Critters in the Backyard

When I went out to do chores this evening, this is what I saw:
There's a goat to one side, a couple of llamas, a Maremma LGD in-between, and a rooster. But wait! Look closer! What's on that male llama's back?

Well, look at that, one of the Buff Orpington hens is resting her feet in llama wool.

As a matter of fact, the rooster was on Samson's back too when I first went out, but by the time I grabbed my camera, he'd gone off to see if I was putting out any feed.

Maybe sitting on a sheep or llama's back is like having warm, fuzzy slippers on your feet. Since it was a cool, rainy day, that probably felt good.

I just never know what those critters are going to be up to when I go outside!

Sometimes Farming is Hard

Let’s face it – farming isn’t always fun.

If you raise crops of some sort, there are problems with the weather, fuel costs for heating greenhouses and running equipment, and a sometimes fickle market, to name a few.

When you raise animals, you have all those problems and then some. And it’s easy to get attached to animals, especially the little ones. Babies of any sort are cute! It’s great to look out and see lambs or kids or calves or colts or any little critters frolicking around in the fields.

Yes, it’s great --- that is, IF the moms are taking proper care of the youngsters and everyone is doing fine. But it isn’t always like that. Sometimes things go wrong. That’s when farming really tops the charts in the “not fun” department. That’s where I’ve been this week.

You can raise the same sort of critters for years, using the same husbandry practices, and then all of a sudden, one year it all goes wrong. Sometimes you can figure out the cause and adapt or change things. Sometimes you have no idea what the problem was, so there’s just not much you can do about it.

When our little twin goat kids were born this spring, I was a little concerned. The mother is getting up in years and had a difficult labor. Worse, she was NOT supposed to be pregnant in the first place, but was bred by one of her sons. One of the kids had a deformed leg, but that eventually improved. Overall, they seemed healthy enough.

At least, they seemed fine until this week. Then one get sick, and within 24 hours was dead. Then the second one got sick, and within 24 hours was dead. I worked over them until I could barely straighten back up, giving them antibiotics, dextrose, vitamins, and every other therapy I could find that would pertain to the problem.

Nothing helped.

I knew it was a slim chance going in that I could save either kid. It didn’t help that I read even though they've had vaccinations, once in a while, some kids still get sick. They were in my care, and they died.

That’s hard.

This morning Son #2 and I had burial detail. The ground is too hard and rocky here to dig down very deep, so we opt for an above ground burial. It’s easier, but not easy. It has to be done right to make a hot compost so the body is broken down quickly and with no odor. We had 5 big carts full of stuff we put in the pile: some below, some above the bodies. It was hard work. To make matters worse, it was raining.

While we worked the llamas hummed and the mama goat cried. Their mournful dirge made a hard job even harder. I’d moved them as far away as possible from where we were working. It didn’t matter. When we were finally done and I let them out, that mama goat made a beeline to where we’d buried her babies and cried some more. It was heartrending.

Sometimes farming is hard.

Kids at Play

Our little goat kids spend most of their time playing, with an occasional nap or time out for a snack.

They like to run all over the fields, jumping around like they have little springs in their feet. But even more, they like to climb on things. Anything!

They climb on the lawnmower and tractor.

They climb on bales of hay.

They climb on tree stumps.

They climb on rocks.

They climb into the feed troughs.

They climb on top of overturned buckets.

They climb on wagons and carts.

After they climb in, on top of, and/or over something, the next most fun thing is to jump off it.

Those little kids will climb on anything they can find, and they don't limit themselves to inanimate objects either. Oh no, they climb on top of their mom. They climb on top of sheep that are trying to rest and peacefully chew their cud. Nothing is exempt!

Their latest and most favorite jungle gym is our male llama, Samson.
They jump on and off his back when he's kushed down, and even try to climb up his neck. He's wonderfully patient, but draws the line at kids trying to climb to the top of his head, and will twist his neck around and nudge them off his back.

This morning I got a short video of them hopping on and off Samson. Short, because as soon as they saw me, they figured it was time to go out, and went running towards the gate.

It's a good thing Samson is so laid back, or we might have squished kids!

Round 'Em Up!!!

Today was "Vaccinate & Worm the Sheep, Goats & Llamas Day." It didn't start off well. I thought I had everything in one place, but turns out I was missing a vital piece of equipment needed to make wethers out of the two little boy goats. This needs done while they are small, and who knows when we’ll have good weather on a Saturday again. I needed to find the band castrator tool TODAY.

While I searched The Farmer tried to come up with alternatives, like using a pair of needle-nosed pliers to stretch open the bands. He decided to test it out, and the first band he stretched open popped off the pliers and flew off into unknown regions. Some day when I'm running the sweeper I'll probably find a little green rubber ring where I least expect it.

It was obvious from the test trials that pliers just weren't going to do the job. The bands need to be stretched completely open, not just from two sides. I searched and searched some more, and finally found the missing bander. (Maybe those ornery little boy goats snuck in the house and hid it, hoping to avoid their eunuch-thized fate!)

I finally had all the necessary paraphernalia gathered up so we went outside to round ‘em up! We did the sheep first. They haven't been sheared yet and are easy to get hold of. They got their vaccinations and Ivomec sheep drench, and were good to go.

Miss Keira kept poking her nose over the fence, so we slipped a halter on her, clipped on a lead, and said, "Okay, you can be next!" She's not overly fond of shots, and always kushs down.

Well! That brought on an unexpected complication. Samson was in the same pen, and wanted to make amorous advances, figuring he at last had her where he wanted her! ARGH! Not NOW! The Farmer stood on one side of Keira fending off her suitor, while I got on the other side and gave her a vaccination and shot of wormer. She was off like a jet plane the minute we let her loose. (Sorry Samson, another day!)

Since Samson hasn't been handled much, we figured he was likely to be a handful and decided to save him for last. We rounded up the goats, gave them all their meds, then picked up each twin and did the dastardly deed of slipping a band on to switch them from buck to wether, and poking a baby aspirin down their throat. They screamed and complained more about the aspirin than the band, and were off playing the minute we let them go, so it obviously doesn't bother them much.

That left our new big boy, Samson. I tried to entice him with some feed, but he knew we were up to something and wasn't having any. The Farmer decided he was going to have to rope him. Oh fun!

I said, "If you're going to play cowboy, let me go get my camera first."

As The Farmer first approached, Samson went running off to the other side of the pen.

The first couple of throws were unsuccessful, but The Farmer was determined!

I was surprised when after a few tries, Samson just seemed to accept the inevitable and stood still while The Farmer walked up to him and put the rope around his neck.

Not only did he allow me to put a measuring tape around his middle to check his weight, he let me give him both shots without fuss. He didn't kush, and he didn't give any indication he wanted to spit at us either. I was much impressed!!!

Our handsome boy is turning out to be quite a gentleman!

So it ended up he wasn't much trouble at all, and we were done with our round-up in record time!

Llamas, Together at Last (Sort of)

It all started last night when The Farmer and I went out of do chores. We have a routine, and things get done just fine as long as we stay with the routine. When it gets interrupted... no guarantees what happens!

Part of that routine involves me putting out feed for our new llama guy, Samson, plus the sheep and goats, while The Farmer feeds our lady llama, Keira. She is in the same night pen as the goats, and if someone doesn't stand guard, they'd come and eat her food, then go eat theirs.

Samson learned to go in his pen when he sees me with the feed bucket the second day he was here. What a smart guy! Then Farmer opens the gate, and Keira and the older goats come running into their adjoining pen lickety-split. They know it's dinner time! The two little kids aren't always as prompt. They're still playing somewhere and not interested in what the adults are doing.

We have much more fun off playing by ourselves than always following after Mama!

When the older goats ran in last night, only one little kid followed, but we could hear the other one bawling loudly somewhere. When we finally located him, we saw he'd gotten himself into a real predicament.

He'd obviously been playing on The Farmer's lawnmower. Little goat kids LOVE to climb and play on anything they can find. The only trouble is when he jumped down, he managed to catch his foot and was stuck fast.

I must say, it took real talent, because as you can see in the picture to the right, he had to jump down at just the right angle for his foot to go in there. The only trouble is that once he was down, his leg was at the wrong angle and he couldn't get it back out.

But then, neither could we!

The Farmer finally had to get a pair of pliers and pull back the metal far enough to get the little rascal's foot loose.

Needless to say, our usual routine got lost in the rescue operations. That's probably why when I went out to do chores this morning, this is what I saw:

Uh-oh! Two llamas in ONE pen!

Well, surprise, surprise! I guess I forgot to walk over and shut the gate to Samson's pen last night after putting his feed bucket in place. Instead, I was homing in on the distress call from the little goat kid, and my routine came unglued.

The good news is they don't seem to be fighting. The bad news is I don't know if they've gotten romantic either, and I feel a little guilty not being there to keep check on them the first time they were both in the same pen.

If I were a betting woman, I'd guess Samson is still looking for love, cause Keira keeps her distance. Whenever he gets within a few feet of her, she skitters off in another direction. She's still not sure what to make of this new furball who thinks he wants to get up close and personal!

It's still a game of hide and seek - Keira hides, and Samson keeps seeking!

Kids at Play

Goat kids are like people kids - if we're talking about super-charged, high-energy, and probably ADHD affected sort of kids.

Yesterday they crawled under the gate to the chicken pen, and found something to jump on and have a great time playing.

The penhens couldn't figure out what those strange new chickens were!

And the biggest trouble with their new playpen is that they couldn't remember how they got IN there, and couldn't figure out how to get back out. Their Mama was walking around and around the chicken pen and aviary bawling for them, and what did they do?

They just kept playing.

Llama vs. Goats

My little llama girl likes to hang out with the goats. She usually ignores the sheep, and sometimes just does her own thing, but mostly, she's with the goats. It will be interesting to see what happens when Samson, our soon-to-be-delivered male llama arrives.

However, at present, it's Kiera and the goats. As much as she likes the goats, she has one pet peeve. She does NOT want to share any feed with them.

I've told you and told you, leave MY feed alone!!!

If they persist in trying to eat her food, she finally lets them know in no uncertain llama terms, "That's it!"

I spit in your general direction!

Ahhh, llamas, they know how to get their point across!

Goat Kids Playing in Snow

I looked out about 2:30am to see snow on the ground. When The Farmer got up to go to work, I got dressed in layers of warm clothes and went out to take pictures. I've got a bunch I'll put up later, but right now I want to feature our goat kids kicking up their heels and having fun.

The cold weather doesn't seem to bother these little guys. They're jumping and playing and running as fast as their little legs will carry them. Just check out the little video below:

These little guys sure got spunk!

Just Kidding Around!

The twin goat kids will be 1 week old tomorrow. It doesn't take them long, however, to start jumping and skipping around all over the place. This morning when I put some hay in the pen for their Mama, they decided it would be fun to crawl all over it. Making a mountain out of a molehill.... uh, hay pile.
Goat mothers must be very long-suffering, because their kids are full of antics!

Most of the time Cinnamon just keeps on eating and ignores her youngsters shenanigans.

Kids! They get into everything!

Every once in a while, they do stop long enough for a scratch or to take a nap.

Hold on a second! I've got an itch.

Whew, I'm tired. How about a little nap?

They're mighty cute little guys, and at least while they're little, they don't cause much real trouble. That comes later, when they hit the goat equivalent of teenager and adulthood. Then it's find every hole in the fence you can - or make one! Find ways to open gates at every opportunity! See if you can break into the feed room or hay storage!

That's when cute becomes incorrigible. And I'm not kidding!

Goat Twins

After much difficulty yesterday and today, I finally got these pictures I took yesterday soon after the goat kids were born uploaded through Blogger.

The movie is of the youngest twin trying to get up for the first time.

As you can see, he finally succeeded.

Those airplane ears kind of tickle me:

They're cute little guys, but wse sure don't need two little boys. I'm afraid when they get old enough we'll have to find them a new home!

Everyone's excited about new kids!

I went out to do morning chores, and had a GREAT surprise waiting! Cinnamon had just given birth to the second of twins.

Out little llama shows great interest in babies on the farm, no matter what sort, and Neffie, the Maremma LGD, is very protective.

More pictures later! I must go back out and finish up chores!

Corn Crazy

In the mornings when I go out to do chores, the chickens always come running because they love me so much. Okay, maybe it has more to do with the fact I always throw some cracked corn out first thing.

The guineas aren't far behind, and rush in to get their share. It seems every critter on the place loves to munch on cracked corn. Even wonder dog Toby will lick some up now and then.

However, the top of the food chain here is the goats, and when I let them out, they chase everyone else away.

And just what do you think you're doing, trying to eat MY corn????

For that reason, the goats are always the last critters I let out of the night pens, but I always make sure there's some left for them to have a morning treat also!

It seems the only critter outside that never wants their share is the cat, Spot. I guess he figures that corn isn't all it's cracked up to be.

Friday on the farm...

It was beautiful out there when I went to do chores this morning. The weather has warmed up again, and I wore a light jacket instead of my heavy winter coat. Even at that, I pulled off the jacket before I was half way finished with the chores. Though the sun was shining, it’s pretty dreary. What colored leaves we had have either turned brown, fallen to the ground, or both. Still, there’s a little color peeking through here and there, like this lovely little violet.Toby was in rare form this morning, galloping all over the place, carrying around a big piece of lumber he found somewhere. He’s got to have a piece of wood in his mouth, whether it’s so tiny you can barely see the end of it sticking out of his mouth, or so large it’s twice his size and he’s dragging it along behind him.

He’s the farm jester, always finding ways to make me laugh, no matter how grumpy I might be. He loves to play in the water. In the original game, he jumped up and bit the water, but later it evolved to him wanting sprayed while he ran around with his lumber stogie in his mouth.

The other animals generally ignore his lunacy, unless he gets too close. Then they’ll scoot out of his way while casting a wary eye in his direction.

Eventually, they’ll go back to munching their hay or grass or whatever they were doing.

It’s another beautiful Friday on the farm.

Continuing Cold…

The weather has remained rather frosty every morning. I noticed three little lambs ears peeking through a drift of fallen leaves, 3 erect little soldiers in a row.
Our old goat gals must suffer some aches and pains with the cold, but they gamely move out in the morning, checking to see if I’ve thrown out any corn or put out any hay. One way or another, we’ll all survive this frigid-to-us weather.

The End of an Era

I just got off the phone from talking with our state vet. She’s a wonderful lady, and has been out here once a year for a long time now to check out our sheep flock and goat herd for Scrapie.

But not this year.

I was in the voluntary program, as I felt it made it easier to sell registered stock. However, I disliked all the paperwork. Worse, there wasn’t any way to correct any mistakes you might have made once the paperwork was in. And then there was the problem we had when someone gave The Farmer an OLD goat. She was too old to have kids any more, so NOT breeding stock. Didn’t matter, getting that goat set our years in the program back to Day 1.

Since we’ve downsized and are mostly a retirement home for a few old goats and sheep, there just isn’t much point to keeping up with something that creates a lot of work and no return for your trouble. So I told her I was opting out of the program. I won’t have any lambs or kids this year, and won’t be selling any more goats or sheep, so why keep it up?

It’s the end of an era.

The Goats are Gone

Not all the goats mind you, but the Criminal Element has been banished from the farm. However, they really didn’t get the punishment they so richly deserve. No, it’s more of a reward, since they were taken to a new farm with lots of little girl goats. Nirvana indeed!

They didn’t leave without one last escapade, however. Their new warden was supposed to pick them up one day last week. I left them in their smaller night pen, figuring he’d show up any time. The hours went by, but no one came.

About mid-afternoon I noticed one little buck goat, The Jumper, was out with the sheep. He’s an expert at leaping over fences! I figured if he was out, I might as well let the rest out, which I did. Then I waited some more, until finally the day was gone and it was close to dark, so I needed to get evening chores done. The new warden was AWOL!

The Farmer came home from work about the time I was finishing up chores, and was surprised to see the trio of troublemakers still here. We went inside, where I noticed we had a message on the answering machine.

Wouldn’t you know it? It was the guy calling to say he was going to head up to our place and pick up the goats. Too bad he didn’t call before I fed them! The Jumper had already vaulted the fence again and was running around with the sheep, so we had to round him back up, scoot the other two out of their pen, and get all three contained in the back of the shed.

Once we had them safely jailed, we waited for their New Warden. And we waited, and waited, and waited some more. I went inside to check the answering machine in case the guy had got lost and called for directions. There was indeed another message on the answering machine, wanting The Farmer to call. It turns out the guy hadn’t even left yet!

By this time it was totally dark. There isn’t electricity in the little shed, but we do have a couple of outdoor extension cords running out there, so I plugged them in and hooked up a trouble light so we could see.

With it getting so late, I needed to go inside to check on supper and left The Farmer to deal with goats and buyer.

FINALLY, the guy showed up and got his truck parked as close to the shed as possible. I figured two big, strong men could get 3 pygmy sized goats from the pen in the shed to the pen in the back of the truck, so I stayed inside.

I figured wrong, as usual! I stepped out on the porch to check on their progress. The first two goats were loaded, and the new Warden was bringing the third out of the shed. He had hold of one – just one! -- of the goat’s horns as he was guiding it to his truck. Mistake! The goat gave his head a twist to get loose, and was gone in a flash.

Remember, it’s DARK.

The goat ran towards the back pasture. There are no lights there. I saw The Farmer take off after it, while The Warden just stood by his truck. (I guess Wardens are used to letting the guards do the work.) I figured I’d go out and give The Farmer some help. I picked up a bucket of feed on the way, and headed towards the back pasture.

When I went past this guy’s truck, he decided he’d like to chat awhile. He told me what nice goats we had, and showed signs of talking until the cows came home (it’s a sure bet the goat wasn’t coming back without some encouragement). I finally told him I needed to help The Farmer and headed on towards the back pasture.

Have you ever tried herding goats at night? Stumbling around in the dark listening for goat bleats is not my idea of entertainment, though no doubt it would have looked highly entertaining to anyone watching, if they could have actually SEEN us!

I started shaking the bucket of grain and calling for the goat. I heard movements, and finally located the escapee. The Farmer had maneuvered his way behind the goat and was trying to head him back to the shed. Between the two of us, we managed to get the goat back in the lot and shut the gate.

The Warden was still talking. Maybe he figured we could home in on his voice to find our way back to civilization.

Once we had the goat cornered in the shed again, I asked these two big, strong men if they could get the last goat in the truck without losing it again. (Okay, that bit of sarcasm popped out before I thought better of it!) They assured me they could, so I headed back to the house to check on our much put-off supper.

I paused on the back porch to see if they actually managed to get the goat in the truck. When I saw the door close behind the last little goat, I breathed a sigh of relief. Three little goats gone, and hopefully things will be a little more peaceful on the farm!

And I wish the new Warden good luck with his trio of troublemakers!

Morning on the farm...

When I went out this morning to do chores, the little guineas were running around. These are the smallest and youngest of our many guineas.

They ran from the main pasture to the "back yard pasture"... mixing with the sheep and goats.

Everyone's after the same corn I threw out!

The Criminal Element

There are criminals on our farm. Yes, they are professionals at Breaking & Entering, always looking for a weakness in the fencing or gates. They are called GOATS. (And a lot of other things I'd best not repeat here....)

Yesterday evening after their warden, otherwise known as The Farmer, went off to choir practice, I grabbed my camera to go outside and look for some good photo opportunities. Little did I know I was going into investigative reporting, and would catch the criminal element at work. The dogs are on the left watching the goats. The llama is in the back watching. The guineas are on top of their pen looking. Everyone sees the criminals at work!
Yes, right before my eyes, I saw the brazen little beasts had gained entry into the aviary AGAIN, and let the peafowl loose AGAIN.

They’re lucky it was only a camera I used to shoot them. Rotten little brats!

It would seem that yesterday morning I must have only slid the latch over on the door, and neglected to flip it downward to let it catch in the notch to lock it. Mind you, this bolt does NOT slide easily, so it never occurred to me it would be any problem if I didn’t latch it down.

Well, I was wrong. Apparently the goats bounced against the door enough that the latch worked loose, and they must also have bounced enough that the door bounced open, and they took advantage to get it WIDE OPEN. Then they went in, and all but two of the peafowl went out.
Here we go again! Fortunately, Young Son was home, so I went in and enlisted his help. We’ve done this so many times, we figure we can call ourselves Professional Peafowl Herders, or maybe Professional Peafowl Wranglers. We’ve certainly got enough experience at rounding up the wandering peafowl, thanks to the baaaaaad goats who keep finding ways to let them loose.

Our first task was putting the goats back in a pen and out of the way. Then we started looking for our wandering fowl.

We found a couple of peahens just sauntering around the yard, and a couple more in the guineas night pen. The peacock was in the chicken’s roosting area.

After we got all the peafowl we saw running loose back in the aviary, we discovered we were still missing two peahens. We walked all around, looking up in the trees, and discovered nothing but squirrels. We were about to give up when Toby started barking. He had discovered a peahen in an enclosure made by wiring upright pallets together to make a fence around my lilac bush and trumpet vine. (And in case you’re wondering why we did that, it was to keep the same B&E experts from stripping those plants bare of bark.)

Anyway, we cut the wires between two of the pallets and opened them up. Experience has taught us it is better to gently, slowly, ease the peahens along in the direction you want them to go. Trying to net them or hurry them along usually results in peahens HIGH UP in a tree where no man (or woman) has gone before.

About the time we got that peahen in the aviary, we heard that loud whoosh of wings that heralds a large bird overhead. There came the last peahen from somewhere across the road, and landed in a walnut tree close to the aviary.
By this time it was almost dark, and she showed no inclination to come down. The guineas were a bit disgruntled because that strange fowl had taken up residence in their roosting tree, but eventually decided to join her.

She spent the entire night in the tree, and it was the middle of the morning before we looked out and noticed her communing with her sister through the netting next to the aviary door. Once again the Professional Peafowl Herders swung into action, and got the last stray fowl into the pen. Yes!

If there's something strange in your neighborhood (like peafowl), who ya gonna call!??
Not the Ghostbusters!

You need the Professional Peafowl Wranglers, at 1-IRO-UND-EMUP!

Busy as a Bee!

Bang, bang, bang! I can’t decide if I feel like I’m sitting in the middle of a shooting gallery, or it sounds like someone shooting off fireworks. Dove hunting season began at 12 noon here, and there are obviously LOTS of hunters busy taking advantage of it.

According to Tennessee Wildlife Resource Agency, the mourning dove is the most hunted migratory game bird in North America. I believe it, and I think every possible hunter is out there for the start of the season. The dove may be the symbol of peace, but they’ll be in pieces if they show a feather today.

While hunters are busy terminating doves, here on the farm we’re hoping for new life. One of the peahens is sitting on 4 eggs. It sure would be nice to see some little peachicks running around in the aviary. It just hasn’t been our year for peachicks. So far, zilch, nada, none.

While the hunters were after doves and the peahen sitting on her eggs, The Farmer was busy mowing the back yard today. This is news because it’s the first time he’s done it in years. We sold off the majority of our sheep and goats, and don’t have enough left to keep the grass eaten down like we used to.

He also tried out the new chainsaw he bought today. His previous chainsaw expired from old age. He sent it to the shop to be fixed and the bolts fell apart. Yeah, you could say it was extremely old.

While The Farmer was busy checking out his new chainsaw, some old trouble showed up to see what was happening. And what’s the biggest source of trouble on the farm? Why, the ornery little goats of course.

The one busy chewing Farmer’s pants is his special pet, a cashmere goat named Tom Thumb. He is the rare goat that would rather be petted than eat cracked corn.

And while the hunters hunted, the peafowl sat, and The Farmer sawed, there were bees and bugs busy gathering nectar from the newly blooming Sedum ‘Matrona’.

All around the area today, people and critters were busy as bees!

Southern Heat

I don’t know about global warming, but I know it’s plenty warm here in the south. I’m not too thrilled when you pass a bank thermometer and it has THREE digits!

Even though it’s in the shade, our thermometer has been reading 98 degrees F. for the last three days. (For those of you using the Celsius scale, that would be almost 37C.) That’s just TOO hot.

Everything here on the farm is trying to cope with the hot weather, from “A” to “Z”. (Okay, so the closest I have to the front of the alphabet is cat, with sheep at the tail end.) All the critters look for shade, but have different habitats and various ways of beating the heat.

Spot, the Cat, likes to lounge around in the shade under our truck, and keep his thirst quenched with Birdie Broth, otherwise known as water out of the bird bath – just a “faint flavor of birdie essence”. I'm not sure if I put fresh water in there for the birds or the cat.


A dust bath is the method of choice for a quick cool down for the Chickens... … while the Dogs like to hang out under the back porch or in the shade of the big walnut trees in the back yard.

Neffie takes a rest (above), while Toby enjoys chewing on a hunk of wood while lazing in the shade (below).

Even our Garden needs help with the heat, especially considering we are also under drought conditions. I’ve had to water the peppers and tomato plants almost every day. (Thank goodness for well water!)

Of course the Goats like to hang out under the shade trees in the back yard with Neffie.

Keira the Llama often joins them, but she also cools down by “burying” herself in a sea of green plants in the bog area of the bottom pasture, though it’s not much of a bog right now!

In the aviary, the Peafowl go for a combination of bathing in the dust or pool.


Last, but not least, the Sheep also opt for spots under the shade trees. Our flock matron has a special spot under a pile of lumber and gets double shade from that and the overhanging tree branches.
One way or another, everyone is looking for shade and the coolest spot possible. I’m thrilled to be able to enjoy the air conditioning inside the house. Yep, I admit it, when it comes to extreme heat, I’m a Wuss.

Beating the heat from "C" to "W" -
Just keep that air conditioning on for the "W" please!

Stupid Goat Tricks

When I went out to do chores this morning I heard that bleat that means a goat is in trouble.

Oh great, NOW what???

Cinnamon is bawling, "Hey, come & help this stupid kid of mine!"

There one of the buck kids was, stuck in the fence. Not only did he do the usual bit of getting his head stuck, but he managed to get a leg caught also.

He looked kind of like a prancing horse -- only small and with horns, ha!

I figured since the Computer Geek was at home, I'd go back to the house and enlist his help, and get my camera to record the latest bit of goat stupidity.

It didn't take my big, strong helper any time to get the goat worked out of the fence, although the goat gagged a bit in the process -- it's a lot easier to slide those horns through the fence than to get them worked back out!

So there we have it Ladies & Gentlemen, today's Stupid Goat Trick!

Reconstruction

The Farmer got busy yesterday and set about making a new door for the aviary -- a stronger, sturdier and hopefully goat-proof door. Nothing is ever simple, so it took several hours of work.

First, he took an old screen door, and reinforced it with sturdy wire mesh on both sides, making it more than strong enough to keep the peafowl in, and tough enough to keep the goats from going through the door itself.

That was only half of the equation however. To keep them from pushing the door open or knocking it down, it needed a sturdy wood frame to keep the door solidly in place.

During the construction, a little kit (baby rabbit) hopped by to pay a visit. This little one must have just left the nest to still be so tiny.
When the goats came by to inspect the new door -

...they also checked out the teeny-tiny visitor.

Finally the door was completed and securely in place. I don’t think the goats will move it anytime soon!

From bad to worse...

… Or the continuing saga of goats and peafowl.

All right, so on Tuesday the goats tore down the door to the aviary and all of the peafowl escaped. We rounded up all but two peahens and got them back in their smaller pen. At the last minute we discovered one of the last two peahens on the electric wires, but never saw the other.

Come Wednesday, and it’s status quo: one peahen missing, one on the electric wires. Later in the day I looked out the window and didn’t see her doing her high wire act. I thought, “All right! She’s down.” Wrong! I went outside and discovered all she did was move into the tree between the wires and the house.

The temps were up in the mid-90’s yesterday, so I needed to effect some kind of repair on the aviary gate so I could let the peafowl back in. They needed more space and access to their little wading pool to splash around in and stay cool.

The door was still intact, just knocked off the supports, so I used bungee cords to fasten it back in place. I knew that would suffice to keep the peafowl in their pen. The problem was keeping the goats OUT of the pen.

Taking a page out of The Farmer’s “Jury Rigging Manual”, I went looking for a wooden pallet. I found one wider than the door opening and tied it in place. To make sure the goats couldn’t climb up the slats, I turned it so they were vertically oriented.

It wasn’t long until the goats came to investigate my repairs.

Now here it is, 2 days since the Great Escape, and as it stands,
a) the goats haven’t found a way to get through the wooden pallet (good!),
b) one peahen is still missing (bad!), and
c) one peahen is still up in a tree (rats!).

The Farmer decided this evening it was time to matters into his own hands and find a way to get this peahen down out of the tree. She was too high up for any ladders we have, so he got the bright idea to use my BB gun, just pumped up enough so the BB would reach the peahen and maybe sting and annoy her, but not do any real damage.

The bright idea rather backfired. He did indeed get her out of the tree… you know, the one close to the house? Yep, she flew out of that tree…. and way back to the woods and roosted in a tree there. Bad to worse indeed.

He tried the same BB tactics to get her out of that tree, but she wasn’t falling for it again.

Failing with that tactic, he then threw a rope up in the tree to snag the branches she was on and shake them. She hung on and rode it out. Finally he had to admit defeat. But stay tuned! It ain't over until the fat lady sings, or the peafowl comes down out of the tree.

The score is peahens 1, Farmer 0.

A Fowl Predicament

I walked by the picture window in our dining area this morning and thought I saw a couple of peahens sitting on the fence. Classic double take, look again… yep, sure enough, there were peahens on the fence. OUTside of the aviary.

I hollered for help from the Computer Wizard downstairs, and we went out our respective closest doors to investigate. There was a totally empty aviary, and several peahens walking around in the back yard.

From past experience, I’ve discovered you can herd them if you walk behind them, gently, gently, and slowly head them n the direction you want them to go. We got four peahens back in place as we walked toward the aviary to check out the problem.

The problem was the door was wide open, having been taken off the hinges on one side, and slammed back against the inside of the aviary by bungee cord whiplash on the other.

It doesn’t take Sherlock Holmes to deduce how this happened. I didn’t see it with my own two eyes, but I feel 100% positive a certain couple of goat bucklings wanted back in the aviary, and being forestalled by the three bungee cords, tried a new tactic. They obviously pushed or bounced hard enough against the door to dismantle it.

I am NOT amused.

The door is going to need some extensive repair, so we scooted the peahens we’d captured back into their original pen, and closed off the passage to the aviary. Then we went looking for the rest.

In the meantime, the nosy goats came to investigate what we were doing. I wasn’t in the mood to work around goats running in and out of the aviary, so shut them up in their night pen.

We discovered the peacock and another peahen behind the aviary area, and slowly guided them around the aviary and through the door, opened the passage and let them in with the others in the little pen. Once we shut the passage back up, we went scouting for the last two peahens.

We looked high (up in the trees), and we looked low (down in the bottom pasture), but we couldn’t see hide nor feather of any peahens. Granted the trees are in full leaf, so if they’re in the woods, we’d have trouble spotting them, even though they’re a large bird.

After much searching, I decided it was time to call a halt. Even if we did find them, there’s no way we can get them down if they’re up in a tree. We headed back to the house when I happened to glance up to some power lines and saw this:

Yes, there was one of the missing peahens. I would guess Toby spooked her and she flew up out of his reach. I moved him into a pen where she couldn’t see him, but hours later she is still right there in the same place.

I even tried spraying her with water to get her down, but in this 90+ degree heat, I think she just decided it felt good, and stayed where she was, dripping wet. There’s no telling when she’ll come down, and if she’ll head towards the aviary when she does.

As for the last lost peahen, we still have no idea where she went. I can only hope at dusk she decides to come home to roost.

Those blasted goats have sure created a fowl predicament.

Of Gardens & Goats, Part II...

This morning we worked in the garden again. I had a few tomatoes and peppers left we wanted to plant out there. I had put them in big pots to give them more growing room while waiting for the repair shop to finally fix the rototiller, so we needed a shovel to dig holes big enough to accommodate the balls of dirt without disturbing the roots. Farmer Jess dug holes and plopped the plants in. I helped cover them back up, and we were good to go.

I reckon this is about as late as I’ve ever planted hot weather crops in a garden, but we should get some produce from the stuff we planted today. Better planted late than left in the pot to rot.

As for the goats, it’s like this. Yesterday afternoon I went out to walk a bit and take some pictures. I made it as far as the driveway when I heard that distinct bleat that signals a goat in distress. It didn’t take me long to find the problem:

Yes, even after I’d added a second bungee cord to secure the gate, one of the goats had returned to the scene of the crime, and discovered yet again that once in the aviary, he couldn’t get back out. I’m not sure how long he was in there, but too long.

He obviously tried to get out by jumping through the net. He knocked down one of the supports for the hoop in the very back of the aviary but must have just bounced back off the netting that time. He tore a hole in the netting in the front, and that time he didn’t bounce back. Nope, there he was, hanging in a pocket of netting, until I got him on his feet…

I had to untangle horns and legs from the netting, then pull him up and out. I left the door open when I went inside the aviary to rescue the Houdini Wannabe (after all, he got IN where he shouldn’t be, but then got trapped and couldn’t get back out), so once I had him loose and his feet touched ground again, he was out that door faster than I could get my body back in the upright and walking position.

I added a third bungee cord to the door’s security system. I hope that takes care of pushy goat kids, because the aviary and my back can’t take many more trapped goats and rescues.

And I’m not kidding!

Of Gardens & Goats...

Jess and I wandered out to check the garden last night. The Alabama Crimson Tide Honeysuckle by the gate is blooming. I love the color, and the hummingbirds love the nectar.

We’re actually getting some tomatoes and peppers out of our little garden. Jess helped pick the produce. He enjoys the fresh tomatoes and peppers for lunch, and store bought tomatoes just do not compare to home-grown vine-ripened tomatoes.

He also pulled the water hose out to the other end of the garden, attached a sprinkler, and let the water soak the earth around the most recently planted tomatoes and peppers. We keep hearing rumbles of thunder, but it’s just a tease, and we still haven’t been getting much rain.

As Jess pulled the hose through the fence around the garden, he noticed a caterpillar hanging on the fence. Yes, hanging.

I would guess it’s going to pupate. I have no idea what kind of caterpillar it is, and what type of moth or butterfly it will turn into,so will be out checking it from time to time to see what happens.

This morning after the guys were both off to work, I went out to check the garden again, fill the water buckets for the animals, and throw scraps to the peafowl. Things looked fairly normal at first, but then I saw a strange sight in the peafowl’s aviary - - -

Apparently, Cinnamon’s twin buck kids had stretched out the bungee cord and pushed their way through the door. Once in the aviary, they obviously couldn’t figure out how to get back out. Cinnamon was bawling, and they were playing “butt heads” (which seems pretty appropriate to me).

Those little rascals are such escape artists, but this time they escaped INTO prison. Serves them right. However, getting the goats OUT while leaving the peahens IN was a chore, but I finally managed.

I really got my goat(s). … at least until the next time the little Houdini’s escape!

A stitch in time...

We’ve been selling and delivering a lot of sheep and goats lately. Usually the goats are livelier and harder to handle than the sheep, but our last two deliveries were the exact opposite.

Today we had 5 goats to deliver. The three of us rounded up all the goats, sorted out which ones we needed and had them loaded on the truck so quickly we had to sit around and kill time before we needed to leave. All Right!

Some of the goats munching leaves off a catalpa tree.

Our previous delivery was quite different. We only needed to load 4 sheep. Easy enough. Ha! And again I say, HA!

First off, if our sheep don’t go in the shed the first try, it’s a problem. After that they’re spooked, flighty, and downright hard to manage. Part of the sheep did go right in the shed, but unfortunately, two of those left out were ones we needed to deliver.

Worse, one of those still out was an old ewe that’s half blind. Since she can’t see very well, she gets spooked easily. She runs right past open gates, so instead of going into the lot where we wanted them, she started running round and round in the main pasture. Sheep being sheep, the other three escapees followed her.

The three of us tried spacing ourselves in the field and heading the sheep back towards the gate. The four of them continually zipped through spaces between us and continued their laps around the field. Over and over we tried to head them in the right direction. Over and over they went in the wrong direction.

It became painfully clear sheep and people were all getting hot and winded. We needed a new strategy. We decided to try letting them out into their day pasture, then use some feed to entice them through the gate they’re used to coming in each night.

It seemed like a good idea, but the sheep did NOT cooperate. Instead of running around the pasture, they were now running in frenzied circles around the aviary and sheds, leaping and bouncing against things along the way. More time passed as sheep and people ran themselves ragged in the muggy summer heat. Whose idea was it to try this?? Oh yeah, mine….

Finally the sheep went through a big gate into a lot by the shed and we were able to pen them up. However, it was quickly apparent our troubles weren’t over. One of the ewes had blood running down her face. Lots of blood.

Naturally, it was one of the ewes we were supposed to deliver. Upon close examination, I discovered she had a cut about 2 inches long above one eye, and the flap of skin drooped down every time she blinked. Oh great!

Evidently at one point this ewe bounced against the aviary and a bolt sticking out from it had ripped clear through the skin. After almost a decade of shepherding, I’d never had a sheep that needed stitches. This one did.

Unfortunately, I didn’t have any sutures. Also, I needed to know the buyer’s preference. Did she want me to keep the ewe until she was healed and deliver her later? Did she want to suture the wound herself? Did she want a vet to do it?

I called to see how they wanted to handle it, and at their request, we loaded the wounded ewe with the other sheep, and stopped at a vet’s office to have the cut stitched up while on the way to their farm. Nothing like sitting in a hot parking lot waiting on a busy vet after you're already hot and tired from running half the morning.

Once the wound was washed out, sutured up, and the vet gave the ewe a couple of shots, AND I paid the bill (there goes the profit!), we were finally ready to get the sheep to their new home.

Our friend with one of her Great Pyranees and a few of her sheep.

Fortunately, unloading the sheep was pretty easy, and we were able to enjoy a nice visit with the buyer. She has beautiful sheep and wonderful guard dogs and we enjoy chatting with her, but I must admit it was a relief to finally make it home again and put that fiasco behind us.

Which just goes to prove, a stitch in time isn't always a time-saver!