The Old Folks Home

[tnspursfan09]

 

[hennible]

awesome

 

[vehve]

Nice runners, SCG, I'll check out the cloak tomorrow.

Captain Chook looks cool too.

 

[hennible]

Bamadude, finally read about Rick Simpsons oil... Wow... Oh and I found run from the cure, and a bunch of studies linked to that page...wow again. Guess I shouldn't have slowed down my intake...

 

[drumstick diva]

SCG I bet one with the cardinals comes out gorgeous

 

[Wisher1000]

It got down in the low thirties last night and I went out to check on the pup at 2:00am (yeah, I know, but he's only 11 weeks old and sleeping alone in the chicken coop.) He heard me coming and started to whine, and even yipped (like it hurt) a bit when he saw my flashlight, but then he was all wiggles and wags when he smelled my shoes. I was trying to figure out if I could safely provide a bit of artificial heat when he went to the door of the coop and stopped cold. It as dark outside the door and I couldn't see anything beyond a few feet, but the pup was growling low in his chest and the hair on his back was standing up. Suddenly he snarled, barked, and snapped toward the darkness, followed by a scared little squeak, and up walked my old 14 year old lab. The puppy was totally relieved and again all wiggles and wags and rolled over on his back in front of the big dog. I have to admit, I was a bit impressed at the glimpse of ferocity he gave me. I have also been impressed with the way the pup has no desire to follow me away from the coop. He follows me and wants to play as long as I am working near the coop, but when I am obviously striding away, he stops, turns around, and goes back to where the coop is. I am hoping that means he thinks of that has his place and is beginning to show that protective instinct.

He loves watching the chickens, but so does a hawk.

He will try to chase them occasionally, but I think he just wants to play with them and can't understand why they won't wrestle with him. Our little house dog will wrestle with him as long as he will let her win, but if he tries to win she gets really mad and shows her teeth. I laugh, and tell her that she better be sweet to him because before long, he will be able to hold her down with one paw.

He would really like to play with the goats, but he is very cautious of them. The only time he was near them, he got butted. I went into the pen to feed them and he followed. I stopped, picked him up and put him outside the gate, and went on to feed. He squeezed under the gate and followed me again. I scooped him up and held him while I fed. My goats are grouchy and I knew they would butt him. I then went out thrpough the gate and closed and latched it behind me. I set him on the ground and walked away thinking he would follow me. Nope. I turned around to see that he had gone back under the gate and was about to stick his nose in the goats feed when the nanny hit him. He screamed and startled the goats, who ran off a bit. He started running for cover of any kind and ended up under the goat's climbing structure. I rescued him from there and he has not wanted to go in the goat pen again. Once he is a little bigger, I will try to introduce them again, or if the nanny kids, I will let the baby be his best buddy.

 

[superchemicalgirl]

Wisher, the goats are just trying to show their dominance over the dog. That's how they do it. He's a bit young for it now, but once he grows he'll need to go through "initiation" head butts again.

 

[Bunnylady]

I had a goat doe that would go for any dog, or anything dog-like, that got in their pen. I once saw her charge out an open gate to butt a cat that was just walking by, minding its business. Some of her offspring wound up a lot bigger than her, but none of them have had it in for predators the way she had.

 

[bamadude]

Bamadude, finally read about Rick Simpsons oil... Wow... Oh and I found run from the cure, and a bunch of studies linked to that page...wow again. Guess I shouldn't have slowed down my intake...

yep. The facts are hard to dispute

 

[Wisher1000]

I wish (there I go again) that it had not happened. I was trying to avoid it until he is bigger. Both of my goats will butt the dogs if they can. They butt each other ALL THE TIME! They are the grouchiest goats I've ever seen. I had a few goats, years ago, and there was one nanny that would do that, but the others ignored the dog I had back then. The nanny would only hit him if he quit paying attention, but she never took her eyes off him if he was nearby. I saw her do it several times. She watched him from a few feet away until he turned his head to look at me, then she hit him like a freight train! He got to where he would stay outside the fence and watch me feed from there.

I'm hoping they will get used to him eventually and not be so hyper-vigilant around him. They are not so quick to butt the big lab, I think they are intimidated by him. They watch him, but he ignores them. They will blow and stamp when he's in their pen, but they only try to butt him if they think he is getting too close, or if he is facing away from them. They will go after the little house dog in a heartbeat. Once Biscuit is grown, he should be able to fend for himself around them.