Temple Grandin at Ulster Co Community College - April 21

For those interested in the ethical treatment of farm animals, you might be interested in an upcoming talk by Temple Grandin. The talk is April 21 at the Ulster County Community College, Quimby Theater in Stone Ridge, NY.

Here is some more information on Ms Grandin.

Geese Can be Intimidating

Today I arrived a little early because I had to leave early. It was again beautiful out and kind of warm. I fed the geese and a horse. The geese were a little scary today. I felt like they were going to bite me. They didn't because I was able to shoo them away but I was worried. Also, they hiss.

I was trying to change the water for one of the horses and when I went into go to the water trough, the horse reached down and tried to nip at me. So, again, I was a little scared.

Another thing I did was work with another kid who volunteers at Catskill Animal Sanctuary (Teddy) picking up sticks out of the pig pen.

Feeling Like Spring at CAS

This blog post is a little late because I got behind this week. I was at the Catskill Animal Sanctuary on Sunday 3/12.

It seems like now that we're in spring, everything is a bit more open. On Sunday the windows and doors of the different animal pens were open and the animals seemed more lively, happy, and talkative.

When I started the day at CAS, the first thing I did was I got three bales of hay and put them in the pot bellied pig pen and then spread the bales around. They really like to go inside the fresh hay and bury themselves. I saw one of them do it. And then I changed their water.

I cut vegetables and fruit for the animals and gave them each a cup of the mixture that I made.

I then went around in a truck and helped feed the animals - horses, pigs, and goats - different things like hay and the bowls of fruit that I cut up for them.

A Wet but Warmer Day at the Animal Sanctuary

Yesterday at CAS was awesome. It was really very foggy out and rainy but it wasn't as cold as it has been.

I started out the day by cutting up fruit and veggies - carrots, bananas and apples - for the pigs and putting it all in a bucket. And I filled a large bin with grain for the chickens.

Most of the time, though, I cleaned out this empty chicken coop. I cleaned up the outside of it and made it nice. From the inside of the chicken coop I shoveled out so much chicken poop that one wheel barrow wasn't enough, I needed to get a second one. One was way too heavy. Then I took both wheel barrows and unloaded them onto a manure spreader (see the picture below).