Out Around the Barn

I consider myself a lover of animals.  I enjoy my animals a lot.  My horse, Blaze, is a beauty but due to health issues, I don’t get to spend as much time with him as I would like.  My goat heard gets more of my attention since I have seven nanny’s getting ready to kid and my dog, Bella, gets her daily time with me.  I really consider myself a dog person over cats but do have a couple of favorites.

On our farm we have had an over abundance of kittens this fall.  Nine litters have arrived and made themselves at home.  Every few months we began to notice a new Tom hanging around and then disappear, then another would show up.  Of course, it wasn’t long before the Mamas started showing and we knew then that we were headed for a lot of kittens.  Now we can officially count 20 plus 0ut around the barn at feeding time.  Out of all of them, I have two that I call mine, a Calico named Fluffy and Black kitten with a white diamond on her neck called Raja.

So, my question is are they considered a farm animal or just pets?  Well, we know a lot of people have cats as pets in their homes, sometimes several.  But on the farm we have more than several, we have twice that many.  And yes, we consider them as farm animals, they keep the rodent population under control.  That is good on a farm. I once had a rat run up my pant leg and let me tell you that was not a happy moment.  I jumped a fence and ran until it fell out of my pant leg.  I was 16 at the time but have never forgotten it.  It was just one of those feelings that you don’t forget.  

So in light of all of this talk about farm animals or pets, I consider them both.  Just as we have working dogs, we have them as pets also.  We take care of our Cats and Kittens just like we do our other animals.  We feed them the best cat food we can and have found that Proud Paws Cat and Kitten food is terrific for our feline herd.  They enjoy the taste and eat it up.  Some can be and have been picky about other cat food but this feed they really like.  They need to have good nutrition to grow and keep healthy just like the horse feed we feed our horses to keep healthy and the rest of the animals.  We love them all the same.

Here we are almost a year on our blog.  We have posted over 70 blogs and would appreciate comments from our readers.  We would like to know your opinions and ideas about our blog.  If there is an article that caught your eye, let me know your thoughts on the subject.  We look forward to hearing from you.

If there is a subject that you would like to know about, we can do our best to find an answer to your question.

We are a farm family and enjoy our animals and farm life.  So talking about the farm and all that it requires is a passion of ours.  From equine supplements to chicken coupes, we will discuss just about anything.  Comments welcome.

If you do not live on a farm or if you have never been on a farm this question is not that silly.  I was always told that no question is silly if you do not know the answer.  To someone like me, the first time I was asked this, I was surprised.  It seemed so funny that y0u wouldn’t know what is around a barn.

I guess the first thing most of us would say is animals.  Whether it be horses, cattle, sheep, goats, pigs or whatever livestock we raise.  Then, of course, there is the feed, horse feed, cattle feed, salt blocks, minerals and cat and dog food.  Also, there is the hay for the animals to eat and straw for their bedding.

Then the next thing would be the equipment, such as, tractors, wagons, combines, disks and maybe plows.

Of course, there would be all the neccessities of farm life such as fencing supplies, shovels, rakes, pitchforks, manure spreaders, buckets, log chains, hammers, wrenches and all other kinds of tools.  

It may be surprising what you find out around the barn.  You might find lumber, where someone has been building something or horse shoes lying on the ground where they have just finished shoeing a horse, halters and bridles hanging and saddles on saddle racks in a tack room.  There will be lead ropes and sorting sticks and sorting paddles used for herding the livestock.  You might even find a skull or two of bulls or deer. 

There is just no telling what you may find.  I do know that a farm is a great place for a treasure hunt. 

Any how, these are just a few of the things you will find on a farm, out around the barn.