Here’s a little video gallery that’ll let you experience the hushed nature of early spring around here. When I put this together in response to a reader request, I realized how quiet it still is on the farm. We hear the muted knocking of woodpeckers in our maples, the lazy honk of geese returning, the occasional chainsaw squawk of a sandhill crane and the rare growl of a real chainsaw in the neighbor’s woods now and then, but mostly it’s just the sound of animals eating that fills our thawing days. See for yourself –

I just fed these ewes, and now all we can hear is munching and all we can see is puffy butts! Peaceful, though. They were scheduled to be sheared this weekend, but I had to cancel because they are too wet.

This little girl is nibbling up the dust that’s left of some grain I fed to the mamas.

I think these pristine white hens are so cute foraging in the mud. Sometimes I see them slide down a still-icy incline in their pursuit of live bugs. Nothing too exciting here, just more eating.

Little Pretty, my favorite winter lamb, can tell I’m watching her and she’s curious as to what I’m about.

All this beauty takes a lot of work! Toulouse Goose just took a dip in the stock tank, so now she’ll spend a half an hour straightening out her feathers. Just like my teenage girls…