The Old Folks Home

[superchemicalgirl]

I've wanted a couple of goats for a while. Trying to decide if I want just pets or maybe for milking but I'm not sure if the cuteness outweighs the trouble they can get into.

Mine don't really get into trouble, they're mild by most goat story standards, but boy do they waste hay. I cleaned them out last in January thaw, and right now the hay is about 3 feet thick on the floor. They eat maybe 1 strand of hay for every 50 that they discard for not being good enough.

IT DRIVES ME INSANE.

 

[sdunmoyer]

Mine don't really get into trouble, they're mild by most goat story standards, but boy do they waste hay. I cleaned them out last in January thaw, and right now the hay is about 3 feet thick on the floor. They eat maybe 1 strand of hay for every 50 that they discard for not being good enough. 

IT DRIVES ME INSANE. 

What kind do you have? Are they just pets? From what I've researched they do much better if you have at least 2 and not one alone. And definitely should have a proper fence in place.

 

[superchemicalgirl]

What kind do you have? Are they just pets? From what I've researched they do much better if you have at least 2 and not one alone. And definitely should have a proper fence in place.

Originally got them to be dual purpose - was planning to milk them and to have them do weed/poison ivy/brush control.

Now the only purpose they serve is to drive me insane.

Currently I have 2 females, a nubian (screamer) and a lamancha/oberhasli cross that looks like a lamancha.

They're good to help with Christmas Tree Control, too.


And when you try to muck their house in spring they're very helpful and courteous.


Caramel, the lamancha, loves fruits and veggies. I find it entertaining to shove various things in her mouth. She loves tomatoes, pears and broccoli the best. And cookies.


Pear monster. Pippy (nubian) won't touch them.


Goats are also helpful during fall clean up. Try to remove fallen branches and the goats think you're playing the head butt game.


They don't do bad in winter, little bit like the chickens - they won't come out much if it's actively snowing but they'll trudge through it. We built the house and the fencing panels.


I know I mentioned Xmas trees, but they also do wreath removal and disposal. Turned my back for 30 seconds and she ripped this off the door and ran off with it.


But, they do help with the hundreds of pounds of dropped pine boughs each winter. They clear it of anything green and I cut it up for firewood.


They can be adorable.


And curious.


And oral explorers. Caramel wasn't sure whether shingles were delicious or not, she sampled them multiple times.


Pippy is a bit of a goofball. If I'm sitting down, she'll come up behind me and jump on me, around my shoulders, and then play. I think I broke her of this. It was like getting tackled by a lineman. She's not a svelte goat.


Meanwhile Caramel doesn't like my hair ties and protects me from them.


The goat haus

 

[sdunmoyer]

Originally got them to be dual purpose - was planning to milk them and to have them do weed/poison ivy/brush control. Now the only purpose they serve is to drive me insane. Currently I have 2 females, a nubian (screamer) and a lamancha/oberhasli cross that looks like a lamancha. They're good to help with Christmas Tree Control, too. And when you try to muck their house in spring they're very helpful and courteous. Caramel, the lamancha, loves fruits and veggies. I find it entertaining to shove various things in her mouth. She loves tomatoes, pears and broccoli the best. And cookies. Pear monster. Pippy (nubian) won't touch them. Goats are also helpful during fall clean up. Try to remove fallen branches and the goats think you're playing the head butt game. They don't do bad in winter, little bit like the chickens - they won't come out much if it's actively snowing but they'll trudge through it. We built the house and the fencing panels. I know I mentioned Xmas trees, but they also do wreath removal and disposal. Turned my back for 30 seconds and she ripped this off the door and ran off with it. But, they do help with the hundreds of pounds of dropped pine boughs each winter. They clear it of anything green and I cut it up for firewood. They can be adorable. And curious. And oral explorers. Caramel wasn't sure whether shingles were delicious or not, she sampled them multiple times. Pippy is a bit of a goofball. If I'm sitting down, she'll come up behind me and jump on me, around my shoulders, and then play. I think I broke her of this. It was like getting tackled by a lineman. She's not a svelte goat. Meanwhile Caramel doesn't like my hair ties and protects me from them. The goat haus

Aww thanks for the info and cute pictures. Maybe they are worth the occasional headache.

 

[superchemicalgirl]

Aww thanks for the info and cute pictures. Maybe they are worth the occasional headache.

You can come pick them up and find out.

 

[sdunmoyer]

You can come pick them up and find out.

:cd

 

[chickisoup]

Definitely a crawling to the coffee pot kind of morning

 

[chickisoup]

Morning all,

SCG;
Love the goatie pics!!! I so much miss having goats but your pics remind me that I may no longer be up to keeping up with them or my much older bones surviving their antics. Still doesn't keep me from daydreaming about a couple of kids romping around with the chickens. Sigh.

 

[microchick]

'nuff said.

Love the goat pictures. Neighbors were over the other day, They have a brown Swiss cross dairy cow. Not actually theirs. THey have 10 kids and one of our Amish neighbors loaded them the cow for milk all they have to do is feed her. I told them that I didn't want a cow but I would really like to get a pair of dairy does. I worry about worming and parasites, though.

I woke up this morning and there is actually a bright spot it the cloud cover and no rain falling from the heavens. That's the good news. The bad news is that the low on Thursday night is 32 degrees and my fruit trees are all blooming.

 

[superchemicalgirl]

I woke up this morning and there is actually a bright spot it the cloud cover and no rain falling from the heavens. That's the good news. The bad news is that the low on Thursday night is 32 degrees and my fruit trees are all blooming.

... WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY IN EFFECT FROM 8 AM THIS MORNING TO 4 AM EDT WEDNESDAY... THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN GRAY HAS ISSUED A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FOR SNOW MIXED WITH SLEET AND RAIN... WHICH IS IN EFFECT FROM 8 AM THIS MORNING TO 4 AM EDT WEDNESDAY. * HAZARD TYPES... SNOW SLEET AND RAIN * ACCUMULATIONS... 3 TO 6 INCHES OF SNOW. * TIMING... SNOW WILL SPREAD RAPIDLY ACROSS THE AREA EARLY THIS MORNING, AND COULD BECOME MODERATE TO HEAVY DURING THE MID TO LATE MORNING BEFORE MIXING WITH OR CHANGING TO RAIN IN THE AFTERNOON. THE MIXED PRECIPITATION WILL CONTINUE INTO THE NIGHT BEFORE ENDING LATE. * IMPACTS... SLIPPERY ROADS. THE SNOW WILL BE HEAVY AND WET AND COULD DOWN SMALL LIMBS LEADING TO SCATTERED POWER OUTAGES. * WINDS... EAST 5 TO 15 MPH WITH GUSTS UP TO 25 MPH. * VISIBILITIES... ONE QUARTER TO ONE HALF MILE AT TIMES. *

Exactly what I wanted.