Morning Chores

The word “chores” has all kinds of negative associations, but I have to say that morning chores are one of my favorite things about being on the farm. Every morning at around 8 am, Lesley and I slip on our boots, and head out to feed the pigs, sheep, llamas, chickens, and miniature pony.

The pigs are always especially happy to see us, and before we even have the chance to scoop their grain into the feed bucket, they poke their heads out of their little hut and begin grunting with excitement as they hurry toward their feeders. 

After feeding the pigs, we make the rounds, giving the sheep and llamas some fresh hay and letting the chickens out of their coops. When it is cold like it has been, we also break up the ice in the water troughs and scoop it out so the animals can drink all the water they want. Sometimes they enjoy a little morning back scratch. 

I love this little sheep in particular. Every morning, we put hay in the side of the feeder so Tina, the guard llama in the background, doesn’t have to bend down too far to get something to eat. This little sheep refuses to eat from the lower part of the feeder where all of the other sheep eat from and gets up on its hind legs to eat from the side.

Last but not least, we feed Coco, the miniature pony. She was once the companion of a full-size horse who recently moved to another farm. While the owners are looking into getting another miniature pony to keep her company, she is spending her days with a small flock of sheep.

It’s a pretty basic routine, but it is such a contrast to my mornings as a teacher when everyday I repeated the same frantic routine of running from the train station to the bagel shop to the copy machine to my classroom just as the late bell was ringing.