Dorie showed off her young 'un to all the cows and goats and horses. She had a bit of a tussel with Tori, when Tori got a little too interested in Casper. But Dorie let her know that she was his mother, and whose going to argue with those horns?
Nelly wasn't sure what she thought of Casper. She's not the baby any more. It was oddly satisfying to see her hanging out with the cows all day. Almost like she just realized she's not a goat after all.
Dorie settled into munching and gossiping with Mindy while Casper had a nap in the barn. Everything seemed fine, so we left them to it.
A couple of hours later I went out to check on them. Dorie is so rude. I walked all over the place, and she just kept looking at me like, "What baby?'
Mindy refused to divulge any secrets either. The dogs sniffed out tracks and followed trails. Dorie looked at them as if to say 'Dumb dogs'. I was starting to get worried. Where was Casper? Not in the barn, not in the coop, not in the hay pile. Not laying down beside his mother!
A loose chicken distracted the dogs. I went to fetch it. Walking back towards the coop I saw Dorie slowly making her way down the fence line towards her hiding spot from the year before. Gotcha.
Getting them back into the coop last night was a bit of a pain. Dorie followed her treat bucket, no problem. But Casper was staying put. Probably because his mother told him to. He had to be pushed, pulled and prodded along to keep up with his mother. But we made it.
I envy your having farm babies until I remember that three grown hens exhaust me. That is funny that she would hide her baby.
ReplyDeleteIt's normal, actually. Because the calf can't out run a predator, their mothers teach them to stay still and quiet until she returns. Moose and deer do the same. Probably lots of other large animals too. It was just annoying, with all of our bad luck, not knowing if he was ok or not right then.
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