I love the Marx brothers. From Duck Soup:
Sir, you try my patience!
I don’t mind if I do. You must come over and try mine sometime.
Today the chickens were out. The milk cows were out too. Did I mention the pigs? Oh, you can bet the pigs were out. Yes-sirree!
You know what doesn’t work when you are trying to contain animals? Let’s make a list of things that don’t work.
- Throwing whatever is handy
- Yelling at the animals
- Beating the animals
- Yelling at your wife
- Slamming the truck door
- Yelling at the kids
- Running and yelling
- Standing and yelling
- Crying and yelling
I think you get the idea. So, deep breath. Flora is in season. She didn’t settle last cycle. Sigh. So she found her way to the bull and took her friend and their calves with her. The bull.
We grabbed a reel and calmly surrounded the cows then Julie led the way back to the barn building fence as she went. I followed behind. Before we could go we had to sort out which calves belonged with which group but that wasn’t a big deal. Everybody loves mom.
Just when we thought we had our problems all squared away we noticed three pigs in with the horses. Huh. Pigs. In with the horses. Three of them. Huh. “What do you think, Boo? Did the fourth stay in his pen?” Nope.
The pigs came running to see us. And why not? We bring them treats. They love to see us. But one pig couldn’t negotiate the gate to the horse pasture so I had to help him out. Then they just followed me to their pen. I thought it was kinda funny so I caught it on video. Sorry for the poor quality.
Again, no yelling. No running. No bad words or thrown objects. Listen to the noises they are making. Can you hear the happy in the noises they are making? The optimism? If they only knew…
Chickens were a little more difficult. I moved them to a new location this morning and about 20 of them moved themselves back. It took several sessions and some creative use of extra fence but we eventually walked the chickens back into their enclosure. They were glad to find food again.
I had hoped to catch a couple of roosters for dinner tonight but…well, no such luck. No lost tempers. No bad words. Just Julie and I…me…I…erm…Just the two of us and a flock of Silver Laced Wyandottes. Hmmm. (That could be a geriatric Flock of Seagulls country cover band.)
Since we already had fence in place, and since the cow was obviously open, we then walked the milk cows back to the pasture to hang with the bull tonight. Hopfully that’s all we need because the bull leaves in 13 days.
I find that patience is gained slowly. But I’m getting there. Days like today help.
Chism Heritage Farm 
like the video…
Silver Laced Wyandottes were our breed before we got the breed we’re on now, Buff Orpingtons. Didn’t like them Silver laced wyandottes, flighty and not as great winter layers as advertised…. Liking the Buff Orpintons so far. Nothing has beaten a Rhode Island Red in my opinon and based on our experience in this world so far… you like those wyandottes?
The worst winter layers are americaunas. Holy cow.
Yeah, I am pleased with how hard the SLWs forage and appreciate the tight comb on cold, winter days. They tend to be a little smaller than the RIR or NHR birds we raise but seem to keep up on eggs. We have some four pound birds that have given us an egg a day for a long time but now what do we do with them? Not enough there to sell.
The jury is still out on the SLW flock. I like the color. Too many roosters. We’ll see. We have been keeping a strain of NHR the whole time we have lived here. May keep two strains and see what happens. May cross them. May not.
LOL…No truck, no wife, but otherwise my strategies on some occasions are just as listed. Impressive patience, for sure. Love the pig vid. I use EXACTLY the same pig call. Go figure. And that’s the first glimpse I’ve had of your pigs in a while, they’re looking pretty good. I just moved a bunch of pullets to one of the recently vacated pasture pens (Salatin style pens) yesterday and when I moved them this morning, had my first escapees – I usually take the lids off to haul them, as it takes some weight off – but I guess not with these smaller, lighter, wilier future layers. I’d gotten all complacent with the phlegmatic broilers.
Those pullets by the way are Rhode Islands. Going back to them after years trying other breeds. They are my favourite for balance between egg production, bird size and temperament. My daughter is growing out some Columbian Rocks, and they are pretty birds, but I can see they’re going to be big, and I need eggs more than I need a big bird.
A portion of the prior laying flock were RIRs from Central Hatchery. I am delighted with these birds and with their Sil-Go-Link birds. Lots of color, lots of eggs. But their RIR really shine. I bet those birds weigh 10 pounds. Really.
We like to switch it up year to year though.
The Flock of Seagulls should definitely recut their 80’s “I Ran” video adding your great footage in. As long as the pigs get voice overs so we get the total effect of course! I totally see this as the chill out theme song when you have escapees -what else can you do – nothing else works! lol
“I walked along the avenue
I never thought I’d meet a girl like you
Meet a girl like you
With auburn hair and tawny eyes
The kind of eyes that hypnotize me through
Hypnotize me through
And I ran, I ran so far away
I just ran, I ran all night and day
I couldn’t get away”
You know Julie is a year younger than me but is 15 years behind me on pop-culture references. Sigh. I handed her a chicken and made a free bird joke. She had no idea. Sigh.
Well in Julie’s defense I sometimes do wonder how you know about these old songs. You would have been about 5 when this song came out? Did Caretaker raise you on 80’s tunes? But Free Bird – that is a classic – what is wrong with that Julie? – Quit working her so hard so she can catch up LOL !!
I have an older sister. We bought out the local store when records and 45’s went on clearance and CDs came on the scene.
Also, we rode the bus.
And come on. Imagine Hank Snow singing that song.
Hank Snow – I can see that – I have Skynard Frynds with Wynonna doing her version of Free Bird and there is a blue grass version that is good too. It seems like you have a good start to the Chism Heritage Farm Soundtrack!. You got the Escapee song – I Ran, the Round Up the birds for processing day with Free Bird’s – “If I leave here tomorrow, Would you still remember me? For I must be traveling on, now, ‘Cause there’s too many places, I’ve got to see”. You likely already have the Farmer Goes to His Day Job song “Hey Julie” – what else you got for your Soundtrack? Lol