Stinky Chores this Weekend

I have three bucks on the farm.  They’ve been together all summer with no problems.  Marley is my dominant buck, and he has been very good at protecting his son, Fionn.  He makes sure Boeris doesn’t get too mean or pushy.  Now they’re in rut, and that changes the dynamics.

The two big boys are in a “stink war.”  They spend much of their time urinating on themselves: their beards, faces, front legs and chest.  Then they rub against each other.

They all three want the girls.  Marley is distracted by girls, and Fionn hasn’t been getting enough of the herbal wormer in their food.  That means he’s picked up worms.  It’s always easier for them to pick up parasites in the fall when they are stressed from being in rut and the pasture is getting eaten down.

It’s hard for me to treat him while he’s still in there with all three of them wanting food and loving, so I took advantage of Fionn being close to the gate and snuck him out of the pen.  Now he’s up north.

Fionn

He has all the hay he wants.  All he has to do is lounge and eat and pick up weight and feel better.

I put Osmo, the wether that doesn’t know he’s a wether, in there so Fionn would have company because goats hate to be all alone. Besides, I have to get Osmo away from the girls.  He’s too big to be jumping on my little girls, and he uses those nasty scurs and beats on the girls as part of showing his affection.

Osmo

Yes, he’s giving me the “Goat Stare of Death.”  That stinker got out.  I actually think he went over the top of the fence, but I did repair one place that he might have squished through.

He better stay put, or he’ll find himself in with the big boys or off the farm.

Since I was already stinky, I decided to fix the lean-to that serves as Marley and Boeris’s shelter.

I do know Fionn helped in the destruction.  I actually caught him banging his head against the boards, knocking them off.  I had earlier put the piece of plywood on the inside so they couldn’t knock more boards off, but it was time to put the boards back on the outside.

First was catching Boeris and Marley in pasture and locking them out.  Yea, I really don’t like stinky bucks rubbing against me.

Then it was like putting together a jigsaw puzzle.

I about forgot to remove the old nails.  It’s hard to get it to fit properly with them in the boards though.

Someone kept an eye on me the whole time.

Finally, I got it all put back together.

That will help them stay warm this winter.  Now it looks like I need to replace the window.  I swear it’s a never ending job.

Linking to Homestead Barn Hop and Mosaic Monday and Backyard Farming Connection .

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