The Old Folks Home

[Pozees]

Good Morning, to you, too!

I think that is a wonderful "condensed version" of the last 50 or so posts!

I have two new goats. I'm not sure I like them. There is the wether, Dusty, and he is pretty, but doesn't like to be touched. And then there's Socks (whom I like to call Oreo) who loves to be petted, but WILL NOT stay in the pen. She will jump the pipe gate from a dead stand still. They fight all the time and I don't know if that is just what goats do, or if I have to worry they will hurt each other. Both have horns, and they try to hook each other all the time. They have just started eating brush, which is why I got them, but until recently, they only ate layer pellets. They enter the coop through the pop door and tear the catch pan off the feed hopper, spilling all (50lbs) of the layer pellets onto the floor of the coop.

All of my nice straight range fencing is bowed to the outside now, and when the Pullet Shut electric door closes at night, they force it open so they can take a moonlight stroll. That door was nearly $300 and I love it, when I can use it.............

I had goats several years ago, and the only thing that kept them where I wanted them was electric fence. No-climb fence? I heard them giggling as they climbed it. They will go over, under, or through, anything but electric. In my experience, anyway. The good thing is, they will turn worthless field into nice pasture, once you fence them into or out of where you want to.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

i am still hopeful to catch a weasel. just reset the trap with raw chicken.

...

I use canned mackerel. It's about the cheapest kind of fish with which to bait a trap. The smell is irresistible and travels.

I was having the havahart sprung almost every night without catching anything. I even wrapped the sides with hardware cloth so they couldn't get their hands through the wire. Then I put the trap on a board with a hole in it for the bait so they had to go farther into the trap to reach it and still nothing. Then I saw a video of a trap set inside a garage. A raccoon got into the garage somehow with the door closed. The live trap was in the middle of the floor. The raccoon occasionally sniffed at the trap but knowing it was a trap he pretty much ignored it. Then the strong little bugger raised the garage door enough to escape only to return but still avoided the trap.


I then bought one of these
http://www.flemingoutdoors.com/duke-dog-proof-racoon-trap.html
it works like a champ.
I recommend buying the setting tool since it is a bear to set by hand. The set tool was sold out when I got mine so I still don't have one.


If anyone thinks raccoons aren't incredibly strong, intelligent, and nimble - or that you don't have them - think again.
Found it!

Or that if you kill one, you think you got THE one.

Here's another good one. Bugger comes right into the house.

that reminds me of something awful i had in college... tasted like it had red hots in it.

thank you google... it was after shock. pretty sure i never would have had that memory had you not posted about it.

We had a big party at a buddy's house when we were about 19. We had every kind of liquor imaginable. And, stupidly, decided to drink them all.
I've never been sicker in my life. I've also never been much of a hard liquor drinker since. It was so bad that my friends and I started using Kool-Aid rather than wine in our bongs. For about 15 years, I would gag if I got a whiff of whiskey or bourbon. I've never drank anything similar in well over 40 years. In hindsight, maybe the party was a good idea.

LOL!! But, on the other hand I have lost most my eyebrows and part of my mustache when a down draft hit the water heater vent at the same time I was trying to light that d+++ thing.

Scott

In the army, it seemed like we were always on field maneuvers in the winter. One exercise I remember, we would go find a snow field to set up camp on. Whenever the snow melted, they found another part of the country with snow cover. We had big 8 man canvas tents with no floor but they did have a diesel stove. The stove was off center so the near side got too hot and the far side was always cold. The diesel was impossible to get started so we found that if we did about half and half diesel and gasoline, it would light right up. As long as you stayed just under that it worked.
We usually worked 12 on and 12 off. I was always on the 6pm to 6am shift. One night our Second Lieutenant filled the stove in one of the officer's tents before he went to sleep. His mixture was a little rich. I could hear him screaming from inside our deuce and a half field office. We went outside and the tent was in flames. The stove had exploded and destroyed everything. We watched it burn to the ground. He was out in the snow stripped of his burning clothing, black soot all over him, hair singed but miraculously, he recovered completely.

It's interesting how canvas burns covered with gasoline.

Diecide? Sepultura? Megadeth? (My fave...I totally crush on Dave)

Thrash metal was a little after my time.

With my morning coffee, we have a light rain and I was listening to Bob Marley, Al Kooper, Alvin Lee, some early Carlos, Traffic and Adelle.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-fmCoUjOMXU
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AqZceAQSJvc
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bW5M5xljdCI
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RBAwv49slC8
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pSQ1akE2CcM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5zECNsIeH9g

...

i miss the old farm

Same here. I had a chance to buy it and let it slip away.

 

[superchemicalgirl]

Good Morning, to you, too!

I think that is a wonderful "condensed version" of the last 50 or so posts!

I have two new goats. I'm not sure I like them. There is the wether, Dusty, and he is pretty, but doesn't like to be touched. And then there's Socks (whom I like to call Oreo) who loves to be petted, but WILL NOT stay in the pen. She will jump the pipe gate from a dead stand still. They fight all the time and I don't know if that is just what goats do, or if I have to worry they will hurt each other. Both have horns, and they try to hook each other all the time. They have just started eating brush, which is why I got them, but until recently, they only ate layer pellets. They enter the coop through the pop door and tear the catch pan off the feed hopper, spilling all (50lbs) of the layer pellets onto the floor of the coop.

All of my nice straight range fencing is bowed to the outside now, and when the Pullet Shut electric door closes at night, they force it open so they can take a moonlight stroll. That door was nearly $300 and I love it, when I can use it.............

better goat fencing, now. keep them inside their own area (which can have brush in it and be moved) with those panels. the panels we build have extra support so they can't bow them out as much, and are thick so even when they jump up on them they don't really bend. it didn't cost us that much money to build them and we only have 7 or so. our (full sized) goats have never jumped over them.



if the goats weren't together before coming to you, they will fight and work out their pecking order and then they will just play after that. play may look violent and does include head butting and rearing up.

goats often don't like to be petted on their heads, so go more for under their neck near their "chest" area (and if you do it "right" you will be rewarded with a burping and farting goat). i will pet and brush mine (and dry milk them so they get used to their teats being touched before they need to be milked) while they are fully engaged in eating their grain and boss mix. mine also like snacks of animal crackers, and that helped me win their affections (and gets them back to their enclosure when i let them out).

i am also a firm believer that goats will slowly drive you insane.

edited to add a few more goaty fence pictures. it's really not complicated and you only need 4 to start off with then add more as needed.

 

[ronott1]

Good Morning, to you, too!

I think that is a wonderful "condensed version" of the last 50 or so posts!

I have two new goats. I'm not sure I like them. There is the wether, Dusty, and he is pretty, but doesn't like to be touched. And then there's Socks (whom I like to call Oreo) who loves to be petted, but WILL NOT stay in the pen. She will jump the pipe gate from a dead stand still. They fight all the time and I don't know if that is just what goats do, or if I have to worry they will hurt each other. Both have horns, and they try to hook each other all the time. They have just started eating brush, which is why I got them, but until recently, they only ate layer pellets. They enter the coop through the pop door and tear the catch pan off the feed hopper, spilling all (50lbs) of the layer pellets onto the floor of the coop.

All of my nice straight range fencing is bowed to the outside now, and when the Pullet Shut electric door closes at night, they force it open so they can take a moonlight stroll. That door was nearly $300 and I love it, when I can use it.............

I am beginning to understand why I might not want goats.....

 

[ChickenCanoe]

Well, it's no longer a light rain. I guess my planting and mowing plans have changed. At least I won't have to water the fruit trees and berries.

 

[Hangtown Farms]

better goat fencing, now. keep them inside their own area (which can have brush in it and be moved) with those panels. the panels we build have extra support so they can't bow them out as much, and are thick so even when they jump up on them they don't really bend. it didn't cost us that much money to build them and we only have 7 or so. our (full sized) goats have never jumped over them.



if the goats weren't together before coming to you, they will fight and work out their pecking order and then they will just play after that. play may look violent and does include head butting and rearing up.

goats often don't like to be petted on their heads, so go more for under their neck near their "chest" area (and if you do it "right" you will be rewarded with a burping and farting goat). i will pet and brush mine (and dry milk them so they get used to their teats being touched before they need to be milked) while they are fully engaged in eating their grain and boss mix. mine also like snacks of animal crackers, and that helped me win their affections (and gets them back to their enclosure when i let them out).

i am also a firm believer that goats will slowly drive you insane.

edited to add a few more goaty fence pictures. it's really not complicated and you only need 4 to start off with then add more as needed.

something fell out of our goat today



another doeling!!!


2 for 2 lets just hope we keep this streak up

what kind of goats do you have? I am looking at getting a quad of either Spanish or San Clemente island Goats

 

[Bunnylady]

Wisher, I reckon you know now why I call my goats my "pointy headed problem children."

(This is actually one of my goats' favorite hobbies)

I agree with Pozees - the only thing I have seen stop a goat is a hot wire. I've seen them run through electric fencing when they felt strongly enough about it; so I have welded wire to confine them, and a hot wire to protect the fence from them.

Incidentally, SCG has some surprisingly well-mannered goats. I have seen goats somersault over 4" fencing (while pregnant) because whatever was outside of the fence was more attractive to them than the full hayrack that was inside the pen.

I'm afraid I can't unconditionally agree with SCG's statement about goats playing, either. Some play, although it is a way of reinforcing dominance patterns within the herd when they do it. BB2K had to take a lunging whip to one goat to get the goat to stop trying to dominate her a few years ago (the goat finally got the point, and they've been good ever since). Probably the worst one I have had was a wether that I named Spike. His mother was the herd matriarch, and as long as she was the boss, everything was reasonable. When Esme began to age, though, Spike began his reign of terror. Shortly after it began, I lost one goat in a way that I still suspect he may have had a hand (or horn) in. I used to have loose-fitting dog collars on the goats, but I had to take them off - Spike would deliberately get one of his horns in another goat's collar and twist. He also liked to snag forelegs with his horns. When the horses were in their stalls eating, Spike would butt the doors. If I need to tie an animal up to do something with it, I have to take it to a place where the other goats can't get to it, because they will butt any animal that is tied. I've heard that they will eat the minis' tails and manes, but that hasn't happened; though they have tried to eat my hair or clothes on many occasions.

Somebody remind me - why do I like these things?

 

[ozexpat]

what kind of goats do you have? I am looking at getting a quad of either Spanish or San Clemente island Goats

my goats are 5 native goats - very small with crappy milk supply. two of them have a little boer blood and are bigger but not much.

the sire is a Nubian

I am going to get another Nubian buck to cross these with to get 75% F2s.

By then I should be getting decent milk supply and twins.

It will be a five to ten year project - F1. 50%, F2 75% F3 88% F4 93% AND F5 97% The bigger pecentage of doelingd, the faster.

I need to sell some chickens before i can afford another Nubian sire.Purebred Nubian does are 500-600 each and bucks 700-1000

There are a few Saanens and the rare inbred Alpines and Togs but Nubians handlr thr climate best.

 

[superchemicalgirl]

what kind of goats do you have? I am looking at getting a quad of either Spanish or San Clemente island Goats

I have a nubian and a grade: half lamancha, half oberhasli. The nubian drives me absolutely up a wall with her screaming.

Wisher, I reckon you know now why I call my goats my "pointy headed problem children."

(This is actually one of my goats' favorite hobbies)

I agree with Pozees - the only thing I have seen stop a goat is a hot wire. I've seen them run through electric fencing when they felt strongly enough about it; so I have welded wire to confine them, and a hot wire to protect the fence from them.

Incidentally, SCG has some surprisingly well-mannered goats. I have seen goats somersault over 4" fencing (while pregnant) because whatever was outside of the fence was more attractive to them than the full hayrack that was inside the pen.

I'm afraid I can't unconditionally agree with SCG's statement about goats playing, either. Some play, although it is a way of reinforcing dominance patterns within the herd when they do it. BB2K had to take a lunging whip to one goat to get the goat to stop trying to dominate her a few years ago (the goat finally got the point, and they've been good ever since). Probably the worst one I have had was a wether that I named Spike. His mother was the herd matriarch, and as long as she was the boss, everything was reasonable. When Esme began to age, though, Spike began his reign of terror. Shortly after it began, I lost one goat in a way that I still suspect he may have had a hand (or horn) in. I used to have loose-fitting dog collars on the goats, but I had to take them off - Spike would deliberately get one of his horns in another goat's collar and twist. He also liked to snag forelegs with his horns. When the horses were in their stalls eating, Spike would butt the doors. If I need to tie an animal up to do something with it, I have to take it to a place where the other goats can't get to it, because they will butt any animal that is tied. I've heard that they will eat the minis' tails and manes, but that hasn't happened; though they have tried to eat my hair or clothes on many occasions.

Somebody remind me - why do I like these things?

Thanks for chiming in with your experiences. I'd agree my goats are well behaved. I had 2 nubians prior to the current pair and have not had escapees like that nor anything more than a really pushy herd queen.

my goats are 5 native goats - very small with crappy milk supply. two of them have a little boer blood and are bigger but not much.

the sire is a Nubian

I am going to get another Nubian buck to cross these with to get 75% F2s.

By then I should be getting decent milk supply and twins.

It will be a five to ten year project - F1. 50%, F2 75% F3 88% F4 93% AND F5 97% The bigger pecentage of doelingd, the faster.

I need to sell some chickens before i can afford another Nubian sire.Purebred Nubian does are 500-600 each and bucks 700-1000

There are a few Saanens and the rare inbred Alpines and Togs but Nubians handlr thr climate best.

Oz, I'd be happy to give you Pippy to take home! Screams are no extra charge.

Time to go take the monsters for a walk.

 

[Wisher1000]

I've had a rough couple of weeks. Seems everything I touch has to be as difficult as it possibly can be. I've had 12 straight Mondays. Friday, I took off half a day to help DD get moved into her new house. She closed on her new one and took possession at 8:00am then closed on the old one at 9:30 and has to turn over the keys at 12:00pm on Sunday. I went at lunch and started moving boxes, then more people came to help with the heavy stuff. In the meantime, I forgot that I had eggs to go into lockdown on Thursday morning and when I got home after dark yesterday, there were five chicks in the bottom of the Sportsman. They fell through two racks, but all were fluffy and healthy! 100.0o, 22% humidity, and tuning every hour hatched them on day 20!