Lancelot Acres

(LAWRENCE) - There is new evidence that cougars are not just on the prowl, but may in fact be breeding right here in West Michigan.
Experts are studying an animal attack near Lawrence in Van Buren County.
On Wednesday, resident Chuck Mumford discovered a deer carcass in a cornfield.
"The internals were gone," Mumford says. "The liver and lung sack were gone too."
Nearby, animal control officers found what may be cougar paw prints, both big and small.
"There's absolutely no claws," says Val Grimes, Director of Berrien County Animal Control. Claw marks are indicative of canines, whereas cats are able to retract their claws.
Grimes and others inspected the scene near Lawrence, taking numerous photographs and plaster casts of the impressions in the mud.
"I think it's a mom and her kitten," Grimes says.
The Department of Natural Resources denies there is a breeding population of cougars in Michigan.
Grimes says she isn't sure if the increase in cougar sightings is because there are more big cats, or because of heightened public awareness.
"Everybody's looking and it's been such a wonderful winter, more people are out and about and they're watching," she says.

There have been 'sightings' around here in the last few years, but none quite so close to home.  Most sightings were at about a 15-20 mile radius from our place.  This latest one is 8 miles...closer as the crow flies.  That is just a little scary for us. 

Our animals aren't kept in a barn at night...we aren't set up for that.  We hope to be someday, but not yet.  We came home after seeing how far this sighting was, and moved our girls' shelters closer to the house.  Now they are only a short distance from our bedroom window.  We can hear them better if something was to bother them at night.  A cougar isn't our only predator, we have coyotes just across our road...we hear them often.  So moving the shelters was a smart move any way you look at it.

The girls were thrilled to have us in there 'playing' with them.  They would run ahead of us and jump in our way.  It was a great time.  They are so much fun.  How can anybody not like goats?  LOL.  They have such personality.

We picked up another load of hay this morning.  We should have enough to last us the rest of the winter now.  DH found a guy selling 3rd cutting alfalfa for $3 a bale (square).  That is the cheapest we've found alfalfa around here.  DH had been buying grass mix hay for the steers for $2 per bale.  Now we are feeding this alfalfa hay to them too.  For only $1 more per bale, there is a little more nutrition there for them.  The goats like it too, so we feel it's a good deal all the way around.

Our chickens aren't laying that many eggs, but we do get several a day.  3 or 4 usually.  However, something is taking their eggs?  I went out after dark one night to lock them in and get the eggs, and there weren't any eggs at all.  I had seen one in the nest earlier that day, and had my hands full, so just left it there.  Then it was gone.  No shells, no mess, not a sign of an egg even being there.  ??  There aren't many animals that can get in the coop.  Weasels, mice, rats? .  A raccoon could have done it that night, as the door was wide open (I was going out to shut it), so it could have been something else that time, but now I suspect we have a little 4 legged thief?  Maybe that is why we don't have more eggs each day?  DH is going to set a trap and see if we can catch something besides our own chickens and cats.  LOL.  I am doubtful though.  I even thought of a snake?  I know it's cold for them, but it's been pretty warm, and it could be living under the coop?  I am just not sure.  We'll have to see if a trap does anything.  Whatever it is doesn't seem to bother the chickens at all.  Thank goodness.

We had friends over last night, and we had a great time playing the game Taboo.  They left about 10, and we headed to bed.  That's late for us.  DH is taking a nap now, and I may scrapbook for awhile.  DD is still at grandma and grandpa's house, we'll go get her this evening.

I hope everybody is having a great day...

Hugs,
Lisa