Remember the little difficulty we had had between Roosteau and Roostah a month ago?  The one which ended in an epic bloody battle and a missing rooster?  Roosteau may have won, but to any outsider he looked like the loser.  I thought it would be nice to update and let everyone know that he is almost 100% back to normal these days.

Hopefully we won't be going through this again any time soon when we introduce the new guy.  Fingers crossed.

So there he is.  This is the fella we have selected to grow out for our free-range flock.  I'm hoping he's either too shy or too bold to get bullied around by our number one rooster (Roosteau) when the time comes.  I think I'm going to call him Chevalier.  Just because.

He has the beginnings of a beautiful comb and wattles.  His feathers are full and not too orange for my liking.  And I think he's going to be a big boy.  Also -- his crow is pretty musical for a beginner.  Don't let anyone tell you that your rooster's crow doesn't matter.  You're going to hear it one hundred times per day so it better be a somewhat pleasant sound.

Have you seen those baby miniature donkey pictures online and just thought they're too good to be true?  You were wrong.  They are just that good.  ​

Kittens are cute, yes.  But newborn kittens?  Well... not so much.  I mean you can stretch your imagination enough to remember that in a couple of weeks they will be adorable kittens.  It takes patience.  Same goes for puppies.  And, furthermore, both kittens and puppies (and bunnies and don't get me started on baby birds...) are definitely eventually cute - but they do not look exactly as they will as adults.

Baby donkeys?  Within an hour of birth they are just tiny donkeys.  Tiny, perfect, bouncing, bucking donkeys.  

Yeah. I'm partial.

So, our 2020 babies have arrived right on time and mothers and babies are doing great!  I was happy to have this foaling set to avoid cold nights - but I really had not thought ahead about the flies in summer... So the next couple of days will be spent setting up fly traps and doing everything we can to make it super comfy in the stalls.  In the meantime...  Cuddles and pictures!

I am particularly grateful that we had it ready in time for foaling.  That was the plan, but there was this virus and a lot of crazy shut-downs and delays and it seemed like we were going to have to make-do for another season.  But miracle of miracles - it was ready for Guadalupe and her baby.  They have a safe, dry, and well-lit stall which allows the rest of the herd to check in and interact any time of day.  (In the meantime, Fatima is waiting for her turn in the adjacent stall.)

My initial request for a 20' x 30' building with the long side completely open was met with some... uhm... confusion... skepticism... maybe looks of 'Okay, lady.  That makes no sense, but you're paying.'  But I had donkeys in mind!  I needed a structure that would be large enough to not only house stalls as needed, but also to serve as a run-in for the rest of the donkeys.  And it was really important to me that this be more of a run-in than a barn - as donkeys don't care much for being enclosed.  That's also why I was happy to accept the standard 10' walls for our 30 inch donkeys -- lots of air-flow and a high-ceiling that helps the space feel wide-open while still being protected.  The raised clay and gravel pad is high enough to keep the ground as dry as needed for donkey hooves and the building itself is situated so as to face away from prevailing winds and sun all day long.

We still intend to rearrange and add more stalls for the future - though the current configuration is perfect for this summer.  We also plan to add a lot more hardware for hanging and storing supplies on those high walls.  Also in the works is a solar lighting kit for late night check-ups.  That's going to be super cool.

We will probably be adding some seating for humans that is unlikely to be chewed by donkeys and plenty of decor to make the place homey.  But for now - it just feels nice to finally have what we need to keep our little donkeys happy.