Mini-vacation #4

(After ABVD)

Part 3

A MAN AND HIS ROOSTER

Before our picnic at Blackwater Falls State Park, we stopped by the Blackwater Falls Petting Zoo. I have always loved chickens. This rooster was neat. I could have easily taken this critter home. Our problem with raising avians is that the raccoons have always had a taste for our flock. We have raised guinea, many varieties of chickens, turkey, ducks, geese, and pigeons. It seemed that the local predators always won!



I showed Miss Flora the rooster and explained wattles and combs. Combs are not just for the good looks. They actually have a very important role for chicken because they cool the chicken down. The way this works is that blood circulates between comb and the wattles. Did you city folks know that?







The Petting Zoo is in a barn in the stables area of the park.

Mom Rachael is showing Lucy an albino ferret. Yes, we have had ferrets as pets. Ask Judy if she loved her ferret pet! She will say, "NO!" Our ferret was descented, but the musky smell was still present. The ferret kept nipping Judy in the ankles. That may be the reason she was not enchanted with this beast.

The bunnies were a hit with the girls.

Rachael discovered this "hair ball" of a bunny!

The young minature goats are always a favorite with the kids. (pun?)

The goats and lambs were in a yard along with a couple of young heifers.

The young Jacob sheep shown below has always been one of my favorite breeds.

Jacob Sheep have graced the large estates and country homes of England for many centuries. Their impressive horns, black and white faces and spotted bodies have no doubt contributed to their popularity and survival.

Their actual origins are not known. However, documentation throughout history indicates that the spotted or pied sheep may have originated in what is now Syria some three thousand years ago. Pictorial evidence traces movement of these sheep through North Africa, Sicily, Spain and on to England.

There are many romantic stories about the Jacob Sheep being direct descendants of the flock of sheep acquired by Jacob during the time he worked for his father-in-law as mentioned in the Bible (Genesis 30), or that they were washed ashore from shipwrecks during the attempted invasion of the Spanish Armada during the reign of Elizabeth I.





I asked the young gal who was working in the petting zoo, "What type of pig is this?" Her reply was that it was an oinker! (Not too specific!)

We had fun at the Blackwater Falls Petting Zoo. It was now time for a picnic. We did sterilize our hands before eating our gourmet meal.