Time Flies!

I have been horrible about updating the blog!  When I ask the animals if they prefer to be fed or prefer to have their pictures posted they always let their stomachs make the decision.  Lambing and kidding are done but the Saturday Market is in full swing so that takes a good bit of time.

Our lamb count for the season is five new Shetland lambs, nine other lambs who will be producing lovely fiber and two goat kids.  Just last week we caught up on everyone's vaccinations and tagging.  Mothers are much more laid back as their maturing offspring take long jaunts off by themselves, only checking in for an occasional quick nursing.

We had a hatch of goslings this week.  Four originally hatched but one disappeared in the night.  We never found a trace of it which makes us believe that a skunk left with it.  We had smelled a skunk in the night and have lost young poultry to them in the past.  So now our trio of adult geese are minding three young.  We have Pilgrim Geese which are a sex-link breed so it is not too hard to determine gender when they are still young.  It looks like we have two females and a male.  Two days after the main hatch one more gosling emerged.  The adults originally showed interest in it but then abandoned it.  We found it hiding behind a fence so helpfully returned it to the little family.  Two of the adults immediately tried to murder it so it is now safely in the house.  We will see what its little future holds but I could not let it be torn to bits.

We have also had a new Dexter calf born.  Lynn emerged from the woods with it Saturday but we are thinking it was probably born on Friday.  It is a sleek, healthy and friendly little bullock.  Lynn is a good mother and also has a great temperament.  She is, of course, protective of her young but is trusting of us so carefully has been sharing the little guy so we can fawn over him.

And there are always the day to day unexpected mishaps. Gates, one of our 16 year old oxen, decided to unwarp the round hay bale all by himself.  He managed to make this whole mess in little less than an hour but fortunately stood patiently for Al to cut him loose.