Summer is fast approaching! You can see it in the deep, green foliage and feel the warmth in the air.
There’s a lot happening on the farm these days. Processing weekly, new chicks arriving and going out to pasture. Lately, the pigs and cows have become frisky and mischievous. (Who can help it in such nice weather?) And have been making frequently break outs from their pens. The other morning we were awakened by a neighbor at our door to let us know our pigs were out and hightailing it down Manning Road! Jumping into cars and hoping onto bikes, a crew rushed after the renegades to bring them back while another crew ran back to fix the broken down fencing and make sure the fence was hot so as to guard against any further early morning escapades. A farmer’s life is never dull, that's for sure! You never know what a day might bring.
-Morgan
If you come to our farm and perchance decide to take a tour and visit the animals, your wanderings will probably lead you to the cow pen where the dairy cows are grazing. From this side of the fence, they look calm and docile, just grazing away as peaceful as you please. For the most part this is their life. However, every once in a while they get the wild urge to take a stroll through the neighbor’s garden or raid the feed barn. (Usually after the farmers have already gone to bed or are away for a few hours). When this wild urge hits them they might look around for a weak spot in the fence to make their break that way. But another option they have is “Dancer” one of the dairy cows. She has a special talent in that she knows how to open the gate with her horn on the sly when none of the farmers are around. Cows are pretty smart. Once, before we had figured this out, the cows were repeatedly getting out and we couldn't for the life of us figure out how the gate was getting left open. Everyone claimed to have shut the gate after opening it and we just couldn't figure it out. Just a few minutes after we would herd them all back in and shut the gate we’d look outside to see them triumphantly frolicking around in the backyard. Out again.
Finally, Katie and I decided to hide out and see just how they were managing this feat. We chose a spot where we could watch the gate without being seen. Sure enough after a few minutes we saw Dancer nonchalantly make her way up to the gate. After a moment or two she carefully and deliberately hooked her horn up under the gate handle and popped it off as easy as you please. We were shocked at this display of bovine-ingenuity. We jumped out of our hiding place and started scolding her loudly. She looked up at us as if surprised and mooed loudly at us, letting her tongue hang out of her mouth. We were bending over double at this clear display of her irritation at being caught red-handed. The mystery was solved. We have fixed the gate so that she is usually unable to open it, but every once in a while we'll look out to see the cows out and realize that Dancer has been at it again.
-Morgan
