Animals in the Morning

Every morning when we go out to open the barn we are greeted with the same routine.

When I open the chicken coop, I’ve noticed the new rooster, a White Brahma we got from a friend, is always to last to rise and shine. He is always the last one on the roost. I understand, I don’t exactly like getting up early…..of course I’ve been up for two hours at this point. Get up you lazy bum.

All the other birds are up and having their breakfast.

Then it is off to the barn to wake up the goats. I like to sneak up to the door and listen before I unlock it. Quiet. Then I rattle the lock and what do I hear first off? Sandi jumping onto the top of the kennel and then all the talking she does. That girl is talking the whole time she is awake.

Jessie is the non-sociable one. She is always at the feeder. When I enter their stall to open their outside door I always take time to scratch their backs. They love it. Even Jessie. They just sit there and let me scratch. I think they would starve to death if I didn’t stop because they would just stay there……aaahhhh.

Next I go to the feed room and get the feed we give to Halle Berry and Brown Sugar while they are on the milking stand. Rumor has it, the feed room used to house pigeons. It has chicken wire around the top of it.

It began a month or so ago. I would go into the feed room and scoop out the feed I needed. One day Rose showed up on the other side of the wire. I gave her an alfalfa pellet…or two….or three. This went on daily. Then Oreo joined her. I would give them each alfalfa pellets. They would each try to get the other’s pellet. Then Mouse began showing up. Three of them on the other side of the wire wanting treats. Shoving to get the others treats too. (Not like I don’t get enough of this with my own offspring!)

How am I supposed to resist these faces?

Ok Oreo, this one is for you.

They are persistent little buggers.

The next thing that needs to be done is get Brown Sugar on the milking stand eating her grain, alfalfa, and black oil sunflower seeds. They need the calories when they are in milk. Brown Sugar happens to be a very slow eater. That is why I get her up on the stand eating as soon as possible.

I go about doing other things I need to do until I decide to milk her. She is a really slow eater. And picky. Some days she eats all the alfalfa. Others it is the grain. There is always some left over that I give to Halle.  When Brown Sugar is done milking I get her down from the stand.

Next is Halle Berry. She scarfs her food down. Seriously, if you watch her you might think she was a vacuum. She gets milked right away. I always give her more food because she is our big producer and I want that milk to keep coming.

Oh but look, here comes Brown Sugar. She seems to think she didn’t get enough. Every morning she does this.

I drag her away and send her back to her stall.

Then I see Oreo in her very weird eating stance.

I have no idea why she eats this way. Needs a good stretch in the morning? Afraid of something on the ground there? No idea. One day, Rose was actually under Oreo eating the hay. Eventually Oreo was laying on Roses back so Rose moved.

Every morning it is the same thing. I don’t mind it. I like predictability.

Have a great day,
Karen