Along with feeding baby goats
and convincing a llama it wants to be petted,
we got down to some serious hoof trimming. We decided to take advantage of the extra sets of hands and try out our pig flipping technique. My son practiced a few times on the dogs with good results so was ready to give the pigs a try. My hubby and I stood outside the pen trying to come up with a plan of action. Our son just jumped right in and flipped Daphne gently on her back. She screamed her head off but held very still while I trimmed her hooves. The tin snips I bought wouldn't touch it but my horse nippers worked just fine. Before she knew it she was upright again with a mouthful of wormer. Fiona was not so easy. She heard one squeal from Daphne and shoved past me and out into the pasture. It took a fair amount of convincing and a bit of pig food to coax her back in the pen. Her flip was much more difficult. She gave it a good fight and a few times struggled on her back, which according to what I read rarely happens, but we sent her on her way with a spring in her step.......and a mouthful of wormer.
Our Family Portrait
6 comments:
Bwahahaha! I love that expression on your son in the last photo! hehe
In the goat bottle feeding photo, he looks like a little boy playing with his beloved animals. It's such a precious photo.
What a great job all of you did with Daphne and Fiona, too.
Next time, maybe you can hide Fiona or put the ear protection in her ears, so she won't know what's up! hehe
I loved this post, by the way. Thanks for the story and wonderful photos.
Hope you had a wonderful visit with your son and his girlfriend, too.
Sounds like a great, productive, family-fun-filled weekend! I love these types of days - and love even more that those I adore love doing the animal-thing with me. It just adds an extra special touch, don't you think? Do you have a movie-mode on your camera? If so, next time, you should film the whole pig-flipping, wormer-in-the-mouth-squirting event. I'd love to see your technique! (and hear the squeals ...of joy...) :-D
Twinville, yeah that boy of mine is full of expressions. He is a great young man. Thanks for enjoying the story.
Farmgirl_dk, I do have a movie mode but my camera is about 8 years old and I'm asking for a new one for my birthday. I get a grainy video on my camera with no sound. Now that I'm a blogger this old camera just won't do.
I need some tips on trimming hooves. My goats are getting to that age. Any suggestions for clippers, I know to buy good ones at a feed/animal store, right? I enjoyed your story and hope that when my children are grown they will forever cherish these memories of life on the farm.
Country girl, I don't think you need to get good ones from the feed store. My best trimmers for the goats are a small pair of tin snips I got at Sears for 6.00. I have used plant pruners. On the babies you can even use scissors, their hooves are so soft.
I am glad you enjoy my tales. It is so much fun raising kids with animals. They learn many life lessons. We did 4H and the fairs and made many wonderful memories. You are making a wonderful life for your children.
Careful, or a certain Uncle might recruit your boy for a certain little "party" he has every year with the bull calves... ;) It involves a flipping technique, too. Also, I will go ahead and recommend the current resident cousin of the Stable Apt for any hoof trimming- he is turning into a willing and able farm boy! =)
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