This town ain't big enough for the two of them

Ever since Pip has found his voice:

there has been chaos and conflict in my sweet little coop.

While Roopert, my Silver-Laced Wyandotte rooster, has been crowing since he was a mere 10-weeks-old, it took Pip, my White Crested Black Polish, until he was 14 weeks old before he felt the urge to express himself.

Unfortunately, Roopert is entirely unimpressed:

and, despite Pip's unaggressive, non-confrontational style, Roopert has decided Pip must go. One way or the other.

Twice now, I've found Pip cowering, head first in a corner of the chicken coop, having been chased there by Roopert. Yesterday, Pip ran, full speed, into the corner of the chicken run, wedging his head through the bars, where he then hung limply, head crooked at an awkward angle. I thought he was dead. He wasn't, but he apparently felt it wise to simply hang there, in that position, rather than get up and risk the wrath of Roopert.

The sad thing is that now the girls are even beginning to ostracize and pick on him. Here's Rose-Uppity giving Pip a stern lecturing:

Can you see Pip hiding in the grass? This is where he thinks Roopert can't see him:

Here's Pip left all alone in the chicken run:

Inside the chicken coop, Pip will cower in the farthest corners, hoping to escape notice. I feel so guilty locking him in there at night, I help him out a bit and put him up on the "big girl roost". He won't get down, no matter what, until I open up the coop the next day. Last night, as a special treat, he got dinner in bed:

It makes me so mad when I see Roopert chasing Pip down, jumping on his back, and hammering the back of his head with his sharp, pointy beak. I've set up the hose for quick access and totally douse Roopert each time I catch him in the act of charging Pip:

Last night was the last straw, though. It was not my proudest moment. When Roopert again cornered Pip in the coop and Pip was shrieking hysterically, I lost my cool, swooped in, grabbed Roopert up and...

hung him upside down.
There. How's that for effective conflict resolution?

Today, things have been a bit calmer, but I've washed out our old dog crate in the event that somebody (Roopert) needs to spend an evening in time-out, should the nastiness continue:

Maybe I'm fighting a losing battle, though. I really don't think Pip is challenging Roopert's dominance. He's just being Pip. I have heard of multiple roosters living harmoniously together once their male pecking order has been established, but perhaps I'm being naive and just prolonging the inevitable. Does Pip need to go?

Roopert, in all his glory.

First Aid on the Farm

In my few short weeks of life with donkeys, I think I have seen more than my fair share of cuts, bites, bruises and wounds.

There have been the injuries associated with two of my geldings battling it out for the "alpha" dog, er, donkey position. The area between belly and upper leg is apparently a wicked nasty spot for a well-placed bite:

Hooves and sharp teeth have separated fur and torn skin:

Most horrific was when my sweet Brownie somehow managed to get his scrotum bitten open. In a panicked call to Peaceful Valley Donkey Rescue, I was told this is a very common occurrence among male donkeys and burros. < WARNING: Graphic injury photos below >:


All of these I have tended to as best I could and under the guidance of the medical personnel at Peaceful Valley:

But all had been relatively calm and quiet here at Critter Farm for a few days and I was once again allowing myself to feel like a good donkey mama. So, I was really bummed yesterday when I saw that Ian's right eye had swollen completely shut:

I quickly scanned for what the cause might be. Seeing none, I took a deep breath and tried to sound reasonably calm as I (again) had to contact the Rescue. "Flush and apply antibiotic ointment. Wait a few days and call if it doesn't improve" was what I was advised. Ok, I can do this.

Ian is such a trooper, he didn't object a bit when my son, Aidan, and I haltered him up and took him back into the barn:

We washed his eye out with sterile saline solution and then applied a triple antibiotic ointment to his lower lid. He didn't fuss for a single instant:

He didn't even mind that he had a bit of a greasy eyeball when all was said and done. At least his eye was open again:

Ian is such a good boy:

It frightens me sometimes when I realize what a very steep donkey learning curve I'm on right now. As near as I can tell, though, the donks are completely ok with this and are still willing to stay, at least for a bit longer.

A New Type of Deer Deterrent

Pesky deer eating your plants?
Are you tired of waking in the morning to find your beautiful
< insert treasured plant, vegetable, or fruit bush here > devoured?
Are you anxious to reduce the damage caused these ravenous beasts?

I've found that six donkeys seem to work wonders:

Unfortunately, my trigger finger on my camera wasn't quick enough to catch the deer initially bounding through the pasture in front of the donks, but I did catch him - for a split second - going through our gate at the bottom of the hill as the donkeys started to sound off and went after him. I'm hoping you can see him at the bottom of the hill despite the graininess of the YouTube video.

The donkeys were so upset by this intruder on "their" property, it cracked me up! I definitely saw first hand why they have acquired the reputation for being great livestock protectors.

Future Farm Boy or Spiderman?

This is the story about a little boy who left his momma to become a farm hand. Not really, but my 3-year-old nephew, Gabriel, did come to spend a couple days with me so his momma could finish writing a term paper.

It was a very busy and diverse time for him. You see, just because you're company doesn't mean the farm chores have stopped. Gabriel learned first-hand how to do some important farm jobs:

He....
cleaned and filled the donkey's water buckets with fresh water:

...was able to locate and observe many potato bugs that were running through the straw outside the stalls:


...scaled the big, green farm gate multiple times:

...successfully closed the huge barn door:

and carried a lead rope all the way back to the house where it was a source of entertainment for his remaining time with me:


When the chores were done, we headed into the city. Portland's Rose Festival was going on and the Dragon Boat races were in full swing. My son, Aidan, was co-captain of his high school's first Dragon Boat race.

We got to see Aidan's boat win!:

and Gabriel was excited to high-five Aidan as congratulations:

You'll no doubt notice the Spiderman suit. This was a must-wear item for Gabriel and a real crowd pleaser. Of course, and reasonably so, I had to refer to him as "Spiderman" or "Spidey", while he was in costume.

"Spidey" had a ball running through Salmon Street Springs, er, I mean, he expertly maneuvered through acid waters, narrowly escaping death:

He scaled tall concrete posts (without falling down once):

And - what are the chances - Spidey had a close encounter with Spongebob Squarepants!:

This was a very cool moment for my little super hero:

After all the excitement, even Spiderman needed to rehydrate:

I guess maybe Gabriel doesn't have to decide between being Farm Boy extraordinaire:

or Spiderman:

After all, even Peter Parker had his day job when he wasn't being Spiderman, didn't he?

Such a patient dog

"Ok, you guys, the dog's back. Pretend you don't notice":

"Na nie, na nie...see my butt!":

"Dum, de, dum, dum, dee...just walkin' behind the doggy...":

"Ooops, I dropped something. Oh, silly me, did I hit you with my tail feathers?":

"Ok, here's the plan. This time I'll walk in front and you walk behind. Let's see if we can't get a rise out of her":

Yawn. "You guys bore me...":

"Oh, yeah? Well what if I do....*THIS*":

"..Or if I do...*THIS*":

"Aw, man, who does she think she is, ignoring us like that? Stupid dog. Hey, let's go eat some leaves off the flowering rose":

"Stupid chickens.":

Introducing....the donkeys of Critter Farm

"What?", you say. "But we already know all about the donkeys!"
Yes, I think pretty much everyone knows that Danni has donkeys at this point. However, you really only know them as a group. I have been remiss in presenting them to you as the incredible individuals that they are.

As previously mentioned, on Sunday, May 25th, six rescue donkeys from Peaceful Valley Donkey Rescue completed their 2-day journey from Tehachapi, California to arrive at our little farm in Oregon.

My job now is to act as donkey foster mama for these six, continuing with the "gentling" activities they have learned (being haltered, walking on a lead, lifting feet for picking and trimming, being brushed, etc.), and announcing to all NW Oregonians and SW Washingtonians (and anyone else willing to listen) that I have *the* perfect donkey pet for them!

And so....here are their stories:

In Stall #1 we have:

The "Burro Boys". These three were located on public land in Oatman, Arizona. Every year, a certain number of burros are removed from an ever-growing herd to maintain population control. The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) contacts Peaceful Valley regularly to schedule a PVDR burro pickup. These boys have been with Peaceful Valley for a little over six months and have been gentled as pets.

Name: Pistol, gelding

Age: 6 years old
Temperament: Is the self-proclaimed leader of the herd. He feels like an "old soul" to me, one who, in his relatively short life, has seen a lot. He can seem like a bit of a loner but he is always watching what's going on and what others are doing. He loves the ladies and adores having his hiney (rear-end) scratched. Seriously. He falls into almost a trance when you do this for him. He's absolutely gorgeous. Silky, almost-black coat with a white belly and incredible muscle tone, he is a beautiful boy.

Name: Velvet's Baby, gelding

Age: 3 years old
Temperament: Energetic and enthusiastic, he thinks maybe he should be the leader instead of Pistol, but he hasn't convinced anyone else yet. He doesn't much care for coffee breath (mine) in the morning and much prefers it if I have a peppermint before I speak to him. He is, however, always happy to see me. He loves having his sides brushed. He and Brownie tend to hang together when they're out in the pasture.

Name: Brownie, gelding

Age: 3 years old
Temperament: Sweet and friendly, Brownie will go out of his way to get some love. He really likes having his cheeks and ears scratched and sometimes enjoys just having you stand still so he can lean on you a bit. He's a very peaceful boy.

In stall #2 we have: (from left to right) Sarah, Holly and Ian:

Arriving at Peaceful Vally as "surrenders", Holly and Sarah were given up to the Rescue because their original owners, an elderly couple, had suffered some property losses due to a huge fire in the San Diego area and could no longer care for these girls. Holly and Sarah have bonded to tightly to each other and PVDR has made it a requirement for the two of them to be adopted out together:
 Holly and Sarah

Name: Holly, jennet

Age: 3 years old
Temperament: Soft-hearted, mild-mannered, yet knows what she wants, she is tightly bonded to Holly. She loves rolling on the ground and also having her muzzle kissed. She has the most gorgeous thick, curly, reddish brown coat.

Name: Sarah, jennet

Age: 7 years old
Temperament: Timid at anything new, but feisty and energetic when she's in her element. This is the sweet girl that had the recent encounter with our electric fence. She is the most exotic looking of all the donkeys, with incredible features, beautiful, thick, stand-up mane, interesting leg markings and gorgeous eyes.

Also in Stall #2:
Ian. My skinny, bony, sweet boy. Ian is three years old and was born at the PVDR Ranch. This little guy has had a good life so far. He desperately wants to join Sarah and Holly's exclusive "club", but tends to get pushed out of the way a lot.

Name: Ian, gelding

Age: 3 years old
Temperament: Ian has a mellow, calm temperament. He loves to be loved on, and will stand absolutely still when being patted, brushed or scratched. This guy *loves* to be brushed. Ian is able to adapt easily to either group, the surrenders or the burros. Sometimes it feels like this little guy is still trying to figure out where he really belongs.

I feel much better now, having given each of these wonderful donkeys their own personal introduction. I wonder what they'd say about me if they had the chance. :-)