Showing posts with label Poop. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Poop. Show all posts

Friday, December 30, 2011

Alternative Winter Food Source

 

Poor ravens and crows have become so desperate for food because it’s been 30 days since the brown earth has been visible here, that they are willing to scavenge on our fresh goat and llama poo.

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This is the first time I’ve ever seen them do this, but of course, we’ve not had snow that has stuck around for this long either.

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New Mexico snow tends to melt after a few days, providing opportunities for wild animals to forage for food in between storms.

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Our smaller wild birds have been eating full time from our seed and suet feeders, but the ravens and crows don’t seem much interested in joining them. So, it’s goat and llama poo on the menu, at least until our snow melts away someday.

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Friday, December 5, 2008

M~is for Muck Boots and Meme

Today's post is one about something that doesn't get much focus. They get tramped around in poop, crud, mud, and other icky stuff. As long as they keep our feet dry and clean, we're happy. They work hard and they have to be tough.
Today's post is about footwear, specifically Muck Boots.

Last Spring I got bored with my plain brown muck boots. I wanted to have some fun. The chore of standing in mud and poop is much improved when wearing bright colorful boots. I bought these from Target online and they make me happy and keep my feet comfy, too.

I also have a wild, naughty-side and bought these boots, too. Also from Target. Aren't they cute?!

And then I saw these adorable, bright boots, and I knew if I wore them, scooping manure and squashing through mud, would always be a little bit brighter and cheery.(Or is that Cherry?) So I had to have them, too. Are they fun, or what?

And see? It's true. Even with poo on my flowery fun boots, they still make you smile. (Go on. Admit it. lol!) And yes, I'm wearing jammies.

I knew you might want a closer view of my jammies, so here ya go. What do you wear to the barn?
These are probably my favorite muck boots. I know, I know. They're boring black. But they're clogs, so they easily slip on and off quickly, so I can run out to feed chickens, gather eggs, and run up to the barn. They're not so great for serious mucking with the open heel, though. And when I first bought them (also from Target online) my entire family called them "Mama's Fart Shoes" because these rubbery shoes farted at each step I took. I sort of miss that sound, as a matter of fact. Nothing like a fart sound to make you laugh!

Now that I have shown you mine, you can show me yours. lol!
And I've got a little goodie for you, if you choose to participate. Just do a blog post about your muck boots and share a photo of them, and let me know in the comments section, that you're participating, so I can see your muck boots, too. Doesn't matter if your muck boots aren't fancy. If you use 'em, they count!
And, if you don't wear muck boots, and instead wear cowgirl boots, or something else to take care of your critters, then those count, too.
You'll get to choose from one of these two hand-made stickers to proudly display on your blog. (Don't I make it sound so exciting? hehe)

You can choose from this cute sticker:
Or this stylish one:
So, let's see your muck boots!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Mikey over at The Horseshoeing Housewife and Jamie at Seatbelt for my Saddle both tagged me for the 6 Things About Me Meme. So here it is:

1)I hate to dress up or wear anything fru-fru. I would love to be in my jammies all day if I could. I wear them to the barn and I'd probably wear them to ride, too.
My clothes are usually chosen without too much thought most days. Comfort is my main focus. I'm sure I'd be an excellent contendor for "What Not To Wear" lol!

2)I've always loved horses, but was also afraid of them. I still feel pangs of anxiety when I'm tacking up my horse or when she tests me out on the trail. It's been very liberating for me, as a pacifist, to learn to reach deep inside for courage while demanding respect from my horse.
(Oh. And I bought a little saddle flask for myself, for Christmas...just to take the edge off. lol! What do you suggest I fill it with?)

3)I have gourmet taste in food. And love to cook ethnic food, especially East Indian. I also enjoy trying out exotic recipes, but my family usually turns their noses up at anything that isn't the same old-same old. They only recognize salt and pepper as approved spices. sigh.

4)I want to get a tattoo, but can't make up my mind on a final design. And I'd rather go with someone who's already gotten tattoos or with someone who's getting
their first one. I think it would be more fun and I could use the support.
(Maybe I should bring along my flask?? lol!)

5)I treasure handmade gifts much more than storebought. I have a thing for quilts, handmade bags, soaps, and anything creatively made by hand. I'm always touched by gifts given to me by people who know my interests and my heart. And I especially love gifts that make me laugh. Like this hilarious "Pay It Forward" gift package that Gail over At The Farm sent me.
The gift was so funny because it had alot to do with this post: 'Count the Cats'. When I opened the package Gail had sent I immediately 'got it' and couldn't stop laughing. She apparently had a "herd dispersal adoption clinic", and I was one of her recipients. lol!
What a clever and creative gal she is!

And then Christy from Farm Dreams recently gifted me with these adorable hand-crocheted eggies. Aren't they the cutest?! The horse book was a gift, for my birthday, from my neighbor friend, Val of Fantastyk Voyage. And the horse hair inside belongs to my Baby Doll and her sweet Arabian mare, Nadia.

6)Finally, I'm very quirky and am interested in non-mainstream activities and ideals. I've never been a sheep. I like to walk my own path. I'm usually very open-minded and enjoy and respect differences of opinion, but I sometimes have strong opinions and get annoyed when I feel as if I'm not allowed to speak my mind.


I won't tag anyone else specifically because I think this has already made it's rounds. But if you'd like to participate, please let me know, as I love to learn more about my blogger buddies.


Monday, October 13, 2008

The Scoop On Poop



Around here, we know all about poop, and figured we might as well share.
Of course, if you live with animals of any kind (except stuffed), then you know all about poop, too.
Catlinite knows a little bit about poop, too. Don't ya boy?

But I betcha didn't know that there is a science called: Scatology, did you?
Well now your life has been changed! Now you can brag to everyone you know, that Scatology is the study of feces. Wow! How amazing is that, people?

And another bulky nugget of interest I really didn't care to know about, has kind of stumbled into my lap...so I'm going to toss it into yours:

Coprophilia, also known as fecophilia, is a sexual attraction to turds.(Ewww!)

And Coprophobia, also known as fecophobia, is a strong fear of any kind of poopie or human excrement. (I'd fit into this category, if I really had a choice. But I don't. So, I have to deal with it, buck up, and muck up!)

And let's not forget the oh so delicious practice of:
Coprophagia, which just so happens to involve the consumption of crap, which is normal behavior in certain animal species, but rarely practiced by humans. (Thank God!)

And something a little more saner(if anything in this blog post can be construed as such):
A coprolite is a fossilized doodie.

And did you know that there is a website devoted to nothing but poop?
There really is...go check it out(you just know you really want to):
All about Poop

But this post isn't about human poop, or even fossilized dinosaur turds. It's about the stinky matter that farm animals leave behind for humans to scoop, rake, shovel, scrape, and muck up.

I've been compiling an interesting list of the names people often give to animal poo, and oddly enough they all seem to lead to food names. Why do we do that?
Is it so that the job of mucking and shoveling doesn't seem as unpleasant?

Oh sure. "Look! Some lovely goat berries to harvest" or "How lovely. My adorable horsie left me some pretty little apples to pick."
People are weird, don't you think?

On our little ranch we have a wonderful variety of edible
sounding animal poop, such as:

Horse Apples
Llama (Lima)Beans
Goat Berries
Sheep nuggets
Chicken squirt soup
Cat Tootsie Rolls
Kitty bon bons
Mouse jujubees
Guinea Pig Banana Beans
Lawn sausage (dog)
Meadow muffins (cows/horses)
Rabbit raisins
Dingle berries (poop balls adhering to the hair around the anus)
White wash (birds)

And not far from us are animals with scrumptious sounding poop, too, like:

Buffalo chips
Cow pies
Cattle cookies
Elk duds

Now, doesn't this just spike up your appetite? Let's all run to the store for some Moose Tracks, alrighty?

Ok, let's get down to business. If you have to use the kitty litter box, go now.
Or else, please sit down with that bowl of Moosetracks and read on.

Ever since last winter, I've been having a manure issue with my two llamas. Oh no, you say. "Not those smart little buggers." Well, yes.
They seem to think their living quarters also serve as their potty. I want them to deposit their beans into a neat little pile on the far side of their pen, in the area not covered by the roof.
They don't want to get wet or be inconvenienced in any way. And while I appreciate their feelings, winter is coming and they do need to share their pen with 5 goats and 2 sheep, who probaby don't want to squeeze into the leftover space not covered in a mountain of llama beans.
So, we had a talk.

And they decided to do as I asked.But not without a little grumbling and some coercion on my part.(notice that plastic pet fence back there?)And that upside-down wheelbarrow? Yes, I literally had to block off any areas those two hairy beasts decided to plant some beans. Thank goodness it's only temporary. Looks like the Clampett's junkyard in there.

Now onto other poopie discussions.

If you have a horse, you know how much poop they can create. Oh excuse me: Apples and Meadow Muffins. Sheesh.
It's one thing, if they are usually tidy little poopers, like my mare, Baby Doll, who mostly uses one area or corner of her pen or paddock to leave behind her pretty gifts of chocolate muffins.
But sometimes she gets a little absent-minded while out riding. She'll have plenty of opportunity to scatter poop in the grass, where the poop will melt back into the earth eventually, but instead she'll decide that leaving a trail of her chunky apples in the middle of the road is much better.
"Yes, my pretty painted pony, I am talking about you"


If you have chickens, you also know alot about poop. You know not ever to walk around barefoot where chickens have waddled, unless you like a gooey feeling between your toes. You know that it's quite shocking how much poop a coop full of large birds can contain.

Hey I like that.

Poop Coop. Coop of Poop. Poopie Coopie.

Baby Doll and I prefer to stand outside the coop and enjoy watching our chickens sometimes. She doesn't like chicken doodie on her feet either.

If you have goats, you know that they don't care at all where their tiny doodie berries end up. In fact they will even pee and poop while walking along, as if they aren't even aware they are doing it.
We used to bottle-feed and keep our cute little Mud Pie inside the house. But Moon Pie kept us so busy scooping up little trails of goat berries, that we knew it was finally time for him to lead a normal goatie barn life.
My dear Luna is notorius for stopping and squatting to pee and poop whenever she feels threatened. She will also poop on the hay, so the other animals won't eat it. But then she'll decide that she doesn't want poop on her hay either, even if it is her own, and she put it there.

Cats are another critter you've got to watch out for. If they live outside, they tend to choose your child's sand box to leave stinky presents in, or maybe even your flourishing veggie garden. Mmmmm! Isn't it great to be picking weeds and your knee squishes into a kitty turd?
"No, Catlinite, Oreo is not pooping in your paddock. He has a litterbox in the barn...and he'd better use it"

Well, I hope you've enjoyed this wonderfully educational, and hopefully entertaining scoop on poop.

And yep, you guessed it. This is The End!

Saturday, March 29, 2008

My New Muck Boots


Ooooh!! I'm so excited! I took a chance and ordered some pretty, girlie muck boots online at Target and they just arrived the other day. They are so much fun and fit perfectly. They just make me smile! Now I can hand off my ugly black muck boots to my sons (yes they already wear the same size as me. ack!) and I can feel pretty even when I'm ankle deep in mud and animal poop!

If you want to see what I bought and get ideas on ordering your own beautiful muck/rain boots check out the link below. Target has over 70 different colors and patterns, too! I ordered a pair of cute kitty cat boots for my daughter. And I just ordered 2 more pairs of boots so I will always have a pair around to wear.

My first pair above are an orange flower print. And then the second and third pairs of boots that I just ordered are a leopard print (meow!) and an adorable brightly colored cherry print. I'm so excited!!

Target Rain Boots

On another note, relating to mucking and animal poop: Yesterday a nice lady from Freecycle who was looking for alpaca or llama poop for her garden, dropped by and gathered up two wheelbarrow full loads of our llama's poop! Feels so good to know that our llamas are helping someone grow a healthy garden full of veggies to feed a family.