The Dark Side of Farming

My previous post highlighted the sunny days full of harvest, bright colors, and finding plants in among the weeds.

To balance it out, I will now highlight some of the less savory aspects of a farm life....

So this week or so I've racked up my injuries from chickens and ovens and now have cause to renew my tetanus shot. I burned my thumb making a potato bake dinner, was bitten by a broody chicken viciously protecting her eggs, and attacked by a rooster.

Broody hen attack!

The rooster I speak of has been trying to attack me for a couple weeks now, but I've always seen it coming. This time, though, I was bent down petting Potato and he charged at my back. It felt like a ton of bricks had fallen onto my lower back, but luckily I came away with just a cut on my back. That rooster is now dead, after attacking one too many times. Sorry rooster, but on a farm if you anger the farmer it is completely within our power to prepare you for eating. It's the only place I know of that my instincts of killing that which angers me can be acted upon. I guess if I'm being honest with myself the completion of the kill still doesn't feel too good.

Even if this does hurt!

I was also working in the barn tidying up the workbench when a cat walked in through the open door to the fish pond. When I looked over, though, it was a sopping wet angry raccoon! My automatic response was flight, and I ran away swiftly all while dreams of being chased by rabid raccoons came rushing back. We now have a trap set, but so far no catch and I am still fearful of the barn.

These stories are by no means the only less happy parts of farming, but they are a glimpse. All I ever hear anyone say when I tell them I want to be a farmer is "it's hard!" Trust me, folks, I do know this.