Queen Mum's Dancing in the Rain

[Queen Mum]

I'm on a beans for lunch break. Today, I have been cleaning up the new "buck" pen. I can hardly wait to put the boys in there, but there is SO much left to do. Get the trash cleaned up. Put up the last stretch of fence. Put up a string of electric wire around the top. Get the gates put up. Make sure they have a nice sleeping place.

I already have a hay feeder and now it has a top. I have a new feed bin (but I need to find a hack saw to trim off a piece of pipe inside so it doesn't "bite" the boys. I need to rake the yard. LOTS to do.

Time to GET OFF BYH and get it done!

 

[Queen Mum]

Oh MY Goodness. I did a lot today. The boys pen is almost done. Just have to put up gates in the morning. Whew! There was a lot of cleaning to do. But it's all done now. AND Now I can go out every morning and pet my boys and play with them and say HELLO! Not only that, the boys will have a yard to run around and play in. It doesn't look like I did much, but it took forever to get it all done. Now I just have to get rid of the junk in the yard.

My next big project is to build a little shed out of the pallets that we picked up at Atwoods. That's going to take some doing because I have to get some plywood for the walls, roof and floor. I've been lurking on Craigslist to see if I can find some really cheap lumber but I have to be patient. I just don't have any money till the first of the month. We have some great wire basket thingy's for the base for the floor. I am going to put a sheet of plywood over those and then build the walls with pallets. A little roof over the walls and voila we will have a great little shelter for the boys to hide in. Right now they have two little plastic bins to sleep in, but they will soon grow out of those. There are five bucks (soon to be six) and two of them are going to grow up to be pretty big boys.

 

[77Herford]

I know your time is limited but if you find any, time that is you should drive by constuction sites and see if you can salvage some throw away wood. You'd be surprised what they will throw out. Just have to ask the site boss if you can dumpster dive and I've never had anyone turn me down.

 

[Queen Mum]

Good information 77H. I never thought of that. I'll do that.

I got the buck pen done today and the boys are move over.

Houdini is in fine form today. I had to put him back in the buck pen three times! This was his first experience with an electric fence. He ran through it. He was pretty surprised because that fence really packs a wallop. He tail tucked between his legs and he raced for his old pen and hid in a corner. The second time, he looked pretty surprised. On the third time through he broke the wire. I fixed it with an extra wire the third time and he hasn't gone through it since then.

The boys actually like their new pen. It has grass and trees and a new hay feeder. BUT it is far away from where the girls stay.

 

[Queen Mum]

Picks of my boys at the hay feeder. I had to take the picture through the screen in the kitchen because they kept coming up to me in the yard, but you get the idea.

Aren't Trump Card's horns magnificent. I only hope he fills out to match them.

The boys have a pecking order. Ian on top, Trump Card and Houdini on the bottom. TC and H are buddies and sleep together at night.

BJ, kept hiding behind the feeder so I couldn't get his face. And Houdini and Jack were hiding in the houses.

 

[autumnprairie]

Picks of my boys at the hay feeder. I had to take the picture through the screen in the kitchen because they kept coming up to me in the yard, but you get the idea.

http://www.backyardherds.com/forum/uploads/1156_100.jpg Aren't Trump Card's horns magnificent. I only hope he fills out to match them.

http://www.backyardherds.com/forum/uploads/1156_103.jpg

The boys have a pecking order. Ian on top, Trump Card and Houdini on the bottom. TC and H are buddies and sleep together at night.

BJ, kept hiding behind the feeder so I couldn't get his face. And Houdini and Jack were hiding in the houses.

cool maybe I will be able to get picks of Bj and Jack they came to see me this morning. Breakfast will be soon

 

[Queen Mum]

Group shot. Well, I caught them sunning themselves at the hay feeder and of course the first picture they were all asleep. When Ian woke up, he had to goof off for the shot!

He's always so silly in his pictures!


Then I couldn't get BJ or Jack to open their eyes. And of course, Houdini was only interested in eating. I did finally get him to turn around for the picture, but he is NOT willing to look handsome for my picture taking adventures. He just kind of glared at me. He really has a much more handsome face.

Houdini got out again today and I caught him and gave him a brand new bell. He wasn't really happy about the bell thing, but he's getting pretty cooperative about going back to the buck paddock on a leash. He knows right where to go and no longer hollers and yells when I put the lead on his collar... as long as I let HIM lead.

 

[SmallFarmGirl]

Cute goats!

 

[DonnaBelle]

Those are some SERIOUS HORNS. Have any of them ever tried to use the horns on you? I've only got one goat with horns. She was raised by herself, then I paid $25.00 for her, so she could try to kill me with them.

Well, she hasn't really tried to kill me, but she definately prefers DH over me. I stay the h**l away from her, and of course, now she's his pet.

DonnaBelle

 

[Queen Mum]

Those are some SERIOUS HORNS. Have any of them ever tried to use the horns on you? I've only got one goat with horns. She was raised by herself, then I paid $25.00 for her, so she could try to kill me with them.

Well, she hasn't really tried to kill me, but she definately prefers DH over me. I stay the h**l away from her, and of course, now she's his pet.

DonnaBelle

Ian and Trump Card (the two with the biggest horns) were raised as pack goats and Pack goats need their horns for cooling on long hikes. But they didn't get wethered for a couple reasons. I don't keep aggressive animals around. Because I do raise and sell pack and cart goats, I breed for gentle, mild temperament. However, my boys and girls have NEVER used their horns on me, EVER. If they ever did, I would flip them on their side and give them a serious talking too while holding them down on the ground and squirting them in the face with cold water.

Ian and Trump Card are both very sweet and gentle. They are bottle babies and they are very well trained. When I have to do a "procedure" on any of the goats with big horns, I usually put a pair of bicycle handlebar grips on the tips of the horns to prevent any accidents. But in actuality, the boys are pretty respectful. Houdini (the guy with no ears) is also pretty well behaved, even when he is mad at me, and never ever head butts.

Of course, being bucks they do head butt each other, but in fact, it's mostly sparring. It's one of the things I like about their personalities. None of the 5 of them are aggressive bucks. Ian got in a fight with an aggressive buck when we were in Texas and has never fought since then in any serious capacity. Trump Card argued with Houdini once and Houdini flipped him on his back and pushed him five feet across the pasture up hill then turned around and stalked away. It was pretty comical. Since Houdini is 1/3 his size. Trump Card hasn't argued with Houdini since. Now the two of them sleep together every night all snuggled up in a corner together.

BJ and Jack, the white Mini Boer and the black Nigerian Dwarf belong to Autumnprairie. And they are also very gentle little goats. They are also not aggressive at all.