Following up on several things
I have received a few emails asking about Old Momma’s new baby and how she’s doing. First, she’s doing about as well as a calf can do with a mother as aged as hers. The calf has developed a slight limp in her right hind leg, but so far we’ve not been able to find any wound or undo swelling. I’ll be keeping an eye on that. A day or two ago, I also noticed the baby grazing on green grass, so she’s definitely supplementing her limited milk supply.
There are still oranges on our Valencia tree, so the squirrels and our wandering possum continue to harvest. The squirrels have the day shift, climbing into the tree to cut them loose. They will sometimes eat them where they fall. Other times we see an orange being transported toward the den. It’s rather humorous to watch a squirrel trying to haul a big orange. They bite into the orange, then tip their head back as far as possible so the orange clears the ground, as they scamper home.
Hungry possums have again been spotted by Sharon during the night shift. We’ve decided there are more than one. I saw one the size of a yearling, but the one Sharon spotted is a good deal larger. It would seem logical they’re parent and offspring. Lucky, our resident short-legged guard dog, has decided possums aren’t any fun to chase. She now makes only half-hearted efforts. Even if she starts toward our slow-moving friends, a quick word discourages her. It’s almost as if she feels obligated to make the effort, but when either Sharon or I speak to her, she’s willing to drop the chase.
Among the local pets being fed at the fence by my bride, all have their quirks and foibles. Each one has something unusual about feeding them. Old Momma will swing her head under the grain as we pour it into her pan, resulting in lots of splattered grains for the local squirrels to pick up. Mr. Boo is even worse. He looks up and refuses to swing his head aside. The trick is to pour a little grain in one pan first. When they reach for the dab of grain, I pour a full feeding in the other pan. They both immediately go for the full pan, which allows me to pour the second feeding in the other pan, unobstructed by impatient cow, or bull heads. This work, but only if you time it right. Too slow on the trigger in either direction, and the squirrels get more grain than either the cow or the bull.
Spirit requires an entirely different approach. She runs in the same pasture with the horses, Ruby, our Appaloosa, and Strawberry, a big Belgian mare. Ruby is a bit of a hog, always trying to steal a little more than her share. She will immediately rush into the pen where Spirit is fed, hoping to steal any grain left in the pan. Ruby is so determined to grab a bite we’ve seen her run full-tilt from the barn in an effort to get inside the gate before we close it.
Sharon was completely frustrated with Ruby recently. Spirit had bawled long and loud, asking to be fed her container of grain. Sharon took the grain to the pen, looking up and down the pasture for the horses. Nobody was in the pasture, or even out on the hill, close enough to run over to the pen. The coast was clear.
She had no more than poured the grain into the pan, and pushed the pan under the gate so Spirit could eat, when she heard pounding hooves. Ruby had evidently been behind a fig tree near the gate, and not easily visible. When the little appaloosa spied Spirit with her head down eating, she knew the pan was full of grain to steal. She turned on the speed.
Sharon tried desperately to shut the gate, but her arms weren’t strong enough to swing the gate before Ruby dashed inside. She drove Spirit away, then buried her head in the grain. My bride returned to the house most upset at Ruby. She was frustrated because she couldn’t get the gate closed in time.
Ruby finally wandered away, so we took another measure of grain to Spirit. Ruby immediately tried to run back and steal more. I slammed the gate in her face, just as she slid to a stop. She tried several times to open the gate with her nose, but I held it tightly. She finally gave up and stood there being a pest. Only when Spirit finished her grain did Ruby finally walk away.
As you see in the picture, Ruby is most impatient when waiting for her feed. I have to use a garden rake to pull the rubber pans close enough to the fence so Sharon can dump their Senior Mix. When she goes out to feed the horses, she always brings four short pieces of carrot.
Sharon always pours Strawberry’s treat and carrots first, followed by pouring Ruby’s. Ruby positions herself beside Strawberry and makes every effort to snatch one of the carrot pieces. Strawberry has learned to grab quick, and almost always beats Ruby to the carrot. When she’s too slow and the appy does successfully steal one, the crunching gives her away as she walks to her pan. If Sharon hears her crunching, she holds back a piece of carrot and gives it to Strawberry. It’s really not that different from feeding our children, is it?