Broody Lahaina
This is our first hen to go broody. I had to do a google search to figure out what exactly it looked like. What I found were descriptors such as your hen refuse to move, flattening her body, etc. The suggestion is to pick her up and move her away from the nest to snap her out of it. When I did that, I discovered she was all bare on her belly. So, I did another google just to make sure that was normal and discovered that when hens go broody they also lose their feathers on their belly to keep the eggs warm. So, we will see how long this lasts. We are on day 2 so far.
Goat Training
The kids and I have decided to get our feet wet by signing up for a youth goat show in June. There have been lots of little details to start showing goats- registering for a scapies number, registering the goat, trimming hooves, clipping, transporting, registration and lastly, teaching your goat to walk on a leash. Who would have discovered that the last one would be the most difficult.
So far the goats can handle having a collar on but as soon as you try to walk them they progressively get lower and lower to the ground. First, they drop to their knees and evently are laying flat on their bellies being dragged across the ground. The funny thing is we take them for a walk off their leash and they stay right next to you the whole time. It is the true definition of a toddler. It reminds me of a family trip we took to the ice caves at the Apostle Islands a couple of years back. The hike out to the caves is several miles and many parents discovered how long it really was and kids were melting down along the trail. As you walk along the banks there were many kids crying and tired from the hike and parents trying to handle the situation. One parent had their child on a leash and was dragging them behind. The kid was literally laying flat on the ground with all their limbs straight out. Identical to the goats.
Chick with a Whistle Farms 