After a couple days in the nest, the adult geese finally decided that the three goslings were strong for a short stroll in the sunshine.   It apparently was a momentous occasion.  The entire flock participated, except for the two geese still setting other nests.  Each grown goose paid close attention to the little ones, guiding
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I stepped onto the front porch late Tuesday morning and was greeted by five very hopeful doggy faces.  Four of the dogs stared at me, then looked pointedly at the empty food dishes scattered around the porch and front sidewalk.  The fifth dog . . . well, Blue’s old and so near-sighted that I can’t
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Boot Biter Goose and her nesting partner announce the hatching of three goslings. They’re hiding under the parent geese right now.  We actually don’t know which goose is the mama.  These two have nested together for weeks, and they’re sharing parenting duties equally. The humans on the farm risked life and limb to assess the
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Several weeks ago we noticed something odd about Cocoa, the preemie calf.  Take a look at that face. Look a little closer.  Note the underbite and the exposed teeth. It’s not a huge underbite, but it definitely affects what I used to think of as her sweet face. If she were my child, I’d start
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American Buff geese deserve their reputation as calm, gentle birds — except during nesting.   A Buff defending her nest can be ferocious.  With five Buffs on separate nests around the barn, there’s a lot of ferociousness to avoid. If I remember to sing the goose song while working near a nest, there’s usually not a problem. 
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Look what I found in the barn yesterday morning!  My favorite ewe gave birth to this healthy  tiny ewe lamb not long after daybreak.  She’s Peep’s first lamb — and don’t blame me for the name.  Peep and her mama, Bo, were part of a package deal on ewes, and they actually knew their names.
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Tiny, the bottle lamb, is grown up now and having hair issues.  Actually, she has a lot more issues than just her bad haircut, but that’s a story for another day. A year ago, Tiny was a fat, spoiled lamb.  Most days she appeared neatly groomed, except for the bits of leaves and mud spots
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  Sometimes, when the cat squabbles escalate to cat wars, it becomes necessary for the humans to intervene.  The worst of the offenders is evicted from the cozy warmth of the house for a while to contemplate her behavior.   It’s kitty-cat time-out, so to speak.    Then the whining commences, the plaintive, pitiful cries — usually
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A few weeks ago, the sweetest of the young geese turned up lame.  She stumbled around and made pitiful sounds, so we prepared the big cage in the ‘hospital room’ and brought her in for rest and observation.   I suspected a pulled muscle from too much frolicking.   Two days of quiet with no racing the others to
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A year ago today, Tiny Bottle Lamb weighed about 7 pounds. She still slept indoors in the playpen and followed me around outdoors like a puppy. She still sucked fingers when she was hungry. She hadn’t yet learned how to cross a creek, even a very little one.