Rajah
Rajah is a three-year-old ridgeback dog without a ridge who has already come to Italy with us. She is a wonderful companion, loves the sun, hates the rain, loves sleeping and eating. Since we've been in Italy she's been the lady of the farm and has also learned that she can bark and growls quite well. But she only does this when she sees strange cats or dogs on our property. She is the friendliest and coziest dog you could ask for. She also gets along well with all the animals on the farm, but she would probably rather eat some of them.
Roonah & Riya
We got Roonah and Riya, Labmaraner ladies, 1 year old, here in Italy. Unfortunately, their mother did not survive the birth and so they were given away at 40 days. We didn't know how tiring such small dogs could be, but they were like tornadoes from the start. Riya then lived with my son in Austria for a while. However, due to a career change, my son was no longer able to look after her as much and that is why she is now back with us. Roonah has already gotten used to farm life and loves running around on the large property and playing catch with our animals. Neither of them likes to sleep, but they do eat. Roonah is more like Mama Labrador, Riya more like Papa Weimaraner. You can also tell them apart visually, as Roonah has a much stronger physique, while Riya is incredibly athletic and runs like lightning. With Riya's presence, Rajah now has a little more peace and quiet from Roonah and doesn't have to walk with her as often. But Riya is also sometimes too strenuous for Roonah, she always has ants in her bottom and is hard to keep calm. In terms of character, they both are a dream, are very people-oriented and always kind to the other animals.
Supino
Supino is our farm cat. We got it as a gift at an agriturismo where we were waiting for our contract for the house. The owners found the little kitten in the forest without a mother. For the debut we got the little man from them. This was a little difficult at first because Rajah doesn't like cats at all. Jan then strengthened the bond by tying a rope with a rattle to the poor dog's tail. Supino always ran after the dog. It took a week for them to sleep in the same bed together. Today the two are one heart and one soul. Supino got its name because our farm is in Supino, we thought that was totally fitting. Unfortunately, our little cat only has a small stubby tail, but that makes him really special. He is really cuddly and likes to cuddle on our stomach in the evening. In winter he sleeps in our bed, in summer he prefers to hunt mice and rats at night.
Soleya & Solo
One morning I started my usual feeding round, the rabbits are always the first to go. When I got to the enclosure, I found a kitten in there, but my rabbits were gone (but I found them again later). It had crusty eyes and was so small. I caught it and immediately went to the vet. There it was confirmed that it was a girl and we named her Soleya. The next morning same game, I found a second kitten. Because of the aggressiveness level, we immediately knew it was a male and I was a little nervous about how many kittens we would find in the next few days. It stayed at two and we gave the young man the name Solo because he always walked around alone. We immediately treated Solo with the same medicine as Soleya; his eyes were also completely inflamed. Little by little the two of them got along, first there was a little stress with Supino, Rajah of course didn't want other cats and Roonah had new friends to play with. Today they are a little over six months old, sleep with the dogs on their own animal couch and cuddle together. So the two are an integral part of the pack. Unfortunately, they have not yet learned how to get their own food and they only want to do their business indoors in the litter box. Hopefully they'll soon learn that they can do this outside and help Supino hunt mice.
Tuk & Tai & Takko
We got Tuk and Tai from a really terrible farm. I actually didn't want to give this person any money for the two rabbits, but I felt so sorry for them, I would have liked to buy them all out of there. They sat in narrow cages with mesh floors day in and day out. It was terrible to see something like that live. We didn't even think about whether we had the opportunity to put them where and just took them with us. Neither of them could even hop, but they learned that in an hour on normal ground. The joy of finally eating salad and flowers and fruit was enormous.
However, we did a lot with the two of them. Tai once gave birth to dead babies, after which she almost died because there were other dead rabbit babies inside her. It was really bad. It cost us a fortune to revamp her, but she's alive and that's all that matters. Tuk was bitten by an animal sometime during the night. To this day we don't know what it was. Unfortunately he didn't survive.
So that Tai isn't so alone, we rescued another bunny from the horrible farm. Takko now lives with Tai. They didn't get along well at first, but now they enjoy being together in freedom.
The Uschis
Our chickens were the first to move into our farm. We really wanted farm-fresh eggs. For the first time, 6 pieces were enough for both of us. And since I thought they would all have the same color and therefore make it clear which chicken was which, my husband called them all Uschi. Well, a Uschi then became a rooster, which we then called Goggi. Our chickens laid their first egg for us on New Year's Eve. The joy was huge. At first they only had a small stable, but now they live in a really big home and can run free all day. Sometimes we have to look for eggs all over the farm. Unfortunately Goggi 1 had to leave us. He was so aggressive towards me and Jan that we could hardly feed the chickens and touching them was no longer possible anyway. The neighbor then took him home. We also had to part with a Uschi because she didn't want our new chicks. She constantly picked on them and was really nasty to them. She now lives with the neighbor too. One of the new chicks then became a rooster, Goggi 2. He's really great. Of course he also protects his ladies, but is not malicious towards us either. Sometimes he runs after me and I feel uneasy for a moment, but as soon as I turn around he crows and goes the other way. In any case, our Uschis are hard-working egg layers and they taste really good, of course, they only get good food from us.
Vienna
We got Vienna when she was 4 months old. I actually wanted a brown and white cow, but we couldn't find one. Vienna was kept alone in a stable and was separated from her mother very early, so we gave her a place here. She should spend the first few weeks in the stable so that we can build a bond with her. Since it was so hot, I left the door to the stable open and the crazy cow simply bit through her rope and ran away. She then lived outside in the garden for a while and it was not possible to catch her. Little by little we were able to lure her with food and she developed a bond with us. Stroking was also sporadic. She then loved the new large stable, which we built especially for her. It's just unfortunate that the upstairs neighbor also has a cow that felt very attached to ours and so Vienna decided to constantly jump over the fence to her. Getting her back was always a struggle because she didn't want to leave her and the big cow probably saw her as her baby. For the sake of the animals and because we want all of our animals to be well and have a great life, Vienna now lives with the neighbor and his cow. The two are totally happy together. Sometimes we see them at the fence and are happy that they can now be together.
Winnie & Wollie
One day I heard a lot of animal bleating, not the typical one we usually heard. It sounded like babies. But at first we couldn't say what exactly it was. Sheep? Goats? I went to check. Another neighbor has a large flock of sheep that always walks along our fence. So it was lambs that we heard. I of course asked if I could have them once they were weaned. Unfortunately, it took us too long to build the stable and I still don't know what happened to the four babies. In any case, she then brought me a knotted sheep, slammed it at my feet and said that if I didn't take it, it would probably fall victim to Easter. My heart almost stopped. Of course I didn't think twice and paid a horrendous price for the poor mouse, but I didn't care, I just wanted to free her. We then put Winnie on a leash and slowly got her used to our dogs and us. We sat with her in the stable for hours, took her for walks in the meadow, and she quickly became trusting. Today we can really cuddle with Winnie, she loves being petted.
We got Wollie from another farm. I wanted Winnie to have company and since Easter was coming up, I thought I could save another sheep from death. That's how I found this beauty. Wollie is stubborn. To this day we can't really pet her, but she quickly got used to Winnie and is also good with the other animals. We are happy that they can run freely and enjoy their lives with us.
Xara & Xenon
When we got home, we put them in the baby cage from the chickens for the first time. That worked quite well. Then they got their first water point and later the first pool. Today they have a small pond and love splashing around. Actually they were called Xara and Xena at first, but then Xena suddenly became a drake and so we had to change the name. Xara has been laying eggs well for two months and we were waiting for her to hatch. She didn't and so I had to quickly turn 32 eggs into cake. I think she won't be ready to build a nest until spring and we're looking forward to baby quackquacks. Then, however, a larger pond must be built.
Yoyo
Yoyo is our little goat mouse. We got them as a gift from another agriturismo. We didn't actually want goats, but somehow they are part of a farm. At first, Yoyo was like a dog, constantly with us, in the house, in the bedroom. That was a little too strange for us. So we got them used to an enclosure. The bond with Yoyo is very strong, her day only starts well when she has jumped on us at least twice, cuddled with us and nibbled on our ears. I didn't know anything like that and was initially skeptical as to whether she would bite. She hasn't done it to this day. She just really loves us and we love her too. She is a real ray of sunshine and simply incredibly sweet. However, their screaming often drove us crazy.
Yooshi
Yooshi was given to us by the neighbor because I wanted a second goat for Yoyo. Unfortunately he didn't want to give up a female and so he gave us the boy. Yooshi is a real goat, always gets in the way and stays there even when you want to push him aside. However, he is also extremely affectionate. He loves to cuddle with us, rub our heads and always wants to be with us. He was like that for a while, but then Yoyo and Yooshi had to go into the enclosure because they started eating my roses. Then I wasn't quite so happy anymore.
Yuma
The little goat mouse with its black stripes was a wedding present from other neighbors. They said Yoyo needs a second female so she can get some peace and quiet from Yooshi. Unfortunately, we are still not allowed to touch her properly, she is really very shy and always hides behind Yoyo or Yooshi. However, we are allowed to feed them by hand. Then she dares to come over and then you can at least scratch her forehead a little with your other hand. But you can tell from her looks, when we pet the others, that she would like to be petted too, but ain't brave enough yet.
Yara
We received Yara in exchange for Vienna. I fell in love with her color and her face and really wanted to have her in my stable. The first day was very tiring because she kept running over the fence into the other pasture, but after two days with our other stable animals she got used to everyone and now lives with them. At first she was often pushed aside and pushed away, but she has now found an ally in Yooshi. He often is her back and stands in front of her when Yoyo or Yuma want to show her the horns. She doesn't come here voluntarily yet, but you can squeeze and stroke her while she's eating and she really likes that, you can tell.
Ziggy & Zoey
Our latest addition is our nano piggies. I really wanted to have pigs on the farm and I searched for a really long time. I found them both via an Italian platform and immediately fell in love with Ziggy. I didn't see Zoey until later and I was enchanted by her completely pink face. Three weeks and building a stable later, the two of them moved in with us. They were very shy, very afraid, constantly running away and hiding. At first they were only allowed to be outside in a restricted area because we were afraid that they would run away from us. They are now allowed to run around the entire area with the other animals. They love the sheep, the goats are afraid of them, unfortunately the chickens sometimes peck at them when they try to run around them like bowling pins, but generally speaking they get along well with the other animals. Zoey comes to us, listens to her name, lets herself be petted and loves to bite our rubber boots. Unfortunately, Ziggy is a scaredy-cat. He runs after Zoey, but when you try to pet him, he jumps away squealing. But we think that this will go away soon, he now knows us well enough and knows that we are the source of food and that we won't do them any harm.
