Mother’s Day

I made my new moms happy.  I removed the panels in the barn and let them and their kids back into the main herd.

Antigone calling to her girl

Her daughter was ignoring her and playing on the stump

They did eventually make it out there.

I had to get them off the north paddock because it was way too small for that many goats.  They are much happier on the Back Forty where there’s so much more green stuff to eat.

Hera and Dusty

Aphrodite and Harmonia

Cupid and Elton

Even Dolly made it out to pasture.

And the kids are enjoying it too.

Angus

Thalia

It makes it a lot harder for me to keep track of all those kids though.  There are now 31 kids running around in the pasture with their moms.

Emptying the Garage

I finally got the garage emptied out on Saturday.  It’s been a challenge to kid without the Morton building and then to get everyone shelter with all the rain we’ve had (not complaining about the rain).

Hera and her kids

Floyd, Dolly, Bee, and LilyAnn

Floyd, Dolly, and Bee–Dolly has adopted them, and they have been very good for each other.

I moved a couple more goats out on Thursday (I think).

Cupid and her boys, Sir Elton John and Prince came out on Thursday.

Then the rest came out on Saturday.  I opened the doors between the garage, soap room, milk room, and barnyard. Then I used a bit of sweet feed to get them to come.  Of course, I’d have had all the other girls rushing into the garage, so I shut them up north.

Wishing the gate weren’t shut

While they were eating that little bit of sweet feed, I went and brought their kids out to them.

My last four moms to come out of the garage: Venus, Tansy, Aphrodite, and Zinnia

Venus and her girl, Tootsie Roll

There’s not a lot of grass in that north paddock for that many goats, but I hope it will last them another week or two.

Eating on the north paddock

Rosie with her kids, Rupert and Reba

I am still giving them some hay to help the grass last longer.  And they are also getting some corn.

Enjoying hay

Tansy and Thunder both enjoying a snack in the barn.

The kids are enjoying the log up north.

Zeke and Zane (Ostara’s kids)

Thalia and Ty (Chiffon’s babies)

Soon they will be big enough to put with the rest of the herd and go out on the front part of the Back Forty.

The House Pasture

Well, it’s official. I no longer have a back yard. I have a house pasture.  Saturday, I bribed Skittles back into the small Morton pen with some llama food and put a panel back across, so that’s all she had.

 

Skittles back in the tiny pen.

Then I dismantled the fence I just put up for her.  I turned that into a fence across the back yard.  It went from the fence to the house.  And on the other side of the house to the Morton building.  My dog was a little disappointed, but he’s mostly lazy anyhow.  He’ll survive for a few weeks with just the front and side yard.

Sky wondering why there’s a fence in his way

Before I could let her into the new “pasture”, I had to protect my baby plum tree.  It made it through last summer’s drought and a rabbit attack over the winter, and it’s doing well.  So I put a fence around it as well.

Hard to see how good it looks with all the green in the picture

I also put the pen around the parent tree.

Then I let Skittles in.

I did remember to remove the clothes line.

She might have tried to kick my dog through the fence when he sniffed her.  I have no doubt she would smash him into the ground if they ever got on the same side of the fence.  I’m going to do my best to make sure that never happens.  Because I do rather like my dog.

He decided not to sniff her back leg again.

It makes my yard actually look pretty big when you see how much room it gives her.

I think she’s enjoying it.  The next step was to catch Maybeline when she was up in the barnyard while the main herd was still in pasture.