There are three things I do every day in the barnyard. Feed my animals, love my animals, and pick up my animals' poop. Some days I build things. Some days I repair things that are broken. Some days I scrub stuff that is dirty. But mostly, it's the first three. Food, love, poop. Feeding is oh so rewarding. "Oh LADY! You're here again! With FOOD! Thank you thank you thank you". … [Read more...]
Doink and The Goats
Doink the pig and Brandy the goat were raised together from birth and came to Happy Mama Acre in 2012. We're pretty sure they don't know they're not the same species. Doink is our resident curmudgeon/comedian. For this we are eternally grateful. We affectionately refer to them as "the poats".
Jessie arrived at the barnyard a year later. I thought Brandy would appreciate a playmate. I was wrong. A year later, I got Sammy and Kenny. Because you can never have enough goats!
Trickster Goats
July 18, 2014 by
Last night around 8:30pm I did my final rounds in the barnyard. Eight chickens in the coop? Check. Raise the chicken food? Check. Lock the coop door? Check. Moved on to the goat shed. Two chickens? Yep. Doink and Brandy already sound asleep? Of course. The younger goats were still hanging out in the barnyard. They like to stay up late. Next, on to the new chicken shed housing the … [Read more...]
An Unsuccessful Vet Visit. Again.
July 15, 2014 by
I could write a book about the relationships my animals have. But this photo is better than words. Let me explain. First, the bad news. The vet came out yesterday to trim Doink's tusk and hooves. Actually two vets. My guy and the young woman vet who comes for barnyard visits. Basically, it did not go the way I was hoping, just like last year. I gave Doink the prescribed sedatives … [Read more...]
Summer Craziness
July 8, 2014 by
The animals have been standing in line to tell me their stories the past couple of weeks. Now they've started asking me why the heck they're not showing up in the blog. I've had to explain that it's summer and it is CRAZY busy (and CRAZY fun) around here. Not a lot of spare minutes to gather the thoughts and put them in writing! While I am certainly not wistfully thinking about winter, I am … [Read more...]
Chicks, Welcome To The Barnyard!
June 17, 2014 by
Oh, I love having babies around. (Baby chickens, of course.) Mama Rapunzel and the chicks spent a week in the "nursery" in the shed. I worried about letting them out in the barnyard. They're still so tiny. Should I err on the side of safety? Or should I open the door and trust the real chicken mama to know what's right? Heck, like I know anything. I decided to let her be the … [Read more...]
My Spoiled Goats
June 11, 2014 by
So you know about how conventional wisdom says goats eat anything and everything? Yeah, not mine. After having goats for a few years, I've learned they are browsers (like to eat trees and shrubs) not grazers (don't really love the grass) and mine are picky. Brandy is especially particular, and won't eat any treat if it's hit the ground. She doesn't even have a five second rule. Recently … [Read more...]
The Peacemaker
May 22, 2014 by
Ah, the goats. I am loving watching the Littles incorporate themselves into the rhythm of the barnyard. This experience is SO much more positive than when Jessie came to live here. It's exactly what I was hoping for! To make things even better, Jessie has taken it upon himself to keep the peace in the barnyard. This means one thing and one thing only - keeping Brandy in line. I have no … [Read more...]
Doink And The Epic Fail
April 25, 2014 by
I know you've had a day when things weren't going right. We've all been there. Well, today was special in a WHAT MORE COULD POSSIBLY GO WRONG kinda way. I had one goal for the day. Finish painting the new shed. I've not shared the building of this shed with you, because I wanted it to be all spiffy and cute before I showed it to ya. A little Chicken Mama surprise. Painting around … [Read more...]
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