Goating Woes

The goats are getting bigger & more creative. It's fun to see them grow, though it seems like their horns are growing faster than anything. They like to sharpen them too, Abigail's are like little needles.

This first year is pretty reactive though we've tried to anticipate their habits. We did fence off the fruit trees & garden w/ chicken wire but Annie doesn't mind climbing the fence & so we have a crazy barrier to protect a cherry weed. She also got into the garden quite a bit, climbing right over the fence, so we sank poles every 3 feet along the perimeter for a palisade. That is working thus far.

We don't want them on the vehicles but they are so curious! They run in front of you as soon as you come down the driveway to greet you & completely hinder all of my normally smooth backing in atttempts. Then they (mostly Abigail) stick their pointy triangular heads on either side of you so fast that they are climbing into the drivers seat before you've unbuckled screaming baby or gotten what you've needed from the front.

Abby likes the front. Annie knows what day groceries fall on & waits for me to return from my shopping expedition. Then she tries to climb in & step on my purchases. Many murmerings & beatings ensue but she's much bigger than Abby. I don't actually beat her but I will grab a leg & swing it in a 180. I have to close the hatch for each trip to the house until we can finish the back fence.

We thought that by fencing in the entire front & sides that they would stay in but one day they figured out how to squeeze between the gate & the post & go graze on the side of the highway. The drivers, coming down a steep hill at 55 mph+ do not appreciate skittish goats. The goats do not appreciate the truckers using the jake brake coming down the hill either. Mike got some more chicken wire for the gate. We have an awful lot of chicken wire for no chickens.

Additional measures include installing a lot of metal sheeting over the flashing for under the house; it's was cracked & full of holes. Guess how badly goats want to investigate under the house? Mike has also built a pretty nice gate at the base of the stairs to keep them off of the deck. We wouldn't mind them up there but they poop nonstop. In their beds too. I don't understand why they do that when they aren't locked into their shed at night. Dirty goats. But they are pretty & so affectionate. Maybe it's like dogs? I've never had one.

But dirty, especially w/ their white hair. I'm hoping that they'll get too big to keep crawling under Mike's truck & getting greasy. They play games & fall over in the red dirt behind the house. I try not to mind the poo (it's just grass right?)though flip flops to anywhere other than the deck is greatly discouraged. I do think we've got nearly everything covered; I expect to rig up a pulley clothesline like the Amish when they start eating the wash & once they start to climb on the vehicles I've no idea. I'm hoping we can have the back fence up & they can free range in the woods a bit but there are bears & they've even started showing up at the back. More later.