Tanya vs farm animal… here we go again. Grab a blanket, get comfy, and enjoy the story.
I will preface this by saying that the donkey did not attack me. Jasper is a good donkey. He is very intelligent. He is also, so I learned yesterday, stubborn when he wants something. Jasper can be a bully.
Jasper has always been very docile. He is a great pet and loves to be near his people getting pet. There are times when he can be mouthy. He tries to grab things with his lips. Behind those lips are big ole donkey teeth so you must be careful in case he gets a little too excited.
We have the chicken tractors in Jasper’s pasture, and this has been working well. However, Jasper has been growing bolder as we go in and out of the pasture with feed and water for the chickens. Jasper likes chicken feed. He likes it a lot. Just recently while CJ was in the chicken tractor filling up waterers, Jasper snuck over to the trailer, lifted up the bucket full of chicken feed, set it on the ground, and proceeded to eat it all before CJ could stop him. Jasper now has a taste for chicken feed.
This is how things went down for me yesterday…
CJ is at work. Isn’t that how my stories all start? It is my job at lunch to check on the chickens and fill waterers. They typically do not need the feeders refilled until after CJ gets home. I load up the trailer with my water buckets and drive the mower/trailer out into the pasture. I take care of the waterers and notice that on this day, they do in fact need feed. I do have a bucket of feed, but its only enough to fill two tractors. I must go back for more. I will add here that Jasper stays away from me when I water, because I keep the mower running and the noise scares him. I am usually quick with my job whereas CJ has more to do so he takes longer. I finish up and drive back out of the pasture. Jasper does not come anywhere near me.
I grab more feed, but I only need a little bit, so I decide to walk it up. No need in driving the mower/trailer up there for just a couple of buckets. I need one bucket of feed and one bucket of grit. You must add grit to the chickens’ feed. I get to the gate and I see Jasper has moved closer to the chicken tractors. I second guess myself about walking up. It is a long way to the tractors, and I do not have the mower to keep him away from the feed. I decide that it is fine. This is Jasper. My sweet, docile, nice donkey. He will not be a problem. I walk to the chicken tractors.
All is well. I feed the chicks and emerge with one completely empty feed bucket and one bucket with just a tiny bit of dirt/grit. Jasper has arrived. I pet him for a little. I see him eying the buckets, so I hold them both up to him and let him see for himself that they are both empty. He confirms this and removes his head from the buckets. I start to walk off.
Now this is where things happen. I walk just a bit and Jasper trots up to me nudging the buckets. I tell him “Nothing in there buddy, I already showed you”, but I show him again anyway. He confirms yet again that they are indeed empty. I walk away again.
Jasper trots up and nudges the buckets. “Dude, there is nothing in there but dirt!”, I say sternly. He stands there offended while I walk away, again.
Here he comes again. I have made some distance this time and I notice Jasper is becoming more excited. He did not trot up to me. He ran. Jasper does not run often; he is a lazy donkey. This time, he is being mouthy. He is being very stubborn. I take note of his stubborn, excited behavior. Large, stubborn, excited, animals give me cause for concern after the cow attack. “Fine, you want the dirt? Here you can have the dirt bucket!” I place the dirt bucket on the ground. Jasper sticks his head in and examines the bucket. I walk quite a bit faster now.
Jasper does not like the bucket of dirt. This is unacceptable to him. I see him begin to run. Fine, I can run too. Jasper is a donkey. Jasper has four legs. I have two. At the end of those legs are big bulky Muck boots covered in a thick layer of chicken poop. Jasper accepts my running challenge and reminds me that while he may be miniature, he can still run like a big boy. He catches me quite easily. He wants my bucket. “Fine, you stubborn donkey, here, take the empty bucket”. I leave the bucket. I am now empty handed. I decide against running again but walk away quickly. No need to slip with my poop covered boots and get trampled by a donkey.
Jasper does not accept my offering. He refuses it quite quickly and comes up to me. Jasper is upset. Jasper wants a special treat, but I have nothing for him. Jasper is being an ass. He is very excited. He is tossing his head in frustration. He is huffing at me. He is being mouthy. Seeing as how I do not have any buckets for him to be mouthy with, he is nibbling at me. I do not like this. A frustrated, stubborn, mouthy, large, animal can be dangerous. I am out in the open. I do not have buckets to distract him with. If I try to pet him, he shakes his head and huffs at me more.
Ok, I go back for the buckets. I need the buckets. Jasper is with me the whole time being belligerent. I try being stern. I try being loud. This is all to no avail. I grab one bucket then two. I use them to kind of swing out, to shoo him away. This does not affect him in the least. Crap. How do I always manage to get myself into these situations? I do the only thing I can do.
I lock myself in the chicken tractor.
I figure he will mosey on after a few minutes, I can leave the buckets in the tractor, and he will not bother me on the way out. Wrong. Jasper does not leave. Jasper stands outside staring at me. He pushes on the wire (the only barrier between us). He huffs and shakes his head. Then, this incredibly intelligent animal grabs a rope attached to the tractor and starts jerking it! It is hanging right next to the door. It looks like part of the door. This donkey is TRYING TO OPEN THE DOOR! Yep, I am going to die.
I do have my phone with me (a big shout out to leggings with pockets). I call little CJ and tell him that I am stuck in a chicken tractor with an angry donkey trying to get at me. I ask him to bring some sweet feed from the barn and shake it down by the gate to distract Jasper while I escape. He does this but Jasper is to smart for this trick. Jasper does not budge. Jasper continues his antics. Little CJ dumps out some sweet feed and some chicken feed thinking that will help. Nope. Jasper has his eye on the prize. Crap. After a while I tell little CJ to give up and go inside, there is no use. I live in the chicken tractor now. I do the only thing left to do.
I call CJ at work.
“I need a little help here”
“What’s up”
“I am trapped in a chicken tractor and Jasper will not let me out”
Laughter, I hear laughter.
“What?”
I explain the situation. CJ tells me to just be firm, show him the bucket, leave a bucket for him, etc.
“Yes, yes, I have tried all of these options. Do you not think that I considered all options available to me before locking myself in a stinking chicken tractor?”
“Tanya, I am a half hour away”
“Well, I am not going anywhere. I need you to come rescue me”
This is followed by more laughter, and his acceptance to come rescue me. I flip over a bucket and take a seat. This is what it has come too. Lord have mercy. My phone rings. It is my
Aunt. I got nothing but time, so I sit and chat for a while. Jasper does not leave. He walks around the tractor, rubbing, testing areas, pulling on ropes occasionally, shaking his head at me. CJ calls again to check on me. “No, I haven’t made it out yet”, “Yes Jasper is still out there”, “Everything is fine, it’s fine, I’m just sitting on a bucket in a chicken tractor”.
After about an hour of sitting in the chicken tractor, I notice I do not see Jasper. I look out and he is down by the gate eating the chicken feed. I notice little CJ left the whole bag of sweet feed in the pasture. I call little CJ back out to grab it through the gate. That is too much for Jasper at one time. He comes out and retrieves the bag. He calls me. “Mom, book it! Jasper is distracted, go around the back of the tractor and sneak off”, “BOOK IT NOW, GO, GO”.
I unlatch the door and sneak around. I confirm that Jasper is happily eating and begin my escape. I do not run; I do not want to call attention to myself. Jasper starts to turn his head towards me and little CJ yells at him, “Hey Jasper, look at me, over here, don’t look there”. He shakes the feed to get his attention back. I love that kid. I continue walking and eventually make it to the side gate and I am out of the pasture. I am safe. I walk to the other gate and tell Jasper he was naughty. He continues eating without a care. He has what he wanted. He wins.
I have now been beaten by a cow, a rooster, and a donkey. I am seriously lacking in the farm-wife skill department. CJ arrives home moments later and laughs at me some more. I go in the house make myself a drink and contemplate my life choices.