By Kim Carr:
Hello, Kim Carr here . . . Just a little intro, I am a small farmer, photographer, and published author. Having been raised in the suburbs of St. Louis, I knew by the age of ten I would someday be a farmer after spending a summer with my grandparents in rural Missouri. After obtaining a degree in Animal Science, I settled onto twenty acres, where I have been living out my dream life every day. Here, I am surrounded by an assortment of critters including Uncle Squid, a very vocal goose, three very big dogs, two little ones, a small herd of cattle, a couple sheep, a bunch of chickens and ducks . . . and two cats that rule the roost.
Currently, I am combining my passion for writing and photography into a photo series featuring heritage breed farm animals for a future book. Many of these animals are in danger of extinction. I am visiting small Missouri farmers that are working to preserve rare breeds of livestock and poultry for future generations. My goal is to raise awareness about breeds of farm animals in need of protection from extinction—not just exotics. By tapping into my life experiences on the farm, I hope to shed a light on a subject matter that gets little attention.
Around the Farm
Post #1:
Caught this momma duck yesterday taking her babies for their first outing. I was getting ready to do afternoon chores and heard a lot of baby-crying commotion going on. On investigation, I found the momma and her babies waiting in the front yard, hesitant to move. About 30 feet from her, I found two baby ducks lost in a grove of weeds calling out for mom.
With my superior baby duck herding skills, I leaped into action doing the baby duck jig—hopping left to right and back again in an effort to prevent the mini speed Quackers from getting farther and farther away from their mother and siblings.
It truly is amazing how something so little and only a couple days old can move so fast. The other day when I tried to reunite another momma duck and baby, the momma flew up into me, slicing my finger with her razor-sharp claws while unloading a week's worth of poop from my biceps to toes. Injured, bleeding, and smelling like an overripe sewer pipe, I still had to capture a baby duck to reunite it with its mother. As soon as I grabbed up the little fellow, he copied his mother by unloading a poop storm in my hands. Luckily, he nailed my injured and bleeding finger, giving me the opportunity to learn that duck poo is some sort of coagulant as the bleeding stopped. Although amazed by this, I was slightly grossed out, so I grabbed a nearby bowl and flushed the poo from my wound with dirty chicken water. It was the best I could do at the time.
A successful reunion was had. I celebrated by hosing myself off in the front yard and a shower as soon as I finished chores. For some reason, I could still smell the momma duck's present to me for helping reunite her family; liberal amounts of Vicks Vaporub were applied beneath my nose, and the world returned to normal once again.
Back to the first mom, which you see in the video . . . with a little dance and a lot of luck, I was able to redirect her wayward children back in her direction without Incident. Yippee!
Once the happy reunion took place, I started filming as the mom took her family to the pond for their first swim.
And that's what's happening around the farm. Have a wonderful day!
Kim Carr is a photographer and mid-Missouri hobby farmer who has combined her love for the country life with that of natural-light photography. Her work reflects my commitment to sustainable agriculture and the humane treatment of all animals. To learn more about Kim, read her interview with Elizabeth Gracen here.
To purchase Kim's photography, visit her website.
OMG!! I love this. It's heartwarming, and I'm laughing my head off. Who knew that duck poo is a coagulant!