Busy as a Bird

About this episode

Bobbie Emery shares the hectic life of a livestock farmer during the busy season, drawing parallels with the struggles of birds raising their young in New England.

It’s probably best, this time of year, to refrain from complaining about how busy you are to any livestock farmer you might meet – unless of course, you yourself are a livestock farmer – or a bird trying to raise a brood here in New England. I too, try not to whine, at least not out loud, as I rush about my day, trying to get everything done that needs to get done to keep our brand new chicks, lambs, and piglets alive and out of trouble. At first it’s easy - so long as they are warm, fed and safe from predators, keeping everyone alive is a piece of cake. Then they grow, bigger, stronger, louder and braver, testing the fence, the gates, the water trough, the tractor, the laws of gravity, and ultimately my patience. It’s as if the better job I do at keeping them healthy, the more energy they have with which to drive me insane. As I feel my life careening out of control, like a car crash in slow motion, I take great solace knowing that I’m not the only one – that, in fact, every bird I see is feeling pretty much the same. We are all struggling to stay one step ahead of the weather, our growing broods, and the number of hours allotted to us each day. This afternoon, I was installing…

People in this episode

Host: Bobbie Emery

Topics covered

• livestock farming
• bird behavior
• seasonal challenges
• animal care
• nature
• rural life

Keywords

• livestock
• farming
• birds
• chicks
• lambs
• piglets
• nature
• fencing
• grazing

Mentioned in this episode

Places: New England

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