Sometimes life gets busy and we only have time to take a snapshot of what's going on before we move on to the next thing. April and May are like that around here. Lots of projects, happenings, and celebrations (2 human birthdays, Easter, 2 graduations, and a1st wedding anniversary!) But even when I'm running around, I will stop occasionally to take a picture. Here's some of what you've missed on the farm.
Monday night, I just looked up from my reading on the front porch to see the herd wandering through the front yard. They were well-attended by their shepherd and his border collies so I didn't panic. I snapped my photos and went back to my reading. But the lure of playing with goats in the yard was too great. We all spent a lovely hour wandering around.
This morning the chickens needed to explore and get some fresh air. In the photo on the left is Belle getting checked out by Stashu. Belle hasn't been feeling well lately, so I let her wander through the arena as I did morning chores. She was just so happy to be scratching and nibbling on things. I didn't have the heart to put her back in the coop until she was ready. And I felt guilty letting only one chicken out, so of course everyone else came out for the adventure too.
The problem with letting the chickens free-range is that it must be supervised due to the neighborhood predators: hawks and foxes. And in order to let the chickens run free, the donkey and horses have to be separated from the area. Cisco still isn't sure about the chickens when they are not in their coop/run. He's a little obsessive about everyone staying in their places. He regularly chases the goats back into the barn because he thinks that's where they should be. He chases the chickens if they are in his area too. So... We move the horses and donkey to the back pasture; open the arena door for the goats to come out; and then call the chickens out to play. That also means the dogs can come in the front pasture with us too.
It's a real puzzle of logistics to get everyone in their places. But the resulting happy faces are worth the effort.