I Should Know Better

You’d think after all these years with goats I’d know better than to say everyone is getting along.  I came home from work on Friday to find Wanda with a funny gait.

Wanda (sorry for the crappy cell phone picture)

I’m pretty sure she got hit and injured her back.  Caroline has been off and on horrible to her, and I thought they had finally settled down, but I guess I was wrong.

Caroline

I moved Wanda to the garage.  (Antigone is responsible for the mess.)

She’s getting meds for the inflammation and pain.  You can see she still hasn’t grown back much hair, which is why I had her in the greenhouse.  It’s warmer.

She seems to be resting comfortably in the garage, and nobody is messing with her.

Hopefully, she’ll recover.

Getting Along

It’s been a long time, but I’ve decided I need to get out of my own little world and join up with some blog linkups again.  I miss seeing other people around the world.  Today, I’m joining Tom the Backroads Traveller for the Weekend Roundup.  This week’s items are: Starts with D, dark and a favorite.

Some of the critters are getting along with each other and the winter weather better than others.  The ones in the Love Shack are actually getting along with each other.  I still worry about my old girls in there, but so far they are hanging in there.  Harley has really become one of my favorites.  She’s such a character.

Harley waiting for her meds in peanut butter

Athena, Cinnamon’s only daughter (a doe), was reallly being picked on in the greenhouse, so I let her out. I did manage to check her udder, and I think she’s bred.  I guess if she isn’t I don’t really care.

Athena

Luckily, she settled right back into the main herd with no problems.

Athena, Annie, Daisy (Caroline in the back)

The one who was doing most of the picking on her is Caroline.  Brat.  She might look sweet, but she’s got a naughty side to her.  Here’s she’s enjoying the sunshine instead of staying in the dark greenhouse (ironic, huh, but we had to take the windows out since they were collapsing).

Caroline

I am worried about Penny and Litha and Flower, but they are hanging in for now.  I’m not sure how they’ll do if we keep having these crazy temperature swings.

Penny

Blaze is really starting to look close to having her oopsie babies, so I’m planning on moving her into the garage this weekend.  I think Mary will be a couple of weeks after her, but I’ll keep checking them closely.

Blaze

Hilda and Xerxes are happy with each other, but I don’t know what I was thinking putting those two chickens together.

Xerxes and Hilda (don’t lick Hilda! You’ll get your tongue stuck!)

Every time I go in there, they look like I’m going to kill them.  They run away.

Xerxes is not quite so bad when he’s with Fionn, who is as calm and sweet as a buck can be.

The geese act like it’s a perfect spring day.  I swear they have rubber feet.

Gander jerks standing; nice girls sitting

They do like the hay I put out there for them though.  You’d think the ganders would quit being so nasty when I do nice things for them.

But no.  They still nip at me.  Jerks.

Edit: I tried visiting other blogs, but blogger eats my comments and they disappear.  Sorry.  Guess I won’t get back into linking up again.

Chores When It’s Really Cold

The really cold (but not quite stupid cold) weather we are having right now adds another level of challenging to doing chores.   Part of that is because the animals went from pretty mild temperatures to really cold temperatures.  They have to have time to adjust, and they didn’t get that.  Even Odie is acting a bit cold.

Odie

I worry about Wanda with her fur not completely grown back.  The greenhouse is a bit warmer for her than the main barn.  (The hazy look is my breath steaming.)

Wanda and Aphrodite (and Athena’s body)

Caroline is her typical brat.  Not even the cold can change that.  You’ll notice Anubis on the shelf below her because Zeus is still kind of pushy.

Caroline (Anubis below and Zeus’s back)

I’m glad it did this over a weekend when I was home to check everyone more frequently.  I’m also giving them an extra feeding of hay.  This would be easier if we hadn’t had the ice that froze my door down.  At least I can open the top and throw my bale of hay out and then climb over.  It’s just another level of fun.  Although, I have gotten it chipped away so I can open it enough for me to sneak through now.

Moose

This extra feeding helps me check on everyone.  If someone is not getting up to eat or is just standing there shivering and not eating, they need to be moved.

Cupid and Cutie

That’s why Stormy got moved to the garage on Saturday.  She was lying in the barn shivering, refused to get up and wouldn’t eat when I put hay right in front of her.  She’s doing much better now.

Stormy

Sunday, Dolly joined them.  I have a couple more old ladies and the young kids that I’m keeping a close eye on.

Antigone and Dolly (Pistol across the front)

The front door to my garage is also frozen shut, so I have to carry hay through the milk/soap rooms, or I can climb the fence and go through the buck room.

Xerxes and Hilda (the door that will open between them)

Poor Xerxes still is the biggest chicken on the farm, but he’s also hoping I bring him lots of grain.

I’ve also been breaking the ice off my cattle tank.

Penny

The heater is working, but it is warm and the steam freezes, and it just keeps freezing until it’s completely iced over.

Luckily, the cold is supposed to break tomorrow, and I can put my old ladies back out of the garage.  Of course, with the warmer temperatures comes the threat of more rain, ice, and snow.