FRANCIS'S BLOG 04/19/2026
Goodbye September! 🐴
Good morning! I was asking Jewel if she had any ideas for today’s post, but she can’t think of anything either:
Then Betty said, “Let’s see the video Red and Buttons.”
Good idea, Betty. You know how Red has been admonished for chasing Onslow. Well, at least he has made friends with Buttons:
He never gets mad at her, even though she gave him a surprise! 😺
A fungus among-us 🙀
Security Deputy Betty is asleep at her post:
An interesting mushroom “sculpture” sprang up overnight:
Finally, let’s watch the chickens go after an egg:
🐔
Pumpkins and prancing! 🐴
What’s this? A carrot on the flake—just like fancy cat-cop hotels put a mint on the pillow:
The chickens have been doing some pumpkin-carving:
And let’s watch Sophie prance around the room:
She knows she’s going to the farm to visit me! 🐴
Rain ⛈ and rainbows 🌈 and a neat video! 🐴
It poured last night with the sun out! We had a rainbow. Can you see it?
We got to see this end of it. . .
And that end of it!
Now let’s watch a video of the sun lighting up the raindrops:
Very pretty! 🐴
Eggs in the hay barn 🐔
Good morning. If you recall, I lost my mask the other day. It turns out, “management” lost it in the laundry, and only found it last night. So, as an apology, I got extra carrots, and extra hay, and a clean mask:
The chickens are always competing for the “deluxe” nesting place in the coop:
Honesty, girls, there are a lot of other nests that are just as nice:
Anyway, this chicken has discovered a cozy nest in the hay barn:
But other hens have evidentally discovered it, too:
How can we tell? Easy! The hen in the picture only lays blue eggs; so, some other chicken laid the brown ones! 🐔
Foggy day? 😾 Smile it away! 😺
It’s very foggy. It’s a good day for the worms to come out in the pasture:
Red joins us for breakfast again. But he growled at Onslow—BAD CAT!
As for me, look at the smile I have for you:
Couldn’t you just kiss me? 🐴
Red on a rampage? 😾
Betty won’t come down from the cat bowl cabinet. Somebody scared her:
Was it you, Red? The cat-cops just saw you chasing Onslow. Were you chasing Betty, too?
Anyway, I lost my mask, so I’m trying out another one. Oh no, this will never do. It rides too low on my nose:
I think I’ll stay in the stable today:
There are fewer flies in here because the fans blow them away. 🐴
Hello Autumn! 😺
Good morning! You remember it poured yesterday:
So today, Ginger and Missy are kicking through the mud:
Other than that, Schroeder is not in the mood to share his breakfast:
And a Jack-O-Lantern is in the chicken yard:
Hey, chickens, it’s still five weeks until Halloween!
Chickens like to “rush the season.” 🐔
We’re having rain for breakfast! 😾
Good morning. It’s very soggy:
It’s also very loud. You can watch this video and listen:
Other than that—have a nice day and stay dry! 🐴
Another cloudy day 😾
I’m all ears this morning:
Iris is having her morning carrot:
Buttons says, “I’m going back to bed. Wake me when the sun comes out—if it does at all today.”
How about this, Buttons? Let’s watch a squirrel video. Why? Because. . .
Squirrels are cute! 🐿
Red gets his own dish! 😺
Dukie says, “Good morning! It’s another great day at the farm!”
I agree, Dukie, except for all the nasty flies:
Chickens, work your magic: keep combing through our poopies, eating all the fly larvae and eggs you can find!
Congratulations, Red! Every day you’re getting less shy around the cat-cops. But, honestly, you should know by now they only want you to feel at home:
You’ve even been given your own feed dish, just like the other kitties:
Welcome to the clowder, Red. 😺
The chickens get a much bigger yard! 🐔
A sleepy Onslow says, “Good morning. Can you bring my breakfast to me?”
I don’t think that will happen, Onslow. If you want to eat, get on your feet.
Here’s a lovely Sophie pose from a few days ago:
But the news of the day is the chickens’ enormous yard! Ann, Deno and Bill worked all yesterday evening putting up 100 more feet of fence:
Let’s watch a quick video, so hopefully you can imagine it better:
Look at all that new green grass! 🐔
Sorry, Calla, I don’t give rides! 🐴
Aren’t these sunflowers big and bright? Their big centers will each make hundreds of seeds:
I’m having a carrot because. . .well, of course I am!
And just look where Calla is!
I hate to disappoint you, doggie, I’m not moving until you jump off. 🐴
Poor Buttons! 😿
Good morning! It absolutely poured last night—that, and the warmer weather have brought the flies (and the fly masks) back:
Finally, poor Buttons! She tries to have an evening snack. . .
But she’s overpowered by “chicken power!” 🙀
I’m sorry I missed you yesterday! Here’s a movie to make up for it. 🐴
As you might guess, the picture below is from yesterday—it’s dreary and rainy this morning:
Also from yesterday, here are Security Deputies Betty and Onslow, checking out the security camera that guards the driveway:
“It’s covered in cobwebs, Onslow, but it’s working.”
Finally, let’s watch Missy lay an egg!
So that’s how they come out! 🐴
Ducks 🦆 and Chickens 🐓 and ME! 🐴
Good morning! Here’s a video of me, having my morning carrot on a bright, cool Thursday:
Here are Aoife (middle), Patrick (left), and Danny Fairbrass (right) playing in some fresh well water:
Other than that, this blue egg is as big as the older girls’ brown and olive eggs. We need more like that, Easter-eggers:
And don’t you dare lay an egg on my hay, Missy:
That’s better. . .
But what’s wrong with the nests in the coops? 🐔
Rain overnight 🐴
Good morning!
There’s lots of mud:
Lots of mud means lots of worms for the hens:
So you know what that means:
Tonight it will be raining eggs! 🐴
Release the hens! 🐔
Good morning!
Here’s a newly-laid, blue egg for you!
Let’s watch the chicks do some “door busting!”
And here come the older chicks!
They “door bust” every morning like shoppers on Black Friday! 🐴
How hard is it raining? Just listen! 🐎
Good morning. Our chickens are getting wet:
I think I’ll just stay inside and watch. I’m sure the chickens are happy with all the worms the rain is forcing up:
It’s dry in the stall, but it’s quite noisy. Just listen to this racket:
VERY LOUD, isn’t it? 🐴
This is one determined chicken! 🐔
Red says, “Good morning!”
This intractable chick is on her way to lay an egg and nothing is going to stop her!
The problem is, she’s in the habit of doing it way, way up in the hay!
It’s too dangerous for anyone to keeping climbing up there to get your egg!
And you certainly can’t spend the night outside the coop! 🙀
The cat-cops chased her down once, but she keeps fighting to go back up! Just look at her in this video. Even after a gentle “kick,” she won’t be deterred:
I think I should start calling the cat-cops “chicken-cops!” 🐴
A clean stable is a pretty as a bunch of sunflowers! 🌻
Nixie says, “Good morning! I’m happy to be visiting the farm!”
It might get close to 80 today, so our fly masks are back on:
The chickens have the nicest bunch of sunflowers, don’t they?
Rose and Iris say, “The sunflowers are pretty, but. . .
“So is a clean stable! Our friend Jake cleaned it out just this morning.
“What a nice place to spend the night!” 🐎
Slow news day 🐴
I’m sorry, all I have for you is a movie of the chickens pecking through our manure. But I think you might find it interesting:
I’ll try to do better tomorrow! 🐴
Cat roll call! 😺
Iris says, “Good morning!”
Let’s join the cats for breakfast. Only Onslow is looking up, but they’re all glad to see you:
Oh, guess what Betty had for dessert:
A sparrow! 🙀
The great escape! 🐎
Last Sunday afternoon, somebody got a little absent-minded and let the horses out with the gate open.
Let’s watch the “fun” as caught by the security cameras (sorry, no sound):
On this camera, we see a Good Samaritan pulling their van in the driveway. It was a good way to “suggest” that we not cross the road or run down between the road and the fence line. That was so nice!
As you saw, we had our fun then went back in. All’s well that ends well! 🐴
Rain on the way 😺
Onslow says, “Good morning! I’m just hanging out by the traffic cone.”
Red would like some breakfast. . .
But for now, he’s patiently waiting his turn. 😺
I’m feeling better, so I have a lot of pictures for you today! 🐴
Iris says, “Good morning!”
As I said, I’m feeling better today, and I hope I stay that way:
The carrots may not have helped, but they sure didn’t hurt:
Anyway, the ducks are enjoying their worms:
The chickens are enjoying the bugs in our manure:
Red is cleaning up leftovers from Schroeder’s bowl. . .
And from Betty’s:
Finally, we often get olive eggs that are speckled. . .
But I don’t think we’ve gotten a speckled brown egg before. 🐔
Red and Buttons are friends 😺
Good morning. Well, you know, yesterday, I told you my hooves were feeling better—but they aren't. Dr. Dana was called, and I spent last night on lockdown, and got some medicine:
Our chickens love Ann as much as the horses 🐎, cats 😺, ducks 🦆, and me 🐴!
Finally, let’s watch a movie of our favorite stray, Red!
Red is friendly with Buttons, and gets braver around the cat-cops each time he stops by. 😺
Lots of pictures today! 🐴
I’m feeling better today. Nobody saw me laying down:
This little chick went a-climbing up the hay:
Higher. . .
And higher. . .
Almost up to the roof!
We have Missy on the nest:
And she left us an egg!
Every day is an egg hunt! 🐴
Rose has some news for us, this morning! 🐎
I think my hooves are feeling better. I know Farmer Rich’s fresh hay (and a carrot) are lifting my spirits!
Rose says, “Hey, cat-cops, Jewel is in Iris's and my pasture! Not that she’s unwelcome, but you might want to see if there are any holes in the fence somewhere.”
“Other than that. . .
How about a kiss!” 🐎