I love showing off our beautiful geese. The youngsters are no longer little. They may be teenagers but they still listen to the adults when spoken to. I marvel at this self made family of five....... "The strength of our character is measured by the kindness we show to those in need." ... See more

Summer is upon us but unlike our typical summer weather we are not getting rain. Just a friendly reminder in addition to plenty of drinking water for our animals please provide a way for the animals to cope with the heat. Pools work great our waterfowl, pig and dogs all use them. In the case of waterfowl not only will the water cool them down but clean feathers help them thermoregulate as well. If we are hot so are they....... "The strength of our character is measured by the kindness we show to those in need." ... See more

Check out, Springsteen and Sprout. At 2 months old the kids are just slightly smaller than their mother, Greta. Each time I look at this family of 5, it puts a smile on my face. Five geese, each from different backgrounds, places and breeds came together and formed a bond that showcases the beautiful traits that these birds possess. Their story is both heartwarming and a powerful lesson in acceptance, loyalty and devotion........ "The strength of our character is measured by the kindness we show to those in need." ... See more

Today, Panama, went to see our veterinarian, Dr. Topor for Spa Day. Unlike, Spa Day for humans, Panama dislikes it. She gets her nails trimmed - great for me, feathers trimmed - she dislikes having her beautiful feathers cut off but safety first and the beak trim is just plain annoying to her, but necessary. So today we decided to take her out for a treat, we went to Buttermilk Provisions in Wesley Chapel and sat outside. Panama kept stealing pieces of my Coconut Lime vegan donut. She gave it two thumbs up. She also entertained all passersby in the vicinity. Panama, you are one in a million❤..... "The strength of our character is measured by the kindness we show to those in need." ... See more

Terran wasn't very cooperative when it came to taking a picture of her healing neck injury. The bond between Terran (left) and Jorden (right) is obvious as seen in this picture which is a better photo than a neck injury anyway😊. I totally love our role of taking in severely injured or special needs farm and exotic feathered friends. Yes, we are Bird Nerds for sure...... "The strength of our character is measured by the kindness we show to those in need." ... See more

When Arnold was a little guy, many moons ago, I taught him to sit and wait for his food. I have not asked him to do this in probably 10 years. Today as I was feeding out rolled oats, a favorite of Arnold and our goats, he sat and waited patiently as I filled his dish. I couldn't help but smile as I reminisced about the great memories he and our other rescues have given me and countless others through the years. As I approached the next feed bowl this time I asked him to sit which he did without hesitation but then again pigs are extremely smart. This journey has and continues to be very educational, heartwarming as well as heartbreaking at times and most definitely humbling..... Arnold is a Barnyard favorite, once you meet him you will know why❤.... "The strength of our character is measured by the kindness we show to those in need." ... See more

I just thought, I would give you an update on our two Pekin Ducks that came in a couple of weeks ago. Terran was attacked by a predator, most likely a raccoon, she sustained two severe wounds to the back of her neck. We are happy to report she is healing up nicely. She is eating well and seems quite content with her mate, Jorden, by her side. Once Terran's wounds are completely healed the happy couple will move into our Main Waterfowl Barnyard which we are expanding...... "The strength of our character is measured by the kindness we show to those in need." ... See more

Hi Everyone!! It's me, Leroy. I have come a long way since my therapy chair days. I no longer am separated at night because the ducks in the Special Needs Barnyard don't pick on me. They must have heard how strong and brave, I am. I have a girlfriend named Willow, she has some leg problems too. Who would have thought I would make such an amazing recovery. Now, don't get to excited because I do have limitations, I can't get in or out of the pool without help but I can do just about everything else. Anyway, I just thought I would give you an update on my life. Thanks for you kind words and support❤ - Love, Leroy......... "The strength of our character is measured by the kindness we show to those in need." ... See more

I love this picture! Not just because it is an adorable, recently hatched chick but because it makes me appreciate the work it took for this little chick to actually grace this earth. Once the chick has fully developed in the egg, it needs to exit as soon as possible. Do you see the tiny white dot on the tip of this chicks beak? This is called an egg tooth. It isn't really a tooth but it is a horned protrusion that is hard and sharp, this is what they use to make their great escape. First they use the egg tooth break into the air sac on the blunt side of the egg this is called internal pipping. This air sac prepares their lungs to breath air properly outside the egg. They also have a strong muscle in the back of their neck to aid them in breaking through the shell. You guessed it, that is called a pipping muscle. Now that the air sac in the egg is broken they must get to work cracking the egg as they only have a limited amount of oxygen in the egg itself. Once they start the external pip they push with their legs while pipping around the circumference of the egg. I am exhausted just thinking about it and so are they. Some never make it out of the egg but those that do, emerge wet and tired. Fear not, in no time they are dry and ready to follow their mother. Typically, the egg tooth falls off in 2-4 days. There you have it in a eggshell😊.... Another interesting fact, we have several roosters that routinely breed our hens, however, the hen can discard the sperm from a lower ranking or less desirable rooster and use the more desirable roosters sperm to fertilize an egg.......I typically do not pull chicks from Mother Hens but the one in this picture was having trouble standing. Mom wasn't happy I picked him up and attacked me. I put him in my top pocket to keep him warm while I worked around the Barnyard. When I was finished I checked to see how he was doing and he was fine. He must have been tired from hatching and just needed a rest. He was reunited with his Mom and siblings. It is now up to his Mom to keep him safe...... "The strength of our character is measured by the kindness we show to those in need." ... See more

We have lots of wildlife frequent our rescue for a bite to eat, crows, rabbits, squirrels, and a few different breeds of ducks. We have a mallard hen that stays on our property most of the time. Again, she is a wild duck and fully flighted but she fancies several of our drakes and vice versa. Well, we never had any ducks hatch out since the crows steal the eggs and we pull what we can, that is until 5 weeks ago when this mallard who we refer to as Maggie, paraded through our Waterfowl Barnyard with 4 ducklings right behind her. I took these pictures today and it is clear to see they all favor their Dad's breed genetics. We have 2 Indian Runners and 2 Anconas. We recently took in approximate 8 week old Pekin Duck who we named Yappita although this duck is small in stature her voice is very LOUD. Yappita has been introduced to our youngsters and in no time, all should form a bond. All, I can say is both the geese and the wild mallard threw me a curve ball this year with their breeding prowess...... "The strength of our character is measured by the kindness we show to those in need." ... See more