Two weeks and zero hours since my hoofed friends and I stepped out of the trailers and trucks to embarked on our new land. They seem to be taking to it quite well and we have our milking routine down pretty good. I on the other hand seem to be adjusting slower. I’m having a hard time keeping the goats where I want them. They could care less of course and go where they feel moved to which has been out on the road (we are on a private dead end with no traffic) or in the front yard. Yesterday early evening I was inside playing guitar and looked next to me at the open window and there was Dotty just gently pushing her nose into the screen.
“hi Dotty” I say after finishing a tune.
A long sweet “Maaahhhh!” is her only response, and off she goes to feast on a nearby bunch of tall grass.
I’ve quit fighting it, at least today I have. I am grateful, at least they’re safe, they can’t really get into too much trouble, they have already eaten my potted flowers and plants and the tomatoes I hadn’t sold at the farmers market, which sat on the tail gate of the truck waiting to be put up for processing later. The sheep and Pascal are doing just fine in their fenced 85 acres with no desire what so ever to be in the house with us. The sheep have been getting closer to the cows and grazing nearby them. It’s a beautiful sight to see them all out in the distance with the sun behind them. In the evenings just as the sun goes down I lead them back to the night yard for their evening hay.
There is a beautiful 10 acre plot behind the house that has perfect goat pasture written all over it but I can’t get them to go back there by themselves. They’ll follow me but the second I turn to go back hoping they will stay, they are on my like glue. I suppose they’re just unsure. Can’t blame them there are plenty of coyote and other predators in these parts but the dogs are always nearby, and they can’t graze the dirt road and the front yard forever.
This morning Linda and I took a walk across the 10 acres. All of the goats followed of course. We stopped and grazed investigated and took stock of fence conditions. We were trying to find out how the cows keep getting into an area we thought we had blocked off. It didn’t take us long to find the cow trail and open gait, an easy remedy but along the way we enjoyed watching the goats have a time, they loved it back there. I think they just want to be where we are right now. It’s were they feel safest. They like being able to keep us in site.
I wonder if we walk them back through the beautiful lush pasture everyday if they will eventually start feeling more comfortable and start going back there by themselves without us. For all I know about goats this far, that seems logical. So now it’s about me being consistent and creating our routine. The walk does me a world of good anyway.
It’s been a good day.
A long sweet “Maaahhhh!” is her only response, and off she goes to feast on a nearby bunch of tall grass.
I’ve quit fighting it, at least today I have. I am grateful, at least they’re safe, they can’t really get into too much trouble, they have already eaten my potted flowers and plants and the tomatoes I hadn’t sold at the farmers market, which sat on the tail gate of the truck waiting to be put up for processing later. The sheep and Pascal are doing just fine in their fenced 85 acres with no desire what so ever to be in the house with us. The sheep have been getting closer to the cows and grazing nearby them. It’s a beautiful sight to see them all out in the distance with the sun behind them. In the evenings just as the sun goes down I lead them back to the night yard for their evening hay.
There is a beautiful 10 acre plot behind the house that has perfect goat pasture written all over it but I can’t get them to go back there by themselves. They’ll follow me but the second I turn to go back hoping they will stay, they are on my like glue. I suppose they’re just unsure. Can’t blame them there are plenty of coyote and other predators in these parts but the dogs are always nearby, and they can’t graze the dirt road and the front yard forever.
This morning Linda and I took a walk across the 10 acres. All of the goats followed of course. We stopped and grazed investigated and took stock of fence conditions. We were trying to find out how the cows keep getting into an area we thought we had blocked off. It didn’t take us long to find the cow trail and open gait, an easy remedy but along the way we enjoyed watching the goats have a time, they loved it back there. I think they just want to be where we are right now. It’s were they feel safest. They like being able to keep us in site.
I wonder if we walk them back through the beautiful lush pasture everyday if they will eventually start feeling more comfortable and start going back there by themselves without us. For all I know about goats this far, that seems logical. So now it’s about me being consistent and creating our routine. The walk does me a world of good anyway.
It’s been a good day.
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