I slept until 7am, when the grey light of morning and the pacing hoofbeats of Lucy and Jackson woke me up. Brett starts waking up around 5 or 5:30 and is restless thereafter. We are normally up by 6:30. So, this morning felt deliciously luxurious.
After giving Kersey her medication and letting her out, I turn on my espresso machine, grab the chicken scraps, and head outside.
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| All our kitchen scraps and leftovers go in here. The chickens eat well. |
After opening the hen house door, Kersey and I head to the barn. She's first up for breakfast, and it is devoured before I get the first buckets done. All the horses get a scoop of vitamin pellets and carrots. Tex gets magnesium to help him relax, Lucy gets magnesium and a joint supplement, Flash gets his arthritis medication - hidden in a fig newton.
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| The prep table; carrots in the refrigerator to the left. |
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| We converted a stall into the feed room. |
Pistol gets her bucket first. She leaves puddles of drool all over her pasture, anticipating breakfast.
Tex and Flash get their buckets next, and then I push the hay cart over to Lucy and Jackson's pasture. Lucy works up an appetite patrolling the fence line and urging me to pick up the pace. While she and Jackson eat their vitamins, I clean/muck their pasture. I mix 50% leaves with the manure, from the oaks which have carpeted much of the pasture, and then dump it in the compost bin. After turning it a few times, I will have amazing compost in the spring.
Next, I let the goats out; Bear, Cowboy and Whiskey head for the area where Tex and Flash dribbled and dropped vitamin pellets; Thistle heads straight for the hay.
While they are sorting that all out, I muck the pasture they share with Tex and Flash.
Then its back to Pistol's pasture to pick up manure there.
Back in the barn, I rinse out the vitamin buckets
and reload the hay cart.
Kersey supervises.
Lastly, I walk down the driveway to the road and pick up the paper before heading into the house for that espresso.
You have far more chores than I. It sounds like a lovely morning
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure how we ended up with so many animals. It's crazy. :)
Deleteabsolutely idyllic. my perfect weekend. And that sounds like 10,000 steps.
ReplyDeleteIts nice to get it all done early and relax with a cup of java afterwards.
ReplyDeleteLove the goat video and your hay looks spectacular. Do your horses get any grain, or just vitamins and carrots? I hope your foot is ok with all these steps.
ReplyDeleteWe do not grain any of our horses. Sometimes, if they have a particularly nasty tasting medicine we will mix in a little grain to entice them to eat it but, otherwise, no. My foot has not been happy at all this weekend. I will be glad to have Brett back tonight.
DeleteAnd a glass of wine for mom afterwards! ;)
ReplyDeleteYou're very organized. I love the crisp days, too, but lately ours are accompanied by cold rain. :/
ReplyDeleteI love the Releasing the Goats!
ReplyDeleteHow do you get them to come back in at night?
The goats always return to their pen at night and sleep in their shelter. We do encourage them to return (before giving the horses their evening hay) with a handful of Cheerios. The minute they see us walking towards their area with the container of Cheerios, they make a beeline back in. Its our secret weapon, LOL.
DeleteBwahaha!! Cheerios!! How funny!!
DeleteI've been trying to train my finch to return to his cage when I say "home", but it only works if he's in the mood or knows he's in trouble. Unfortunately, he's not food motivated! lol
Annette, I feel like I have been there with you! Thanks for sharing your chores with us!
ReplyDelete