buckets, and the pink in Betty’s ears:
Finally, here’s a video of Red, sneaking his breakfast:
Don’t run, Red. The cat-cops are nothing to fear. Betty, Onslow, Schroeder and Buttons can’t be wrong! 😺
We are so sad 😿
Yesterday, our dear Hansel went to Chicken Heaven:
He was born on the farm, way back on August 5, 2015:
Hansel was a wonderful “Father Hen” to three generations of babies when they arrived from the chick-store. He protected them and led them to food:
We will miss you, Hansel. Rest in peace. ❤️
The sawdust nest is crowded this morning 🐔
Sophie says, “Good morning. I’m just chilling until I can go play outside.”
Misty and Chezzie are chatting before breakfast:
I’m kicking up a little dust:
Chickens aren’t the only people who take dust baths:
Speaking of chickens:
Two birds trying to lay eggs on one bag of sawdust! 🐔
Onslow on duty! 😺
This chicken was supposed to say, “Good morning!” but she forgot her lines. 😿:
Buttons, you’re being watched:
Come on, Red, don’t be so skittish, and the cat-cops will give you your own bowl and everything!
Jewel has had her breakfast, and she’s ready to come out!
The swallows are on their nests:
And Onslow is guarding the hay. No one will dare approach a cat with such a serious look:
Stay away, hay thieves!
These flakes are for Rose and Iris! 🐎
Wednesday potpourri 🐴
Good morning! Watch me enjoying my breakfast carrot:
Here we are in the far pasture last night:
Don’t we look serene?
Here is an olive-egger on the sawdust in the chicks coop:
And here are all the chicks roosting in the chicken coop:
Mi casa, su casa! 🐔
Fowl deeds 🐔 and Kitty capers! 😺 (With movies!)
Red says, “Good morning! I still run away from the cat-cops, but I let them get a little closer every day. I must admit that they serve a good meal!”
We’ve been wondering if our Buttons isn’t feeling well. We don’t think she’s been eating as much as she should:
Let’s check on her this morning. What do you think? She has a bowl of fresh dry, and 1/4 can of canned food. She’s still growing her hair back, so don’t let that fool you:
Here is another little movie of a smiling chick, getting her feathers fluffed by Ann:
I didn’t know chickens smiled. Finally, we have Wyanodotte #3:
She hops/flies over the fence every morning; scratches a little horse poopie;
Lays an egg in the stable; flies/hops back in the fence on her own! An amazing fowl deed! 🐔
Wonderful job, Jewel! 🐎
Here’s a picture from last night, where Buttons found an old kitty hide-away to spend the night:
Look how nice Ann and Jewel looked at Sunday's horse show!
Now look at all the awards Ann, Mary and Jewel won!
What a great job! 🐴
Good luck, Jewel! 🐎
Onslow is enjoying a drink from a leak in the hose:
I’m wishing you, Good morning!
Iris is enjoying her breakfast carrot:
This chicken jumped out of the pen and is scratching through some manure:
Speaking of chickens, who would have thought that the bag of sawdust in the chicks’ coop would be such a popular place to lay eggs!—5 a day!
And Mary is getting Jewel all gussied-up for a show!
Good luck to Mary, Ann, and Jewel! (You behave yourself, Jewel!) 🐴
Chickens, a cat, horses, a dog, and ME! 🐴
Hansel and Baldy crow, “Good morning!” You should (we hope, this is new) be able to click play on the video and hear them. The rest of the post is below it:
This chick has a curious look:
I’m trying to be a good citizen and share my breakfast, but Stormy has a big appetite:
Anyway, we’re happy to have Dukie here this morning. Hey, Stormy and Misty, why are you looking at her like she’s a stranger?
And here’s Red!
What a pretty kitty! 😺
We’re sorry we missed you yesterday 😿
Misty says, “Good morning! Don’t I look nice, now that Ann has brushed out my winter hair?”
My hair isn’t quite ready to come out—but soon Mary will help it along, with the clippers!
Iris isn’t eating fingers, she’s just finishing a carrot:
Here’s a schnozzola shot from Stormy. He’s posing over his mother’s back:
Finally, here’s Betty, cleaning up after breakfast:
A pink tongue means a healthy kitty! 😺
Lots of news, and an unusual egg! 🥚
Good morning! A carrot? For me? Oh, you shouldn’t have! (But I’m glad you did!)
Two of the chicks got out yesterday, but they were very good about going back inside:
And Onslow isn’t bothering this escapee at all. What a good kitty!
The big birds have found an interesting new place to lay eggs:
On top of a bag of sawdust in the new coop!
Anyway, one of these eggs is not like the others!
Take a guess, which one! 😺
We have a butterscotch visitor 😺
Red is with us this morning. No need to run away from the cat-cops, Red, you are welcome to our food and our family:
It’s an 8-egg morning. I bet we have as at least as many more by this afternoon:
The chicks are roosting in the big-bird coop:
And Hansel and Indira are in the chick coop:
They’re finishing the “baby food:”
You’re never too old for chick starter! 🐥
Lots of mud makes happy swallows 🐦
Good morning. It poured and thundered all night. I’m looking at a lot of mud:
The swallows will have plenty for their nests:
A carrot can bring out the sunshine:
Jewel agrees!
The grass is certainly greener this morning:
Don’t fill up on grass, girls, your grain is waiting:
You too, RC, get in here!
Anyway, the goldfish say, “Hello.”
I’m not sure they're saying anything, of course—but it’s a nice thought. 🐴
That’s a fowl look! 🐔
The chicks love their new house. They already need their poopies cleaned out. Don’t worry, they’ll get more sawdust, too:
The big birds like to come in for a look…
And check out the roosts. They need some nice twine wrapped around them, so they’ll be more comfortable on chicken feet:
You can see how that's already been done in the old coop:
Finally, the big chickens have dug deep holes:
Martha says, “Could we have a little privacy, please?”
“We are taking a bath. It may be a dust bath, but it’s still a bath.” 🐔
The chicks have graduated to the coop! 🐔
The chicks spent last night in the new coop. They had plenty of room to spread out:
Ann rewarded them this morning with live wax worms!
It’s great to have two coops finally in service. Any chicken, big or little, can go in any coop:
Oh, and someone slapped a crown on my head, in honor of King Charles’s coronation:
The things I have to put up with around here. 🐴
It’s finally warming up 😺
Misty says, “Good morning! It looks like another day in the 70’s.”
I’m locked up again, but I grudgingly accept that it’s for my own good (I’m still a little queasy). On the plus side, I am let out at night:
Buttons says, “I am ready for warm weather! It seems like my fur is taking forever to grow back!”
It looks like one of the olive-eggers was aiming for a food dish instead of a nesting box:
And finally, the security camera catches Jewel peeking in on Iris for an early morning chat:
Watch out horse thieves! The Department of Horsefarm Security (DHS) never sleeps! 🐴
Seek and ye shall find! 🐭
Yesterday afternoon, Rose and Iris were enjoying a snooze:
And the chicks were roosting in the big birds pen! They can’t wait to be put in their own coop!
Here’s our video about the new coop, in case you missed it:
Hey, what are you looking at, Buttons?
Zoom!
Oh!
You got a mouse! 🐭
It’s all GO on Wednesday! 😺
Hi there, Dukie!
Iris says, “I’m not quite awake yet.”
Chezzie and Jewel are awake. Let’s eat!
Stormy and Misty are right behind you:
And is that a swallow peeking from behind a rafter?
Onslow says, “I’ll check it out!”
Better be on your guard, swallow! 😺
Sick call 🐴
Stormy’s foot is better, so he’ll be free today:
I spent last night outside, but for the day, I’m back in the hoosegow:
The cat-cops still don’t want me spending all day grazing. Too much sweet, spring grass can make your hooves sore, or your tummy. But I’ll be let out again tonight. 🐴
Stay away from my carrots, Onslow! 🐴
I’ve been told I’ll be well enough to be let out tonight. But for this morning, my breakfast is once again a feeble flake of hay:
But at least I’m getting carrots as consolation:
Stormy’s getting a treat, too. He’ll have to spend another day in the run:
It’s very windy today, so the chickens are clumping together:
And Onslow is playing with the carrots:
Don’t tear that bag open, cat, and get them dirty! 🐴