Each species of animal on the farm brings its own unique perspective to farm life.
The chickens, they’re the nit-picky ones of the bunch (both literally and figuratively), always pecking, scratching, watching for movement of a bug or finding a stray grass seed that needs to be gobbled down before the others steal it away. They’re particular about where they lay their eggs and sometimes just decide to stop laying altogether. The worst time, of course, is right before the farmers market.
The pot belly pigs, Chester and Spike, are the greeters of the farm, always happy to see people with a resounding “oink” and upturned nose that is also eagerly searching hands for any type of morsel that may be dropped into their enclosure. Pardon the pun, but they are the hams of the farm, from antics that range from dipping their noses into their water bowl and blowing bubbles to tossing themselves on their side when they get a back scratch, grunting happily with the corners of their mouths displaying what only could be conceived of as a grin.
The ducks are the comedians of the farm. Their webbed feet cause them to waddle from side to side as they make their way around the backyard, quacking and flapping their wings to let everyone know they are in charge. They like to make the ground soupy when using their bills to dabble around for worms and are always ready to chase each other around, making quite the commotion.
Finally, the geese are the ones that truly make the farm feel like prehistoric times have returned and my yard has become Jurassic Park. There is a line in the movie where one of the main characters says, “They move in herds. They do move in herds.”
No matter where one goose goes, the others are quick to follow right along. If they are separated from each other where they’re not able to see one another, lots of honking and squeaking ensues until the issue is solved. Pterodactyl-style wings hang to their sides when they want to appear threatening to duck, dog or small sparrow, and though they are still quite young now, I’m sure it’s a matter of time before that neck becomes a lethal weapon for defense.
Recently, I decided to participate in an event for Girls Inc. of Jackson County and bring some geese and chickens with me to share with the girls who were there for summer activities.
Of course, the youngsters loved the largeness of the geese, but the joke was on me when one of the honkers decided they’d had enough of being on display and decided to relieve himself/herself on my shorts, the ground and the shoe of one unlucky little girl who just happened to be standing in the line of fire.
I, of course, felt awful, but if there’s one thing that’s certain with farm animals, it’s that the element of surprise is always there. Perhaps geese have mastered that skill better than any of the others.
Having a small farm is definitely like hosting a production each and every day the curtain of a sunrise goes up and I’m just here to watch it unfold. Maybe I need to come up with some sort of award, like a Tony or an Oscar, for who has displayed the best acting that day.
Until next time…
Stephanie Strothmann owns Purple Shamrock Farm LLC in rural Seymour. Send comments to [email protected].