Today, we gave our children away with some money to Sarah, who took them up to the Lake to play putt-putt golf with them and have lunch. After, they go to church and whatever else, and then come home to us.

In the interim, we have dastardly plans for the three mean roosters in the big chicken house. We're going to dump them up on BLM land as coyote bait. We were supposed to have hens and instead ended up with a bunch of hens and three obnoxious roosters. They fight viciously, one has gone after the kids, and it just wasn't what we orderd, ya know?

Twee in the other coop is a nice rooster, which I handraised (used to carry him about in my pocket when he got cold), who has a completely pacifistic small flock, which he would protect. He won't take any shit and as the only rooster, he'll make sure that the old hens are nice to HIS hens, until the pecking order gets settled with everyone. He also does not allow squabbling amongst his hens. If they step out of line, he basically smacks them back into line. He's not vicious about it, but they mind him, which means that the old hens will be learning new behavior patterns.

We're sick of having two coops and the mice that they bring and I think we're going to clear the other shed space for pygmy goats next spring. We can buy kid pygmy goats in spring shortly after they're weaned. We need something to trim the brush on the hill and they're cheap landscapers. We have a critter waterer outside for them, so that's already handled, so it'll be a matter of buying them bedding and hay. We can have that delivered from the local grain store down the hill or just stuff a couple bales in the back of the van and drive them up.

We'll have to protect them from coyotes, but my experience is you get them trained to a grain bucket and they'll just come running when they see you out there with a bucket for them and you can stable them up at night and set them out in the morning. In winter, we may just have to stable them in a small stomping yard, so they aren't floundering about in snow drifts, but I think that's totally doable. Mike wasn't thrilled to pieces at the prospect, but he agreed it's cheaper than figuring out landscaping on the hill. Because they are small, they'll also be more manageable than big goats and less likely to be able to reach low branches on trees and jump fences.

Well, I've got to get housework done while the kids are gone. Opportunity awaits. Though...overall..I'd rather take a nap.