Welcoming the Peking Ducks

I has been a beautiful start to the week with the weather being so beautiful all the animals have been very happy. This morning I got to the farm before the sun came up and it was still dark so I decided to go into the barn to feed the cats and the horses. When I was done with my work in the barn the sun had already come up so I went to start taking care of the chickens. As I left the barn I noticed out of the corner of my eye a new enclosure that had been built right behind the large main chicken enclosure. I went to investigate and to my surprise I found a pair of Peking ducks. The two new ducks looked very happy walking around quacking you could tell they were enjoying their new home. At the farm we have chickens, quails, rabbits, goats, horses, dogs, cats and now ducks. Well like Pam always tells me there's always room for more. I will be back early tomorrow morning so check back soon with the City Boy on the Farm.

Noises from the Barn

This morning it was cooler on the farm than it has been for a while and all the animals were alert and active when I arrived. As usual I cleaned, feed and gathered the eggs from the chickens and quails and then changed their hay where necessary. As I was working I heard chickens chattering loudly somewhere in the barn so I decided to go investigate. I went from stall to stall and finally came upon the source of the disturbance, it was Tex and a few of the other free roaming chickens interacting with the goats in their stall and scratching through the hay looking for a snack. I always enjoy seeing the different animals on the Dancing Goat Farm interacting with one another so I took a few minutes and watched them all enjoying themselves together. This kind of behavior reassures me that all the animals are very happy on the farm. Well I will be back again bright and early tomorrow morning so check back soon with the City Boy on the Farm for more stories, information and pictures.

Naked Neck on the Loose

The weather has been so beautiful the last few mornings that all the animals on the farm have been very active and happy. At the farm we have chickens, quails, goats, cats, dogs and two horses and almost all the animals live in stalls, enclosures or cages except for the cats. There are also three chickens that get to roam the farm freely because they did not do well being with the other chickens. The chickens that roam free on the farm always stay on the property and are very well behaved never bothering any workers, volunteers or visitors. Recently I noticed that a Naked Neck Turken was being picked on by the other Naked Necks in his enclosure and I knew I would have to move him somewhere else but that would not easy because he is a rooster. After trying for over thirty minutes I could not find any place he would be accepted so I put him in the quail area which is enclosed and has a gate for the day. The next morning when I arrived at the farm the Naked Neck Turken was no longer in the quail area and was no where to be found. I went ahead and started my work for the day and as soon as the sun started to come up I saw the Naked Neck Turken come from around the back of the main chicken enclosures he had made it through his first night. It has been a few days now and Homer has been roaming freely on the farm and I am happy to say he is fitting in well with the three other free roaming chickens and is also very well behaved. Well I will be back in the morning so check back soon to see how all the animals and the City Boy on the Farm are doing.

Preparing the Snacks

Ever time I come to the Dancing Goat Farm I clean and feed the chickens and quails as well as gather all their eggs. Some days there are vegetables, fruit and bread that have been donated to the farm as snacks for the chickens. After I have finished my work I start to prepare the donated snacks and as soon as I begin all the chickens on the farm start to chatter loudly in anticipation. While I prepare the vegetables, fruit and bread the chickens watch my every move as they patiently wait for their turn at being served their special treats. As I go from cage to cage to serve up the snacks I am greeted with loud crows, fancy dances and flapping wings the whole farm comes alive with excitement it is quite a unique experience the donated snacks really do make it a special morning. Well it has been another wonderful weekend at the farm and I look forward to the new week so check back soon with the City Boy on the Farm.

Missy makes a Pit Stop

It has been another wonderful and productive week at the Dancing Goat Farm. As always I feed and cleaned all the chickens and quails as well as gathered all their eggs. I also had some extra time to finish a few projects that we had started earlier in the week. This morning while Pam was going to the opening of the brand new Aldi's she asked if I could put Missy the farms eighteen year old quarter horse outside in her enclosure. Of course I was more than happy to help so I went into the barn to get Missy and as soon as she saw me she came right over to the door of her stall as if she knew it was time to go outside. I put on her lead and then opened the stall door and started to take her around the back of the barn but halfway to her enclosure she decided it was time for a pit stop. Missy stopped right in her tracks and started to snack on a patch of fresh grass she had discovered. I was patient and after a few minutes I was able to get her moving again and we continued to her enclosure where she enjoyed the rest of the afternoon. Well it is the beginning of another weekend so check back soon with the City Boy on the Farm for more pictures, stories and updates.

Another Great Farm Day

Twice a year at the Dancing Goat Farm we have a Farm Day so that Pam's friends, customers, and people she knows have a opportunity to see the farm first hand. The Dancing Goat Farm is a working farm and there is always a lot of activity going on which makes it hard to allow general visitors so Farm Day gives Pam the chance to share her farm with everyone. When we have a Farm Day all the farm workers and volunteers have to pull together to make sure the farm is safe and ready for a large group of quests. By Saturday afternoon the farm was prepared for the arrival of the quests the next morning at 10am. On Sunday morning everyone that has helping with Farm Day was there by 9am and all the animals were excited by all the people and activity. As the quests started arriving I greeted them at the front gate with Zumba who is one of the younger female goats. Zumba loves attention and was more than happy to pose for a picture with anyone who was interested. When all the quests had arrived they all gathered at the entrance to the farm were Pam met them and took them on a personal tour of the farm. When the tour was over everyone got the chance to meet some of the farm animals first hand as well as the people who work on the farm. When the day was done I could tell that everyone had a good time from the kids to the grown ups. We had all worked extra hard at the farm but it was worth it because we had another successful Farm Day. Well I will be back Tuesday morning so check back soon with the City Boy on the Farm for more stories and pictures.

Saying Hello to the Chicks

These are a few rescue chicks that now call the Dancing Goat Farm their home.

Cisco on the Loose

Cisco is the eighteen year old mini horse that has been living at the Dancing Goat Farm for about twelve years. Cisco has a very care free attitude and is very independent but quite loving all at the same time. Whenever I am at the farm I get the chance to walk Cisco out to the fenced in pasture at the front of the farm for the day so he can run around and get some exercise. After Cisco is out in the pasture I go and get Missy the eighteen year old quarter horse to join him but today when I returned with Missy our care free Cisco was no longer in the fenced area. Since this is not the first time that he has gotten out I was not that worried so I went ahead and settled Missy in first. After Missy was settled in I started to check to see if there were an breaks in the fencing and sure enough by the main road I could see a large piece of fencing was knocked down and on the other side of the fence was Cisco in a small ditch enjoying the wild vegetation. I calmly walked across the pasture and went over to Cisco and got him back on his lead and then brought him to the round pen that is next to the bunk house while I went to repair the fence. When I had finished the repairs to the broken fence I came back to the bunkhouse to find Cisco had gotten out of the round pen and was now helping himself to some chicken feed. I stood there and laughed and let him enjoy himself for a few minutes and then I took him to the smaller side pen were he happily spent the rest of his day...I hope. Well I will be back early tomorrow morning so check back soon with the City Boy on the Farm for more stories and pictures.

Time to Collect the Eggs

Every morning after I am done feeding and cleaning the chickens its then time to collect their eggs. There are four enclosures in the front of the farm and each one has a nesting box where the chickens nest in and lay their eggs. As I open the nesting box door you can hear the chattering from the nesting chickens who do not want to be disturbed. The chickens seem to know that my intentions are good and they allow me to collect the eggs and clean out the boxes. After collecting the eggs I reline the boxes with fresh hay and the hens jumped right back in ready to start the process over again. Next I collect the eggs from the row of separate cages in the front of the bunk house these are set up so that you can feed and clean the chickens from the front while collecting eggs from the nesting boxes in the back. After the eggs are removed from these cages I then go to the back of the farm where there are a few more large enclosures which are set up with the nesting boxes inside the cage so you have to enter into the cage to collect the eggs. When entering the enclosures I have to come in slowly because all the chickens come right over to see what I am doing but they eventually clear a path so I can get to the nesting boxes. After all the eggs have been collected I bring them to Pam and she prepares them to be sold at a few local markets. Well I will be back again Tuesday so check back soon with the City Boy on the Farm for more stories and pictures.

Fresh Hay Day

On Saturday's the chickens get fresh hay and they always let me know they appreciate it.

Saturday Morning Market

This weekend is the beginning of the market www.saturdaymorningmarket.com which takes place every Saturday Morning til the end of May in Downtown St. Petersburg. When the markets starts up again things really start getting busy here at the Dancing Goat Farm. Every Saturday morning during market season Pam is up early getting ready and she is on the road by 7:30am. I always make sure to get to the farm before she leaves on Saturday so we can discuss any current projects or any animal concerns. When Pam is ready to leave all the chickens and goats start getting very excited while she is pulling away in the van with the trailer it's like they are all wishing her good luck for the day. Once she has left the day begins at the farm and I start cleaning and feeding the chickens and quails as well as gather all their eggs. After all the cleaning and egg gathering is done I work on any projects we are doing and before I leave for the day I make sure to check on all the animals as well as share my snacks with a few of my special friends. Well I will be back early tomorrow morning so check back soon with the City Boy on the Farm for more interesting stories and pictures.