11 March 2016

Goats are fun

Seriously, I should have had these creatures from the get-go.  They are even more entertaining than chickens, which takes some doing since chickens are much better comedy than anything on the idiot box in years.

Brownie is very affectionate, in addition to being cute and funny.  I've discovered a minor problem, in that he thinks he should be my lap goat.  Uh, no ... no goats on the lap, or in the house (outside of a medical emergency).  He does smell like a male, so all the rubbing against me causes me to smell like a billy goat (ok, the technical term is buck, but in spoken conversation people seem to hear "butt" instead of buck).

The major problem with Brownie is he really likes broccoli plants.  I sat on the corner of one of the garden boxes the other morning, and he walked up, grabbed a mouthful of broccoli leaf, then just like in a cartoon you could see the thought bubble over his head with an exclamation point ... and there was just no keeping him out after that.  Hubby and I both tried.

I've been working with Chocolate to get her used to milking.  As long as she has some Goat Chow, she'll hold still for it ... but she inhales that stuff like it's air.  Then she starts moving around, and has the uncanny talent for putting her back hoof into the (regular mouth) canning jar I've been using to hold the milk.  This is the same regular mouth pint jar I have trouble filling with hot chicken stock even when using the funnel.  It is a bit frustrating, because in addition to the mess it makes, she can put her hoof in perfectly, without clicking the rim, and all the way to the bottom of the jar.  I am in the process of purchasing a milking stand (which will also work for trimming hooves), so hopefully that plus familiarity will help.

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