Farm Girl Thrills

My adorable baby goose

I am so excited, dear reader! Yesterday, my very first incubated gosling hatched! He or she, I don't know how to sex a gosling, is the most adorable creature. Guess what? The baby that hatched is an African goose, so I get to keep it! Before the eggs hatched, I told The Bibbed Wonder that if any African geese hatched, I planned to keep them because I only have two African geese left in my backyard flock. When my friend Jenna pointed out that the baby is patterned with brown stripes, and she thought the baby could be an African goose, I was delighted. Jenna then looked up African goslings on the internet, and lo and behold, my baby looks identical to the picture on the internet. I am so lucky!

The Bibbed Wonder does not consider this a stroke of luck. When I shared the exciting news that the baby is an African goose and I am keeping it, he responded in a mocking, high-pitched voice, which is a poor imitation of my voice, "Oh, lucky me! They'll probably all be African geese!" His comment was dripping with sarcasm, which I found very rude. My response was to ask him if he ever attended a party he hadn't pooped upon. Despite his lack of enthusiasm, I will not let him dampen my excitement.

Can you handle any more excitement, dear reader, because I have more. A second goose egg is pipping or breaking a little hole in the eggshell. Did you know a baby bird has an egg tooth? I didn't until a few days ago. The baby bird develops a temporary sharp growth on the end of its beak to help it break through the shell at hatching. The chick first uses its egg tooth to make a small hole, called a pip. It then rests, absorbing the remaining yolk. The chick enlarges the hole, pecking around the circumference of the egg. Finally, it twists and pushes with its legs, wings, and head to split the shell and fully emerge. It's a fascinating process. I did not get to witness the complete hatching because a) it takes a long time, b) I can't just sit and watch an egg, and c) I did take pictures throughout the process, but would love to set up a camera to capture the entire hatching. It took the gosling two days to fully emerge from its shell. I left the baby in the incubator for a few hours after it hatched. It needs to dry off and look fluffy before removing it from the incubator. I then set up a box in the garage with food, water, and a heat lamp. However, we had to cuddle for a little bit before it went into its nursery box.

That, dear reader, is the big excitement on the farm this weekend. The baby goats are all doing well, growing and bouncing. The mamas are all doing well, also. My geriatric girls have developed a fungal infection on their skin. I am treating them with a sulfur spray and will bathe them with a sulfur shampoo over the next few days. My friend Jenna, who attended Penn State for animal science, said it's because the girls got wet and didn't dry off quickly. I feel that a fungal infection is a sign of neglect, but Jenna said it is quite common in goats, sheep, and horses, and despite our level of care, it can still occur. I don't think I have the energy to bathe all five girls in one day. The girls do not enjoy being bathed and put up a huge fight. I will bathe Lily and Lil' Black today because they are the worst. Tomorrow morning I will bathe Mama Boo, Boo, and Red. Horns is showing a few small patches, so she will need to be bathed as well. She is going to be a lone bather because she is a difficult goat on a good day. She won't let me brush her or apply the spray to her. Eric has to hold her while I spray her. I am not looking forward to bathing Horns.

This spring is turning out to be busy and eventful. I am very grateful to live the life I do. Aside from getting married and becoming a mom, this is the happiest I have been in a very long time. I've decided to bask in the glow of this happy period and appreciate the simple things that bring me joy. I hope you, too, are having a good spring, dear reader. If you'd like to see our baby goats and perhaps my baby geese, I gently encourage you to visit the farm this Saturday from 10-2 to enjoy the spring, shop from a host of talented vendors and small businesses, grab a Rocket burger, and enjoy a frozen treat. We are greatly looking forward to seeing everyone.

On this lovely spring day, stay safe, be smart, enjoy the little things, find something that excites you, and keep washing your hands.