FRANCIS'S BLOG 04/18/2026
Poopie problems 🐎
Iris says, “Good morning! I hope we are having carrots this morning?”
Yes we are, Iris!
Indira says, “You might want to check this seat before you sit down. I’m afraid I made a poopie.”
Speaking of poopies, someone made a bodacious poopie through this gate:
That’s understandable—everybody likes to stand in front of the fan. . .
But “management” put their hand where a poopie was not expected, and was not at all happy:
They can’t blame that on me, can they? 🐴
Chicks get bigger every day 🐥
Good morning!
It seems too early to me, but the geese have been on the wing all morning:
I’m afraid there’s not much else going on, so let’s check on those chicks! 🐥
Here we are eating:
And here we are washing it down!
Yum! 🐥
Don’t worry, the new chicks are warm and dry! 🐥
Good morning! It rained all night:
The goldfish could live in my feed dish:
Anyway, Stormy was elected this morning to hurry up breakfast:
I’ll snack on the hay while we wait:
The chicks are getting cuter. Here we are playing Peek-a-Boo with Momma Gail:
And don’t worry, Momma Opal. . .
Your babies “have your back!” 🐥
The rain is back 😾
We found the horseshoe Rose threw about 4 months ago (not all horseshoes are lucky):
Our friend, Devon, cleared a path through that forest of weeds in the chicken yard. Now the chickens can get out on the grass:
The rain is back, but I'm having a good morning (other than having to hold the fly spray):
We’re back out on the far pasture:
Stormy’s tail is flying!
Speaking of flying, here’s our Schroeder ignoring the swallows:
“Do I look like I’m anywhere near your nests, you silly birds?” 😺
Everybody loves “baby” pictures! 🐥
Good morning! We’re all having to be patient about breakfast recently:
Onslow and Betty know what we mean:
We understand. Ann has to check on the new chicks first, to make sure they’re ok. 🐥
Here’s mother Gail, minding her chicks as they get a good breakfast:
Last night, Opal and her two babies were moved from the little plastic coop in the cat garage to the smaller of the two main chicken coops. Her family and Gail’s have it all to themselves. All the other birds are in the bigger coop, until the babies get big enough to join the flock.
For the first night we had Opal in a pen:
But this morning she decided to move her babies to a nesting box:
Everybody’s happy, safe, and growing every day! 🐥
Five little chicks! 🐥🐥🐥🐥🐥
This hen has 2 babies:
And this hen has 3!
I think the little “blonde” chick’s neck is supposed to be bald, at least for now. I’m not sure (I’m a donkey, not an ornithologist). 🐴
We are expecting! 🐥
Good morning. We’re celebrating with carrots:
Here’s Iris getting two!
Why are we celebrating? It looks like we’ll have some new members of the Ann’s Horse Farm family:
And here’s Ann helping one out of it’s shell:
Peep, peep! 🐥
A new friend 🐴
Good morning. It’s raining again (quelle surprise!):
But, on the bright side, we all got carrots! Here’s RC getting his. For all the mud around, he’s looking pretty clean:
And Stormy:
And Jewel (the hay is so good, at first we didn’t notice the carrots):
Finally, who’s this at the bottom of the hill?
It’s Mr. Groundhog!
If you were closer, we would offer you a carrot! 🥕
Feel better, Misty 🐴
Good morning. We’re all very concerned about Misty. I’m keeping an eye on her now:
This morning, Ann found her having a seizure. She was laying down and her legs were twitching. It was very scary. But, brave old girl that she is, she got to her feet and started eating her breakfast:
Don’t worry about the food she spilled. She took her time and eventually ate it all, which was a good sign:
She’s still on her feet at this moment and looking ok:
We’re all here to comfort you, Misty. 🐎
That’s a lot of swallows! 🐦
Good morning!
What? My hoof is in my breakfast? I knew that (I just wanted to make sure you were paying attention)!
Here’s Jewel having a drink (that’s Misty behind her):
Speaking of having a drink, Onslow is drinking from an almost-empty pan of old duck water:
Why? Don’t ask me!
Anyway, here’s a video of our swallows:
Everybody’s out of the barn, having a twitter. 🐦
A visit from Sophie! 🐴
Good morning! My legs are dripping with fly spray and I’m ready to start the day:
Schrödinger also says, “Good morning! I’m having a drink of fresh water before the ducks take a bath in it.”
And last night, Sophie visited!
Look at all the food she fetched:
What a good dog! 🐴
Hey, let’s have some hay! 🐴
It’s video time:
Rose is first to the alfalfa:
Jewel’s enjoying her food until Iris moves in:
Iris and Jewel are both good sharers, but Jewel’s more comfortable eating alone, since she eats dinner by herself in her stall:
Of course, Chavez, RC, Stormy, and Misty are happy to eat together:
It’s a horse “chew and chat!” 🐴
Stormy has great teeth (let’s hope he keeps them) 🐎
It’s another clear, cool morning!
Mac is about to have a drink before she joins her friends:
Where are her friends you might ask?
Why, they’re hanging out by the fan:
Anyway, here’s Stormy, opening his stall with his teeth:
Here he is in a video:
I don’t think you should do that Stormy, because you might break a tooth! 🦷
High-rise eggs! 🥚
Good morning!
Not a cloud in the sky!
You’re a long way up, chicken:
What are you doing up there?
Like I had to ask:
🐔
We’re grateful for so many things this morning! 🐴
Betty says, “Good morning from the tractor garage! We’re all grateful that it’s a little cooler and less humid.”
We’re also grateful to Farmer Rich for mowing the far pasture—five acres of uncovered grass, ready to eat!
I’m going out there as soon as I have breakfast. . .
And get my ankles soaked in fly spray:
Finally, we’re grateful to Iris, for losing her mask last night, and getting it nice and dirty:
So we all have clean masks this morning:
Thanks, Iris! 🐎
Please stop, storms, just stop 🐴
Good morning. I’m keeping my chin up, but honestly, these storms are getting stressful:
There’s no damage at the farm, so that’s a reason to smile:
Breakfast is a reason to smile, and a visit from you is, too! 🐴
Water world! 🐴
Good morning! Iris and I are assessing how much it rained last night:
The manure cart has a lot of water:
Iris says, “Look, Francis, I can see myself in your feed dish.”
It’s a good thing the hay bins have drain holes:
Paschal says, “It’s so hot, I’m staying in my pool all day.”
Oh, you know how we’ve been telling you about our brooders (Everybody loves sawdust and Shock video!). Here’s the Easter-egger taking a break from the nest:
But when she goes back, someone is on her eggs!
Don’t worry. The “interloper” was happy to hop right off and let her back on the nest. 🐔
Stormy weather 😾
Good morning. I’m a little wet:
Lots of rain overnight and into this morning, and then it will, of course, get HOT:
Onslow says, “On the bright side, Francis, your water is clear and refreshing. Even if there are fish in this tank.”
Betty says, “I don't mean to ignore everyone. . .”
“But I need to clean up, before I go outside and get muddy again.” 😺
Everybody loves sawdust! 🐔
Oh, for a moment I didn’t see you! Good morning!
We have young swallows flitting around the hay barn:
Get your foot off the bowl, Iris, and the cat-cops will put breakfast in it:
And you know from yesterday that we have a Wyandotte and an Easter-egger brooding a clutch of eggs:
The Easter-egger has her coop pretty much to herself:
But everybody loves #13’s nest in the big coop:
It can get crowded:
So now, we have another bag of sawdust on the other side of the coop:
It’s getting customers. Are they happy?
There’s the proof! 🐔
Shock video! 🙀
Good morning! Nothing makes me happier than to give you a beatific donkey smile!
As you probably know, we have two chickens that are trying to hatch eggs. Each morning the cat-cops gently check in on them, to make sure they’re ok, and see that no other chicken has pushed them off the nest.
Wyandotte #13 is always calm, and appreciates a gentle petting:
Easter-egger #69 has been brooding in the brown plastic coop in the cat garage. The cat-cop was so sorry that he shocked her when he woke her up (this video repeats once). Usually, she gently clucks, and has some mealworms:
We have to give these two hard-working mothers-to-be names! 🐔
Kitty capers (3 videos)! 😺
Buttons says, “Good morning! I’m on lookout.”
“So am I, Buttons,” says Betty. “Horsefarm security is everybody’s business.”
“Here’s a video of me on the job.”
Onslow says, “Here’s a video of me, ‘apprehending’ a trespassing mouse!”
“And here I am, filing my report.”
“‘Meow’ can mean many things, depending upon how you say it!” 😺
Farrier day is a day for patience 🐎
Good morning! Our friend, Travis, is trimming our hooves today:
We all have to wait for our turn, like Iris:
And then stand patiently, like Rose:
But while we wait, we get treated to carrots!
Not just Iris, of course, but everyone. Today we went through a five-pound bag:
That of course was ME! I always get the first carrot! 🐴
I’m back. How things change after just four days! 🐴
I’m back. Did you miss me? I missed you!
“I missed you, Francis.”
I think, since I’ve been gone, the chicken yard has turned into a jungle:
Let’s look around in this video:
And what’s this? Why was this coop wired shut overnight?
Who are we keeping in (or out)?
Oh! Why did you spend the night there, chicken? Why aren’t you in the big coop with everyone else?
Oh, you’re brooding (she’s hatching some eggs and refuses to leave):
That’s fine, I guess. We’ll keep locking you in every night, to keep you safe from raccoons, possums, minks, weasels, or whatever! 🐔
I’ll be back Tuesday 🐴
I’m taking a break until next Tuesday:
So I’ll see you July 9th.
But I do have a video for you, of Iris scratching her butt:
BUTT, she says, “It’s nothing serious. I just have an itch.” (We’ll keep an eye on you anyway, Iris) 🐎
Egg in the hay 🥚
Good morning. A nasty storm blew through last night, leaving this morning hot, humid, and—of course!—MUDDY:
Chezzie and Stormy are in Misty’s stall (not for long):
Betty is stretching her neck while sharpening her claws:
Ok, who laid this egg?
Dukie says, “It wasn’t me!”
“But if you cook it, I’ll eat it!” 😺
If it’s dark, turn on a light! 🐎
Good morning!
Dukie’s here!
Someone couldn’t make it to the nest again:
And let’s watch somebody turn on the lights (from two angles):
Idle hooves are the devil’s workshop. 🐴
Camouflaged chicken! 🐔
This hen says, “Good morning! Can you see me?”
“I’m blending in with the junk on the floor.”
Pardon me while I scratch an itch:
Sometimes it takes a carrot to get Chezzie in the stall:
Don’t worry, Jewel, you and everyone gets a carrot:
The chickens will eat whatever pieces we drop. 🐴