They are OUT!

OOPS - they are out again - somehow the sheep have figured out how to get the gate open.  It was a surprise to look out the dining room windo to see them wandering out side free.  They did it not once but twice - finally Mom tied the gate as well as latched it.  They knew they were caught being naughty because as soon as we went outside to chase them in - they ran straight back into the pen.  Do you think they were playing a game?

Time to walk the sheep

Yup got to walk the sheep so they are ready for the first show. They usually walk pretty well as long as you keep them in a group.  Sheep like to stick together but once in a while they like to be stubborn and just lie down.  We also spend time setting them up - which means teaching them to set their legs where they look best for the judge. Andrew is really good at helping them to look their best. My arms are not quite long enough to set legs as good as Andrew.

What color are they?

What color are these pigs?  We recently had a good rain and the pigs were having fun in the mud.  We have only one all black pig but it was really are to tell which one it was.  It is great for them to have mud when it is hot out it helps them stay cool.  In a few days they will have most of it rubbed off.

Show season begins

Summer is here! Because we had our first cattle show last week.  The heifers get rinsed every day and then blown with the blower. (The blower looks like a vaccum cleaner but pushes air out instead.)  It takes time to blow a cow dry. My sister Samantha is much better at it than I am. The blowing helps move their hair to the right place.

Here is Hannah with her heifer. She really likes her heifer and so did the judge.  We don't always agree with the judge  - but Dad says thats ok, everyone has their opinion and is good to hear what someone else says about our cattle - we can learn from them.

Ella still loves her

Samantha was watching the cows they other day and her cow Ella came up to her and sniffed her.  Right after she just stood there for a scratching - but wouldn't let Mom take a picture.  Even though she is a mother herself, she remembers Samantha and all the time spent together for two summers.

Isaac

Yippee we love the puddles

The other night we had rain.  We let the ducks out of their nesting pen and they really liked the puddles left by the rain.  Now that it is warmer out we can leave them out all day and put them in at night to keep them safe.  They are getting more feathers every day - even since this picture they have way more real feathers.

Hannah

Oh how do our piggies grow!

Every good farmer needs to know how well their animals are growing.  If they are not growing then they may be sick or not eating right - so we take time to weigh them.  My brother rolled the scale down by the pigs and we put one in at a time to see how big they are getting.  How big do you think they are?  When we brought them home they weighed 40-60 pounds. 

They are so curious. They like to sniff our leggs and sometime nibble on our boots.