Saturday, July 4, 2015

Move along little Bambi

I'm just gonna pretend I haven't been awol for the past two months. Working hard on the farm. Real progress being made. Finally getting more fencing in place. Etc. Etc.

But what's this? 

Yes, that's an itty bitty fawn standing at the base of the oak tree inside what used to be the goat pen (look close) and is now part of a quarter acre paddock by the pony barn. Yes, she is INSIDE the paddock. 


Best we can figure, she must have been there when the fencing guy closed the paddock with wire nearly two weeks ago now. She's too small to jump the fence to get out.

I only discovered she was there three or four days ago. 

Her mother is NOT with her, though I see Mom in other spots around the property every day. Baby hides in the long grass and thickets when she's not grazing. 

When we discovered her, we opened up the fence where the gate eventually will go, thinking Mom would come take her out over night. But that was three or four days ago and she's still there. Mom checks on her through the fence, but has not figured out how to get her out. I have considered chasing baby out, but I'm afraid I'll chase her away when Mom isn't around and she'll get permanently separated. At least this way, Mom knows where she is. 

Baby can't stay though. Around here, if the wildlife people discover a tamed deer, they confiscate and kill it. I don't want to go there, so cute as she is, she needs to leave. The sooner the better. 

Plus, the poor goats need their paddock back. 

3 comments:

  1. I think just keep the gate open. What if you put some corn out there, like a trail to the open gate on each side of the fence?

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    1. Yes, maybe I'll try something like that. The opening is on a sort of interior aisle within the new fence lines, which I'm sure makes it hard for Mom to find. Maybe I can lure her to it. The bigger 4 acre field at the back of the property where Mom spends her time is about to get enclosed as well. At that point I probably will chase the baby out there, where mom will surely find her. I think that's where they were living anyway. Though, baby certainly acts right at home in the undergrowth next to the barn.

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  2. The moms leave the babies hidden and only come around to feed them a few times a day. Once the baby gets a bit bigger, they will leave together.

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