Just thought you might all enjoy a laugh...
I had to put my geese away early yesterday as I needed to go out and if I get back after dark they are likely to be fox fodder - we have a lot of foxes! Anyways...
Geese close to pen - check
Door to pen open - check
Put food in pen - check
Clean and fill water containers - check
Time to herd geese into the pen.
I left the dogs on the ute because they've been a bit over enthusiasic about their herding in the last couple of week as I'm getting ready for a trial. So I wander casually up the paddock circle around the geese and head them in the right direction. All's going well so far! Get them to their pen and all (5) of the dogs think they NEED to help! No problem - I can control 5 dogs right. Went ok except 1 goose - the baby of course - refused to go in the pen!
So out they all come again. I put the dogs back on the ute. Call the calmest dog off and send her up to get the geese. Before she even got near them they decided it was time to practice their flying.....
Well sometime in the last 6 months, when I wasn't watching, my geese have become accomplished flyers! They look awesome in the air as they head towards the neighbours place! Some of them fly beter than others - either that or they are more determined. So I ended up with 3 next door, one in with the neighbours horse and two in with their mastiff, one up the hill in one of my horse paddocks, three in with my sheep and three up in my house yard!
So off me and the dog head over to the neighbours place. I climbed the fence and herded the two in with the mastiff into a corner and turffed them over the fence and into the driveway where my dog kept them. Went through into the horse paddock and did the same with the third. In the meantime my horses are chasing the single intruder in their paddock all over the place having a merry old time. I climbed into that paddock and between keeping the horses off the goose while trying to herd it close to the fence so I could catch it I was a bit out of breath. (I'm glad the neighbours wern't home) Eventually cornered that one and turfed her over the fence. The dog has brought the other three up the driveway and put them back with their mates and the three in the sheep paddock have joined them already so I didn't need to chase those as well (thankfully).
Start to herd them back down to their pen. Get three quarters of the way there and had to growl at one of the dogs on the ute, the one I was using thought I was growling at her and went and got on the ute. Called one of the other dogs to come help me and one of the geese saw the dog coming and took off - again!
I held the geese where they were hoping that the single would come back down to them - no such luck! Eventually put the rest away anyway. By this stage I was over an hour late.
I ended up deciding to go out and do what I had to do and hope that the goose would move down to the pen by the time I got back.
Been out - did what I had to do and came back - right on dark. Goose still up at the house - some expetives were said at this point!
So I started to herd the single goose down the paddock....
She takes off....AGAIN! Ended up all the way down a couple of hundred meters on the other side of the pen. So I walk down there...very, very slowly - not looking at her. Then I very, very slowly inch her up towards the pen.....
Then .. YES.... she sees the others. So I go to the pen and open the door. Step back - now the fun part.... keeping all the others in while letting her past. Turned out to be the easy bit - she basically pushed past me to get to her friends!
I had to put my geese away early yesterday as I needed to go out and if I get back after dark they are likely to be fox fodder - we have a lot of foxes! Anyways...
Geese close to pen - check
Door to pen open - check
Put food in pen - check
Clean and fill water containers - check
Time to herd geese into the pen.
I left the dogs on the ute because they've been a bit over enthusiasic about their herding in the last couple of week as I'm getting ready for a trial. So I wander casually up the paddock circle around the geese and head them in the right direction. All's going well so far! Get them to their pen and all (5) of the dogs think they NEED to help! No problem - I can control 5 dogs right. Went ok except 1 goose - the baby of course - refused to go in the pen!
So out they all come again. I put the dogs back on the ute. Call the calmest dog off and send her up to get the geese. Before she even got near them they decided it was time to practice their flying.....
Well sometime in the last 6 months, when I wasn't watching, my geese have become accomplished flyers! They look awesome in the air as they head towards the neighbours place! Some of them fly beter than others - either that or they are more determined. So I ended up with 3 next door, one in with the neighbours horse and two in with their mastiff, one up the hill in one of my horse paddocks, three in with my sheep and three up in my house yard!
So off me and the dog head over to the neighbours place. I climbed the fence and herded the two in with the mastiff into a corner and turffed them over the fence and into the driveway where my dog kept them. Went through into the horse paddock and did the same with the third. In the meantime my horses are chasing the single intruder in their paddock all over the place having a merry old time. I climbed into that paddock and between keeping the horses off the goose while trying to herd it close to the fence so I could catch it I was a bit out of breath. (I'm glad the neighbours wern't home) Eventually cornered that one and turfed her over the fence. The dog has brought the other three up the driveway and put them back with their mates and the three in the sheep paddock have joined them already so I didn't need to chase those as well (thankfully).
Start to herd them back down to their pen. Get three quarters of the way there and had to growl at one of the dogs on the ute, the one I was using thought I was growling at her and went and got on the ute. Called one of the other dogs to come help me and one of the geese saw the dog coming and took off - again!
I held the geese where they were hoping that the single would come back down to them - no such luck! Eventually put the rest away anyway. By this stage I was over an hour late.
I ended up deciding to go out and do what I had to do and hope that the goose would move down to the pen by the time I got back.
Been out - did what I had to do and came back - right on dark. Goose still up at the house - some expetives were said at this point!
So I started to herd the single goose down the paddock....
She takes off....AGAIN! Ended up all the way down a couple of hundred meters on the other side of the pen. So I walk down there...very, very slowly - not looking at her. Then I very, very slowly inch her up towards the pen.....
Then .. YES.... she sees the others. So I go to the pen and open the door. Step back - now the fun part.... keeping all the others in while letting her past. Turned out to be the easy bit - she basically pushed past me to get to her friends!
