The Game Continues

The morning after we started Hide-and Goat-Seek, we began the second round.  My gloating about how smart it was to shut the gate because the kids would be easy to find might have been a bit premature.  After I did my morning errands (buying yarn and dowels), I got home to find the goats in the barnyard, but Aphrodite and Daisy had left their kids in pasture again.

Dahlia

I went out filled with confidence!  Then I got to the other side of the ditch.  That was crazy thick.  It took me an hour to find Aphrodite’s little girl, Button.

Button and me

After I brought her back to the barnyard, I went back to look for Daisy’s doe.  No luck.  After three hours of searching, I called it quits.  I went to the house and took a short nap (Don’t judge me; I’m still getting up in the night to check Vinnie and LilyAnn).  By the time I got up, they had all gone back to pasture. I joined the herd, and helped Cookie’s girls keep up.  Aphrodite was by herself, so I assumed she had left Button in the barnyard this time.

Cookie, Marge and Chiffon

Zinnia was doing a good job with Joy.

Zinnia and Joy

Then I stumbled across Button just randomly standing there.  Seriously?  I gave her back to Aphrodite.

Aphrodite and Button

Then I saw Daisy cut from the herd.

Daisy and Dahlia

She knew exactly where her little Dahlia was.

I knew where all five kids were and I had to go back to the house.  I hadn’t gotten any lunch, and I was afraid I was going to not make it back.  That is the only reason I didn’t carry Button back up with me.  I quickly had a peanut butter sandwich and went back to pasture.  Button was lost again.  Seriously?

Cookie feeding Marge and Chiffon

I began calling to her when I realized Joy was yelling.  She had lost her mom.  I decided I was going to deal with that before I lost her too, so I scooped her up and took her back to the barnyard (Since she wasn’t technically ever lost, I didn’t score a point on this one).

Joy

Then, I spent another hour systematically scouring the pasture.  My legs ached, and I was one pass from calling it quits when I found her.  Sweet baby!

Button

Finally we all made it back to the barnyard.  Relief!  I immediately shut Aphrodite, Zinnia, and Daisy in the greenhouse again.

Aphrodite

I did let Cookie stay out with her girls, but the next day, it was even too tough for them.  They ended up sleeping beneath a big cottonwood tree where I found them after another hour of hiking.

Because of storms in the forecast, they got shut in before Saturday.  I swear, if I wore a fitbit it would read “Girl, what are you thinking.  Sit down and have a glass of wine.”  If you lost track of the score, we currently stand at Farmer Teresa: 7; Goats 2.

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Hide-And-Goat-Seek Has Begun!

It never fails.  When I let the moms with June babies out into pasture, it’s a never ending game of hide-and-goat-seek.  It started Wednesday when I let Zinnia, Daisy, and Aphrodite out.  For some reason, even though Bambi was never shut in, she has not taken Lucky back out to pasture.  Maybe she’s afraid the Uber would be late again and they’d be stuck out there after dark.

Bambi and Lucky

Anyhow…I decided to skew the game in my favor. I shut the gate across the Back Forty, so they really didn’t have near as much territory to lose their kids.  Also, the grass is shorter on the part of the pasture I left them on.  You might call it cheating.  I call it a good idea.

I checked all three new moms and saw they had their babies with them.  Then I milked. Of course, that got the whole herd coming on a run when I called for the two girls I needed to milk.

Astra “It’s not my fault. You told me to come get milked.”

As soon as I finished cleaning up, I went back out to pasture and saw Daisy and Zinnia with their babies, but Aphrodite was fighting with Hera.

Hera and LilyAnn (I did not have my camera with me, so this is Hera trying to fight with LilyAnn right after I let them all out together.  Do we see a pattern?)

I searched and searched starting where I had last seen the herd, and viola!  There she was.  I just brought her back to the barnyard.

Selfie (forgot to take a picture of her sleeping sweetly snuggled in a log)

Aphrodite figured it out after she got done with her girl fight and came up for the evening.

Aphrodite and daughter after being reunited

Then I had to run an errand, and as soon as I got back, I went to see if Daisy and Zinnia had their girls with them.  Everyone was just getting back from pasture, and Zinnia was right there with Joy.

Zinnia (yes, you are a good mom) and Joy

Daisy was standing in the barnyard yelling out to pasture.  Sigh.  Off I went towards where I had last seen them. She was not too difficult to find.

Dahlia (I remembered a picture this time!)

To her credit, Daisy did come out to pasture to help.  Still, it wasn’t hard for her to find Dahlia when I was already standing beside her.  Since I was already out there, I gave her a lyft back to the barnyard, and Daisy followed us.

That makes the score Farmer Teresa: 2; Goats: 0.  Although, a couple days before I might have lost Hera and frantically searched the perimeter of the Back Forty a time or two until I was too exhausted to walk any farther only to be ready to get the Ranger and go back out when I noticed her happily standing behind the barn door. Well played, Hera.  Well played.  I will concede that point.

Hera hiding behind the barn door acting all innocent

Farmer Teresa: 2; Goats: 1

A Little Bundle of Joy

I’ve had some of the girls who are close to kidding shut in, so my mom can check them while I’m at work.  I have Zinnia, Aphrodite, and LilyAnn in the greenhouse.

Aphrodite

LilyAnn

I haven’t decided when Aphrodite and LilyAnn are due, but they look closer than my original estimate–like they might have been bred right away like Zinnia and Cookie.

Aphrodite and LilyAnn

If you have to lay down to eat your sweet feed, you’re definitely ready.

Aphrodite

Wednesay evening, I noticed that Penny’s udder had suddenly filled.

It also made the place she ripped her udder come back open.  Poor girl.

Anyhow, I put her in the Love Shack with Cookie and her girls.  That way she’s not running around in the tall grass with that udder injury.

Chiffon, Cookie, Marge, and Penny

She is due on Saturday, and it’s good for her to get a bit of TLC and sweet feed while she’s this close.  My mom is spoiling her by brushing the rest of her winter coat out.

Then, at 3:00 am Thursday morning, Zinnia had her baby girl!  A beautiful little bundle of Joy.

Zinnia and Joy

Mom is doting and protective, and she keeps snorting at me when I get close to her baby.

I don’t care if Zinnia wants me to stay away.  She’s going to be a nice sweet little girl.

Joy

Unlike Cookie’s little hooligan girls.

Chiffon and Marge

These two are wild things!   Monday is my last day of work before summer break.  I will be glad to be home with everyone.