More Moving Goats

The cold broke just in time for the weekend.  That’s good because I needed the three days of cold (as opposed to brutal cold) to make a couple more adjustments in where goats were located.

Zinnia finally came into heat and got bred, so she and Joy could go back to the main herd.  Honestly, I was also looking forward to going back to milking in my nice warm milk room instead of the garage.

Zinnia

I also hate having goats alone, and Freddie was by himself.  I needed to put him and Xerxes together again.

Freddie

The only question was where and how. I really didn’t think the two mean bucks should get the warmest accommodations on the farm when I have old ladies who are struggling with surviving the winter.

Victoria shivering after the last cold snap ended.

So Saturday morning I decided to trust that Xerxes would just follow me through the barnyard to the north pen.  But I always move bucks when the rest of the herd is out in pasture, and that isn’t going to happen for another six weeks probably.

Myson, Chiffon and Moose–no reason to go out in the snow

I got just a little corn and went to the west side of the barnyard and tossed it around.

Rosie and Tansy searching for the last kernel.

All the goats but Coral and Dolly ended up over there.  I tied a panel across the barn door and just left those two girls.

Dolly and Coral on the east side of the barnyard

Xerxes is such a good boy (As long as I don’t try to touch him)!  He followed me right out the garage door.

He did pause by the little gate into the barnyard because my dog was going crazy barking at him.

Sky

But he decided grain was worth walking past a barking dog.  Then he went right in the north paddock.  He and Freddie acted like they hadn’t been separated for the last two weeks. Thank goodness because I’m tired of fighting goats.

Xerxes and Freddie

Zinnia and Joy followed at a more cautious pace.  They were disappointed they didn’t get grain too, but they got it at milking time.

Joy and Zinnia

Then I wrangled Flower over to the buck room.  She really dropped weight during the last cold spell.

Flower

She was followed by Coral.

Coral

Then I brought Victoria over.

Victoria stopping for her snack in the milk room

The nice thing about the buck room is that it is an insulated room in and insulated building.  While we’re cold, I just shut the door, and their body heat and a heat lamp will keep it nice and warm.  This really is the only chance for Flower to make it through the rest of the winter.

Victoria, Flower and Coral enjoying the sunshine.

I decided to leave Antigone in the Love Shack with the three little bucks because she can’t get stuck in there, and the boys are all three good to her.  Frodo tries to play with her occasionally, but it’s not like he’s being mean to her.

Antigone

And she’s not getting stuck. So, unless I had to move any other goats into the buck room, this was the arrangements until further notice.

More Winter Scenes

I warned you the whole week was going to be snow related.  Here’s more!

Rosie checking things out.

Icicles

Dolly

Maisie has icicles where she was getting dripped on.

Aurora

The shovel waiting for my next round of scooping.

Sky

Haley coming to see if I have her meds

Joani, Bambi, and Cutie basking south of the bsarn

Caroline, Aphrodite, and Bubbles on my path

It really was beautiful.  And we needed it. We were still behind on snow and moisture, so this will hopefully help the soil moisture.

Winter Chores

Winter chores take me quite a while to do.  I have to make sure everyone gets their grain.

Purl and Freddie

While I’m going in and out of the birds’ room where the grain is kept, I also feed the birds and gather the eggs.  A lot of them froze last week, but the warmer weather has let me gather them before they freeze.

Then I start haying the main group.

Maisie

That’s a distraction so I can feed Aurora her extra feed.

Aurora

Trust me, I have to guard her the whole time she’s eating.

Maisie coming to see if she can get the llama feed.

I also let Dolly in to eat every day.  Tansy usually goes in also.  On this day, my old lady Bambi demonstrated her still quick moves and snuck past me to get an extra snack of sweet feed.

Bambi and Tansy

I’ve also started letting Pretzel go in and eat in the middle of the barn while I feed hay.

Pretzel

I have to make sure that Perdita can find a place to eat, and under the picnic table seems to work well.

Perdita

Every everyone has had grain and hay I still have to do water for everyone.

I’m so grateful for the hydrant and heated buckets.

 

I think everyone is hanging in right now.