Our Black Australorp rooster just loves to sunbathe in the dirt. He shares a chicken house and aviary with 18 hens and five ducks. While the hens are feeding he patiently waits for them to finish their breakfast as he contemplates rooster things… He’s thinking: First, I will position myself in a way that I can… Continue reading Rooster Relaxation
Wow do these goats at the sanctuary love carrot nibs as a treat! We usually spread them around on the ground so they can forage but sometimes we are surrounded and of course the big blonde “Rufus” horns in to take more than his fair share. Rufus is a Boer / Nubian mix wether that’s about… Continue reading Goat Treats for Rufus and Friends
You’re about to see our shepherdess Cowgirl display a behavior called “cribbing” which is the scraping of the upper incisors on metal. Horses will also perform cribbing behavior on other hard surfaces such as wooden slats on a stall or fence. Now, before anyone jumps in to tell us her teeth are going to be ruined… Continue reading Mare Cowgirl Rakes Teeth At Breakfast Time
As kids we used to play “Musical Chairs” and when the music stopped we’d scramble for a seat and one person was always stuck without a place to sit down. Progressively, a chair would be removed until only one person was seated. Brutal if you were a sensitive child… Donkeys, on the other hand, would not… Continue reading Donkeys Play Musical Feed Buckets
First, yes we know how dirty this mare is. She rolled in the mud and then the temperature plummeted to about 9 degrees. Usually, we will brush off most of the mud and then wash it out. But it’s just too cold for that. So she’ll have to wait until it warms up a bit… Continue reading Blankie for Cowgirl
Boy do those John Donkeys love to roll in the mud after a big rain! Here they are down at the old hangar barn jostling for hay and showing off their dirty hides. Once it clears up, the mud will flake off and they’ll groom chunks dirt clods out of each others’ manes. Even “Buddy” the… Continue reading Muddy Donkey Hay Time
We are surprised to see just how brazen these field mice are down at the hangar barn. Despite the fact that chickens are omnivores, they have failed to dispatch these mice. Typically, mice will brave entry into a chicken coop to pilfer food while the birds are sleeping. But to do it in “broad daylight”… Continue reading Mouse Ball in Chicken Coop
This past weekend encountered a hognose snake during a hayride here in Bosque County. These strange-looking snakes are active during the day so you will see them out and about quite often here. When they get alarmed by something or threatened, they will stretch out and flatten their necks like a cobra does. Some people… Continue reading Hognose Snake Encounter
No matter how old they are, goats have a tendency to stick close to mamma when resting. Here, our sweet little doe “Sheba” is bookended by her two sons Sydney (foreground) and Saul (background). Sheba is a Nigerian Dwarf. Sydney is mostly Nigerian Dwarf as well. Saul; however is half Nigerian and Half La Mancha.… Continue reading Goat Day Afternoon
The ducks at LGRS (Lucky Glider Rescue and Sanctuary) are so fun to watch. When we built the aviary, we were sure to add stock tanks for them to paddle about in. We also routinely flood one part of their enclosure with water. Why? Well, not only do ducks enjoy water, but they doubly enjoy… Continue reading Ducks Paddle and Drill Mud
Our Black Australorp rooster who lives in the aviary at the new barn is such a gentleman! Here in the video you will see him strut about as the ducks and the hens have their fill of the morning meal. He pecks the ground just a bit but for the most part he yields to… Continue reading Ricky The Gentleman Rooster
Rufus is our Nubian/Boer mixed whether. He’s the boss in these here parts – well of the other goats that is. Here he is laying smack dab in the middle of the hay pile put out for the goats. He is not content to eat the hay and chase off the others when they approach.… Continue reading Rufus Is King Of The Hay Pile
Our trusty Cub Cadet UTV is coming in handy this week for hauling 5-gallon water buckets to the animals’ stock tanks. One of the pump houses operated by our local water cooperative failed Tuesday night. A bad pump needs to be replaced. That leaves a small pump at a separate well house that is still… Continue reading Cub Cadet UTV is coming in handy
Our sweet sorrel mare “Cowgirl” is so kind to the sheep at LGRS. In addition to being their protector and shepherdess, she also takes part of her meal with them. There are really two courses to the meals in the morning. Course one is pellets and carrots. This consists of medicated sheep pellets (no copper)… Continue reading Gentle Cowgirl Shares Pile of Hay
So far there is no evidence that these sweet feral kitties have a clue about mousing. Still plenty of mice scattering around the hangar barn pilfering the roosters’ food. Nonetheless the cats have become a fixture in the daily routine at LGRS. When not lolling about in the feed room area, the cats visit with the… Continue reading Breakfast With Barn Cats
Gypsy, the 2-month-old Boer Goat kid — is learning all kinds of new things. For example, she is starting to munch on strands of hay and will take soaked hay cubes by hand. Although she is still on the bottle, she has also discovered the water bucket. Here in this video, you can see how she… Continue reading Gypsy Discovers Water Bucket
A six-week-old Boer Goat kid has joined the LGRS family. She came to us a week ago as a “bottle baby” from a local couple here in Bosque county. She’s still on the bottle but growing stronger each day. “Gypsy” cannot be integrated with the other goats or sheep at present because she is not… Continue reading Bottle Baby Gypsy Joins Family
What a wonderful surprise awaited us this morning! While I was sitting with Anthony the rooster, we observed a very welcome sight. Here Buddy the Mule (on left) was sharing a pile of coastal hay with two of the John donkeys: Herschel (background, right), and Zeus (foreground, right). This is not at all normal behavior… Continue reading Mule Surprisingly Shares With Donkeys
Anthony loves to coo and cluck in addition to some very loud and proud crowing. He’s one of two game fowl that joined the sanctuary courtesy of Animal Investigation & Response – a Texas-based non-profit. We cannot keep them together as they were bred to fight, but they often get into a rousing “call and… Continue reading Rooster Anthony Cooing and Clucking
Buddy the mule has been with us for over a year now, and he is slowly integrating with the John donkeys. For a time, we tried to put him with the love of his life Cowgirl the shepherdess mare, but that did not work out. He was displaying too much aggressive behavior towards the sheep,… Continue reading Close Encounters of the Mule Kind
In our last post I mentioned that wild Turkey hens brood in April and their clutch hatches in May. At that point we were in anticipation of “Tessie” having poults in tow real soon and we asked you to stay tuned… Well guess what? Tessie has about six poults parading behind her now. In this video… Continue reading Turkey Poult Parade
“Tessie” the wild turkey hen is back to visit. She seems attracted to the donkeys and goats down by the hangar barn. Wild turkeys are known to forage along with other critters, so maybe she’s looking for cross-species companionship. Some people say turkeys will forage amongst squirrels and deer as a hedge against predation. Regardless,… Continue reading Wild Turkey Hen Hanging Out
We just love the family of toads that lives under our driveway. Yes, these little ones use the expansion gap in the driveway as a means to crawl into their underground lair each morning. Toads venture out mostly during the darker hours so they can scavenge for bugs. They’re pretty quick too! If they see a… Continue reading Sleepy Time For Mister Toad
Here’s an alternative to those wonderful videos of waves crashing or bubbling brooks to help you sleep. Yep, it’s the happy swishing of donkey tails! Just put this video in a loop and you’ll be hypnotized and sleeping in just a few minutes… People often ask us about the disposition of a donkey based on their… Continue reading Donkey Tail Hypnosis
Our little Pygmy Goat wether Brady just loves to inspect his domain from atop his perch – that is an overturned stock tank. We often observe him watching over the sheep as if he is their self-appointed king. Of course Brady is a real ham for the camera and loves to strike a pose and grab… Continue reading Pygmy Wether Brady Is King Of The Hill
Our sorrel mare “Cowgirl” knows when it’s time to eat. Notice how she comes bolting over the barn the minute she sees me. Meanwhile the sheep and their buddy “Brady” the pygmy goat wether just saunter about taking their time coming over. But when they see Cowgirl making a beeline for dinner, they fall in line… Continue reading Cowgirl Says Follow The Leader
Our sweet John Donkey “Herschel” just loves to chow down on coastal hay. He’s at the bottom of the pecking order in the herd, so despite me spreading out their grain feed in separate troughs, they often nudge him away. He’ll then poke about for something else to eat so he gets first shot and… Continue reading Happy Herschel Munches Hay
Mister Big Shot is a Black Australorp Rooster. We hadn’t planned on him. That is to say when we got him and a bunch of other chickens as day-olds… he was supposed to be a hen. Imagine our surprise when one of the pullets started crowing at three months old. We thought “she” was just… Continue reading Cradling Our Black Australorp Rooster
Oh how these geese treasure their bath time! If they aren’t watchdogging or chasing each other – they are in one of two stock tanks taking a dip and grooming. Note the routine of this Chinese Gander as he takes his bath. First, there is a lot of head dunking and bobbing followed by feather grooming.… Continue reading Gander Bath Time for Hawkeye
It warms our hearts to see how the jenny “Mocha” (dark one in the background) has taken up the role of surrogate mom to lil orphan Nestle. As those of you who are friends of the sanctuary know, Nestle lost his mom BonBon a while back and we decided to keep him in the dry… Continue reading Nestle Mothered By Mocha
The intelligence (and competition) of these John Donkeys is always a source of amusement and wonder. Here they are at the hangar barn chewing some coastal hay. Note how Zeus, Jules, and Kharma, all in the foreground – are scrounging for scraps whilst Mr. Piggy in the background (that is Jules) has managed to stuff… Continue reading Donkey Logic – Be A Chipmunk
Hotlips the Chinese Goose is always very excited to see me in the morning. Even when feed is being distributed she will ignore it for a chance to stick her neck through the fence to be petted. Here, she is flanked by Gilligan (white) and Hawkeye. The other two like attention as well, but none of… Continue reading Honk If You Love Me
Oh that Nestle is such a spoiled baby! He knows when it’s time for me to feed the mule and he’s hot on my trail the whole way! Here he is jamming his head into Buddy the Mule’s bucket on my way down the hill in the paddock. Nestle, one of five John Donkeys here, is… Continue reading John Donkey Bucket Bandit
Cooper’s Hawks are primarily woodland birds but so long as you have clumps of trees they can find a habitat. Here in Bosque County Texas, we are in the Edwards Plateau, which is characterized by mostly savanna scattered with trees. Hawks are abundant here. The county is named for the Bosque River, which runs north… Continue reading Cooper’s Hawk Foiled by Aviary
There are two observations you can take away from this video pretty quickly: 1) donkeys love lettuce; and 2) donkeys have long ears. Let’s explore both of these… Here we see Callie, the skewbald Jenny on the left, Nestle, the brown John donkey to the right, and Mocha, the dark Jenny on the far right. All… Continue reading Donkeys: Lettuce Have Some!
Here at Lucky Glider Rescue & Sanctuary we just love the goats and sheep. Especially the goats. Here, the Hangar Barn herd is just hanging out and following me around looking for some treats. The video begins with wether Saul (left foreground) opposite his dad (right foreground) just lolling about. You’ll notice that Saul has… Continue reading Goatspotting at the Sanctuary
Our sweet sorrel mare “Cowgirl” loves her dinner routine. She usually lounges within earshot outside the barn over by the stock tank. When she hears her name being called, she runs into the barn and directly into her stall. It’s truly amazing how gingerly she steps between the sheep so as not to hurt them. … Continue reading Dinner Bell for Shepherdess Cowgirl
Donkeys have no trouble getting their point across. You just have to learn what they are saying. Here, at the beginning of the video, John Donkey “Nestle” (on left) lets out short, bass grunts as his way of showing he is excited to get feed. Notice also how their ears are pointed slightly forward, which… Continue reading The Donkey Way of Talking
What a pleasant surprise to see some of our John Donkeys chowing down together on some coastal hay this morning over at the hangar barn. It is rare for four donkeys to peacefully chomp on food in such close proximity to one another. In most cases, the leader will rear up and kick at the… Continue reading A Rare Sight Donkeys Sharing
What a wonderful pause to watch the beauty of this raptor in flight. On a day with a stiff breeze, this magnificent creature can waft effortlessly for a seeming eternity. Identifying give-aways on this raptor include the pale undertail and underwing coverts and its white belly. The Swainson’s Hawk is but one homage to British… Continue reading Swainson’s Hawk Glides Gracefully
Oh these goats are so hilarious. When it’s feeding time, I usually go down the line of feed buckets to first distribute carrot nibs and then follow-up with goat feed. They subsist mostly on live grass and hay; however, the feed and carrots are just like a treat for them. Notice how they run… Continue reading Goats Chase The Next Feed Bucket
What do donkeys do at 5:00 AM? Well, they hang around waiting to be fed and bide their time by grooming one another. Here, Zeus (right, foreground) and Herschel (right background) engage in mutual grooming while Kharma (rump towards camera) and Jules (Left background facing camera) look on. Donkeys just love grooming and it is a… Continue reading Donkeys in the Mist
One of our Barred Rock pullets “Glenda” is the runt of the flock. Poor little girl lost her right eye as a chick and she’s been kind of shy and skinny ever since. We try to give her more attention and she seems to relish it. Even after all the food has been distributed she… Continue reading Barred Rock Glenda Gets Snuggle Time
Jules The Feed Room Bandit Jules, who is the leader of the John Donkey herd, just can’t seem to get enough food. He’s super spoiled. Here we are at the hangar barn and he’s just had breakfast including some Purina Enrich Plus and carrots for a treat. He and the other John Donkeys gobbled… Continue reading Jules The Feed Room Bandit
Donkeys Say: “Lettuce Eat Now!” Well we are sure you’ve heard “coo coo for cocoa puffs…” Now the sanctuary John Donkeys are coo coo for lettuce chunks… Our dear friend Kathy donated some iceberg lettuce heads and we spread the wealth between the chickens, ducks, goats, and equine critters. Here, Zeus, Kharma, Jules… Continue reading Donkeys Say: “Lettuce Eat Now!”
Cowgirl Gets Her Treat Our sweet shepherdess mare “Cowgirl” just loves her routine. At meal time we call out to her and she runs into the barn. I tell her “get inside” and she glides into her stall and waits for me to close the gate. We feed her in the stall so the… Continue reading Cowgirl Gets Her Treat
Such a Good Girl Callie! As most friends of the sanctuary know, the Jenny “Callie” has had trouble the past few years with bruises and abscesses in her front hooves. We don’t know how, but compared to the other donkeys, Callie always seems to pick up rocks in her hooves. After using a… Continue reading Such a Good Girl Callie!
Paula the Purring Pullet Immature hens (pullets) are such a joy to raise. Depending on the species, they can be downright cuddly and affectionate. Such is the case with the two-month-old Black Australorps here at the sanctuary. Who comes running to see us when we go in to the aviary? The little black pullets.… Continue reading Paula the Purring Pullet
Ducklings Commence Drilling Behavior We got some hatchlings of the duck variety recently and they are growing very fast. The black one you see here in this video is a Cayuga and the brown ones are Khaki Campbell. Two weeks ago their wings were little stubs, but now they have grown out significantly. They’ve… Continue reading Ducklings Commence Drilling Behavior
Donkeys: Rain Rain Go Away Donkeys don’t sing “Rain Rain Go Away,” but they sure act it out by staying dry. They tolerate rain, but if it pours, they will seek shelter after a while. Now that the John Mule Buddy is shepherding with mare Cowgirl, the John Donkeys have the run of two… Continue reading Donkeys: Rain Rain Go Away
Cowgirl and Buddy United We are happy to report that Buddy, the sorrel mule who debuted at the ranch in February of 2021 is now sharing a pasture and barn with our mare Cowgirl. We wanted to wait for a few months to get Buddy used to his surroundings before putting him the in… Continue reading Cowgirl and Buddy United
