Wednesday, August 4, 2010

Farm Hands

Mornings are full of chores, as any homesteader knows. Feeding, watering, cleaning pens, collecting and washing eggs, milking... and the list goes on. It's always nice to have willing farm hands to give assistance. 17 year old grandson is off to feed the pigs with English Shepherds Roxie and Jack giving a hand. When he gets to the feeding area the dogs will keep the pigs at a distance until the feed is dumped into the bucket. It's no fun being knocked over by hungry hogs. And they'll also keep the buck at a safe distance while traveling through "his" pasture. During milking time the dogs will stand guard to be sure each goat proceeds in an orderly fashion from her holding pen to the milk stand and back. Once, a goat decided to try to make a break for the other side of the barn. Roxie said "not on my watch!" and quickly convinced her that she should never again try to deviate from the usual routine. After feeding time the dogs can clear the barn of all animals in 20 seconds flat. "I said out! NOW!" The dogs haven't mastered the art of collecting eggs though. It seems they like to sample them rather than put them in the egg basket. But they do make sure no chickens escape to unapproved areas. Good help is really hard to find, and worth their weight in.... dog food.

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