rachels.haven's Journal

[rachels.haven]

Crap. There's a black vulture coming and eating all the leftover dog and cat food that's leftover in the morning. Raptor pigeon. Hopefully it was just today and not a habit.
I'm going to have to change how I feed stuff.

 

[Ridgetop]

Never leave uneaten dog food out since it attracts predators. Remove food that they don't eat and reduce the amount you feed by that much.

 

[farmerjan]

Put out the feed in the morning... but also consider that you may be feeding possums and rats and coons and skunks with night feeding... and if you have to feed the dogs/cats in the evening, it needs to be under a roof that the buzzard is not comfortable going under because they need space to hop and flap wings to take off... confined space...

 

[rachels.haven]

Riker wants to eat the vulture. Today I tried to up his food, which is hard because the doelings want to eat his fish based/corn and soy free kibble (allergies, gotta keep him eating and not sick). If I were a betting woman I'd be willing to bet you money that bird got no dog food. It tried though.

Cat food, on the other hand...
The cats have a room with a cat flap that I can leave food in during the day now that I know it's a thing. Usually I put out enough food for them to finish by lunchtime because I'm trying to keep our original barn cats around. Since they ran out of rats they've begun wandering for weeks at a time and if the food runs out too long they leave. I saw one barn cat think about grabbing that vulture. Riker charged the fence at that point though.
I'll have to figure out the new balance.

 

[rachels.haven]

Well poo. My big black buck that likes getting pictures taken of him has indeed become a person courter this year and is making going in the pen and handling the other bucks dangerous. Plot twist: I guess he's the cull. Grow out many. Use few.

 

[Baymule]

I put some sort of yummy stuff over my dogs kibble. Right now I’m working through meat that thawed out in the side by side refrigerator/freezer after hurricane beryl. I cook it, chop, add water for broth. I put half cup of meat, half cup of broth over their kibble and they lick the pans. Whatever does not get eaten, I pick it up and give to farm dog Carson. This evening they got pork chop gravy. Tomorrow they will get hamburger and broth. And I but chicken leg quarters. I cook and take off the bone. Mix with rice and broth. Dogs like chicken the best.

 

[rachels.haven]

cidr pull time any time now. I'd like to get my bucks re-tested for disease first, although they are probably fine after all this time. Exciting.

My home made milk machine is mounted and tonight I used it and it's working exactly as it should and it's GREAT. Pressure and pulsation set exactly where they should be and it milks very fast.

Less exciting is the fact that without Bailey to go after him when he barks more than 5-10 minutes and shut him down to switch to sit and watch/assess mode, Riker has decided that night time is a great time for an insecurity party and he's been barking all night long. Last night we locked him up at 2 am after barking starting at dark. And we do have neighbors. He worships the ground the goats walk on but doesn't have an off switch anymore because Bailey was the brains, he was the brawn and this may be the last straw for him. No predators now probably, but I need to sleep and I know our neighbors do too.

BO-bo-bo-bo-bo, is the last thing I want to hear all night long lately. I wish I could find him a pack. We need to figure out how to lock up the goats too (still waiting on our log cabin house to sell so $ is being watched carefully).

 

[farmerjan]

Don't kid yourself on no predators in the area with neighbors closer... Perfect COYOTE territory... I just don't want you to get complacent because it is not "country" like where you were near your parents... They get established in more "suburban type places " .... because there are NO deterrents or protectors like the dog. Not saying that the dog should bark all night... I could not handle it, but he may be "insecure" and it is his way to express himself...
I have no solutions for you....

 

[Baymule]

Get him a female puppy.

 

[rachels.haven]

Don't kid yourself on no predators in the area with neighbors closer... Perfect COYOTE territory... I just don't want you to get complacent because it is not "country" like where you were near your parents... They get established in more "suburban type places " .... because there are NO deterrents or protectors like the dog. Not saying that the dog should bark all night... I could not handle it, but he may be "insecure" and it is his way to express himself...
I have no solutions for you....

Oh no, there are totally coyotes in the cornfields but after hours of barking I don't think there were any close. Last night it was an owl that set him off. Owls out of reach don't care. Night before last it was a guy working on his truck in his own yard across the private road until late into the night (does landscaping by day, I guess)