April snow. Flooding. Possum goes to the vet.

We had an amazing storm last night! It started in the afternoon, looking rather like a meteor shower from and 'end of the world' movie.  Sadly, we didn't get the thunder snow they were calling for. Yes, that's really a thing. Look it up!

Our middle fields with predominantly canary grass flood at this time of year, so we expected that.  What I didn't expect is for it to be all the way to the tip of the bridge already! And after this most recent ~10 inches of snow we might see the highest water levels ever on this property. 

 

Some photos from recent days:

Crazy dino hen discovered a dead mouse that I'd found in the guinea house this winter. So many little creatures couldn't make it through the cold.  I'd thrown her out on the snow and once it started to melt and I could let the chooks out to range, the prize was found.  Eyew. I took it away from her.

Possum is at the Wildlife Center--hopefully having surgery to close the end of her tail.  She'd gotten frostbite so many times this winter that there was bone exposed.  Once she's healed she'll be released here.

Come home soon crazy little marsupial!

Daughter of Chaos--dyspneic, before I brought her inside the other day.  Her breathing is horrible and raspy. I hope I can get her better.  You can see her little stumpy feet--healed nicely, but I have to watch for pressure sores.  I padded all of their remaining perches the other day, so hopefully that will help prevent any bumblefoot.  It's really worked well in the chook palace, since enormous Wookie hen weighs 3.5kg and had that nasty case of it on both feet earlier in the fall. Checked her the other day and no bumblefoot, just hyperkeratosis, so I massaged them with udder balm and sent her on her way.

You can see Son of Chaos next to her, also missing some toes.

Middle field starting to capture melt waters.

This horrible looking paddock is now under snow again.  G overseeded it the other day, and this is where we'll be putting in swales soon.

Princey starting to roo his fleece.

I could peel chunks of it off of his rump, but he doesn't like it...

Chunks of fleece I pulled off of Princey.  You can see the globs of lanolin where the fleece breaks off!

Having a go at spinning Axle's roving.

Super Petunia got to spend a night inside after visiting the vet.  This is her enjoying the high life the next morning. Any time you can snooze in the sun without it being so hot that it will kill you, is a good time in MN.
 Those days will be here soon enough...

Prancing Oakley--I keep his mask on especially on bright days, and the lovely duct tape addition is to provide extra shade since he needed atropine in his eye during his ulcer treatment. It was so warm on the day that I applied the ointment,  I accidentally overdosed his eye when too much squeezed out of the tube...His pupil was dilated for days, so I wanted to make sure he was protected. Oops. I'll be more careful next time!

Wedge-son Shadow and unnamed hen, daughter of Wedge, niece of Wookie.  She's pretty well the perfect cold weather chicken.  No comb, minimal wattles and earlobes, plus tonnes of fluffy barred rock feathers.
 

The bridge out in the grotto, almost submerged.

Soon wood ducks and others will be floating along in here!

Pretty, chilly golden hour.