Drama in the Barnyard

Usually  things are pretty mellow in the barnyard.

Mary and Bubbles

Edith, Archie, and Kate behind

Tish and LilyAnn

2TC

Goats just lounge around.  Well, a monster came yesterday.

the little farm hand

The little farm hand was apparently quite scary to the goats.

We mostly got to see tails as they ran away.

I think Quatro (and Onyx) was about the only one to stand still and let the little farm hand pet him.

Wimps.

Back Together Again

I opened the barnyard up to let all the goats back together again on Thursday.  It took everyone a while to figure it out.  Even after most of them ended up in the Back Forty on Friday morning, Astra was still on the front pasture with her little girl.  I got her to come up to the barnyard, but she was attacked by all three kids as soon as she got to the barnyard.

Astra, Joker, Avril, and Jester

When I was trying to show her she could go to the Back Forty, everyone else came up.

Myson, Caroline, and LilyAnn

Caroline and Myson are always first; LilyAnn was on a mission.  She had left Tish up here, and she needed to feed her girl.

LilyAnn feeding Tish

Since I didn’t give them grain, it wasn’t long before everyone went back out to pasture!  Then I tried to move the bucks back onto the front pasture, but the rest of the herd heard me and came back up.

Xerxes

Luckily, I had put my panel across, so they had to stay on the other side, and I could still move my boys.

Moose and Uno wondering why they can’t get through.

Fionn and Xerxes know the routine: follow me where I want you to be and then you can have the food.

Fionn and Xerxes

Some goats might have been jealous.

Myson

Finally, I just had to remove the panels by the cattle tank.  The lazy ones will appreciate not having to go all the way back up to the barn to walk through to the other side.

Jester

In a couple of weeks, I’ll see about moving Maggie and Harley up where the two bucks were.

Maggie

I need to let the grass grow out for a little while first.  Then I should be done moving goats for most of the summer!

Kidding Catch Up

It’s been really busy, and I am totally sleep deprived and crazy with video meetings. Wednesday, I ran out to pasture to check my girls before I had to do a video meeting, and I found that Sidney had twins.  Now, it’s not a big deal for them to have babies in pasture as long as I get them up before dark.  But it was crazy windy with a cold bite to it on Wednesday, and her babies were already getting chilled.  I ran back to the house (Okay-I’m old. I ran and then mall-walked so I didn’t have a heart attack), jumped in the truck and drove around as close as I could get without freaking her out.  I put the babies in the back seat, and she was a good mom and followed, but she would not go in on her own, so I had to heft her into the back seat.  Then I gave them a lift up to the garage.

Sidney and her kids after getting warmed up

Luckily, they warmed up quickly, and Sidney is a good mom.

Sidney and her doe

They are both doing well now.

Sidney’s buck

Sidney’s doe

The next morning, it was the same thing.  I had to do a quick run to pasture to check my girls before a video meeting.  This time, I saw Daisy lying right on the edge of the ditch where there’s plenty of water running right now.  Unfortunately, I didn’t have my camera.  This might be a good time to review where Daisy has tried having her babies.

Year One:  On the workbench.

Daisy 2018

Year Two:  On the compost pile.

Daisy 2019

This girl does not do a good job of picking where to give birth.  I called to the rest of the herd, and bless her crazy, wild heart, Daisy came up.  I caught her and shut her in the greenhouse.  Just a short time later, she had twins!

Daisy with her twins

She also kept with the trend of the buck/doe combination.

Daisy’s buck

Everyone is doing well.

Daisy’s doe

Here’s LilyAnn’s little girl all dried off.

LilyAnn and Tish

Hera’s bucks are doing well.

Hephaestus (aka Festus)

I swear that girl’s udder is going to explode as full as it is.

Hera and Ares

Here are Cupid’s Tiger and Tansy as a bonus.  That’s all the Zeus oopsie babies so far this week.

Tiger (back) and Tansy

Now I just have Cinnamon to kid, and then I have a nice break.

Cinnamon

Until my May oopsie babies.