Dolly & Leila

It has been a while since we blogged about Dolly and Leila, for no other reason but that our lives have been very hectic! For those of you who keep asking, Leila is 100% again, after her bout with rotavirus. She is full of energy and growing bigger by the minute. Sunday we had Dolly and Leila in the barn, for a bit of "maintenance". Dolly had her feet trimmed (which have been barefoot since May in anticipation of Leila), and Leila received a lesson in "standing stall procedures". She took to it just fine, learning that Momma would stay near and that, after all the grooming was done, a nibble of grain would be brought to her.

Raj free roams for a good part of the day, like our chickens do. He wanders around the farm yard, eating grass, and checking out the barn floor for loose kernels of corn or speltz. He is fat and rolly polly, and he has a handsome coat on him. He knows he is king! He occupies the roomy box stall. Raj's little stall is now occupied by a a less fortunate one, a little mini colt who looks identical to Raj except that his ribs and backbone and hip bones protrude. Silver is a rescue from some backwoods Amishman, and is being rehabilitated. He is gaining weight, but he remains very distrustful of human touch, cowering when we brush him or snap a lead rope to his halter. But, he knows who feeds him, and he whinnies when we come out to the barn to give him his dengy and hay. He can not be let loose like Raj, as he is, for all intents and purposes, feral. Some day, he will be adopted out to a loving family, but for now he'll stay here till he is good and ready.

Photos: Top: Leila and Dolly get their grain in separate standing stalls.

2. Dolly having her feet trimmed.

3. Leila learns that if she spins around, she can watch mom.

4. Raj is King.