Author: Edwin Margulies

Here’s a shout out to Monica and her colleagues at Animal Investigation & Response – a Texas-based non-profit. They are an animal protection organization that assists law enforcement, animal control agencies and communities with animal abuse related issues. See: https://www.animalinvestigationandresponse.org/   Animal Protection Organizations often work with Lucky Glider Rescue & Sanctuary to place animals who… Continue reading Rescued Roosters Debut at LGRS

A friend of the rescue – Gautreau Family Estate Wines – recently sponsored our sweet little doe Sheba. We are very grateful for such sponsorship because these donations help us to buy feed, provide shelter and veterinary care. (Our hearty thanks to the winery!). Sheba is a classic Nigerian Dwarf. Her nickname is “little snickers… Continue reading Goat Day Afternoon Featuring Sheba

Don’t worry this cute little one has been returned to its momma but the poor thing was scared and crying out for her a lot. This heifer calf squeezed its way through the barbed wire fence along the Northern perimeter of the donkey pasture over the weekend. Its mom was on the other side kicking… Continue reading Visit from Wandering Heifer Calf

So far this growing season, we are raisng four Easter Eggers, four Anconas, and four Blue Stars. We are still waiting on some Barred Rock and Black Asutrolorps from the hatchery. We’re also waiting on a few Khaki Campbell and Cayuga ducks.   As the name implies, Easter Eggers carry a gene that causes them… Continue reading Easter Eggers, Anconas, Blue Stars Coming Along

We are fortunate to have friends of the sanctuary on call for some of the more strenuous activities around the ranch. For example, the annual sheep shearing and hoof trims of the sheep and goats. We try to do this in early May before it gets too hot. That coat of winter wool gets so… Continue reading Sheep Whisperer

We just love it when we are visited by wild turkeys here at Lucky Glider Rescue & Sanctuary. It was particularly rainy this week, and for some reason, this seems to bring the turkeys out in the open. Gail was able to capture this fine hen on camera while she lolled about preening in the… Continue reading Wild Turkey Hen Preens

Oh look at these mopey John Donkeys mugging for the camera like they have not eaten in a year! Big fakers! Yeah, they just gobbled down a bunch of coastal hay, grains and carrots and they’re hanging on the fence line like we starve them or something! These big boys sure love to eat, but… Continue reading Donkeys Mugging For More Food

A warning to anyone aspiring to be a goat herder: Please use proper fencing. Cattle panels are dangerous for goats and sheep, especially the young ones. That is to say, do NOT use panels that are 6×6 inches. They can get caught easily owing to their horns and this can lead to deep lacerations and… Continue reading Goat Kid Caught In Fence

That pretty pair of Canada Geese is back again to visit this Spring. We are pretty sure they are attracted to our domestic Chinese Geese because.. well our geese are are so loud. This lovely pair was following the goat herd as they were being fed. You can see them eyeing the goats as they… Continue reading Canada Geese Eye Goat Herd

Our geese not only sound the alarm when they see or hear something they don’t like, but they also demand attention at feeding time. In fact, they will delay gobbling down their grains and veggies to spend time with us when we come down to their area.   Here in this video you will see… Continue reading Gaggle Gets Goat’s Attention

Now before you think those beautiful John donkeys go hungry — they just ate. But they are real pigs and always want more. So here is Jules, Herschel, Kharma, and Zeus all begging from Buddy the John mule. Buddy ain’t havin’ it though. He’s staked his claim on that food bucket and guarding it very… Continue reading Donkeys Beg from Mule

Our new-to-the-sanctuary mule “Buddy” has been here for a week now and is settling in to a predictable routine. That routine centers on his obsession over the mare / shepherdess “Cowgirl.” Buddy the john mule is separated from Cowgirl by a fence that runs the perimeter of a large pasture in which ten sheep, a… Continue reading Buddy Bolts from the Mist

This beautiful older mule “Buddy” has joined the equine ranks today at LGRS. He was delivered by Lawrence over at Glue Factory Renegades earlier this morning (Feb 20, 2021). The team at GFR housed and quarantined Buddy for a few weeks after his health check and Coggins test. He is one of hundreds of animals… Continue reading Sorrel John Mule “Buddy” Arrives at LGRS

This beautiful western meadowlark has been poking around the chicken house down at the hangar barn lately. The chickens sloppily kick up feed behind them when they scratch the ground — kind of like a dog will spray dirt behind itself when digging. This sends seed out of their house onto the floor of the… Continue reading Meadowlark Pilfers Chicken Feed

Our farrier, Chad Holt and his wife and partner Barbara spent a number of hours over at Lucky Glider ranch tending to hoof trims for eight donkeys and also Cowgirl the mare. We are very grateful for the deft handling of the beloved critters by Chad and Barbara. Cowgirl, as always, was very well behaved… Continue reading Barefoot Trim for Cowgirl

Cowgirl’s not the only beast at the ranch who rolls in mud after it rains. Four of our John Donkeys greeted me at breakfast time with mud caked all over them. They rubbed up against me jostling for the food bucket and again – mud all over.   Notice how Jules, the dark one, escorts… Continue reading John Donkey Muddy Breakfast

Our sweet shepherdess Cowgirl the mare is very well behaved when it’s time for her morning and afternoon feeding. All we have to do is yell “Cowgirl!” and she comes running into the barn and straight into her stall where we have her feed bucket hung.   We sequester her in her stall at feeding… Continue reading Cowgirl Gets a Carrot

Like most horses, LGRS mare “Cowgirl” most often siphons water by touching her lips to the surface of the water and sucking in huge gulps. This is similar to the way cows drink. So-called common knowledge dictates that horses do NOT lap up their water like a dog — but we know that’s “horse feathers”… Continue reading Cowgirl Says Drinking Water is Fun!

Ducks Samantha (white feathers) and Oakley just love the daily routine of dumping out their little pool to clean it and refill it. Why? So they can stick their bills in mud! Yes, it appears they prefer a “Mud Latte” to clean water. Notice in this video how one of the chickens is enjoying new,… Continue reading Ducks Prefer Mud Lattes Over Clean Water

Four of the John Donkeys at LGRS now have a new loafing shed to huddle in during cold and rainy winter nights. The building is thanks to our neighbor Kevin and his brother Philip (and crew) who also helped with the foundation for the new barn. The males were displaced from the proper run-in part… Continue reading Donkeys in their Loafing Shed

Our precious “Hotlips” the Chinese Goose just loves attention. When it comes time to feed the critters at the hangar/barn, she is front and center — sticking her head through the fence and honking for attention. Here she is parading back and forth waiting for me to put my hand through to pet her on… Continue reading Hotlips Honks for Hugs

After feeding time, the John Donkeys will often use their feed tubs as a tug-of-war play toy. Here, Herschel (on left) and Zeus are both holding on to one of the tubs. They were doing this for about five minutes until I disturbed them. As soon as they saw me approaching, they dropped the tub…… Continue reading Herschel and Zeus Tug-of-War

A local family friend dropped off two ducks a few weeks back that were being picked on by dogs. The dogs were nipping at the ducks and pulling out feathers. Of course this was stressful for the ducks so our friends decided to bring them to the sanctuary.   We decided to put them in… Continue reading Twin Ducks Debut at Sanctuary

We are happy to report to all friends of Lucky Glider Rescue & Sanctuary great progress on the rebuilding of shelter outbuildings here after a tornado touched down in early July. As some of you are aware, a horrendous storm wrecked several outbuildings on the sanctuary property. One shed was turned up-side down and it… Continue reading Reconstruction of Outbuildings at Sanctuary

The Jennets down at the East barn and pasture are really attached to one another. That’s Callie the skewbald one and Mocha, the dark brown one. These two are inseparable and will do whatever it takes to be in one another’s line of sight.   It is their habit to congregate around the stock tank… Continue reading Jennies at the Water Cooler

We are happy to report that Rufus the wether is back to his old self again after fighting off a bout of acidosis a few weeks back. This is the same goat who demands attention at feeding time and blocks our path when we go out to pitch hay. Here he is snuggling up and… Continue reading Kisses From Rufus

No matter where the John Donkeys are on the sanctuary property, they are always looking for a handout. They love to be fed even if it’s a very small amount. Here comes Herschel, Jules, Nestle, Kharma and Zeus – sauntering up to the small pen behind the chicken house. Nestle is AWOL from looking after… Continue reading Herschel and Friends: Donkey Snack Time

It’s been a year since we switched-up the feed grain regimen for the jennies Callie and Mocha. They were getting a common “all stock” type of feed along with some oats before that. But that old diet contributed to them being overweight. Over the winter they lost plenty of weight and started to look good,… Continue reading Callie & Mocha Share Late Afternoon Meal

Five of the eight donkeys at the LGRS sanctuary are geldings. Four of the five live in a wrap-around pasture with access to the new barn on one side, and a covered loafing area on the far side. When the John Donkeys congregate at the gate for breakfast or dinner, it’s usually in this order… Continue reading Rowdy Jules and the John Donkey Line-Up

Whilst in Coryell County TX on a weekend jaunt, we were fortunate enough to see a live hummingbird’s nest. We visited friends but social distancing was the order of the day so we sat on strategically placed lawn chairs, facial masks affixed — all of us sitting under a scrub oak. Although it was hot,… Continue reading Hummingbird Nest In Scrub Oak

Priscilla the Dorper ewe is uncommonly friendly for her kind. Many years ago she had an accident while being loaded into a livestock trailer. She smacked her front right hoof on a metal part of the trailer and lost most of her right toe. It took about six months of wrapping, salves and therapy for… Continue reading Ewe Priscilla uses Mare as Scratching Post

Our gentle jenny BonBon has been through a lot this past year. She has twice been to the emergency room for “choke” and had to be treated for an abscess a few months ago. She has also had trouble walking about lately due to chronic laminitis. A trip to the equine clinic bore terrible news… Continue reading BonBon’s New Routine

Here at Lucky Glider Rescue & Sanctuary, we are very grateful for our volunteers. When it comes time to do hoof trims, inoculations, and de-worming — it’s almost impossible to do it alone. Fortunately for us, friends of the sanctuary Jennifer and her son Wesley were at the ready early this Saturday morning. In this video… Continue reading Goat Herd Hoof Trims

The pair of Canadian Geese we saw earlier in the week came back this morning and were feeding in the goat’s pasture. They were probably attracted to the steady honking of the Chinese Geese here at the ranch. It took a while to spook them upon a slow and steady approach, but finally they flew… Continue reading Canadian Geese Spooked

The morning meal is special for the donkeys because they get some carrot nibs mixed with their grain.   First, I’ll pull back the metal feed bins, drop in some carrots and then add grain before tipping them towards the donkeys so they can eat. Well, Jules just can’t wait. He’ll work his hoof on… Continue reading Jules the Rascal!

During the muddy season in late Winter and early Fall, the donkeys will often get small rocks packed into the bottom of their hooves. If I see them limping, I’ll use a hoof knife to clear that out, but sometimes bruising from a rock will cause an infection to happen. Such was the case with… Continue reading BonBon’s Abscess Recovery

Jules and Hershel – both geldings – were playing in the corral by the new barn a few days ago and I was lucky enough to catch them on a short video. Donkeys are known for their playtime antics which includes nudging each other, sneak attacks, and grabbing the scruffs of each other’s necks. Here… Continue reading Jacks Playing

Little Tweetie the orphaned sparrow is looking for a mate and feathering his nest which is inside of a chandelier at the ranch house.   Beware if you’re reading a paper or have anything that catches his eye – he’ll steal it in a flash and fly off with it.

Pretty doe “Mandy” takes a long, cool drink. She’s a Nubian mix – one of four offspring of doe “Maria.” Mandy is the sergeant in arms of Mr. Bossy himself – Rufus. They like to push the smaller goats around some. The goats (and sheep) will take turns at the stock tank after eating. Unlike donkeys,… Continue reading Pretty doe “Mandy” takes a long, cool drink

Sorry Mr. Raptor, no chicken treats for you today! All the chickies are put away….. There was a hawk peering into the chicken house down at the hangar barn this morning. A beautiful specimen. I startled it when walking in so it flew up into the rafters and sat for a while. Luckily, it stood still long enough… Continue reading Hawks: Why we house the chickens

Rufus is our wonderful and affectionate Nubian/Boer mix wether. He’s the biggest, most dominant goat in the herd and definitely the leader of them all.   Our feeding routine includes pushing up the goats’ feed buckets to the fence line so it’s easier to distribute their grain in the morning. But Rufus acts as toll-taker… Continue reading Rufus the Attention Toll-Taker

Charmaine the duck hen is integrating well now with the geese. In this video compilation, you can see her playing in the mud, jockeying for food and just plain having out with the bigger waterfowl. By every indication, the geese have completely accepted her.   We think they look at the duck as a “little… Continue reading Charmaine Mud Play and Dinner Time with Geese

Our lovely BonBon is an enthusiastic eater and chow time.   Here, you can see her savoring every little scrap of her feed. Notice how towards the end of the video she pushes away Mocha (the dark Jenny on the right of the screen, and her son Nestle (gelding on the left part of the… Continue reading Bossy BonBon at Chow Time

After several days to allow Charmaine the duck hen to get used to her surroundings, we decided to try her with the geese.   At first, we had her sequestered in the new barn chicken nursery with a few bottom-of-the-pecking order chickens.   Luckily, Charmaine’s encounter with the geese was without incident. As you can… Continue reading Charmaine the Duck Hen Encounters Geese

Friend of the sanctuary Brenda has been coming by for about a year now with her wether “Logan” who looks to be a Nigerian mix.   He’s a sweet little boy but he’s a bit overweight these past few months.   When Brenda acquired the goat, he was walking on its knees because its hooves… Continue reading Logan the Wether Visits for Hoof Trims

A friend of the sanctuary delivered this pretty black duck hen because some aggressive roosters were picking on her and pulling out her feathers.   We have geese, chickens and a guinea here at LGRS but this is our first duck. Since she’s waterfowl, we contemplated placing her with the geese but that will need… Continue reading Duck Hen Joins LGRS

It’s been five long months since Callie the Jenny was diagnosed with an abscess in her left front hoof. It took a few sets of x-rays for our vets to find the problem. At first they thought it might have been laminitis but luckily there was no rotation of her pedal bone. Callie has had a… Continue reading Callie’s Road to Recovery

You are welcome to visit Lucky Glider Ranch   Many of you have been asking about what kind of volunteer work you can do here at Lucky Glider Ranch. In addition, there have been many ranch tours over the past decade that have gone far to establish community outreach and lots of fun. Some highlights:… Continue reading Volunteer Opportunities & Ranch Tours

SPONSOR MARIA Maria was born in October of 2009 so she is getting up there in age for a goat. She is a beautiful Nubian with great coloring and disposition. She came to Lucky Glider Rescue & Sanctuary along with two eight-month-old offspring (Rufus and Mandy) in October of 2011.   Maria and her brood… Continue reading Maria the Doe

SPONSOR SHEBA Sheba is a very special goat here at Lucky Glider Ranch. She was born in January of 2010. She is three-quarters Nigerian Dwarf and one-quarter Nubian. Her two offspring are Saul (La Mancha father), and Sydney (Nigerian father). Her boys rarely leave her side and when it’s time to sleep they all curl… Continue reading Sheba the Doe

SPONSOR PRISCILLA Priscilla is one of our friendly sheep. She came to us less than a year old in 2010 but had some trouble in loading into her trailer and broke one of her front hooves. She required a lot of special care in dressing and antibiotic salves on that hoof for about six months.… Continue reading Priscilla the Ewe

Pauline is one of our Dorper mix ewes. She was born in July of 2012 in the Texoma area and participated in the grand relocation of the sanctuary to Bosque county.   Pauline has no offspring as all of the Rams were whether shortly after her arrival. Her mother Patsy is no longer with us,… Continue reading Pauline the Ewe

SPONSOR MOCHA Mocha is one of our beautiful Jennys here at Lucky Glider Ranch. Along with Jules, her brother, this donkey was abandoned on a farm in the Texoma area close to the Oklahoma border in late 2013. She and her sibling were yearlings at the time so she’s about six years old as of… Continue reading Mocha the Jenny

SPONSOR JULES Jules is one of our gregarious donkeys here at Lucky Glider Ranch. Jules was abandoned on a farm in Northern Texas along with his sister Mocha who is also here at the sanctuary. He and his sister were yearlings when some neighbors rescued them in late 2013, so he’s about six years old… Continue reading Jules the Gelding

SPONSOR COWGIRL CowGirl is one of our beautiful sanctuary animals here at Lucky Glider Ranch. She was brought here by one of our veterinary assistants after buying a piece of property that had horses on it. This horse is one of the most gentle and easy to handle animals on the ranch. CowGirl is about… Continue reading CowGirl the Mare

SPONSOR ZEUS Zeus is one of larger male donkeys here at Lucky Glider Ranch. Zeus is one of our “American Mammoth” sized donkeys and he is the most rambunctious of the lot. He is father to Kharma and we think also Herschel and he loves to hang out with Kharma out of all the other… Continue reading Zeus the Gelding

SPONSOR KHARMA Kharma is our “big baby” donkey here at Lucky Glider Ranch. He’s one of our “American Mammoth” sized donkeys and he’s very very attached to his father Zeus. He plays with his dad all the time and does mutual grooming with him a lot. When it comes time to round up the donkeys,… Continue reading Kharma the Gelding

Herman is our second-youngest donkey at Lucky Glider Ranch. He’s about 11 years old now, so he’s a bit senior to BonBon’s Nestle. This sweet donkey was originally part of a BLM (Bureau of Land Management) round-up so he was a wild animal in his early years.   Herman is a little guy, so he… Continue reading Herman the Gelding

LEARN MORE OR DONATE NOW October 2nd is World Farm Animals Day, a day to both celebrate these adorable animals and to raise awareness about their proper care.   LGRS cares mostly for equines (horses, donkeys) and ruminants (goats, sheep), many of which come to us from farms or ranches. Some of these animals have… Continue reading World Farm Animals Day

SPONSOR CUTIEPIE CutiePie is one of our friendly sheep. She came to us when she was approximately a year old in 2011. At that time, she was pregnant with her daughter Mitzy, who is also a member of the sanctuary.   CutiePie is a Dorper mix and the largest of the ewes here at the… Continue reading CutiePie the Ewe

SPONSOR HENRY Henry is one of our friendly Painted Desert Sheep. He came to us as a young ram and was wethered soon after his arrival. You can see by his photo that he has a trophy-class set of horns that twist all the way around his head and skirt closely to his eyes at… Continue reading Henry the Wether

SPONSOR MANNY Manny is one of our friendly Painted Desert Sheep mixes. He was born in February of 2013 to Mitzy. Manny is a favorite of visitors to the sanctuary because he is very curious and friendly, unlike most sheep. In 2015, Manny suffered a broken fibula leg bone. This was probably a result of… Continue reading Manny the Wether

SPONSOR BONBON This is one of our lovely Jennys named “BonBon.” She is a gentle donkey and has an understated, soulful cry when she wants attention or is begging for a treat. She was originally from a farm in the Texoma area and was part of a group of donkeys that were a bit crowded… Continue reading BonBon The Jenny Donkey

SPONSOR CALLIE Callie is one of our gentle Jennys at Lucky Glider Ranch. Callie was part of a wild donkey round-up by the BLM (Bureau of Land Management) about ten years ago. She was born in August of 2000. Callie was transferred to LGRS in 2010 from another 501(c)3 rescue called Peaceful Valley Donkey Rescue.… Continue reading Callie the Jenny Donkey

SPONSOR NESTLE Nestle is our youngest donkey at Lucky Glider Ranch. This beautiful little boy was born on September 17th, 2001. His mother is BonBon, who came to the sanctuary three months into her pregnancy — but she was not showing at the time. BonBon was always front-and-center in the mornings for her daily treat… Continue reading Nestle the Gelding Donkey

  This is a huge milestone for LGRS and we are so excited to share with you!   We are very pleased to have been verified by the Global Federation of Animal Sanctuaries (GFAS)! After over a decade of operating an animal sanctuary, this verification process was a big milestone for Lucky Glider Rescue &… Continue reading Lucky Glider Gets Verified by Global Federation of Animal Sanctuaries

Thinking about keeping chickens? Hello friends! Many of you have asked about the do’s and don’t of keeping chickens here at Lucky Glider Ranch. Chickens are easy to keep and care for and make great pets. Of course, we use their eggs for glider feed and of course personal consumption as well. Here are some… Continue reading Chicken Keeping Tips

Tips on keeping goats… Hello friends and happy new year! Many volunteers and visitors at Lucky Glider Ranch  have expressed an interest in goats and their care. Here are some things we’ve learned over the years if you are contemplating getting goats as pets.   Fun Facts: Goats are gregarious and friendly if they are… Continue reading Goat Care at Lucky Glider Ranch

This is the time of year we prepare for harsh winters here at Lucky Glider Ranch. Over the past decade or so, we have gleaned plenty of tips and best practices on dealing with freezing temperatures. Some highlights:   Consider No-Freeze water hydrants as part of your water distribution strategy. These fixtures use a weep… Continue reading Lucky Glider Ranch Winterizing Tips

Most folks find it interesting how we deal with predators at Lucky Glider Ranch. It’s an ongoing battle that’s time-consuming and often expensive. Here’s the highlights: * Hawks, Eagles and Owls (Oh My). Raptors were decimating our Guinea Fowl and Chicken population until a few months ago when we begrudgingly began to coop the fowl.… Continue reading Dealing with Predators at Lucky Glider Ranch

Call them donkeys, burros, or jackasses – they all mean the same thing: Love-able equines who have lots of emotion, energy and appetite.   At Lucky Glider Rescue & Sanctuary, we care for donkeys in addition to horses.   Here are a few fun facts about these wonderful beasts: * Donkeys are affectionate and care… Continue reading Donkey Facts