The morning chores are getting busier and busier. Thankfully, Aaron has been keeping up with the bulk of them while I bake this new baby.
Slightly warmer temps have brought us a little more of a chance to snap photos and see the first signs of Spring creeping into the farm. One of our goat mommas – very originally named “Mama Goat” – has been in the pole barn anxiously awaiting the arrival of some new little ones.
Every morning and evening, she gets a bowl of grain to go with her water and straw snacks for the day. She likes to meet us at the gate and climb the chain link with her front hooves. She’s spunky, that one.
The bottle calf that we rescued during the cold snap gets two bottles a day as well. He’s on a steady diet of calf milk replacer and electrolytes. He also has an abundance of hay and water to choose from whenever he’s ready!
Isai loves to run to the barn to help with chores. He’s usually the one shouting “moo” at the cow. Or “neigh.” Still a little work to do there. Ha!
While the chickens spend most of the day free-ranging – they still get feed, water and snacks daily. In the mornings, it’s pretty easy. they just get let out of the chicken run. Evenings are a bit more challenging. That’s when we’ve got to get them all back in. Naturally, there are a couple that seriously enjoy hanging out with the calf and goat in the pole barn – so we have to shoo them toward the coop pretty much daily at this rate.
The whole flock gathers around the coop to snack on grains and mealworms as they start to wander about. Inevitably, Isai starts chasing them around the garden shouting for their “eggies!” Given the chance, he’ll peek into the egg boxes, grab a fresh egg in each hand and go sprinting to the kitchen to add them to our collection.
We’ve only lost a handful of eggs to him falling down the hill with them. The risk is minimal considering the number we’ve smashed in coat pockets or left riding in cupholders on the side by side.
Our morning routines are just that – routine. And it’s kind of cool.