Chat
01-14-2020, 12:26 PM
Thanks everyone for your kind thoughts. It's been a strange week without Petunia leading the herd. Even when she was sick, her presence seemed to go with the herd. They've been a little bit lost this week and have spent more time hanging around their pen than usual. Petunia used to lead the herd on their foraging forays, and even near the end when she quit going round with them, the herd seemed to go under her blessing and supervision. No one seems sure who is in charge now, so the herd seems a little confused and less orderly, but I see Tigerlily and TinCup starting to take the reins. There hasn't been much fighting, but I anticipate there will be some squabbles once Tigerlily and TinCup start to realize that the crown will come to one of them. If they fight, my money is on Tigerlily. She's the stronger and more aggressive of the two. But if there's no fight and someone just has to step up then my money is on TinCup. She's the more practical and capable and she seems to care more about making sure things get done. Tigerlily has a large independent streak and doesn't have a strong nurturing instinct like TinCup, so she may simply not care about leading the herd and may leave it to TinCup to avoid responsibility. I personally think TinCup would be a fantastic herd queen if the others are willing to respect her. She's not the fightingest goat in the herd, but she genuinely cares about everyone in much the same way Petunia did.
I sure do miss Petunia's sweet little funny face and the way she would bustle out to pasture every morning with her tail standing straight in the air and the herd marching along behind her. Sputnik was her muscle and would make sure everyone respected his mom. Petunia was a gentle leader and one of our smallest does but she nevertheless had a core of steel and few goats dared challenge her for more than a round or two. Tigerlily was Petunia's most frequent challenger, and based on size and strength I would expect Tigerlily to mop the floor with Petunia, but it never happened. Tigerlily always backed down after 2-3 short rounds.
Petunia is the only goat I've ever owned that managed to pull me over--and she did it TWICE! If Petunia wanted to go somewhere, she went. She didn't care if I happened to be hanging onto her collar! Petunia was usually overweight and didn't need grain, but if I was feeding grain to other goats on my porch, it was always easier just to let Petunia in with the others and give her her own portion because trying to block her from getting past the gate was almost never possible. She loved her vittles! I always had to tie her up because after inhaling her own meal she would bustle around the porch and help everyone else eat theirs.
Petunia was very much a "family" goat and loved to share milk with the human "kids" in her life. That included Phil and I but it apparently didn't include my relatives. I'll never forget the time my in-laws visited and Petunia stopped letting down her milk. I'd been getting almost 2 quarts/day and as soon as the relatives showed up she started giving less than 2 cups/day. Yet her udder felt full and hard with milk! I'd squeeze out what little I could and then let her out with her babies where she would immediately stand and let down her milk for them. As soon as my in-laws left, Petunia started letting down her milk for me again. What a little goof! Petunia really did have a very silly personality which I already miss. She could be a headache when she tore around our basement looking for hidden treats, but she always made me laugh. Petunia was always very personable with strangers and was usually the first goat, along with Finn, to greet visitors. It's one reason I always loved Petunia's kids the best. With the exception of Sputnik, they all took after their mother and were extra friendly and curious about new people.
I sure do miss Petunia's sweet little funny face and the way she would bustle out to pasture every morning with her tail standing straight in the air and the herd marching along behind her. Sputnik was her muscle and would make sure everyone respected his mom. Petunia was a gentle leader and one of our smallest does but she nevertheless had a core of steel and few goats dared challenge her for more than a round or two. Tigerlily was Petunia's most frequent challenger, and based on size and strength I would expect Tigerlily to mop the floor with Petunia, but it never happened. Tigerlily always backed down after 2-3 short rounds.
Petunia is the only goat I've ever owned that managed to pull me over--and she did it TWICE! If Petunia wanted to go somewhere, she went. She didn't care if I happened to be hanging onto her collar! Petunia was usually overweight and didn't need grain, but if I was feeding grain to other goats on my porch, it was always easier just to let Petunia in with the others and give her her own portion because trying to block her from getting past the gate was almost never possible. She loved her vittles! I always had to tie her up because after inhaling her own meal she would bustle around the porch and help everyone else eat theirs.
Petunia was very much a "family" goat and loved to share milk with the human "kids" in her life. That included Phil and I but it apparently didn't include my relatives. I'll never forget the time my in-laws visited and Petunia stopped letting down her milk. I'd been getting almost 2 quarts/day and as soon as the relatives showed up she started giving less than 2 cups/day. Yet her udder felt full and hard with milk! I'd squeeze out what little I could and then let her out with her babies where she would immediately stand and let down her milk for them. As soon as my in-laws left, Petunia started letting down her milk for me again. What a little goof! Petunia really did have a very silly personality which I already miss. She could be a headache when she tore around our basement looking for hidden treats, but she always made me laugh. Petunia was always very personable with strangers and was usually the first goat, along with Finn, to greet visitors. It's one reason I always loved Petunia's kids the best. With the exception of Sputnik, they all took after their mother and were extra friendly and curious about new people.