Relaxed Farming - our farm in your classroom

We are having the best spring possible this year: there has been so much sunshine, the grass is looking fab and the animals are often outside from dawn till dusk. It is very hard for us not to spend all day outside with them...
We have talked about the relationships amongst the animals before now: the bonds that exist between mothers and daughters/sons, sisters and brothers or simply animals that have grown up together and are friends. Relationships between males and females aren't as easy to observe as we only have male poultry and rabbits on a permanent basis; males amongst the sheep and goats only appear on the holding in the autumn!!
Grape, our male Muscovy duck definitely loves his girls. At the moment he only has Pear (pictured) and Orange, as Banana is sitting on eggs but the three of them are inseparable and it is very rare to see them on their own. There are perfect at free ranging and take themselves off all round the smallholding to forage and dabble (sometimes we worry about Mr Fox mind you). Muscovy male ducks, more than other species, are very protective and loyal and don't even tolerate other male Muscovies. Whilst females can live on their own without a male, we know if anything happened to Grape, our three girls would definitely miss him!
Meanwhile back in the barn with our broodies, here is our lovely lavender bantam, all fluffed up and looking slightly indignant as we took her off her eggs this evening so she could eat some corn. When broodies are moved, they often keep their 'broody' position like this even when placed somewhere else. The warmth of their underside is fantastic when in full broody-mode!!! Also 'fantastic' is the peck: some birds really are not happy to have you go anywhere near them. We suggest gloves or a rolled down sleeve: human skin does not hold up against a sharp beak aimed in anger!!!