What did you do today?

[hihobaron]

Hello Nanno
Thanks for the info on Almonds.
I can see the benefit of "Redirecting" your carriage horses energy would work out.
MY 2 1/2 year old Frisian is a constant "Licker" but dose not bite. No it is not a salt deficiency.
Horses have both Trace Mineral and Salt blocks in pasture with them.
Happy Trails
hihobaron

[hihobaron]

Eastern Snow Storm
Date Line: Greer South Carolina
5 inches of heavy wet snow with intermittent freezing rain at 6 AM this morning More coming.
We are Snow/Iced in here.Truck only made it half way up the driveway, but we made it back to camp OK.
Goat Boys don't like the weather either opened their gate gave them they feed they came out for one picture and went back in to their shed.They are standing there gate open trying to figure how to sneak into camp were it is heated. it was 32 degrees at 6 AM here 5 PM here now and temperature is down to 26 degrees.
More snow and Ice coming tonight.
Unhappy goats here.
hihobaron

[Saltlick]

Burrr! My goats just went through their first experience with sub-zero temperatures a few weeks ago (and snow). They seemed to be fine though. That being said, I think they are enjoying the warmer weather with lows just in the 20's now.

[hihobaron]

Hello Saltlick
It is amazing how after a stretch of Sub-Zero weather 20 degrees feels warm?
I grew up in Wisconsin and had a couple winters were for 20 something days in a row the HIGH day time temperatures was in the - digits Day time highs. Nite time -20's. Had to bring the heard of horses through that, and NO fancy barn.
One of the reasons I like South Carolina. I can deal with this compared to what I grew up with.
Chopped up Some Alfalfa/Timothy Hay cubes (From my Horse feed supplies Tossed in a couple handfuls of dry beet pulp and put in their heated water bucket they seem happier now.
I have a foal blanket that probably would fit Pete, Sure could use the Goat Coat from the drawing prize for Sam though.
It will warm up here by the end of next week.
I hope we will be able to get one of the truck out to main road by Monday. No 4WD here and we have to go over hill and dale to get to paved maintained road about a mile with lot of stuff you don't want to run into if you slide off.
Maybe I should rig a a harness and hook a sled behind Sam start teaching him to pull .
Happy Trails
hihobaron

[Charlie Horse]

I'm not sure that those goat coats are that warm. I have a dog coat that is actually very good. If I needed to I could put that on, and the goat coat over the top and it'd actually function to keep a goat warm.

I guess if you're still online, the storm has turned out to be a dud!

[hihobaron]

I'm not sure that those goat coats are that warm.  I have a dog coat that is actually very good.  If I needed to I could put that on, and the goat coat over the top and it'd actually function to keep a goat warm.

I guess if you're still online, the storm has turned out to be a dud!

Hello CH
Yes I am online.
Chill and nasty slippery here even the goats are sliding around. 
Main Power is still on "So Far" 
Storm is not a "DUD" for these southerners. 
I have faced lots worse having grown up and spent most of my life in Wisconsin and Upstate New York Winters.
Also I am a Prepper so I can live comfortably without having to go to town for a couple months at a time if needed. Actually the Pack Goats are part of my Bug Out Plan.
As to being online I have portable systems that I can even pack with me on the goats to stay online if needed.
I gave the goat boys some extra busted up hay cubes and beet pulp for roughage because they were not out browsing at all today. Gate was open all day they stuck their noses out a couple times when I was out but did not attack me like normal. Looked at me like" Your a fool to be out in this weather" we are staying in the shed.
The boys also got their heated water bucket put in today.
It settles down here and some of the Ice melts, Pete doesn't know it yet but I have a sled here that he might just get "Introduced" to.   Will try to get pictures.
As for Base Camp 1 (BC1) here we can go fully off line here for quite a while. Yet still keep a Internet Link on. 
Happy Trails
hihobaron

[Taffy]

Have you ever tried to sneak away from your goats? It's impossible! We were out hiking on a sunny 56* afternoon. The goats were happily grazing in one of our hay fields. I tried to stealthily sneak away around the back side of the hill I was next to. I didn't get 6 steps before they were on to me!  

[hihobaron]

Have you ever tried to sneak away from your goats? It's impossible! We were out hiking on a sunny 56* afternoon. The goats were happily grazing in one of our hay fields. I tried to stealthily sneak away around the back side of the hill I was next to. I didn't get 6 steps before they were on to me!  

Hello Taffy and ALL
To: Taffy
Yes , I have noticed that.
What is even worse is when I do get to far away especially if I am headed toward camp, I hear
 "Thundering Hooves" coming up from behind, Glad I only have the 2 goats and no horned ones.
They will pass stop and turn and give me a look like" How Dare YOU Walk Off From Us."
Then Fall into trail file behind me.
At least I don't have to worry to much about "getting lost with them around" 
I have the same problem with the horses here when I take a walk in the pasture with them.
That gets a little hairy, 5000 + pounds of horses running up greet you, just for a pet and scratch session.

==========================================
Moving on:

The Critters here are glad the storm is over.
Pete and Sam found a advantage of the storm for themselves.
All the snow and ice have limbs and branches of tree's especially pines (they love pine needles)
Drooped down low enough for them to climb up and eat.
Even if they got a face full of snow they enjoyed their snacking.

I have lots of Deer tracks in the woods here that have showed up since this snow.
Or are they goat tracks?
How do you tell the difference? 
Happy Trails
hihobaron and the snow goats.
 
Working the Brush
 
Picking out just the right pine tree.


This one looks good.

Who ME eat a Pine Tree  MMM Good

[Nanno]

Ah... I finally went for a lovely horseback ride today. The weather was downright balmy--mid-50's with hazy sunshine and not a breath of wind. I have hardly ridden since last October because I injured my knee in November, tried riding when I felt better in December then regretted it for a week, and January has been either too busy or too icy to do much riding. I rode bareback and I took Finn and Sputnik with me. This was Sputnik's first time following a horse and he handled it about as I expected--he came along just fine but he SCREAMED his protest for the first half a mile. I decided a good run would shut him up, so I cantered until Finn was panting like a freight train and Sputnik was only crying a little between huffs and puffs.

We met a hermit along the way who had put up a nice little shack in the creek bottom since the last time I rode down that direction about a year ago. He waved me down with a milk jug and hollered "CAN YOU TOP ME UP??" So I rode in closer and explained that the boys probably wouldn't be giving any milk, but he was welcome to try if he really wanted to. We ended up chatting for probably 45 minutes while Finn and Sputnik pottered around his garden and ate the dried, dead plants and scrub oak leaves. Finn was quite friendly, but I had to explain to the man about the importance of not grabbing and shaking a goat by the horns. It's so tempting for some guys to do this, but a goat's horns are his protection, and if a person he neither knows nor trusts comes up and grabs them, it's like having a stranger grab the gun in your holster. It's an aggressive thing to do and teaches a goat to fight. I told the guy to "shake hands" with Finn instead, and Finn obediently offered his right foot when asked.

The boys didn't want to leave the hermit--they'd grown comfortable down there and thought maybe we'd stay for dinner. Sputnik started bawling again (even louder this time) so I made the boys chase me and Jet at a gallop up a hill. Finn kept up admirably. Sputnik lagged, but that was because he kept pausing to holler. By the top of the hill he was too tired to scream any more and the rest of the ride was nice and quiet except for the occasional little "Bup-bup" from Finn, who is talkative but not loud. Sputnik is not at all talkative--if he has something to say he shouts it to the world. Otherwise he never makes a peep. Finn almost never hollers but he softly babbles much of the time. He has a quiet, pleasant voice so it doesn't bother me. In fact, it makes me chuckle, which makes him chuckle back at me and so on. It was a good day. And my knee is not punishing me for it either. Woo-hoo!

[Nanno]

Love the photos, Hihobaron! Your goats are so cute!

Goat tracks are more parallel and less pointy than deer tracks. Goats tracks look more like a butterfly (with straight wings) and deer tracks look more like a heart.