Goat summer camp session started
The tents are set up, supplies for the nurses office have been laid in (baking soda), fences have been checked, the larder is fully stocked with trees and weeds. We are ready for campers!
On Sunday morning, Pan, Dahlia, Ginger, Taffy, Fiona, Lily, and Emma headed northeast to play in the woods for the rest of the summer. (By request, Scout and Madeline were not included due to being too loud and pushy.) Load-up was easy. Last year's gift of halters from DragonRidge Farms meant that we could bring the girls out in groups. The first group of Ginger/Taffy/Fiona/Lily would have walked perfectly if Ginger hadn't put on the brakes. The younger three were willing to walk nicely if only she'd get out of the way. When it was Dahlia and Emma's turn, Emma walked sweetly the whole way and Dahlia eventually agreed to move with reasonable dispatch when she saw the trailer. Apparently she was ready to shed her kids and retire to a summer in the cool woods.
As an aside: Yes, I'm being a mean goat-mom this year. Weaning for the four kids was accomplished by the simple expedience of moving their three moms fourteen miles away. Clancy is loud about it, and Padric tags along. Reese doesn't seem to care all that much. Tia looked a little lost at breakfast. I'll be working with the kids in the next few weeks to get them more grain and a better outlook on life.
Unloading at summer camp was likewise uneventful. The funny part was that we had to push the first few goats all the way through the gate to bring in the next group because they started eating the greenery the moment their heads were through. For about ten minutes there was the susurration of munching and crunching. After the group spread out and calmed down, Emma and Fiona got into a bloody tussle over who was superior, but no one was actually hurt. And no, I don't know what the verdict was in that fight.
The new tent shelters are, frankly, palatial, and have way more space than necessary for only seven goats. They are definitely tall enough for even Achaosofkittens or The Wombat to stand up inside. They are certainly sturdy enough for the summer thunderstorms. And with two of the tents up side by side, there is plenty of room to feed seven goats under cover even if someone suffers an explosion of goat politics.
I plan to bring out some fencing again this year as well, to make catching and checkups a lot easier. We'll probably start with some cattle panels and see if that's sufficient. Most of the Sydell fence panels are currently in use, and I'd prefer not to take down existing systems at my house.
Go go goats!
On Sunday morning, Pan, Dahlia, Ginger, Taffy, Fiona, Lily, and Emma headed northeast to play in the woods for the rest of the summer. (By request, Scout and Madeline were not included due to being too loud and pushy.) Load-up was easy. Last year's gift of halters from DragonRidge Farms meant that we could bring the girls out in groups. The first group of Ginger/Taffy/Fiona/Lily would have walked perfectly if Ginger hadn't put on the brakes. The younger three were willing to walk nicely if only she'd get out of the way. When it was Dahlia and Emma's turn, Emma walked sweetly the whole way and Dahlia eventually agreed to move with reasonable dispatch when she saw the trailer. Apparently she was ready to shed her kids and retire to a summer in the cool woods.
As an aside: Yes, I'm being a mean goat-mom this year. Weaning for the four kids was accomplished by the simple expedience of moving their three moms fourteen miles away. Clancy is loud about it, and Padric tags along. Reese doesn't seem to care all that much. Tia looked a little lost at breakfast. I'll be working with the kids in the next few weeks to get them more grain and a better outlook on life.
Unloading at summer camp was likewise uneventful. The funny part was that we had to push the first few goats all the way through the gate to bring in the next group because they started eating the greenery the moment their heads were through. For about ten minutes there was the susurration of munching and crunching. After the group spread out and calmed down, Emma and Fiona got into a bloody tussle over who was superior, but no one was actually hurt. And no, I don't know what the verdict was in that fight.
The new tent shelters are, frankly, palatial, and have way more space than necessary for only seven goats. They are definitely tall enough for even Achaosofkittens or The Wombat to stand up inside. They are certainly sturdy enough for the summer thunderstorms. And with two of the tents up side by side, there is plenty of room to feed seven goats under cover even if someone suffers an explosion of goat politics.
I plan to bring out some fencing again this year as well, to make catching and checkups a lot easier. We'll probably start with some cattle panels and see if that's sufficient. Most of the Sydell fence panels are currently in use, and I'd prefer not to take down existing systems at my house.
Go go goats!