Fisher Attack

If you don't know what a fisher is - well, it's in the weasel family but more like a wolverine. Nasty creatures, big teeth! They really don't have any natural predators except for humans.... and my big white dawgs! In the wee hours of this morning, under cover of darkness, one of these viscous creatures decided it wanted to dine on a superb chicken dinner at the Davis cafe. We free range the broiler chickens on the lawn and they're just about ready to process. So I suppose the thought of a 7 or 8 lb. meaty bird was just what this fisher had in mind. We close the gate at the house end of the driveway and leave Gabriel, our big male Pyr, out in the yard for their protection. Libby, who is only 4 months old, was in the front pasture with the does (female goats) and Remi, our female, was in the lower pasture with the bucks (male goats). Libby was the first to raise the alarm as the fisher stealthed its way down the driveway. Gabe rushed to the gate yelling "YOU! SHALL! NOT! PASS!" Remi came flying around the back of the pond to join Gabe, or as close as she could get at that gate. We did not lose one bird! The fisher obviously decided we charge too much for a chicken dinner and went to a cheaper diner. Libby, even as young as she is, has the makings of a fabulous guardian. She's got a big dog bark already, and she doesn't tolerate any nonsense from the local wildlife. I heard both Remi and Gabriel telling her, "Well done, Grasshopper!" 

"Well done,Grasshopper!"

"OK, OK, you did good kid. Now go away!"

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Making Friends

It's been quite a while since I've posted. A lot has happened recently and I hardly know where to begin. 

Let's see - in February I had the 2nd surgery on my right foot to fuse the big toe joint that got crushed about 4 years ago when a 4x8 sheet of plywood fell on it from about 3' up. Ouch! Spent about 2 weeks on the couch with my foot up, then had a walking boot for 3 months. Meanwhile, all the grandkids moved out. Talon was sold to a vacation farm place in PA. Apparently city folk will actually pay to muck stalls and milk goats. Who knew? They also bought the saddle that I'd had made for him. The round pen was sold a few weeks ago, then last week the horse trailer was sold. A few weeks back someone came to buy 1 goat and ended up with 5 goats and 4 pigs. So - we're down 3 grandkids, 1 horse and saddle, 5 goats, 4 pigs, 1 horse trailer, 1 round pen and, oh yes, we sold our van today. Now I've got to list a treeless saddle and pad, and a few miscellaneous horsey type things, on Ebay. I'm also selling a few ADGA registered Nubian does if anyone's interested.

We did, however, buy an LGD puppy known as a Colorado Mountain Dog, which is kind of a cross of Great Pyrenees and Anatolian Shepherd. She's 8 weeks old and about the cutest thing this side of a baby panda. Introducing Libby, short for Liberty Bell: 

She's not old enough to be with the goats yet because she has to get over the jumping/biting stage and get big enough so she can fend off butting goat mamas. But she's sectioned off in a place where she can see them but can't get to them, or them to her. There's quite a bit of curiosity at the gate.

"Want to play? Oh, come on, I won't nip much!"

"Hey, what's going on in here?"

Gabriel has been the one to accept her first, allowing her to sleep with him and eat alongside. It's tough for a pup to become one of the pack. Remi, on the other hand, thinks she's about as annoying as a giant gnat! It's going to take a while before Remi gives her stamp of approval, but I'll bet they'll be playing before the end of the month.

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Kids, kids and more kids

This year's crop of kids is growing by leaps and bounds. They're 3 weeks old this weekend and they're about 3 times as big. Cuteness, cuteness and more cuteness. We had 6 kids from 3 does, and another 2 does due sometime in June. The secret in life is to find something that brings you joy. When I look out the window in the morning and see them all jumping, bouncing around, and climbing on everything, it starts my day with a chuckle. They run and run and run, just because they're happy to be alive.

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Talon

"Look everyone - it's the lunch wagon!"

I tried in vain to get a decent picture of Talon for his "for sale" ad. He was standing by the fence and every attempt at getting him to look up failed. I clucked, chucked, kissed, and whistled. Nothing. Nada. Then, just as I was about to give up my husband drove down the driveway with a trailer full of hay. Now that got the attention of "glutton gut"! So now he's listed on several horse sale sites with a video as well. Anyone want to buy a horse? Click here to see Talon's ad.

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Weird Egg

Occasionally the chickens will lay an egg without a shell, just a membrane. Feels really weird, sort of like old jello that's dried out a bit on the surface. But what I found in a nest box was 2 shell-less eggs connected with a hollow tube/cord. If you lightly squeeze one egg you can see fluid passing back and forth through the cord to the other. Have any of you ever seen anything like this?

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Skunked... The Sequel

My Great Pyrenees are livestock guardians. Which means they live with the goats and chickens and have free run of the fenced pastures and woods where the goats graze. Which also means they're usually very dirty. After Remi got skunked last week she rolled in the grass and dirt trying desperately to get rid of the stench. I used a skunk deodorizer which took care of most of the smell but I couldn't get all the dirt out of her thick undercoat. So I sent her to the groomers for a good bath. $60 later and we need sunglasses to look at her. She just shines! A Great Pyrenees, at least a clean one, is a beautiful sight to behold! I wonder what she'll choose to roll in to get rid of the fresh-clean-dog-just-back-from-the-groomers smell.

"Mom says I smell good but I've got to find a manure pile to roll in so I can get rid of the shampoo smell."

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Skunked

"I STINK!"

In the wee hours of this morning I was awakened by the distinct odor of Pepe Le Pew who obviously decided our broiler chickens were worth braving barking dogs. The tally for the night went thus: 2 dogs (1 Great Pyrenees, 1 English Shepherd) skunked, all chickens safe, yard very stinky as they apparently had their standoff right outside my back door. Remi, the Pyr, got the worst of it, as I think she got a direct hit right on her chest. Of course, I couldn't find my big bottle of Nature's Miracle Skunk Deodorizer that I've had on hand for years in anticipation of just this scenario. So I had to wait for the feed store to open, and by that time I had 2 clients this morning so everything had to wait till a bit later. Meanwhile I put the dogs in a fenced area by themselves so the smell would be somewhat contained. I got the English Shepherd pretty de-smelled, but I think the Great Pyrenees is going to need professional help. Waiting for a call back from the dog groomer and praying she has an opening soon.

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Happy Birthday Toes

In honor of our birthdays my 17 year old granddaughter, whose birthday was last month, and  I had a pedicure. So nice to be pampered and get pretty toes. Then I came home and put on my muck boots to work in the barn. Ahhhhhh.... such is the life!

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Goat Fashion Accessories

Babydoll models the latest in goat fashion accessories. I'm not sure who the designer is but I am sure that all the goats will want one this season. And I'm also sure that by carrying her lunch pail she'll always be ready for dinner no matter what time of day.

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Supervisors

The work crew showed up this week to begin digging the new well which is part of the geothermal heating system we're having installed. Not complaining, but what they did to my lawn!!!! My grandson asked me this morning how long it took me to grow the grass that beautiful. Oh well, replanting is well worth having plenty of heat this winter that doesn't involve hauling in wood.

And of course every work crew needs supervisors, who double as dairy goats in their other lives. Every project on this farm is well supervised by them, and sometimes they even insist on helping.

"Hey, you're destroying the lawn? MOM! Is that allowed?"

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