SASHA In the Heat

Yesterday was a tough day volunteering at SASHA Farm Sanctuary.  It was a balmy 90 degrees and the heat took its toll on the humans and the animals.  I did note, however, that the other volunteers who were working, and all about 40 years younger, did not seem to suffer and take as many breaks as I.  Hmmm...  Took about 40 oz. of cold water and guzzled it all over the course of our four-hour shift.

I was preoccupied with getting chores done without succumbing so have no photos from the day, but perhaps a couple of anecdotes will amuse you.

Friend Bev and I are a team at the farm.  I think I've explained our primary duties are watering the crew, but frequently feed the pigs and clean up equine manure.  Bev is partial to the pot bellies, while over the five months we've gotten to know the animals, I am now partial to the big pigs.  I always choose to clean out their trough.  And it never fails, one of the pigs always wants to play with the hose.

And then there was June.
The newest piggy addition to the farm.

(photo from John Rogers, volunteer at SASHA)

She's segregated due to her small size (still a hefty sized girl).  She was all fun and games when I attempted to clean and re-fill her water container.  Asking for rubs, practically pushing me over into the mud, things started to get out of hand.  She is a cutie and is now Bev's favorite.

While filling one of the goat troughs, I had time to sit in the cool of the barn and give Bhima some lovin'.

This is an photo taken a few months ago of the boy.  He loved having his head and ears rubbed yesterday and I had to slip away quickly.





                                                 


Rosie, the emu, has gone through a dramatic transformation.  While residing with the chickens she was getting a bit aggressive.  Recently she was relocated into the pot belly area and is a new girl.  It's a delight to be around her now.  Who woulda thought!

Rosie with the clucks

We shall return in two weeks to the critter escapades -- let's hope in a cooler environment!

Chicken Personalities

I'm probably repeating myself (I'm certain you're used to that by now) but my little chicken clucks have an abundance of personality.  I wish you could have seen Emmy Lou the other morning.  Even if I had had a camera handy, it wouldn't have captured the moment.  Or, maybe I'm just enamored with the girls and find their behavior charming.

On a recent morning the girls were helping with manure clean-up, as usual, when Emmy Lou hopped onto the wheelbarrow handle and took in a view of the world from a new vantage point.  Didn't quite suit her so she hopped into the wheelbarrow proper, pretty full with donkey nuggets.  I asked her if she realized what she was standing in.  Nary a word did she reply, but seemed pretty content to survey the donkey yard from there.  Finally it was time to move the wheelbarrow and I asked if she'd like a ride. At that point she ended the conversation and hopped down.  Yes, I found this highly amusing.  I guess it's me.

Then there's Ruby Dee (with Sweet Pea and Emmy Lou in the background).

The little devil likes to take pot shots at my feet in the mornings.  In the summer I always wear my barn sandals unless it's wet out.  Barns sandals are footwear past their prime.  But still perfectly wearable.  And comfy.

Sandals equal exposed feet.  You see where this is heading, right.
The little girl will come running over and give me a nice little peck on the foot.  Nothing too damaging but it's not pleasant.  Again, I ask, how does one chastise a chicken!  I've tried verbal lecturing, pushing her gently but firmly to the ground (which I've been told is a submissive posture) and a couple of times I've given her a little smack.  She's cagey about it too.  I'll think she's about to pounce, give her fair warning not to, then she'll wait a couple of minutes and get the last laugh.








Most mornings Buffy prefers the exotic water of the donkey trough.  It's so much more refreshing than lousy chicken water.

 And I have finally found my way into Buffy's heart -- with blueberries and grapes.  Instead of the "stinking banana" (her words, not mine) that I've been providing each morning, and the other girls adore.

In the world of chickens, there is always something interesting to investigate.

Perhaps we should adopt their philosophy.

Alice, Donkey Power

It's been a heck of a week.
One of my whacked out knees got even more whacked out and I've been babying it with ice, rest, a knee brace, more ice, anti-inflamatories, more rest.
Finally I see some progress.

Rick has been mostly tending to the donks and clucks, except in the mornings.  I refused to relinquish that lovely time of day; it's my favorite time to commune with the bunch.  Feeding, spraying fly repellent, even cleaning up manure with more than enough help from the chickens.  Its all good.

As a result of all this inaction I must rely on a small story I've wanted to relay for a couple of weeks now.
Dear Alice.

I've mentioned before that she gets soaked beet pulp in the  mornings.  When we first started this routine, and for a few weeks, I had to trek over, interrupt her breakfast of hay,  throw a lead line over her neck and coerce her to come to the shed for her "treat".  Then, it got so I could just call her and after five or six repeats of "Alice, Alice-badallas", she'd saunter over to the shed.

Now, dear Alice, tells me when its time for beet pulp and oh yes, let's me know she's ready.  Sometimes its understated and she'll just hang out in the shed staring at the bowl and sometimes it's a little more vocal reminder.  "Where is it!"  And when she sounds the call, I'm well trained, stop what I'm doing and get her beet pulp.

  Dear little Alice

Losing Golda

We lost little Golda today.

The back story:
I was riding my bike in the "neighborhood" and when I returned noticed the chickens had been locked up in their small outside pen.
That's odd.
When I left they were in the donkey pasture, with the donks.

Then I turned to manure duty.
Rick came out to the gate and explained that while I was gone, he heard the chickens in a ruckus and found Golda back in the corner by the fence.
No idea what predator would have been out in the middle of the afternoon.  It would have had to jump the fence - front gate was blocked off so hens couldn't escape.

I will miss the little girl.  

She was my carry-around while chatting buddy.  

Good-bye sweet Golda.

Cheap Socks = Fly Protection

My intention for this day's blog post was a creative fly protection idea I read of on Facebook.  But, of course, in the meantime I now have other miscellaneous items to report on.

Firstly the flies.

So often Facebook is maligned as a frivolous waste of time.  Au contraire I say.  I belong to several donkey groups on FB and find many of the suggestions quite useful.  This is one of them.
Dollar store children's socks to cover fly-bitten donkey legs.

 Here Luigi shows off his new pair of socks.  I selected the smallest size athletic sock the store had and got two pair for my $1 package.  Cut off the toes and voila.  They do slide down a bit during the day, but absolutely nothing works well.  Not even the made-to-order expensive sets I purchased last year.  The problem with those was the velcro that wrapped around the leg stuck so darn well, I really struggled to get them off.  And I mean struggled. I'm more pleased with these cheapie socks for the moment.

Not to be outdone, Alice shows off her beauties as well.

One of my side stories involves the ever feisty Gabariella.  Today when I called the donkeys off the pasture, Alice and Gabby came in first.  I can only take a wild guess as to what happened, but as Gabs moved off toward the donkey barn, she started bellowing like a house afire.  Not your typical donkey bellow.  Luigi and Fran came running in from the pasture on the fly, so clearly it was a come help me bellow, although I didn't believe she was in distress.  It only lasted a (long) minute or so and then all was quiet.  When I checked on her munching hay in the barn, all appeared OK.  

Lordy.

And then, there is the milkweed.

Not pretty you say.

But, good golly oh so very fragrant.

Ahhh...  

Buffy the Chicken, Computers, and Life

My intention was to update you on Buffy (the hen) and her integration into the flock of four other nutty chickens.  But I need to diverge for just a quick moment.

Technology!

My desktop was out of commission for almost two weeks and I was beside myself with worry.  Of course I hadn't been diligent in backing up photos, documents, music, etc.  (yes, that is now high on the list).  I was so afraid I had lost emails concerning an upcoming BIG trip.  And on it went...  I'm sure you understand.

I'm now back in the 21st century but I'm reflecting on my dependence on this darn computer. Something is just not right with this picture.  I'm mulling.

Back to the topic at hand.  Buffy St. Marie.

This will give you a sense of where we stand with Buffy entering the fold.  Right as rain!

Typical picture of the girls hunkering down for evening sleep (I had to turn on the overhead light which explains why it's so darn bright at dusk).  Five girls cozying up on top of the nesting boxes.

I'd say it was about the three-week mark where Buffy started really following the routine, including me calling the girls for treats and to come in off the donkey pasture.  Until then, it was a pain in the royal derriere to try to gather her in.  Now she's johnny-on-the-spot AND loves the morning banana treat.  She had previously turned up her nose and asked why the other four were turning cartwheels over the stuff.

So, all is right with the world, at least for this precious moment.    

Summer Unfolds at SASHA Farm

This week's visit to SASHA Farm Sanctuary was unusually pleasant.  "Well, isn't that interesting", you murmur and add "pray tell, why would that be?".

Allow me to set the scene.

It has been an unusually warm week for May in Michigan.  So, yes, doing chores at the farm was more perspiration-laden than normal.  BUT, two high school interns were on the scene assisting, which meant we had more time to wipe our brows and sweet-talk our favorite babies.

The indirect bonus of more time = photos!

no caption really needed

 

sure wish I knew this cutie's name

As gorgeous as this donkey face is and as much as I'd love to give him some hugs, he does not like to be handled.  So we must admire from afar.

 I think we all feel like this from time to time

In the midst of cleaning out the geese pools, I snuck a shot

If you look closely, the co-mingling of goats and geese comes into focus

Last, but most certainly not least, there is Tod.  Apparently he jumped the fence between the cows and pigs and felt more comfortable with the latter.  And that is where we found him - blocking the pig pasture gate.  Every week I find someone new to fall in love with and Tod won me over on this visit.

A nice profile shot is always handy for the portfolio.