Wednesday, June 18, 2008

Fluffy the baby skunk


Fluffy the Turd as a baby staring me down.

Fluffy is the name we give the skunks that live around our house.

Most are friendly and will sometimes visit the garage/barn when I am milking. I have accidentally opened the back door of the barn and thrown the strip cup milk on a skunk.
The skunks especially like it when my daughter over feeds the cat. The skunks yell out “Wooo Hooo, party in the barn, cat food for everyone!” I am not overly fond of the manure presents that they leave.

I did not think skunks were good climbers. But one night when the barn light was flipped on, there was a skunk standing on the top of two bales of hay about 6 feet away. She immediately started doing this skunk dance, trying to find a way off the top of the hay bales. Shimmy to the left, shimmy to the right, watch me slide off the back of these bales.
I guess she was shy and did not want to be in the spotlight of a barn dance party.

Skunks are very effective at removing yellow jacket ground hives, which we appreciate.
I am good at finding ground hives the hard way. One year I found three. Actually the goats found the third one and I avoided getting stung by out running the goats. It took them a moment to figure out what was going on. My wife said that she thought finding ground hives was becoming my new hobby.


Fluffy the Turd as an adult staring me down


Over the years, there have been many different Fluffy’s on the farm; Fluffy I, Fluffy II and a particularly bad-tempered skunk named Fluffy the Turd. Fluffy the third/turd was mostly white and was a very bold skunk since it was a little thing. Turd was the only skunk that would turn and try and face me down when I would follow it. Well actually, Fluffy the Turd would win when it would turn and run toward me because I am not dumb enough to let even a little half pound skunk spray me. Yet.

Yesterday morning I looked out the window to the winter goat pen and saw a skunk playing near the hay feed where Otter the baby goat was born. I grabbed the camera and ran out. Look it’s not a skunk, its two little Fluffys born this year.

Here is a link to the Fluffy video of the babys this year.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y2f8Klsmy1g

Or check the vibeo bar at the bottom of the blog.


WBF

6 comments:

young family said...

If you become overrun with Fluffies I can loan you a Have-A-Heart trap. You could do a blog on the wannabeefarm relocation program!

Wanna BEE Farm said...

Hello Young family a.k.a. NWF,
Thank you for your offer.
I do not have that much heart for animals that become a problem.
They become fertilizer or food.
Speaking of food.
It seems that we have become a Chicken Delight for some local predators.
We had a day time chicken kill right in front of our house about a week ago.
I though it may have been an aerial incursion, from the time of day and feather pattern.
Same thing happened yesterday, but our young son spotted a fox as the culprit.
This is a first at the Wanna BEE farm, midday fox take out.
Fox usually prefer to dine in the evening or early morning.
She must have heard about our special chicken recipe.
Take care
WBF

Susanne said...

I just found your blog, though your follower link on mine. Thanks for checking in. I just have to tell you, I love your descriptions, your operation, and your sense of humor. You can count me as a reader. Thanks, Susanne

Wanna BEE Farm said...

Hello Susanne,
I will have to make a effort to post more. I like to make videos also.
http://www.youtube.com/WannaBEEfarmer
My writing skills are only fair.
Last year my wife had my forth grade daughter check my spelling and gramer when I write.
No I am not smarter then a forth grader. ;-) (I hear that that is the name of a show)
Take care
Hope to meet you at a market or conference sometime.
WFB Jeff

Wanna BEE Farm said...

Hello Susanne,
I will have to make a effort to post more. I like to make videos also.
http://www.youtube.com/WannaBEEfarmer
My writing skills are only fair.
Last year my wife had my forth grade daughter check my spelling and gramer when I write.
No I am not smarter then a forth grader. ;-) (I hear that that is the name of a show)
Take care
Hope to meet you at a market or conference sometime.
WFB Jeff

Susanne said...

Hi Jeff, spelling and grammar matter. But what's more important is if someone has something to say.

I try hard to get the spelling and grammar right, since English is not even my native language. To set an example for my homeschooled students of course, but also because I regularly observe horrible mistakes, that just should not happen (none of that in your writings by the way). It pains me to read things like that. But much worse to read is writing that is technically perfect, with no content, no intelligence or knowledge. I love books, and have too many. Not that there is such a thing... but often I go into bookstores without finding anything I want to read. Too much writing without substance. The good ones usually find me, and have to be ordered.
So don't worry. Your writing is interesting, alive, and just fine in regards to spelling and grammar. I love your interpretations, poems and comparisons - refreshing and funny. Something else that is rare.
Keep writing and most of all, have fun with it.
Susanne