Thursday, August 8, 2013

What is the Dumbest Farm Animal?


We all know it is not the dog or the pig.

It could be the cow, duck, chicken, sheep, goat, turkey, guinea or horse.
At one time or another I've cared for many types of animals from injured wild bunnies and guinea pigs,
when I was young, to whitetail bucks now.
Many people think cows are the dumbest, cause they kinda look that way and move slow.
I've seen calves get over a 8 foot fence to escape a wild bear. Not dumb.
Ducks and guinea hens can care for themselves, with no feed or watering needed, and they fly to escape danger. Chickens are much the same way, except maybe a little slower, excitable and flightier.
Sheep are one livestock, I don't have much experience with. Now, I do remember having a black ram that became delicious grilled lamb chops. The more I think of him, this ram, with his curled horns,
went after the bucks with their pointed antlers. The Bible says: "helpless like a sheep and lost sheep", but the black ram stood his ground in the deer pens and survived until he was large enough to haul away to the butcher.
Goats always get their horns stuck in the wire fence-time after time. Donald got the little Billy out of the fence wire 8 x in one day. You'd think that after 1 or 2 times they'd figure it out..........
Lately I have been moving my nanny goats from their main pen to the front pasture for fresh grass.
I go to the gate with a bucket of corn cobs and expect to see them waiting for me. They are around the corner and can not seem to figure out how to get to the gate. Now, they have been to the gate
hundreds of times. I have to walk into the pen and literally lead them, by their collar, out to the gate!
Every morning!
So, GOATS, are the dumbest.
Maybe because they ram each other on their heads. 
Maybe I am the dumbest, cause I have to go get their heads unstuck and lead them, time after time.
Maybe they like the attention and got me trained.
The dumbest farm animal isn't a cow, a goat or a chicken. As it turns out, the dumbest on the farm
is probably me.

Farmers need to pay attention to what their animals are telling them,
And to be a great farmer, we must try listen to the animals. :)


Nubian goats with their floppy ears.

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