Life on the farm is unique. What compares? Share your thoughts. We grow our own food, raise a bunch of critters, have a bunch of fun, love the land. Outdoors is best. I’m bias? Yes, I am… May I ask you this—Do you love the land?
How about you? What’s your ‘jam’? Tell us, please! As my mother used to say, “It takes all kinds to make this world, Midy”.
She was right.
We all have more than one name. Think about it. How many names do you have? Mom, Honey, Babe, Aunt, Granny, Mrs., and sometimes, “Hey, you!”
I have another name too. All the animals know it well. Know what it is?
FOOD!
Oh, it is sweet to think when our animals look at me, whinny, moo or follow me it is because they love me so. But it is not. Truth is, they are
HUNGRY!
Yes, in their world, my name is Food.
My husband says I am not happy unless I am feeding something. Guess he is right.
They also have the mistaken notion that every time I come around them I owe them a treat. I do admit these animals are a bit spoiled. Most especially our horses. They are all seniors. In my mind they have earned their semi-retirement. Their treats are their ‘retirement pay.’
But, good grief, must they stare at me with such begging faces? Tell me, could you tell these faces no to an iddy-biddy treat?
Tell me, how can these faces be turned down for treats?
Boys will be boys, dogs will be dogs, and chickens are the game. This is one game that often does not turn out well. Not for the chicken anyway.
I should have done some ‘re-training’ when the grandsons came for a recent visit. It rather slipped my mind though. Boo on that. For I know all children need re-training while visiting here at the farm. Most especially because they do not live on one, and some have no pets at all.
They must be reminded of the farm rules. Rules that keep both them and the animals safe.
Some lessons are harder learned than others and carry a higher cost. As a mother of five children, ten years apart in age, I was ever mindful of training the children in the way of life on a farm. It has rather faded as a grandmother though.
However, it came back as a full, clear vision this week.
The commotion was already underway as we adults went outside to gather the grandchildren to go home. All I heard was, ” No!!!, Leave it!!! Get away!!” Then I saw.
Our two ‘sweet’ corgis were attacking one of our chickens! And boy did they mean business. Stopping two dogs after fresh meat is like trying to stop the rain from falling.
I could not realize why our dogs had attacked the bird. They have been trained to leave them and have done so for years. In the fray I heard the boys say they had started chasing the birds. The dogs were more than willing to join in the hot chase.
Two dogs are a pack, and that is where it turned ugly.
Finally with the dogs closed in the house and everyone gone, attention turned to our poor, little, beat up chicken.
She was torn and bitten on both her sides, feathers were everywhere. However, her wings seemed fine, as did her legs.
“Should we put her down?” my husband asked quietly.
“I don’t know, should we try to doctor her wounds? Let’s try, don’t you think?” was my fainthearted reply.
I knew I would need my husband’s help for to even hope for her healing. His big strong hands could hold her like a sling while I could doctor her.
He said yes, and with that, the first feeling of hope arose.
Quietly carrying her to the barn while I frantically gathered supplies, they waited patiently on the ‘surgical table‘.
After gentle, and careful examination, hydrogen peroxide was poured generously over the lacerations. I then slathered her with a wonderful, homemade product I purchase from a smart bee-keeping lady in Vermont. Packaged in small glass jars, it is called Best Bee Savvy. To say it is a remarkable product is an understatement. We slathered it all over her injuries, then wrapped her torn, little body in cotton gauze and tied a pretty bow on her back.
Gently setting her in ICU, we bid her good night, confident we had done what we could.
The early morning barn lights shown gently on our ‘girl’, and she was alive!
Today is the third day since the attack. She seems to be recovering very well. Though still in ICU, she is showing very good signs of healing.
I do not know how long she will stay in the infirmary. We are not out of the woods as yet. I am still concerned about infection. But as for this day, we are hopeful.
Love and good care go a long way, a long indeed.
Old Man Winter has enjoyed a good long visit with us lately. Snow has blanketed the ground for these past two weeks. Freezing temperatures, except two days, have happily kept company with the snow.
Light is a photographers dearest friend. Making all the difference in the ‘feel’ of a photo. My most favorite time for light is evening twilight when I go out to feed. Most especially when the light of day is nearly equal to lights peering from windows of buildings and snow is all around.
Cold as it was, taking these evening photos was fun, and I hope you enjoy them. When is your favorite time for taking photographs?
Thank you for stopping by. Enjoy your evening wherever you are.
Six inches of snow fell earlier this week. More is called for today and into the weekend. Gusts of wind across the northwest corner of our farm has created drifts of snow along with patches of ground exposed. Our plowed path to the barn is now covered over with drifted snow.
A Scandinavian proverb says: There is no bad weather only bad clothing. I say that to myself as I trudge through snow drifts to feed the livestock and out in the fields to open gates. Thankful for the big hood of my coat I keep pulling over the knitted one already on as the gusts of wind make every effort to blow them away. The snow is not deep enough to go down the tall farm boots, but the drifts are. Yes, good clothing is great.
Seventeen degrees outside on this dark, early morning though the wind makes it feel colder. Anxious hungry eyes record every trudging step taken closer and closer their way. Telling me with a hungry whinny or moo to hurry up!
Hay is spread far and wide in front of the barn out of the wind. Horses rule over cows, but they can only keep rule over one pile of hay at a time. One more heap of hay over number of animals keeps the peace. Hay is piled liberally, while, Duke, our senior horse munches grain.
A midday feeding is made too on days like these when Ole Man winter blows across our farm. Hay is best for keeping the animals warm.
Speaking of hay, it is time to go out…
Yikes! Or should I say Friday thoughts…?
Skulk about. That is how the uninvited animals at our farm roam about. They skulk. This means they hide or get out of the way in a sneaky manner. Those that skulk and lurk around our farm are not real popular critters with us. For they are hunting our animals that provide a living or protection or company for us. They eat and contaminate our animals food. They carry disease that can transmit to our animals, and they hunt them.
They are, mice, rats, snakes, weasels, raccoons, foxes and coyotes. They skulk around our property for easy food. Our chickens have it worse because they are everyone’s lunch and are free-range. Chickens have completely vanished, have been found dismembered or completely torn to pieces. One thing a farmer, or gardener knows, it is a violent world we live in. I appreciate Joel Salatin’s (American farmer, lecturer, author) remark. “It is a violent world we live in. If you don’t believe me, get naked and go sleep one night out in your garden!”
Because these animals skulk around, we rarely see them. Also, they often hunt early morning or early evening. We have two dogs on our farm. Two dogs are a pack. Though I would not have much hope should the two dogs be charged and attacked by a big pack of hungry coyotes. We hear them yapping at night. It is neither a pleasant or welcome sound. In fact, it is unnerving. They have already killed two of our cats. Skulking around in broad daylight, they are getting far too bold.
A few years back my niece’s job was exercising horses out in the quiet mountain country of Colorado. She packed a pistol because a huge coyote would often follow her around the trails, watching and staring. He never made any advances toward she or the horse. It would have met its demise if it had.
When we see them skulking around we run them off. Except for rats and mice, they are killed. Raccoons, skunks, and foxes spread rabies. We work hard to keep our livestock well. They are part of our livelihood. If threatened, we will do what needs to de done to protect our animals and us.
Watching our animals interact with one another is a life lesson in and of itself.
They communicate with each other, and they seem to understand. I have noticed they do need a bit of ‘training’ to learn each other’s language, but they learn quickly!
It has been a while since we have had a puppy here on the farm with us. We got our Pembroke Corgi puppy, HoneyPie, one-and-a-half years ago at eight weeks old. I kept a close eye on her for the first year. She needed to learn about horses and cats from a safe distance. It only takes one determined strike from a horses front leg to break a dogs back. And goodness, the damage a mature cat could give a silly, playful puppy! She also had to learn not to chase the chickens.
She is now nineteen months old. She knows her way around the farm, cats, horses and chickens. Though she takes great joy in giving the chickens a good, quick run! I am teaching her to herd them also.
Our one miniature horse, Clarette, has made it her mission to keep HoneyPie out of the paddock, and fields. The photos below show interesting ‘talk’ between horse and dog. It’s fascinating to watch! Can you ‘read’ their language?
In reality Clarette is only bluffing. She just enjoys her power over HoneyPie! Such is life here at the farm.
I grew up working in the hay fields at home on our 1,300 acre farm at Endless Caverns in New Market, Va. I always loved being out in the hay fields. The fresh cut hay always smelled so good, the rhythmic sound of the machines, and of course, hay can only be made ‘when the sun shines!’
That farm was sold many years ago. Though memories still linger, most especially in springtime here in the valley when hay making is in full swing. In this time of year barns are full of the fresh hay of this past season. A barn full of new hay is a sweet smell indeed. Folks have come into our little barn and remarked about how good it smells! We do not have enough land to make our own. It must be purchased.
Our barn is small, so we have to go often to restock our supply from our man in West Virginia. He has beautiful hay, and has been our supplier for many years. Our horses are in good care with the quality of his hay. I am a hay hog, or so I have been told. I do not feed our big horses grain, but I do feed them lots of good hay. On cold, blustery nights and days, hay is a far better feed for the horses. It keeps them warmer longer than grain. On bitter winter days, I have ‘hayed’ them three times during the day. There is such a thing as horses getting what we call a ‘hay belly’, but I have found that is mostly because of poor quality over quantity.
Most hay is now baled in big rounds. Ours come in square bales. We prefer it that way. It is more work on our part as we must tend to the animals morning and evening. However, there is not as much waste. Horses are picky eaters. Ours lick up their daily supply! I also like to shake it out on the ground for them to check for weeds, and, believe it or not, I have actually found a baled, dead field mouse in one bale. Yikes! It happens occasionally.
Time is nearing for another hay run!
“A place for everything and everything in it’s place.”
Rosie, the robot, always said that on the cartoon The Jetsons, as she would methodically go around the house putting everything in order.
It makes me laugh when I say it too as I clean my house. But order makes me happy and keeps me sane. Though I do not consider myself a ‘clean freak’, things must be kept in order.
It is amazing to me how well our animals here on the farm even respond to the order of the day. They know how the day is to begin and end, and are quick to remind me if I am late.
It seems our good God of order has placed that sense in all of His Creation as well. Glory!!
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