Hello goat lovers! Thanks for dropping
by! I have a few goat stories and some
good goat philosophy to share with
you.
One late spring day, I was out on the
back porch and saw my husband, John,
running toward the pasture. As he went
by the house he called to me and said,
"I've got a kid in trouble in the
pasture!"Later, he told me he had been working at the barn when Dottie, one of our Nubian does, came to the fence bleating relentlessly.
When he got to the pasture, he found one of her little bucklings hung up in a tree by one leg.
Of course, John quickly got him free. Although he limped for a couple of days after, he was OK.
Since the goats seemed to frequent that particular tree, John wrapped chicken wire around it to prevent it from happening again.
Thanks to Dottie's call for
help, John was able to save her kid.
Goat moms are the best!
Early this summer, I was sitting here in
in the house when I heard what sounded
like muffled goat sounds outside. The
house was closed up and I wasn't sure
what I was hearing.
I stepped out on the front porch and saw all the goats congregated in a group at the south end of the pasture and bleating for all they were worth.
Jumping into my shoes, I raced to the barn and cut the power to the fence, jumped in the golf cart and drove to the pasture.
When I got closer, I could see they were all gathered around a tree. Hurriedly, I opened the swing gate and ran to the tree. This time it was a little La Mancha buckling hanging by one leg. He had jumped up at the tree (probably to get a leaf) and caught his leg where the tree trunk split.
The little guy's head was sagging backward by the time I got there and he probably wouldn't have lasted long. I quickly lifted him up and freed him from the tree.
As I put him down in the pasture, I was telling him he would be OK and massaging his leg and shoulder. He was frightened and sore, but had no lasting ill effects.
Thank goodness the other goats put out
such a distress call or I wouldn't have
made it in time. Goats look out for
each other!
One day, a year ago last spring, I was in
the barn when John came in and said,
"C'mon Vernie, Betsy has lost
her triplets."
Our hearts were in our throats as we started out to the woods where the goats had been browsing.
When we reached the woods we hadn't gone very far at all when we spotted them in a patch of tall weeds. They were snuggled up together and fast asleep. Whew! We breathed a big sigh of relief!
Of course Betsy had come along. And as kids will do--as soon as they saw their mom they got up and started crying! We headed back to the barn feeling so thankful that they were OK.
Thanks to Betsy coming for help, we were
able to get there before something bad
happened to them. Goat moms are super!
Stick together.
Look out for each
other.
When you go somewhere
together, come back home
together.
Never eat dirty
food!
Avoid dirty water!
Stay
close to your
mom.
If you don't have your mom, get
a buddy.
Don't go out walking in wet
grass.
Come in out of the
rain.
Demonstrate your love and
affection freely!
