Please enjoy the sight of Azalea, back up on her bench today and looking relaxed and happy. Hard to believe that exactly one week ago I could have lost her. Life, as they say, comes at you fast.
Beginning yesterday, we've had several fresh inches of heavy wet snow, followed by hours of sleet that added a hard crust. The smallest goats can almost walk atop the crust, but not quite - every few steps a hoof goes through and sinks. It makes for very lopsided and off-balance walking, which, for sure-footed goats, may be annoying. Or at least unsettling. I think several of them eased their feelings by redecorating the barn this morning:
Mineral Tub: pushed out the door and emptied.
New divider: one board shattered.
My chair: hooked from it's corner in the back of the barn, and tossed out the door.
I felt like a landlord, visiting my rowdy tenants the morning after a party.
Everything is coated in ice again, and while I was doing evening chores tonight, more snow began to fall. I'm not even going to check the forecast - I'm already doing everything I need to do, whether there's a blizzard or a thaw. I'll let it be a Big Surprise this time.
I hope all is well in your neck of the woods,
whether it's winter or summer!
~~~~~
I didn't realize how serious azalea's condition was, though you seemed very alarmed. How could it be fatal? Does the goat simply continue refusing food? You're such a good goatherd. And I guess that a goat jumping up to a ledge is a well goat. I've heard large animal vets say that if their patient gallops away there may not be a lot wrong!
ReplyDeleteGoats have a complex digestive system. When they don't eat and aren't actively in the process of digesting, things can VERY rapidly go terribly wrong - quite apart from whatever caused them to stop eating in the first place. Believe me, when I said I was very worried, was doing everything in my little bag of tricks, and had my vet on stand-by, I was not joking.
DeleteI forgot to ask if the leaves are beech?
ReplyDeleteYep! Fagus grandifolia :)
DeleteThey're protesting the snow! Mine protest the rain (because we have that now instead of snow.) If they hear the back door open they all start hollering for me to do something about it. Silly goats.
ReplyDeleteBut isn't it sweet that your goats think you are all-powerful and can control the weather? ;)
DeleteAh, yes, having animals that take it out on their surroundings. I only deal with scalloped coroplast and cozies with the seams ripped out. Your goats look rather proud of their work. ;-)
ReplyDeleteIt looks like they are blaming you for the ice. Quite the attitudes they have
ReplyDeleteHa! It looks like they are getting a little antsy from being coop crazy. :) Good to see Azalea looking so well. Take care out there and stay warm.
ReplyDeleteSo glad that Azalea has bounced back and is her usual spunky self. I guess destroying their environment is the goat way of throwing a tantrum.
ReplyDeleteWe are all landlords for our animals, right? I know that I am a cat landlord, for sure. Sometimes I come back to my desk and find all the little drawers opened (they have half-circle openings that are perfectly paw-sized) and rubberbands and bits all over the place. Occasionally they work together to dump over the tub with the outdoor cats' food in it, and another pries mittens I'm mending or ball of yarn loose and drags them around the house -- sometimes attached to projects.
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad Azalea is better. although I didn't know about goats, I do know that if any animal stops eating, it's not good.
I'm pretty lucky that Della and Moxie aren't very interested in my knitting, but a young goat once grabbed the yarn from my project bag and tried to run away with it. She was astonished to find it was still attached to the sock I was knitting!
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