Barn Animals
On the farm where I care take there are six barn animals. Each is special in his or her on way.
JAZZY (or Lady Marmalade, as I call her) is the Barn Diva! She is gorgeous and in charge. She has Arion wrapped around her big hoof. When she was sick last fall I had to put medicine in her feed every day. She didn’t like the taste of it, and the only way that she would eat it was if I scooped it up and hand fed her. Such the princess! But when she’s not making sure everything is in order she’s a real softy.
ARION is Jazzy’s pal. He worships her! He’s like a young boy who discovers puppy love for the first time. He is a such a sweet and handsome fellow. He is incredibly curious and playful. This summer I bought him a big horse ball with a handle because he was always grabbing things out of my hands. I thought he might enjoy playing with the ball. When I presented it to him, he nuzzled it for a bit, then grabbed it out of my hand. He held it in his mouth and swung it back and forth, then dropped it to the ground and pushed it along with his muzzle. Such a ham!
NIBBLES & MAGGIE are the two old, little goats. They are adorable. Nibbles was very shy when I first arrived but now we are friends. She and Maggie love to have there backs scratched. It’s part of our ritual now; every time I feed them I give them back scratches while they eat. Must be good for digestion! In the winter they sleep inside a straw bale fort that I built for them inside a stall. They are quite cozy there and I sleep better knowing they are protected. Maggie is the black and white goat, and Nibbles is the black one.
FIREFLY & MISSA are the two younger, bigger goats. Firefly is Missa’s mom, but Missa believes she’s boss of all the goats. They have a nice milk shed attached to the barn to live in with fenced-in pasture. It’s big enough for all four goats to live in but Missa won’t allow it. That’s why I bring the little goats in every night so they can sleep in the barn. Amazingly, the little goats seem to really love the big goats and other than sleeping and food they all get along very well.
