Calf in the Boot

I never tire of seeing an animal standing in the boot of Johns Cow Art Hay Car Feeder.  

Usually the small cows put their two front feet into the boot (trunk) when they are eating but for some reason Tia decided to climb right in.

Molly is back home from the West Barn.

To seperate her yesterday I ran the pigs through my heavy homemade draughting gate, that swings both ways, directing Molly  into a side room, (and with a swing of my gate sending the other two back out to their field) in preparation for her being loaded into the stock trailer and transported back to the home farm. Once she was separated from the others, I secured the draughting gate shut then I chained  the seldom used and somewhat dubious middle gate creating a small temporary pen where all the pigs wait quietly. I gave her some feed and went to visit the cows while we waited for the truck to arrive.

I was tapping Lady Astor’s belly, thinking was that movement? Did something just swim past my hand? Is there a calf growing in there? Am I tapping the right side? when Molly the sow trotted past the cows gate dragging a feed bag on her way out the open hay doors.

Excellent.  I thought.

She had ripped the fasteners off the wall and  pushed open the dubious gate and was on the loose in the big barn with the hay and the feed. The interior area of the big barn is not pig secure so while we waited for the truck, and after shutting and securing the outside doors,  and putting all the feed up high,  Molly and I wandered about together (like a mother following a badly behaved toddler in a doctors office) while she tried all the exterior doors, and tried to climb the hay bales, and I sprinkled small snacks to try and distract her, waiting for the truck to arrive and hitch up the trailer. When John was ready and at the last minute,  when I had to open the barn door to join the open trailer door backing up,  I locked her in one of the enormous barn cupboards so she did not escape to the road.

As you can imagine we had only seconds to create her loading corridor before she got bored and knocked down that door as well. She was not upset you understand just ready to move on. I worked swiftly  and was ready just as she started knocking. She loaded beautifully.

Now that she is in the home barn I will watch her carefully for any changes in her body that will tell us when her piglets are due.

The little pig herd have moved out to live in their field fulltime.  They cannot be in the barn – Molly needs peace and quiet now.

The little chicks began  flying  out of their nursery totes in the Cloak Room so yesterday they were moved a little early to the Turkey House with their two Table Mothers.

My favourite way to transport chicks through the garden to the Turkey House is in a tall washing basket. By holding both handles in one hand the basket closes nicely and it is deep so no chick can jump out by mistake.

They don’t have their big girl feathers yet so I added a heat lamp just to be sure they are all warm in the night.

When I did the rounds in the night before bed they were doing just fine out there and sleeping away from the lamp so not cold then.

Tima the little seal pig. I call her a seal on wheels.

I hope you have a lovely day.

celi