Chat
05-18-2020, 07:03 PM
Well, if you've been following this thread then you should already know that part of the story. 
We thought Butterfly was going to keep sleeping in the house for a while yet, but yesterday evening she got herself in and out of one of the goat hutches so we decided to leave her out with her mama and the other goats. She's thriving and gaining weight faster now. She plays hard with the other goats. Her rump is very steep now and I can't stretch her legs behind her, but I'm hoping, hoping, hoping that this heals with time and that her rump angle straightens out as she becomes more mobile. I keep reminding myself that it's not even two weeks since she was injured.
Pepperjack is a naughty boy. I can keep the horses out of the goat area but I can't keep the goats from crossing into the horse pen. I would think that the mamas would be smart enough to keep their babies far away from the horses by now, but they are very careless about it and go where they please. Pepperjack can't resist going after those bouncy little floppy-eared squeaky things any more than a dog can resist a rabbit. I've caught him chasing two more times, including again this evening. Good thing the babies are quick, but Butterfly is still the slowest so she's always the target. I've been planning to put the spare shock collar on Pepperjack and zap the heck out of him every time he goes after the goats, but I couldn't find the prongs for short-haired animals. I gave up tonight and just rigged it with a leather pad that doesn't allow the long prongs to poke so far into his neck. I lengthened the strap with a second dog collar and tomorrow I'm going to try it out. I think with just a few treatments he'll stop chasing. He's bold and mischievous but he's not stupid.
We thought Butterfly was going to keep sleeping in the house for a while yet, but yesterday evening she got herself in and out of one of the goat hutches so we decided to leave her out with her mama and the other goats. She's thriving and gaining weight faster now. She plays hard with the other goats. Her rump is very steep now and I can't stretch her legs behind her, but I'm hoping, hoping, hoping that this heals with time and that her rump angle straightens out as she becomes more mobile. I keep reminding myself that it's not even two weeks since she was injured.
Pepperjack is a naughty boy. I can keep the horses out of the goat area but I can't keep the goats from crossing into the horse pen. I would think that the mamas would be smart enough to keep their babies far away from the horses by now, but they are very careless about it and go where they please. Pepperjack can't resist going after those bouncy little floppy-eared squeaky things any more than a dog can resist a rabbit. I've caught him chasing two more times, including again this evening. Good thing the babies are quick, but Butterfly is still the slowest so she's always the target. I've been planning to put the spare shock collar on Pepperjack and zap the heck out of him every time he goes after the goats, but I couldn't find the prongs for short-haired animals. I gave up tonight and just rigged it with a leather pad that doesn't allow the long prongs to poke so far into his neck. I lengthened the strap with a second dog collar and tomorrow I'm going to try it out. I think with just a few treatments he'll stop chasing. He's bold and mischievous but he's not stupid.