Walk, leap or lie down?

Yes it does sound like a the name of a game show, but it's actually the big decision every lamb has to make when he, or she starts their halter training. Our lambs began theirs on Saturday and here are the rather comedic outcomes.

Cheyenne was the best at walking straight away with her halter. She only had a few moments of lying down but she did very well.

Cinnamon lay down a lot before she understood.

Xavier did the best leaping.

Before her got it.

It was all too much for Crystal though who just lay down.

Xander played dead. We did manage to coax him into a more upright position later on.

Colby half got it. Sometimes she lay down and sometimes she walked ok. 

It really was a shame not to catch some of the more put out facial expressions. But hopefully you have a taste of how halter training went. Right now they are a work in progress.

Muppet the early years

So I totally missed blogging about my wonderful horse turning 7 on the 1st of June. I even didn't get any pictures of him as my shoulder has been acting up, and my friend Alex got hurt that day too. But to make up for it here's early Muppet.

I got Muppet from The United Pegasus Foundation (http://www.unitedpegasus.com) he is a PMU baby. That stands for a Premarin baby. The drug Premarin being made from pregnant mares urine, the consequence being that each year hundred of foals (the unwanted by product) are sent for slaughter. I was told he was a quarter horse paint mix and this was the picture I saw of him.

Some nice people shipped him to the barn I was boarding at in California for free, and here is what he looked like the day her arrived. Completely wild and ungroomed lol. He was not used to people and no-one could touch him.

He quickly grew to be quite a looker and here he is at a year old.

Here's my first wonderful attempt at clipping him. Luckily even though both of us didn't know what we were dong he felt cooler and happier at the end at that was the main thing.

When he turned 2 he filled out more and you can really see the horse he's going to be around this age a little more.

This is the first time he wore a saddle at 3 and a bit, just before we moved from CA to MA.

Stretching the legs at home in MA.

And this was his first winter at home in MA before he decided to jump the pasture fence and have to be boarded out.

At 5 years old my mum and dad got to finally meet him when they came over on a visit from England. This is one of my favorite pictures of him that my mum took.

Sadly I have not been as good about documenting the last few years, something I will do better at, and this is the last picture of him I took this winter at his new barn with one of his friends.

Hopefully I will do better about documenting year 7 of his life with me. 

In non-Muppet news. Chloe and Celebration left today for their new home with Holly. I think they are going to have a very happy life together. 

A big treat

For the chickens today as they got to enjoy watermelon in the sunshine. This is the end of their first week outside and they are doing really well.

Almost all of them go into the coop at night by themselves, except for Annabelle and her bad leg who wait for someone to pick her up and put her inside. They can all go outside by themselves in the morning.

The watermelon was a success.

I love my chickens. They are so cute. 

Lambs, rams, and grass

My partner and I finally got the middle pasture fenced in with PermaNet this weekend so the flock can get locked out there. It take 5 rolls so there is plenty of space for everyone, and the boys and girls are happy to get along together.

The only problem is that some of the babies lose their moms in the long grass. How many babies and moms are out here? 

Here's Cinnamon wondering the same thing.

The boys think it's nice to be out of their paddocks and are being perfect gentleman so far.

The babies are growing so fast.

Chloe and little Celebration leave Saturday for their new home. They are going a few weeks early as they have an event to attend. I'll miss their little faces.

Here comes the sun (picture heavy)

Plenty of opportunity to get the promised pictures of the babies sunbathing and munching on the spring grass.

This is the best picture I could get of Crystal. She is so friendly that I think I'll need to get someone to take the pictures of her for me. Anyway this is her following me around the paddock.

Here's Xander enjoying the grass I really like how he is put together, he is super solid and an all around nice ram.

Cheyenne has become a real fan of attention and I always enjoy stroking her very soft fleece. I love the little white markings on the inside of her legs.

Celebration and Chloe are enjoying the same patch of grass.

Here is Cinnamon in a rare moment of not trying to sit in my lap.

Xavier is such a friendly guy and who could resist this face? His fleece is wonderfully soft and his little horns are so cute.

This is Cara enjoying the shade.

Hopefully we can stay cool today. 

Picture day

Ugly chicken phase

My chicks are four weeks old now and really um blossoming.

Here's Rosalie out Buff Orpington looking like she's part dinosaur.

Amber the Buff Chantecler who is a beautiful color.

Poor little Annabelle the bantam Buff Brahma with the gimpy leg. All the other chicks are super nice to her. We thought maybe it was splayed leg and tried to treat it but she won't put the leg down. She's a cutie anyway.

And the 3 silkies, Meredith, Izzie and Christina, who look like they have been shocked. They are so cute.

I love the chicks. They have grown so much already. I miss the fuzzy stage. That being said, I can't wait until they can move out to the coop. I just have to finish painting the coop lol. 

In shoulder news it's all quite confusing with first MRI saying there's a tear and will need surgery. The second MRI showing no tear and a cortisone shot should fix it just fine. I got the shot. Still waiting for it to feel better, but I do have a nifty click now every time I move my arm. Now I am seeking a second opinion.