Leaps and bounds…

yes… the lambs are growing by LEAPs and BOUNDs!  My small flock of Shetland lambs range in age now from 4-weeks to the ‘youngest’ at almost 3-weeks old. My ewe Reese’s Pieces was the last to lamb on cinco de mayo! Thankfully, after Katie and I returned home from Wolcott Farm’s Sheep Shearing Saturday.

Several weeks later, the lambs are rambunctious, becoming more independent and confident… to leave mama’s side…and enjoying some serious playtime, particularly in the early evening hours.

Several years ago, we dismantled our children’s play-fort and re-used/recycled the lumber to construct a playhouse for our goats AND this play ramp/platform for the sheepies. (I actually want to add a roof, kinda like a wood-covered bridge.) Big D just grins and rolls his eyes with all the ‘projects’ I dream-up!!!!

Group hug… (missing a few more lambs from the pic).

The challenge…

Hey…no fair! Two against one!

Hi-Ho Silver!!! Um…I think you better use the ramp!

Too much fun…building strong bodies!

The lambs and goat kids provide hours of cheap/free entertainment!

Besides playing with babies, I’ve been making cheese nearly daily to share with family and friends. I get the 6 a.m. morning milk, then the kids have mama ALL day. By 6 p.m., my does are mostly all milked-off by hungry boys!

…got goat milk??? I have yet to make any yogurt this spring and I would like to purchase some grains to make kefir, a first for me!

AND, still working working working in the veggie garden…amending the last of the beds with compost for the tomato, green pepper plants, potatoes and basil that will go in this weekend for sure!

Also, last summer’s back porch project has been resurrected…our self-made screens have been installed (YAY) and we purchased a ceiling fan to replace the wall-mounted light. I’m refinishing a table that I purchased at a barn sale last summer for the back porch too. Still undecided on additional seating…but, I’m on the look-out for potential candidates! Perhaps we’ll be able to enjoy the holiday weekend with el fresco dining!

My fiber art and so many other projects have taken a back-seat during the past few weeks (as I’ve been pre-occupied w/kidding, lambing and gardening!), but I hope to be posting some creative results with you in the very near future! Thanks for your patience!

Hope you enjoy a lovely Memorial Day weekend with family and friends! Play safe!

Mayday Mayday Mayday

May 1st, often called ‘May Day’, may have more holidays than any other day of the year. It’s a celebration of Spring, a day of political protests, a saint’s feast day, a neopagan festival and a day for organized labor. In many countries, it is a national holiday!

photo courtesy University of Missouri

photo courtesy apartment therapy

Mayday is ALSO an emergency procedure word used internationally as a distress signal in voice procedure radio communications. It is derived from the French venez m’aider, meaning “come help me”.

photo courtesy Millers Field

It is used to signal a life-threatening emergency primarily by mariners and aviators, but in some countries local organizations such as police forces, firefighters and transportation organizations also use the term. The call is always given three times in a row (“Mayday Mayday Mayday”) to prevent mistaking it for some similar-sounding phrase under noisy conditions, and to distinguish an actual Mayday call from a message about a Mayday call.

A mayday situation is one in which a vessel, aircraft, vehicle, or person is in grave and imminent danger and requires immediate assistance. Examples of “grave and imminent danger” in which a mayday call would be appropriate include fire, explosion or sinking.

My MAY DAY was a little of all of the above! Let me begin with a lambing update: three of my prego Shetland ewes have lambed (from a week ago Tuesday, last Friday and most recently, this past Tuesday). First and foremost, all mom’s and lambs are doing well!

First to lamb, Bella and her triplets!

Next, Dove and her twin ram lambs!

This past Monday, my prego ewe Serendipity, showed the familiar tell-tale ‘signs’ of impending birth… ALL.DAY.LONG. Before nightfall, I decided to put her in the barn (in a small make-do stall called a lambing ‘jug’). I believed she would be ‘safe’ without being disturbed by the other girls and I could more easily monitor her progress. By 10 p.m. and still anxious that she had not yet lambed, I decided to sleep/spend the night in the barn with her – just in case she required any assistance (pleeeeeze don’t require any assistance!!)!

My woman’s intuition did not disappoint. At approx 11:20 p.m. and 11:45 p.m., Sara gave birth to twin ewe lambs (a totally textbook perfect lambing!). YAY! Just short of MAYDAY arrivals! HAHAHA

Serendipity (Sara) and her day-old lambs!

As I own a very small spinner’s flock of Shetlands, I have one more ewe, Reese, yet to lamb. So, stay tuned… for further updates.

In the meantime, the milking ‘girls’ are doing well and their bucklings are growing by leaps and bounds. The boyz are as sweet and mischievous as little boys tend to be!! Anyone looking for a loving buckling/pet wether?

Oberhasli buckling at two weeks.

HEY! This stuff isn’t as good as mama’s milk!

Goats on parade…

Between playing (ahem) and checking-up on new mamas and babies, I’ve been cleaning more stalls than I care to…AND milking goats, making cheese again, working in the garden – STILL planting – and stealing a few minutes here and there to work on a growing backlog of fiber projects!

Happy goat family!

Hope you have a great weekend and enjoy family! BTW, Saturday I’ll be dyeing in the kitchen at Metroparks Wolcott Farm’s Sheep Shearing Saturday! Come and have some farm fun!

A week in review…

Time flies when you’re having fun…or not?

SPRING is undoubtedly the busiest time of year on the farm…shearing, lambing, kidding, gardening, planting and so on! So much has happened since my last post and I do apologize for not ‘sharing’ sooner. That’s probably one of the benefits of facebook; little snippets of news communicated/shared relatively simply with a few key-strokes!

To all my faithful followers, a brief recap. We began the week with our monthly 4-H goat project meeting - in the barn – with my two dairy goats who were now overdue (beyond the norm average 150-days gestation).  We talked about the development of an udder, loosening of pelvic ligaments and BEHAVIORAL  signs of early stages of the birthing process such as act of withdrawal, seeking seclusion from the rest of the herd, uneasiness, kicking, pawing the ground, lying down and getting up frequently, frequent attempts at urination, refusal of grain, vocalizing, and so on.

Since my 4-H goat project kids are all new first-year goat owners, we also talked about visible signs of second stage labor including vaginal discharge, uterine contractions, appearance of the water sac and finally the evidence of a foot exiting the birth canal. All thought, oh, how exciting! But, in reality, the responsibility as goat caretaker and overseer to the blessed kidding (or lambing) event can be a bit daunting!

Finally, the long-awaited and imminent kidding arrived! Early Sunday evening (long after my 4-H families had departed), Coriander went into labor and delivered two bouncing baby bucklings (ie boys). Buckling No.1, for the most part, was delivered normally…albeit, a bit of straining by Corey to get the head/shoulders through the birth canal. Don’t get over-anxious to assist… proper dilation of the cervix needs to occur. otherwise tearing/damage may occur. The ability to recognize kidding difficulty is as important as proper technique in relieving dystocia (or, difficult birth). It is wise to prepare yourself with some kidding knowledge either through research/reading or by visiting a friend who may also be lambing/kidding, IF you find yourself in a position to lend a hand with the birth!  Occasionally, in some situations, a gentle downward ‘tug’ on the legs with the next strong contraction is helpful. Another valuable resource for newbies and kidding/lambing info can be found at: http://www.infovets.com//books/smrm/C/C460.htm

As for Buckling No.2, it soon became evident – it helps to know your goat anatomy -  that he was NOT in the proper presentation (but normal position and posture). Terms to know: presentation, position and posture.  He was coming backward (breech), back legs first, dewclaw visible and hock (recognize the difference between the bend of the knee or the bend of the hock).

Diagram courtesy kinne.net

To make a long story short, all ended well with our two dairy goats’ kidding season. Finally, Cassiopeia, a first freshener, gained confidence through Corey’s kidding ordeal and decided she was up to the challenge! She delivered a single large healthy buckling on Tuesday morning, day 154. Moms (does) and kids are all doing well and thriving! Phew! I’m glad all ended well and I’m back into the routine of milking my girls twice a day. Our bucklings (or wethers) will be looking for new homes once they’re weaned!

With the help of Katie, my nurse assistant, Big D ‘the holder’ or gorilla (he has yet to contruct a kidding box for me…hint hint) and myself ‘the meanie’ (the one holding the disbudding iron), we disbudded the bucklings on Saturday, an unpleasant but necessary task. FYI – All goats typically have horns (both male and female; some goats are naturally/genetically poled/hornless) and most dairymen disbud (or have their vets perform the disbudding for them) their goats within several days – weeks old. Find more how-to disbudding info here.

Besides animal husbandry, I’ve also been busy working in the vegetable garden. More cleaning & trimming woody plant and pruning shrubs & roses. I also planted more leaf  lettuce, radish, spinach, beets, carrots, swiss chard and parsley – all can withstand ‘cooler’ weather.

Weeding between pavers – ugh!

Temporarily cat-proofing the planting bed!

The sweet peas are several inches tall and the strawberries have blossoms!

Potatoes and kholrabi have yet to be planted. Tender annual herbs (such as basil and cilantro), zucchini & green beans will be planted from seed in a few weeks.

My French tarragon (not Russian tarragon which is an annual.

Cut cut cut… to maintain a fine tender & tasty chive!

Tomatoes and green peppers (tropicals) will be the last to go into the garden, typically after Memorial weekend for minimal chance of damage by late frost.

More cat-proofing planting bed until seeds germinate!

Sage, HEAVILY pruned a couple weeks ago shows re-growth.

Did I mention my Shetland sheep have been shorn and their wool skirted and already processed into roving and batts? Now we begin the waiting game, looking for clues and signs that parturition (birth/lambing) will occur soon. Unlike the goats that are hand-bred, we house the ram with the ewes for several months for breeding to occur. We don’t always ‘observe’ the actual breeding (but, there are breeding harnesses that the ram can wear that ‘marks’ the ewe when she’s been mounted). According to my calendar, my ewes could lamb any time now…!

Naked sheepies!

I ended the week with speaking to a group of gardeners about the wonderful benefits of herb gardening, then rushing home to help a friend with skirting her wool fleece and how to ‘process’ it at home.

…and finally, we mucked-out one of the lamb sheds, right down to the dirt floor, limed it heavily and prepared it with fresh clean straw!

That about covers the week’s highlights…and then we start all over again with the never-ending list of chores! There’s no excuse for boredom!!! Hope you have a great week!

The Frugal Goat

I love goats, but you already know that about me! What better way to spread the goat-love, than to ‘teach’ youth? While I don’t consider myself a goat expert, I’m more than happy to share my knowledge (with my daughter’s help, naturally) as a 4-H Goat Project Leader .

The goat kit/resources I HAVE used in past years was no longer ‘available’ and our MSU Macomb County Extension Office does not own a similar goat kit. The one I like/have used is this one from Ohio at a grand spanking cost of $459 !! YIKES! Well, that’s not going to happen…

So, I’m making my own… pulling together a number of resources from the web, library, my personal resources, CD’s, etc.

So, I also purchased a rigid foam poster board and sketched a dairy goat, identifying dairy goat anatomy and added a bit of color. I typed, printed and laminated the body parts and will attach velcro to the board and body part labels.

I think this will be a lot of fun and valuable resource for my goat kids.

…and at a fraction of the cost.

I’d like to sketch a skeletal structure on the back of this poster and probably an ‘overlay’ of the ruminant digestive system! Perhaps, the kids would like to actually take on that project – as part of the learning process???

To press or NOT to press ~ Cheese Curds?

I have not YET ventured into the world of HARD or PRESSED cheesemaking since my on-going love affair with my goats.  Did you know that cheese is basically milk, a starter culture & rennet. The difference between one cheese and another is the temp the milk is heated to, the type of culture added and the way it is ‘processed’.

HARD cheese takes the home do-it-yourselfer to the next level of cheesemaking, requiring pressing (to force out the whey), waxing and aging under controlled temp and humidity. I’m told, you could use a spare refrigerator to duplicate a make-do cheese cave? But, I don’t have a spare refrigerator…

Awhile back, a fellow goatie told me of herbed cheese curds she delighted in when traveling to and from Wisconsin to visit a daughter. Hmmm…why can’t I attempt to make a HARD cheese…just short of pressing, waxing and aging? 

I have made my herbed cheese curds (with my goat milk) three times now, and appears to be a big hit with everyone who tastes it! Once again, add a different herb for a different variety…it’s great for snacking or tossing on a salad, etc.

If I can do it, you can make it too!

You’ll need 1 gallon fresh goat milk, 1/4 cup cultured buttermilk (a mesophilic non-heat loving culture; this is your starter), 1/2 teaspoon liquid rennet and 1/4 cup cool water.

Warm milk to 88 degrees F. Stir in 1/4 cup buttermilk and allow milk to ripen for 1 hour, maintaining temp at 88 degrees. Add 1/2 teaspoon liquid rennet to 1/4 cup cool water and add to milk. Hold temp at 88 degrees and allow to ‘set’ for 45-minutes.

Curds and whey should be visible. Cut into 1/4-inch cubes and allow to rest for 20-minutes. Stir gently while increasing the temp from 88 to 98-degrees ~ slowly ~ over a 30-minute period.

Then, keep stirring gently at 98 degrees for additional 30 – 45 minutes until the curds no longer have a custard-like interior. Allow the curds to settle to the bottom of the pot.

Pour off they whey; drain the curds in a colander for 10-minutes. Place the curds back into the pot and gently break-up the curds with a spoon. Add 2-teaspoons cheese or kosher coarse (non-iodized) salt. Mix well.

Keep the salted curds warm at about 98-degrees by placing the pot in a sink of hot water for 1-hour stirring every so often.

After the salted curds have set for an hour, drain off any liquid. Add fresh minced herbs, garlic, etc to taste and stir gently (you want the curds to remain in tact). Place herbed curds into a colander lined w/cheesecloth (I used a ricotta ‘basket’ mold).

Allow to drain for 2 – 3 hours, stirring once or twice to keep curds separate. Refrigerate and enjoy!

‘City’ Goats?

I  ♥ L-O-V-E  ♥ this article which was posted by my blogland friend, Anna (at http://www.asthegoatworldturns.com/ ) .

Can you imagine g-o-a-t-s as neighbors…in the City! Why not?? I often find myself offering a few of my goat kids to city folk who are visiting the farm. Their reply…”Oh, I wish I could!” What’s not to like about an adorable productive goat? How forward thinking is your City government? Perhaps it’s worthy of a discussion at your next City Council meeting?? Charlottesville, Virginia has already paved the way…

Horning in Goats move to Woolen Mills, clean up Pen Park

BY CHIARA CANZI

Zinnia and her half-sister, Ella—short for Ellamenope—ran to the fence and wagged their short tails when called. They enthusiastically hopped and bleated while Woolen Mills resident Laura Covert uncovered two baby bottles filled with milk. Three times a day, Covert and her husband cross their 1.5-acre garden to feed two of the first miniature dairy goats permitted in city backyards. Ella (pictured), along with her half-sister Zinnia, now calls Woolen Mills her home. Owner Laura Covert says her two goats will begin to produce milk in a year. “I didn’t expect them to be so social. That was something that totally took me by surprise,” says Covert while Zinnia chews a button off Covert’s beige pants. Ella, not to be outdone by her one-week older sister, curls up in Covert’s lap. Last September, City Council passed an ordinance that allowed city residents to own up to three miniature goats—dehorned, weighing less than 100 pounds and, if males, neutered. The goats must remain on their owner’s property at all times. Covert says she thought about raising dairy goats before the ordinance passed, both for the milk and to provide her family’s 10 ducks with a few friends. “I was surprised that it went through so easily,” says Covert about the ordinance. “I know there is a big community in Charlottesville that’s interested in local food. If you are going to have a pet, it might as well be a productive one, right?” Zinnia and Ella are Nigerian dwarf goats, a popular dairy breed, and will begin producing milk in a year. Heidi Passino, who runs Dragon Hill Farm and sold the goats to Covert, says Nigerian dwarf goats are unique because “they are the smallest of the dairy breed, so they don’t produce as much milk as the larger breeds.” Their milk has lots of butter fat, according to Passino. “It makes the milk rich and creamy, and it’s ideal for cheese making or yogurt,” she says. While owning a goat is not rocket science, says Passino, goats are dependent upon humans for their survival. “Do your research. Look at the breed carefully,” she says. “Just be clear that you are prepared to go out in the freezing rain and take care of your animals.” Nigerian dwarf goats are priced anywhere from $50 to $300. And if you take care of your goats, they may also take care of you. The City of Charlottesville recently contracted Goat Busters of Afton for three weeks of invasive plant management in Pen Park. The animals will help tame privet, honeysuckle and kudzu in the park. City landscape manager John Mann calls the goats “very cost-effective.” “Prior to this, all we were able to do was to try to keep the vines out of the trees so the trees will survive,” says Mann. He adds that because most city parks are located in wetland areas, chemical use is a significant concern. “Some chemicals are used as a follow-up, but you can imagine the goats have taken care of the majority of it,” says Mann. “So if there is any use of chemicals, it’s very limited.”  Article Credit: C-Ville:Government

And the winner is…

…Schaherezade for Best Udder (oh ya, that’s me),

Sweet Annie took second place, Alpine Dairy Yearling,

Katie with Schaz in 4-H Senior Showmanship line-up, and…

Schaz and Katie in First Place, 4-H ‘Fun’ Costume Class – such a GOOD sport!

Here’s Coriander - waiting her turn – (yoo hoo, wake up Corie!) with Matt, my portable stanchion! Corie took first place in Oberhasli Dairy Yearling.

All in all, it was a VERY looooong day – and Fair week! The goats all did well in the show ring. The ‘Fair-goers’ all thought Brutus, my Pygora, was a sheep. His fleece is full of VM from close quarters (two goats to a pen); I’ve never seen him soooo dirty! Boo hoo! I’ll be shearing him in September, some time sooner than later. And two of my yearlings came home with sniffles! Ugh! I really don’t like taking my sweet critters to the Fair…

We had a nice Church service for my dad’s funeral and we’re hoping to bury his ashes at a veteran’s cemetery (he served in the Army/Air Force) in Holly, MI. We’ve submitted the necessary ‘paperwork’ for approval.

On the home front, I’ve been working triple time to catch up with the overflowing bounty of veggies in the garden, especially tomatoes, green peppers and green beans, oh my! Been back to the routine of weed’n a garden a day - does my soul good! My goodness, how quickly the gardens get out of control!!! Also making more cheese DAILY. Feta freezes well, I’m told. 

Next up, Mt. Bruce Station Sheep & Wool Festival end of September. I’ve been trying to work on a few fiber projects to re-build my inventory??

Here’s a hand-dyed felted WOOL sheepy table runner/wall hanging?

And, another sheepy pillow, made from a re-cycled cabled sweater.

So much to do and so little time… seems to be the norm around here. Back to the grindstone! LOL

Ricotta ‘cheese’ isn’t cheese at all!

Did you know…?

Ricotta is usually made from goat’s or sheep’s milk. Ricotta ‘cheese’ is a creamy by-product of the cheese manufacturing process and thus is technically not really a cheese.

‘Ricotta’ means “re-cooked” because the product is cooked twice, once during the original process and then again to make the ricotta. It is created from whey, a watery substance left over from the milk, which is drained off when making hard-cheese such as provolone or mozzarella.

Ricotta cheese most likely originated in Rome, Italy, where the people invented many entrees and desserts featuring the fresh, soft cheese. Ricotta is most often used in Italian cooking, typically as cheese filling for cooked pasta dishes such as lasagna, manicotti and ravioli. The cheese blends well with tomato sauces. It also makes great dips and spreads and dessert fillings for cannoli and blintzes. It is the main cheese used for cheesecake.

 

Goat’s Milk Ricotta (makes 2 pounds)

In a large stockpot, heat 1 gallon whole goat’s milk to 195 degrees F. Slowly add ¼ cup apple cider vinegar and stir gently with slotted spoon until separation occurs (about 2 minutes). HINT: You may place the pot directly over medium heat and slowly bring to a boil, stirring occasionally – OR – place in a double boiler so you don’t scald the milk!

Gently ladle the cheese into a strainer lined with fine mesh cheesecloth and allow to drain over a large bowl for 20 minutes. Discard the liquid. Add salt to taste. Store the ricotta covered in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

 

Another ricotta recipe to try…

Goat’s Milk Ricotta (makes 2 cups)

In a large stockpot, combine 2 quarts whole milk, 1 cup heavy cream, and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Place the pot over medium heat and slowly bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Add 3 tablespoons lemon juice and reduce heat to low. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until the mixture curdles, about 2 minutes. Pour the mixture into a strainer lined with fine mesh cheesecloth and allow to drain over a large bowl for 1 hour. Discard the liquid. Store the ricotta covered in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.

Katie, my daughter, made the ricotta for a 4-H project and decided to use it to make manicotti for dinner last night. (Katie is 15 years old! WOO HOO Katie!)

Here’s our fav manicotti recipe:

Manicotti Sauce: 6 Tablespoons olive oil, 1 clove garlic (minced), 1 medium onion (minced), 2 Tablespoons chopped parsley, 32 ounce can whole tomatoes, 16 ounce can tomato sauce, 1 teaspoon salt, dash pepper, 1/2 teaspoon basil.

To prepare sauce, heat oil in saucepan; Add and saute with garlic, onion & parsley. Add remaining ingredients and simmer uncovered for 20 minutes.

Manicotti (pasta) Filling: 15 ounce ricotta cheese, 1/2 pound shredded mozzarella, 1 Tablespoon parsley, 3 Tablespoons parmesan cheese, 1 egg lightly beaten, 1 package manicotti pasta ‘shells’.

To prepare filling: Combine all filling ingredients (use 1/4 pound mozzarella) except manicotti pasta ‘shells’. Fill UNCOOKED pasta ‘shells’ with cheese filling. Pour a thin layer of sauce into bottom of glass 9X13 inch baking pan.  Arrange filled manicotti in single layer in pan and add remaining sauce until completely covered. Cover baking pan with parchment and tin foil to create seal.

Bake at 400 degrees F for 40 minutes. Remove foil and add mozzarella to top and return to oven for about 5 minutes until cheese is melted. Serve with fresh salad greens and garlic toast. Enjoy!

 

Yum!

{wasted space}

That’s what I told my hubby about the remaining ‘unimproved’ space (consisting of  dirt floor and all) tn the back barn. I viewed it as a potential birthing stall or ‘jug’ to temporarily shelter pregnant ewes during lambing. It would save me the moving of my sheepies back and forth to the horse barn where I currently have additional empty stalls. So, while it took hubby about two weeks to re-organize and clear out the accumulated STUFF, I now have another ‘box’ stall in which to manuever critters as needed! Yippi! (What ever happened to lambing in the field au natural?) We plan on screening off the exterior/front facade from the rest of the barn area so those inquisitive goaties don’t get into trouble! I’m also looking into purchasing a PORTABLE pen/stall dividers or panels that I can also use at shows/fiber festivals. It would come in handy as a holding pen when my 4-H kids bring their goats to work on show maneuvers. If you know of any resources or have suggestions, pls leave me a comment.

 

I have two doors/possible entries into the stall which is a nice feature too.

Repair or replace???? Well, I finally did it. Last Saturday my new GE electric stainless steel, glass top stove was delivered. I couldn’t justify the additional cost of a GE Profile range (to match my microwave/convection oven) but, if my new stove lasts another 21-years… like my Magic Chef…I’ll be very happy! As you can imagine, I’ve been cooking and baking up a storm! Well, my 21-year old refrigerator is still operational – woohoo - but, you know I’ll get SS when the time comes.

Gardening update. There’s hints of Spring in the air like buds forming on the magnolia and snow drops in full bloom. I can’t believe I was out in the garden earlier this week and planted a few rows of mixed salad green, spinach, green onions/scallions and radish… that’s the beauty of raised beds! They are workable earlier in the growing season. But, it doesn’t help when there are snow flurries folks!!!! Now, if I were thinking, I should have planted seeds in flats and put them in the cold frame. However, last summer, my son removed the doors ~~~ which were made from salvaged glass farm windows ~~~ in case the rambunctious goat kids climbed on top of them ~~~ when out ‘playing’ in the garden with me.

Speaking of goat kid/lamb hazards…please, a word of warning during this kidding/lambing season! A ‘friend’ of mine had a heartbreaking accident and lost a lamb who got tangled in a home-made twine hay feeder. A twine hay feeder (we use similar nylon hay feeders when traveling for feeding horse hay too) is a potential choking hazard for small kids and lambs – adult goats & sheep too!

Also, be mindful of the water bucket for potential drowning accidents too! If they fall in and can’t get out…

Tough lesson learned…such is life ‘down on the farm’.

Hay Feeder Re-Visited!

It was a busy weekend with lots of household chores and necessary paperwork (ugh). Aside from the normal weekend routine, Saturday morning we found two of my 9-month old goat kid siblings, Sweet Annie and Slader, STUCK in the hay feeder! Both their heads in one square of the hog panel. It was easy enough to release them, but they couldn’t figure it out for themselves. Fortunately, they suffered no apparent injury…perhaps the fact that they’re siblings and spent 5-months in the womb together helped ‘calm’ them during this potentially dangerous ordeal!

I always check the critters every night before I turn in, and have had a pair of goats ‘stuck’ once before…but twice is tooooooo close for comfort!

So, drop everything, we gotta fix this right now. We put our heads together and came up with a re-design of our original hog panel hay feeder. BTW, the hog panel version worked well, reducing the amount of wasted hay enormously – and kept the hay out of the sheep’s fleece.

Before feeder…

After hay feeder picture…

HA! FIRST, we need a DIVERSION! The problem with bottle-babies is that they’re ALL OVER YOU!

“Animal cracker anyone?” From left to right, Corriander, Sweet Annie, Clove Pink, Slader, and Brutus (my Pygora). THANK YOU KATIE!!!

As I was saying, here’s the re-designed hay feeder…

We removed the hog panel, added wood framing along the top and used wood screws to fasten evenly spaced 2X2 slats or rails (left-overs from a prior porch railing project) – ya know, recycle, reuse, make-do!!

No sooner had we attached the last ‘slat’, when Brutus came up to check it out and WALKED RIGHT THROUGH IT  into the feeder!! O.K. We can fix it, just reduce the opening and add another ‘slat’.

 

All is well…..NOT!!! Sunday evening at about 6 p.m. I found Annie standing in the hay feeder!!!!

What…another slat? RIGHT NOW??? I sent Katie out in the barn to help hubby, cuz I knew better. Katie’s advice: It’s impossible to goat-proof anything! The slat spacing currently is about every 6-inches.

But, so far so good. No ‘stuck’ goats this morning!