Cranky Girls

Maybeline seems to have settled down a bit since being sheared for summer.  She will actually let me pet her and she’s been more friendly again.

Maybeline

She was just standing in the barn yesterday, minding her own business.  I was just sizing her up to try and decide if she’s going to have a cria or not.

Then I went out and admired Aurora.  I have to do that every time I see her.

Aurora

I also saw Odie and wondered if she was going to have a cria.

Odie

Then I went to check on Vinnie and heard a noise.  I went to the barn, followed closely by Aurora who seems to have become my shadow.  When I looked in it was all necks flailing and spit flying.

I don’t get it.  Seriously.

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Holy Hormones!

I will be glad when I get a bunch of my girls bred for spring break babies.  The hormones are bit crazy with all these girls coming into heat.

Litha, Stormy and Hilda

They are literally fighting over the bucks.

Xerxes and Zeus watching Litha and Stormy fight.

Crazy goats.  They are twins.  They are ten.  They are not getting a buck.  They are retired.  At least Hilda is smart enough to stay out of the fight.

Fionn (and Zeus) watching the girls

I can’t get Maybeline and Odie to look at Tony and these old, retired ladies are fighting over the bucks.  Figures.

Community Mixer

When I went out to milk goats this morning, the first thing I noticed was Vixen and her kids on the wrong side of the barnyard.  Then I saw Maggie.  As I looked around, I saw several moms on the wrong side.  That means my goats were all mixed together again instead of having my moms on the front pasture.

Joani with Gomez and Tish

It certainly makes my March babies look big.

Dolly with Rufus

I wondered what happened that caused them to get mixed together, but then I saw my gate had been opened.  Then I saw Sugar.

Sugar

Seriously?  She had to have been fighting with someone and opened the gate in the process.

Of course, my first thought was my aging herd queen, Minnie Pearl.  She should not be fighting at all, and I’d already had to separate her and Penny last night.  You know.  Summer solstice and full moon shenanigans were quite prevalent last night.  Anyhow, Minnie had no evidence of fighting.

Minnie Pearl

In fact, the only other goat I could find with just a dab of blood on her horn was Helen.  Really?  Sugar looks like that and my CAE arthritis medicine very night because she can hardly walk goat wins the fight?  Wow.

Helen

My only concern with everyone being mixed together was how the new kids would handle going out to the Back Forty.  They really haven’t learned to follow their moms in pasture because my front pasture is so thick I can’t hardly walk out there.  Only one mom took her kids out.  Guess who…

Wanda with Charlie and Ava

Wanda, my only first time mom, with the youngest and smallest kids took them out to pasture.  Luckily, she brought them both back!  Good job, Wanda!  Vinnie was more practical and left Virgil up here while she went out to eat.

Vinnie and Virgil

By this evening, everyone seemed to have figured out they had the whole barnyard.  Look at those two lining up to be milked.

Cinnamon followed by Clover

They were closely followed by Haley.  I guess, for better or worse, we’re back to one big goat group.