Oak Farm Animal Care

We had the opportunity to take care of the Oak Farm farm animals at the middle school on a Saturday. The animals are cared for daily by the students but on weekends there is nobody at the school. That’s when families sign up to help care for the animals. Jaxton works with the alpacas daily. He hast to scoop the poop from the previous day and throw down fresh straw. He has to feed them and often take them on walks. He has so many funny stories about the three alpacas and there are three different personalities. It is so fun to hear him talk about them. The farm also has lots of coats, sheep, two donkeys, a cow, and lots of ducks and chickens and baby checks. Also take animals have a pen in the van that needs to be completely scooped out from the day prayer and two wheelbarrows and wheeled outside and dumped. Then fresh straw or sawdust or both must be laid in each pen. Water from A hose from a well Hass to be filled in each animals bucket and fresh hey or food has to be filled. In order to do any work on the indoor pen we have to learn the animals to the outside pen with treats. This was hilarious and tricky to accomplish, but Jaxton what is the expert here. We were able to layer all the animals to the outdoor pen and close the gates in order to do work on the barn. A hose from a well has to be sealed in each animals bucket and fresh ham or food has to be filled. In order to do any work on the indoor pen we have to learn the animals to the outside pan with treats. This was hilarious and tricky to accomplish, that Jaxton was the expert here. We were able to layer all the animals to the outdoor pen and close the gates in order to do work on the barn. At one point the sheep got back into the barn but the gate was open in the barn and they started to walk around the barn. We quickly closed the barn side doors to keep them pinned inside of the bone and then LURD them with treats back into their pen. Jaxton Cooper and Kaylee split up with me and we worked hard scooping poop and feeding and watering the animals. Throwing down staff from the loft of the barn was probably the most coveted job.

All of this time little Nathan sat on a bench inside of the barn and cried. He cried and cried and whined and whined and cried louder. He absolutely hated this work. He assured me he would never be a student at this school and never would work with the animals. Our work went on as he cried in the background.It was quite the experience! Hard hard hard manual work, but satisfaction in knowing we were caring for the animals and that there was no one else that would do this job that day. It was an obligation and we were motivated to get it done in a timely manner but also to do it well. So grateful for Oak Farm middle school and the opportunities given to the students. And also grateful for the opportunity our family had to help.

It was quite the experience! Hard hard hard manual work, but satisfaction in knowing we were caring for the animals and that there was no one else that would do this job that day. It was an obligation and we were motivated to get it done in a timely manner but also to do it well. So grateful for Oak Farm middle school and the opportunities given to the students. And also grateful for the opportunity our family had to help.