I will keep adding to this as I get the time.
Magnolia Wockeen disappeared in early March. I knew that she had made a nest and was sitting on eggs. Because there is no male turkey around these eggs would be infertile and would not hatch. I never did know where Wockeen had made her nest, I thought it was in the next door neighbors large garden. She would show up about once a month, eat some of the chickens food and then disappear. 
Like so many of the things around here Magnolia was not supposed to happen.
It actually all began because of Wockeen, our only turkey. 
This went on for almost six months, until one day Michelle heard her under a bush right next to the house. I reached under her to discover she had twelve eggs. I felt so sorry for her because she would probably sit on these eggs for ever. I went over to a feed store in Petaluma and got three Arucana chicken chicks (there are no turkey chicks around in November). The plan was to slip them under her and remove the eggs. I have done this several times to broody chickens with great success.
So on a cold rainy November day I lay on my stomach and reached into this very thorny bush and deposited the chicks. Wockeen did not go for the trick. She pecked at them and the chicks scattered. It obviously was not going to work. Michelle pleaded with me to let her rear them. So they were set up in a box in her bedroom with a heat lamp. In the evenings Michelle would have them on the living room floor. They were very cute and entertaining. One warm sunny day Michelle took them out to play on the lawn. They were only about 4 feet from her when a large hawk swooped down and took one. We were horrified. They stayed inside for the next couple of days.
I had a group of school children coming over to visit the farm one morning. As it was a sunny day, I put the two remaining chicks out on the porch in a cage so the kids could see them. About an hour later I just happened to look up and see Gracie, our cat, with something in her mouth that looked just like one of the chicks. I raced out and followed her to some thick bushes. Maggie, our Jack Russell rushed under the bush and chased Gracie out. Maggie loves to chase Gracie at any opportunity. Luckily she left the chick and I was able to save it. She had injured it pretty badly but it survived. I went to check on the other chick but it had disappeared.
The next day I was feelting very sad for this poor lonely, injured chick and decided to get it a companion. As it was only 4 days since I had bought it I went back to the feed store expecting to be able to buy another chick from the same batch. No luck. All they had was this one tiny chick, a Silky. Wouldn't you know it, now I felt sorry for this little thing, all on its' own in a big metal cage. No one wanted it. I took it home and put it in with the injured chick. The injured chick died the next day and we were left with Magnolia.
Magnolia now spends her evenings and nights in the house and the days out in a stall in the barn where I have Puppy, a male Silky. They get along great. I bring her in at night as it is very cold and I am afraid the rats or other creatures might get her. Magnolia is a real character. She is smart and very feisty. She even appears to have a sense of humor. She loves to follow us around the house, with Maggie always about 3 feet behind. I know Maggie has bad intentions but she understands that this is one of our family of farm animals. She is great fun to have around and I will miss her when she eventually starts spending her nights out with the chickens.
PS: Magnolia turned out to be a rooster. He stays in a group with Puppy and Cookie. They roam the farm and greet me at the kitchen window every morning looking for the inevitable hand-outs
Check the Photo Page for more on Magnolia
Travis gets bitten by a Rattlesnake
We were doing our morning walk out at the Sonoma Developmental Center.
I didn't notice anything unusual but that afternoon Travis didn't want to go on his afternoon walk. He seemed lethargic.
That evening Michelle pointed out that his face seemed swollen. The next morning his head was huge. I took him to our vet, Arroyo Clinic. They are great! They took a blood sample and determined that he had a snake bite. Apparently the venom makes a distinct change in the shape of the Red Corpuscles. As it was now more than 24 hours since it happened they decided not to give him any anti-venom injection. Travis, at over 100 lbs, fought off the venom. His head and neck swelled to a frightening size. I took him back to the vet and they monitored him.
He pulled out of it and now 2 weeks later he is fine.
