What did you do today?

[nebs]

Beautiful does Taffy. I bet they throw some colorful kids!

[Nanno]

Aw, so pretty! Fuzzy is definitely looking very round! She and Jezebel are due on the same day--May 12th! We'll have to have a race and see who kids first.

[Taffy]

Well...I know what you and I will be doing on the 12th, Nanno! May both of our does kid easily!

[Nanno]

I moved my goat pens and shelters up near the house today in anticipation of kidding season and an upcoming road trip. I like chores to be as easy as possible for the kind people who do them for me when I leave home. It's also cheaper for me if I don't have to pay for an extra half hour or more every day to compensate my goat-sitters for trudging back and forth across meadows and through woods to feed and water and lock up goats. Far away and far apart pens were really nice when the boys were in rut and everyone was trying to get in with each other, but the boys are wethered now and the girls are no longer coming in heat, so it's safe to have everyone conveniently close by.

We also bought a new water trailer today. The insurance company was very generous in their estimate of my old trailer's value, so the check almost covered the cost of the new trailer even though it's quite a lot bigger than the old one. I'm very pleased. I got a great deal on that first trailer when I bought it four years ago from a guy on Craigslist. The insurance company paid me almost twice what I paid for that trailer originally and we got a LOT of use out of it during that time.

The best part of any new acquisition is watching the goats inspect it. The entire trailer was crawling with goats as all ten of them swarmed over it and started inspecting every inch and nibbling on the lights and paintwork. Phil spent a lot of time wrapping and concealing the wires to make them as goat-proof as possible. Of course, the very first thing that happened after we pulled up was we lost our temporary license plate. No sooner had we come to a halt than Delilah snatched it, yanked it right off, and started eating it. We rescued it before it was completely devoured and it will reside in the glove box until such time as we can get a less edible permanent plate.

[Dave-Trinity-Farms]

Nice Nanno! Not often you can say the insurance company did you right

I have been spending the last few days mucking shelters. I have a 12x24 shelter that is split in half with a nice sized pen for each side. This is my kid/yearling pens. Well with just 6 yearlings, and a couple of adult does taking up that space, I moved them over into the far size and moved 18 babies over to the nearest side. This way I dont have to go into drop the lamb bars. I just lift em over the fence and put em into their holders. Not all the babies are smart enough to find a nipple on their own so I do still have to go in there and show a few. Then with the remaining 10 younger babies, I moved them from their pens inside the barn (though I am bring them in the next few nights as its suppost to be around freezing) to the pens I just cleaned the babies out of. Had to fix a few holds and adjust the feeder in the bigger pen. I put 18 babies in and by the time I turned around. 3 where out

[Nanno]

We took Pac-Man and Finn to the community Easter egg hunt this morning! This was Pac-Man's first time pulling kids around in the cart. I drove him with the empty cart once in a while over the winter, and yesterday I hitched him up and practiced leading him with the empty cart, but today was the first time he really pulled a proper load for any length of time. I even drove him for a few minutes before the event started just to warm him up and to take a little edge off him.
   

I've gotten spoiled from years of working with Cuzco's professional, all-business attitude and I'd forgotten how a young goat likes to squirm and walk off half-loaded. Pac-Man and I need to practice "Woah!" a little more so I don't have to spend so much effort holding him in place. There were a few times when he wanted to walk off before we were ready, so I had to clamp down on the halter and force him to stand anyway, and that made him upset because he didn't like his head to be held so tight, so then he fought back, forcing me to grip him even tighter. Still, he's got the makings of a fine harness goat.
   

After an hour or so of hauling kids around he got tired enough to appreciate standing still while they got in and out. There's nothing like a bit of exhaustion to teach patience! He never balked even once, and all things considered I'd much rather have a goat that likes to drag me around than one I have to drag around. We were a huge hit with kids and parents alike.
   

Phil also brought Finn down to the park so he could meet kids and get used to the crowd. This was Finn's first event, and he lapped up the attention. We put mini tennis balls on his horns as a precaution. He hammed it up for the audience and enjoyed showing off his repertoire of tricks. Phil had the camera, and since he had his hands full with Finn he unfortunately wasn't able to get any photos other than this one at the truck.
   

During the event, Phil gave our phone number out to several people who are interested in hiring us to do birthday parties with the cart and perhaps with some trick goats.

[Nanno]

Ooh... now that I look at these photos I realize I need to raise that britchin up a couple holes. It's a bit low.

And when we got home, we were greeted by a couple of goats living the life o' riley. They were luxuriating so hard they couldn't even be bothered to get up and greet us when we pulled in.
   
   

[deschutes dawn]

Your weather looks perfect for weekend activities! We have a forecast of mixed rain and snow for tonight and Easter. My goaters are hanging on to their winter coats until the last possible moment and we haven't put away our winter coats either!

Great. Just saw the forecast-winter storm alert for Bend. Just great.

[Dave-Trinity-Farms]

Oh yuck! Great pictures Nanno!!!

[Taffy]

Great photos Nanno! Pac-Man is sure looking good. How old is he now?

Your goats get awesome socialization. I'd love to see some photos of Finn doing his agility work and tricks!

How much weight can a goat pull safely vs the amount of weight they can carry?