OldManFarm

Maple and Greyson are two of our sheep guardian dogs who live with us as pets but also have the job of protecting our sheep, young cattle and hens from predators. This lamb was not able to drink from his mother so he's being hand fed until he's old enough to eat on his own. He's only brought in from the barn for feeding and will be returned to the barn with the other sheep after he's done and had a bit of a rest by the wood stove.

King, one of our Maremma, Great Pyrenees mix Livestock Guardian Dogs (LGDs) takes some time to feel the crusty snow all over his body and he obviously enjoys it. But King is a very dedicated guard dog and after a brief play time he heads back to keep an eye on his sheep and chickens.

What a great little machine, with a not so great operator....or I wouldn't have gotten us into this mess in the first place. After tipping over into the pool (Video 1) and getting Woody, my mini back-hoe upright again (Video 2), we were still somewhat stuck. With lots of fiddling and jigging and not being able to push myself out with the hoe I managed to get turned around and make a bit of a ramp so I could use the hoe to pull out of the hole backwards. Oce we were out I parked Woody and let him rest for 24 hours just to make sure any fluids that had gotten up where they weren't supposed to would have a chance to drain back down into the crank case etc. He needed a bit of oil the following day, but after a good re-greasing and fluids check and replenish, all was well and Woody is back at it again today. More carefully though.

I decided to try doing a time-lapse video of the little job I was trying to do by enlarging one pond that contains a spring while covering up an older pond that goes dry too often. This great little tractor that we call "Woody" can do an amazing amount of work in a short time. But in this case I should have been paying more attention to what I was doing, because just after I moved the camera to catch more of the digging action rather than the filling in; I went too close to the edge and the bank gave way and poor Woody tipped over sideways into the pond. I was very, very lucky not to be hurt or worse. I was also worried that the tractor would be damaged or badly affected by fluids flowing up into the cylinders where they shouldn't be and possibly causing major engine damage. Diesel engines don't like being upside-down or laying on their side. After I got out through the side window underneath the machine I had to think of what to do quickly. Woody was starting to burn oil...you can see the smoke start just near the end of the clip. I did take a few seconds to reset the camera to real time in order to capture my attempts to get unstuck since the cam was already there. I did loose a few tools in the water. I'll go looking later with a metal detector.

Greyson makes odd sounds as he tumbles on the office cot and tries to get his sister, Wynter to play with him. She seems to think he's being ridiculous.

Little heifer Peggy is getting her fill of concentrated liquid sunshine in the hills of Cape Breton Island , Nova Scotia. Peggy and her mother Pepper are Scottish Highland Cattle and very well suited to the conditions and climate of Cape Breton.

A beautiful early Summer day in the pasture and Peggy the little Highland heifer wants some of that freshly converted grass. She already had huge drink, but now she tries to get the last slurps out of each quarter until after the next nap.

These dogs like to find a high spot where they can check the farm for potential threats. Here, Wynter and Greyson are using the top of a frozen manure pile to survey their territory. Their mother, Maple just stays closer to me as usual.

Our Livestock Guardian Dogs spend time with us in the house as well as protecting our sheep and other animals in the barnyard, pastures and woodlot. Wynter is very much top dog, but Lochie tries his luck to get the comfy spot with playful coaxing. Wynter doesn't buy it for a second. In the foreground Greyson gently tries to get his old grandmother Phoebe to join in the play.

I took a break from digging a waterline today to just sit and spend some time with some of the animals in the pasture. There's nothing more relaxing than hanging out with the cattle when they're having a break too. Maple's just always with me, so she gets in a lot videos.

Our Scottish Highland bull Rory, lets off a bit of steam on a frosty morning in November. Time to start the day!

Sometimes when I put hay out in the morning the dogs pick a pile and have fun with it. Wynter seems to have found something interesting that she's trying to keep from the others. The sheep don't really care but Greyson worries they might get too close.

I was trying to get a video of this 1 week old Scottish Highland calf, but she kept hiding behind the post. Behind me I heard heavy breathing. The bull had quietly come right up to me to see what I was doing. I left soon after.

Wynter and Lochie love to play fight like this all the time, with Wynter demonstrating here signature "Wynter-roll" 3 times in this clip. But Lochie started getting a little too pushy or rough and Wynter had to sort him out by letting him know she'd the boss of him, not the other way around. After she shows him that all is welll and they both shake off their tension to help relax into the play mood, but this time Lochie will be a bit more careful.

Half Highland, half Jersy, Winterized 4x4 milk cow Bonnie gets her new little one (Holly) going with a thorough strong licking. Not only does it help to dry her off, but it helps to stimulate her muscles to get up and get some of that very important colostrum/first milk.

Our Scottish Highland bull, Rory, loves it when I put the back-hoe bucket in a good position for him. This time of year the cattle are shedding their Winter coats and they feel a bit itchy until all that loose hair is replaced by their shiny Summer coat.

Three of the sheep guardian dogs are playing inside. Another dog just passes through but checked by one of the guards. A hand fed lamb seems to think he can take part, but one of the dogs says no, this is dog play.