Tuesday, October 23, 2012

Finally, Sunny Day...

On Saturday evening, the weather finally broke from the torrential rain storms we'd been having and rewarded our patience with the first of several 60-65 degree days. (I had been seriously considering remodeling the barn we've been building into an ark.) No one was as relieved as we were when the rain stopped save, perhaps, the farm animals who don't particularly enjoy swimming night and day. The only ones happy in the non-stop rain were the ducks and geese, who seemed confused by everyone else's distaste and increasingly bitter moods.

The break in weather, coupled with Ellie's steady improvements, meant it was time for Miss Ellie to return to her home and herd. I have mixed feelings about this. On the one side, I do not appreciate the overall aux-de-goat fragrance wafting from my basement. On the other side, having Ellie close made checking on her frequently and monitoring her health convenient. Sean and I had agreed, though, that it was time for Ellie to rejoin her herd.

Before moving her back, Sean and I gave both goat stalls in the barn a thorough cleaning. A week of heavy rains had done nothing to help the cleanliness of the stalls- these were smeared with soggy shavings and bedding- and amplified the muddy state of their fields- yuck! We took time to inspect the rest of the herd for any signs of illness. We piled an extra bale of hay into the does' feeders. And, we gave both Abigail and Asher 1 ML injections of Ivomec, since they were due for one.

While Sean and I were contending with the cleaning of the stall, Miss Meaghan very helpfully played with the does in the front yard for a couple of hours. The girls enjoyed eating the Mums planted on the front deck, browsing for stray unpicked peppers, and dandelions with their bitter greens in the grass. They seemed to make a game of wandering off farther than Meaghan liked, causing her to run after them. I couldn't help capture a clip to share with you.




Ellie passed Monday without incident. And, she looked steady today when Caitlin and I spent some time visiting the goats.  In fact, the only goat causing real trouble at the moment is Master Jedi who insists on escaping his stall and spending time with the girls- against our wishes. Sean returned him to his own stall again at lunch today! He is just too good at being bad! It looks like it is going to be a looooong breeding season!

Thanks for visiting with us today!
Sonja ♥

4 comments:

  1. Great video! Meaghan is an expert goat wrangler!

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  2. Meaghan did a good job of keeping them in line! Happy to hear Ellie is improved enough to rejoin the herd. I think it'll be good for her! So funny about Jedi. "He is just too good at being bad." I love this! Good luck this breeding season hehe :)

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    Replies
    1. Thanks, Tammy. Meg was happy to see some comments on her video after school today. I think she is planning on adding a post sometime soon.

      Ellie was looking thin but happy when I played with her today.

      And, Jedi is going to be the death of me! Oye! :)

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