Meet Briar the Goat

We're so excited to FINALLY get these pictures out of our new boy, Briar!

Briar comes to us, as so many of our family has, through Red Dog Farm.  Briar (formerly Oreo) was brought out of a really bad situation through the goodness of three kind ladies who felt for this poor little boy.

Briar was tied up on a dangerous lot filled with metal and cans, with only a picnic table for shelter and no hay at all to eat.  The women would untangle him and bring him food and, eventually, convinced the owner to sell him to them.  They then brought him to Red Dog and the minute we saw him, we knew he had to come home to us!  I mean, how can you resist this face???

We think that he is half pygmy (what Tulip and Petal are) and half fainting.  He's the same age as Petal (3 years) but a bit smaller... and a lot fuzzier! 

Not only was Briar starved nutritionally, but he was very lonely as well.  Goats are herd animals and they are very friendly and affectionate.  When he met the girls they got along right away and started running all around the paddock.

Briar has been neutered so we will not be having any baby goats to contend with, so that's good.  And we plan on expanding the paddock area in the spring, as well as adding a giant rock from them to climb up on.

It's amazing that Briar is as good-natured as he is.  He has a few food protectiveness issues, not surprisingly, and some bonking that we need to get in line, but other than that he's a sweet boy.  I was able to put a collar on him (for safety) with no problem the first day.  You can see tons more pics on Flickr too.

So welcome, welcome, welcome our sweet boy!!!

Meet our new girls - Butterscotch & Tellicherry

As mentioned in the previous post, our Meggie (Nutmeg) passed away on Tuesday before Thanksgiving. Jake was very sad and we knew he needed some companions.  So we spoke with Red Dog Farm, the rescue group that many of our animals have come from, to see if they had any hens who could be placed with us.  Lucky for us they did and we were able to bring home Butterscotch and Tellicherry (Telli for short) on Friday.

They are such pretty girls.  I have already taken a ton of photos of them, but here are a few...

Jake and girls get along great and he is already acting as their protector.  Telli and Butterscotch were perfect in the car home and became accustomed to their coop after just one night.

We're so happy to have new members of the family!

Welcome to Butterscotch and Telli!!!

Turkey of the YEAR!!!

WE ARE SO EXCITED!!!  Our Jakey was selected as Turkey of the Year!!!

We always knew that our Jake wss a wonderful turkey and a true ambassador but now others get to see that too.

We are so proud of our big boy!!!

Be sure to read the stories of the other turkey runner-ups and please consider taking turkeys and other animals off of your table.  This is the season for peace, love and compassion and having a cruelty-free dinner is the best way to live according to these values.

Jake - Turkey of the Year, 2011

Meet Clarence!

Say Hi! to Clarence.

Clarence just came to us via Red Dog Farm. He is a 8-9 year old parakeet that was surrendered due to his previous caretaker's health issues.  He's a senior but he's got quite a lot of energy and pep!

We were told that he was very shy and quiet but thus far he's been quite a chirper.  He came to us in, what I think, was a very small cage and you could tell he'd been a bit neglected.  His cage was a bit of a mess and his nails are very long to the point of curling. He didn't even have a way to wear down his beak!

Well, we've changed all that!

I'm working on trimming his nails so I don't scare or hurt him but the first thing we did was get him a much roomier home with new clean toys and perches perfect for exercising his feet and mind. I love his new home.  The front has a plexi door so he gets unobstructed views out.

He likes to get close to the door and peek out at us.

We're working on the best toys and treats for him but this environment has lots of "enrichment pods" we can add on to keep him engaged and happy. I'm also working on getting him used to being touched and petted.  He's not too sure about it right now but he's getting there!

Clarence is in the sunroom for now, up on top of our built-ins.  It gives him a sunny place, free from drafts.  The room is warm and he can see out.  The radio stays on and we check on him throughout the day too. The cats were curious at first but haven't tried to get at him (not that they could!).

So now we have an even dozen (OMG!)

Home on the Range

So, Jake is finally with us.

I came home from my trip to see our new boy here. We're still getting used to each other but hopefully he will settle in okay. He seems to get along fine with the hens. We just to get him used to us.

I know this is a quick post and I've been lax in writing here but I promise to tell you tons more about Jake very soon. In the meantime, here are some new photos from Saturday free ranging in the yard. You can open them up big to see how colorful and majestic he is.

Enjoy!

Welcome Additions

While we continue to be very sad about the loss of Napoleon, we are still committed to caring for all of our pets in the best way possible.

I may have mentioned that Meg and Gertie were still a bit skittish about coming out of the coop. We have created some panels for over the coop yard to protect them and have also reinforced the coop and yard as well. That said, we've still not let them into the "new" yard area because that is where we found Napoleon.

The girls liked having a protector and looked to Napoleon for cues on what to do. Often times he would be keeping an eye out while the girls grazed around looking for food. With him gone they have had to do both and it makes them skittish.

We have decided to bring home an old friend. Jake the turkey was one of the first animals that I met at Red Dog Farm and I had fallen instantly in love with him. He was rescued from the hands of someone who didn't care for him at all and he was nearly starved. After his rescue he sat in a corner for two weeks without eating or moving but the loving care he received at RDF brought him back to life and health and he is now an amazing sight to see. He is very tall and extremely friendly, coming up to you right away to be petted and paid attention to. Right now he is getting stressed by a new rooster that was brought to RDF so we think coming to our place will be a better situation for him. We are honored that they trust us enough to take care of this wonderful boy.



And while I've long had a love for Jake, we are also going to take on more of a surprise addition too. Meet Miss Tulip (the black and white girl on the right) and her baby. Are they not precious?



These are pygmy goats so mamma will not get much bigger than 2 feet tall.



And her baby is as small and light as a kitten right now.



Gah! Just look at her!

The whole heard of 7 goats were rescued from another ignorant (I'm being kind) person who endangered their life by breeding one of the girls, Grace, to a regular sized goat. Consequently, the babies were too big and died, nearly killing Grace in the process.

We're very excited to bring these sweeties home. So not only will you be hearing about the chickens (and our other pets) but also about our new handsome turkey and how we learn to take care of these two girls as well.