Monday, Monday

Monday started as any morning...

to the sound of roosters singing to the sunrise in the Eastern sky of the barnyard.

I love that sound...

roosters, heralds of the morn.

Sadly, there will be one less rooster to greet the sunrise today.

Yes, when I opened the upper chicken houses yesterday morning,

I found Old Roy looking quite wilted again.

His left eye was looking much worse, and again he seemed to have something

neurologically wrong.

I hailed Dr. Becky.

Examining him, we soon realized that the reason his eye looked so strange was that he had

a rather large tumor growing around his orbit.

She also thought that perhaps the tumor had invaded his optic nerve,

and so was affecting his brain (hence the neurological symptoms).

I could not in all conscience allow this to continue.

In a weakened state, he would soon become the subject of abuse from the other

roos and hens.

So, we opted for an injection of Euthasol...which quickly and seemingly painlessly

put him to sleep...forever.

Good bye Ole Roy... we loved your song and will miss it.

To clear up a little confusion,

Ole Roy was an Auracana/Barred Rock cross.

We have yet another similar rooster  Roy Boy,

who is a Barred Rock Roo.

Roy Boy continues to be healthy and as you can see...

strutting his stuff!

So, tell me...

do you think me crazy?

Maybe just a little, huh! (Read on....)

Yesterday morning I rescued a mouse from certain death.

Leo had caught a mouse and was playing with it...

batting it around unmercifully.

He'd let it escape, and just when the mouse thought it was safe,

he'd pounce on it and send it rolling with his paw.

I just couldn't bear to watch this.

I know, I know.... this is why we have barn cats. 

But, do I have to witness this?

And, you have to admit... this little mouse is cuter than cute!!

So, I picked up this little fluff ball and safely stowed him

in the feed room (of course!) between a few piles of hay.

I am sure, with 5 barn cats, it is just a matter of time...

yesterday was just not the day!

PS... a chicken tote is on its way to Cris (Chicken Adventures)!!
Enjoy!