Better Day

Bright sunshine, warmer temperatures and a much improved disposition. All of these things make for a better day. Upon arriving home from school, only one chicken out of pen. Not really sure how that happened, must have done the chicken run during all the excitement of the previous day. When I entered the house, no sick dogs. We only had half a dead frog and a mouse tail to greet us. Walking down drive to feed horses, half of dead mouse, but with tail, so must be different from mouse in house. When gathering hay for horses found a complete dead mouse. I surmise that the cats are definitely doing their job. I guess that is not good for the mouse population.
As much as my day was better, my poor husband had a very unpleasant task. He had to disbud the new kids. It is very necessary but it really hurts him to do it. For everybody’s safety he has to remove the little horn buds, so as to prevent the horns from growing. The first baby we had we took out to a large goat farm to have her disbudded. The process goes like this. You put the little kid in a small wooden box with a hole for the head to stick out of. The next step is to shave the area where the horn buds are. Once this is done you have to use a hot iron to remove the bud and coterize the area. The kids cry like crazy and it really plays on your heart. Once it is over, they totally forget about it and forgive you but the process is still difficult. I ache for my husband when he undertakes this task, as it not anything I am able to help with. I am a wimp when it comes to these things.
At the end of the day, the kids are disbudded, all critters in the right place, fed and happy. Wow only 7:30, now we can make dinner.