Queen Mum's Dancing in the Rain

[Queen Mum]

Twenty four hour bug. I'm still a little under the weather, but that darned GAS won't let me stay away from my goats.

The boys were outside the window this morning banging on the wall to get me up. They have figured out where my room is. Houdini and Jack throw themselves against the fence right under my window and run along the fence to the end of the house to scratch themselves. Then they turn and go the other way. THUD, thththththththththt. THUD thththththththt. When I open the window, and say, "What are you doing?" they step away looking up at me all wide eyed and innocent. The minute I close the window and go away... THUD, ththththththth, THUD ththththth.

I think they should be re-named. Itchy and Scratchy.

 

[77Herford]

Twenty four hour bug. I'm still a little under the weather, but that darned GAS won't let me stay away from my goats.

The boys were outside the window this morning banging on the wall to get me up. They have figured out where my room is. Houdini and Jack throw themselves against the fence right under my window and run along the fence to the end of the house to scratch themselves. Then they turn and go the other way. THUD, thththththththththt. THUD thththththththt. When I open the window, and say, "What are you doing?" they step away looking up at me all wide eyed and innocent. The minute I close the window and go away... THUD, ththththththth, THUD ththththth.

I think they should be re-named. Itchy and Scratchy.

 

[Queen Mum]

ARGH! Two of the boys got to pushing each other around today and one of them fell into the electric fence. MUCH Screaming and knashing of teeth ensued. The fence (which is not held up by t-posts FELL OVER! However, no one left the paddock. I guess on pay day I am going to have to go and get some t-posts.

I think I need to attach a piece of hot wire to the goats feed dishes that attack only Molly the dog. She keeps dragging them off. Come feeding time, I have to hunt EVERYWHERE to find them before I can feed the goats.

 

[autumnprairie]

ARGH! Two of the boys got to pushing each other around today and one of them fell into the electric fence. MUCH Screaming and knashing of teeth ensued. The fence (which is not held up by t-posts FELL OVER! However, no one left the paddock. I guess on pay day I am going to have to go and get some t-posts.

I think I need to attach a piece of hot wire to the goats feed dishes that attack only Molly the dog. She keeps dragging them off. Come feeding time, I have to hunt EVERYWHERE to find them before I can feed the goats.

 

[Queen Mum]

She is a big dog. She is so exuberant. It is hard to get upset with her. She throws the dishes in the air and tries to catch them. They are those BIG round black rubber dishes that you buy at TSC. I don't understand how she manages to throw them up in the air. When she starts dragging off the hay feeder we will be in BIG trouble. Or the wheelbarrow...

 

[Queen Mum]

I have the advantage of observing the bucks alot because their hay feeder is right outside my window by my computer. This morning there they are. All 5.

Ian is the lead buck. He's Almost a year old, and the biggest of the 5. He's a pretty gentle easy going guy most of the time with people but he throws his weight around with "the boys". I notice they just move out of his way when he comes to eat. If they don't he hooks them with his horns and moves them. He's not particularly aggressive about it, he just matter-of-factly moves them and then goes on eating. Once in a while Trump Card, who is the same size but two months younger challenges him but that rarely lasts. Ian is kind of a macho little poo head. Trump Card is pretty mild mannered.

Three of the remaining 4 are still vying for position in the buck paddock. They literally rise to a challenge. One of them stands on his hind legs with his head dipped towards a potential target and waits momentarily. If the other responds they spar for a couple seconds. The fight seems to be over when one or the other "pretends" to be suddenly interested in eating something on the ground. They eye each other for a millisecond and the match is over. Sometimes a third will jump in at that point and it starts all over again.

Oddly enough, Jack is the oldest of all the boys, but Houdini has the most sense of the lot of them. He doesn't like to engage in fights for the sake of fighting. He picks his battles and only answers challenges. He never seems to start fights.

Yesterday they were all standing around fighting over the punching bag hanging in the tree. Jack and Houdini were fighting, then it was BJ and Jack. While they were fighting Ian and Trump Card were playing with the punching bag and knocking each other silly with it as it would swing back and knock them over. All in good fun?

Right now they are all just browsing around the hay feeder. Nibble, nibble, nibble, spar, spar, nibble, nibble.

 

[jodief100]

She is a big dog. She is so exuberant. It is hard to get upset with her. She throws the dishes in the air and tries to catch them. They are those BIG round black rubber dishes that you buy at TSC. I don't understand how she manages to throw them up in the air. When she starts dragging off the hay feeder we will be in BIG trouble. Or the wheelbarrow...

My LGD keeps absconding with the protein pail. I just bought a new one, 8 lbs plus the bucket weight. He carried it off.......... I need to find a way to fasten it down.

 

[Queen Mum]

I am dying to have one of those twisting mineral feeders that sit on the ground and rotate but they are just two expensive! Stationery, that is the key to my sanity... Sigh!

 

[77Herford]

I am dying to have one of those twisting mineral feeders that sit on the ground and rotate but they are just two expensive! Stationery, that is the key to my sanity... Sigh!

http://goatwisdom.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=facilities&action=display&thread=1276
A cheaper method. I would also try asking around with retired farmers. I bet you could find one pretty cheap if you digged a little.

 

[Queen Mum]

thanks 77H. I want to build a couple of those for the girls, but the boys don't have any place to hang the PVC pipe feeders. I need the stand alone feeder for them. I like the idea of finding a retired farmer and asking around for one cheap. There has to be someone around here selling one.