True Story of a* Regular * Day on the Homestead
Last night after feeding all the farm babies and then finishing dinner with the family, I was surprised by the sight of one of our sows casually strolling through the backyard. Quickly I shouted for my SO, he headed right out - drill in hand. I grabbed the baby carrier and headed out to the back porch to be the look out while dialin' for grandma to PLEASE come emergency babysit.
Two of our three large sows were roaming the property taste testing everything within eyesight! Of course as soon as they found their way out of the pen they decided the BEST coarse was to split up as to keep from being captured. One went to the left where she was met with an electric fence and two VERY anxious males eagerly awaiting her arrival. While the other went right and was frozen by the sight of our mama goats whose babies were frantically bleating.
Amazingly when the one who went right heard her name being called and the beautiful sound of a feed bucket, she hurriedly ran back into her pen to be fed. All the while the other gal was moving and grooving all the way to the back of the property and then back around. SO was doing all he could to get her in solo to no avail.
As soon as grandma showed up and the little was safe, I dashed out to help wrangle the beast! Anndd boy did she give us a run for our money. We tried to lure her with grain and corn stocks but nothing was as tempting as the taste of freedom.
After chasing her through the woods was obviously not getting the job done - we Macgyvered a straight shoot that guided her right into the pen. BUTT she was no spring chicken! She recognized the trap instantly and tried to deter from the path. There was nowhere else to go but the pen so we fed the other girls an obscene amount of food to tempt her gluttonous ways and eventually she couldn't hold out any longer.
The moment she burst into the pen the other girls rejoiced! As if they knew to reward her for getting them extra snacks they eagerly moved over and let her join the feast. They were in - we could take a quick breathe while we mended the pen and checked for any future problem areas.
It was way after dark by the time all was done. Leftovers were still on the stove, dishes undone, and the little wide awake. We gave a big thank you to grandma and said goodnight, I put the little to bed while the SO took a shower and then finished our nighttime routine.
After the little was asleep- I snuck out of the room, let the dogs out one last time, took a shower and laid down to sleep sorer and later than I had originally planned. My last thought before my head hit the pillow was how thankful I was to have just looked out that window at the perfect time. I am fortunate to have as many animals today as yesterday that are all safe, healthy, and happy.
There's always something crazy going on at the homestead. If you'd like to see more post like this follow me @HomesteadinMama and please don't forget to upvote, resteem, and comment all content that resonates with you!