rachels.haven's Journal

[rachels.haven]

I'd give you a block. Give me two day's notice-one to collect the milk, the next to let it get ready. So far it works great on salads.

We're looking at the inside of the new tiny run. Tomorrow will be the day I finish the last wall and prepare the site. I need DH to help me move and hold the walls in place while I screw them together and add roof pieces, so maybe all the pieces will be in place after he gets home from work. The last day will be clothing the roof and adding a skirt...and probably a door. It's kind of open otherwise.

Need hinges and a lock or two. And also to clean the coop.

Time to cook dinner.

 

[Baymule]

When your new girl is barking at night, go outside and talk to her. That lets her know that you are backing her up. Don't yell or scold, praise her and tell her good dog. She will be in a new place, everything is strange and it will take her awhile to sort out what is a real threat and what isn't.

Will she be close to the house? With the predators you have, you might not want to take a hike to the barn at night. LOL

If she is close to the house, before you go out, tap on the window. Now, when mine are barking and it is that "dog wants the last bark" kind of aimless barking, I just tap the window and they shut up. It took time to get there, but so worth it.

 

[B&B Happy goats]

You know your set up better than any of us do, can you make it so the GP goes freely from the goat yard into the barn at will...the gentleman that is bringing her to you will fill you in on her and see your set up, Im sure he will have some suggestions to help you make a easy transition to your place. I am so excited to read how the whole thing goes....just remember, they do think on their own and you both need to learn to trust each other and bond.....and when she barks, and you can't see what she is seeing or hearing, tell her she is a good girl. Because she is doing her job.
Sure wish you had a camera to capture the look on you "barn visitor" face when he meets the GP face to face ....priceless !

 

[rachels.haven]

Yikes, I hope no one gets hurt! Dumb people don't always make the best decisions.

Will she be close to the house? With the predators you have, you might not want to take a hike to the barn at night. LOL

In this instance, I'm so glad the barn is close to the house. Normally it's annoying because the goats can see us and it sets them off whenever they want anything. This time I'll use the flood light on the barn and the one on the back of the house, and the wing lights, and with the dog I will be less afraid to go out.

So I've been assuming I should separate her from the goats at first to make sure she's trustworthy and not going to go after any goats or jump the fence in a panic to get back home. Is that what you all would do with her? I'm not sure I feel comfortable tethering a guarding breed that I do not know yet like the lady in that fb group suggests, especially not with the amount of things walking around here. She'd be bait. Would it be better to just let her in the barn pen and big, undivided stall with the goats after introductions? Even at night? Or should I stick with my plan to give her a stall that she can look over the wall of and be next to the goats at night in your opinion?

 

[Senile_Texas_Aggie]

clothing the roof and adding a skirt

Huh? Will it be a miniskirt, maxi skirt, or something in between?

 

[B&B Happy goats]

I do believe when they man comes to your place with the GP he will let you know what her habbits are and how you should approach things with her...and where she should sleep

 

[Bruce]

When Merlin came he'd always been with sheep. The 2 alpacas eyed him from a distance. He smelled their poop pile and later when they were eating their evening pellets, smelled each of their butts. I guess that made the association for him. The geldings had originally lived down the street with 6 females and 3 goats. They also had a herding dog and a GP but those dogs never were in with the "livestock" so the boys didn't have any history with a guardian. But they weren't freaked out by Merlin and he never bothered them (though once he did ask them to play, they refused).

This is Merlin with DD1 just after he came


I made him a room off the barn alley, complete with dog bed, food bowl and water dish. He decided the alpacas' water bucket was where he wanted to drink, he slept in the alley opposite the chickens stall coop and carried his food dish out back to eat. Talked to the lady I got him from, he was used to eating out of a bucket so I got some. Every day I'd put food in a bucket and he would carry it out back of the barn. The food dish is now used for summer water for the chickens out between the barns and the heated water dish is their winter water dish. Need a brand new never been used XL dog bed?



The gate in the distance keeps the alpacas in that end of the barn (they have a 24 hour door around the corner. There was originally chicken wire on the gate (like a 3' gate will keep a chicken in!) and the first night Merlin scaled it when he felt the need to go out. I took the chicken wire off so he could go through it instead.

The point of all this is: You can set it up the way you THINK the dog will be comfortable and she will do what she wants. Just go with the flow.

 

[rachels.haven]

One week until we get our ldg and today I almost get in a kick boxing match with the coyote which is as tall as my waist and decided it would rather fight me than run away, and then when he did run away, he only sort of ran away until I went and got my airhorn and horned him out of sight. I've just about had it with him. I was outside working on the run and he decided to run he was going to have a little snack while I was out there. NO. Not sure what I'm going to do, but I need to do something. He's making the goats into spazzes and is going to bite someone. I hope we can last a week. Oh my goodness, this is getting dangerous.

On a side note, all but the run door, the skirt, and the top of the covered flight cage for the chickens is done. I can keep them contained tomorrow and they'll be safe if I put up a net and nothing digs in. I'm going to have to build another segment, shorter this time. 8x8 is too small, even with the under the coop space. *insert complaint about how expensive this is here* But husband wants me to not give up, so I've got the budget.

I guess no free ranging ever again, even with supervision for safety reasons. Poor birds.

 

[Bruce]

I think a .38 or 9mm pistol carried at all times while outside is in order.

Free ranging may be possible if the LGD works out. Some are attentive not only to ground predators but also avians.

 

[Baymule]

You need to shoot that coyote. He could snatch a small child.