Baby Goats Staying Warm

The baby goats wear sweaters, shirts and jackets to stay warm when it is chilly.

Time to Collect the Eggs

Every morning after I am done feeding and cleaning the chickens its then time to collect the eggs. There are four large cages in the front of the farm that house about 100 chickens. Each one of these cages has a nesting box where the chickens nest in and lay their eggs. I always knock on the door to the nesting box to let the chickens know I am opening it to gather the eggs. As I open the door you can hear the chattering from the nesting chickens who do not want to be disturbed. To make the chickens feel more relaxed I always talk to them calmly while speaking in a reassuring tone. The chickens seem to know that my intentions are good and they allow me to collect the eggs as well as clean out the boxes. After I have collected the eggs and relined the boxes with fresh hay they jump right back in ready to start the process all over again. Next I collect the eggs from the row of twelve separate cages that house about forty chickens. These cages 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. When the eggs are removed from these cages I then go to the back of the farm where there are four more large cages with another 100 chickens. The back cages 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 cages 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 check back soon to see more pictures and hear more stories from the City Boy on the Farm.

Sunrises before the Farm

Every morning I go to the Safety Harbor Marina to watch the sunrise and to feed whatever birds are hungry that morning. Here is a beautiful picture I wanted to share from this morning.

Playtime with the Babies

Today when I was done with the cleaning and feeding of all the animals I took sometime to play with Philomena and a few of her siblings. There are now fourteen baby goats and the older ones have been moved into a regular stall while the babies are still in the nursery. Philomena is now three weeks old and she is very confident and full of energy. When I entered her stall to visit with her and the four other babies that are about her age I noticed that they where all outside in the play area. The play area has a little jungle gym with a slide that the goats jump, climb and play on with one another. I sat down on the corner of the jungle gym and was met by five very excited baby goats. Philomena jumped right into my lap as the others tried to join her it was baby goat heaven. Finally everyone calmed down and we got to all play together for quite awhile. I could tell it was time for me to go when the babies where starting to lay down together getting ready to take their nap. It was another great week at the Dancing Goat Farm so please check back soon for more pictures, stories and to see how the City Boy on the Farm is doing.

First Look at the World

This is a picture from Saturday's delivery...his first look at the world.

Delivering Number Eleven and Twelve

This morning was a little chilly when I got to the farm and everyone seemed hungry so I got right to work. After I feed and watered all the chickens and quails I went to check on the baby rabbits who are now hopping around and eating on their own. On Saturday mornings I have some extra time so I decided to give the quail area a good cleaning. There are about two hundred quails at the Dancing Goat Farm and they are housed in a separate area. The quails produce eggs throughout the day which are collected and sold at a few local markets. After I finished cleaning the quail area I decided to go and play with the baby goats before I left for the day. When I got into the barn I saw Steffie and Brianna in a stall with one of the new Starlight Shire goats and they told me that the Starlight was ready to give birth. Steffie, Brianna and I are volunteer on the farm a few times a week and on Saturdays we are on our own so this was going to be our first delivery without Pam's assistance. We where all a little nervous at first but over the last few weeks Pam had trained us to be ready for this day. The three of us got together and worked as a team and successfully delivered two beautiful baby boys who are number eleven and twelve. There are many more babies on the way in the next few weeks so check back soon with the City Boy on the Farm.

Funny Baby Goat Picture

I always like to share the pictures that i know will make everyone laugh and smile.