Way in the back of the barn for years set an old trebuchet. It was about 8 foot high at the top of the supports with the arm extending at least another four foot or so above that. Every time some new visitor would see it they would ask why it was there and my response was always the same.
It is a goat deterrent.
I finally removed that little piece of medieval siege weaponry this past Summer. Taking all the useable hardware and lumber off of it and burning the rest. The true story of the siege engine was that a group of us built a few different engines back several years ago for a class one of us were taking and also for a reenactment event. However that was not the story I told my Mother.
At the time she had convinced me to move out here rent free but she would keep her animals and all here but own the place. Now this may sound all generous until you know a bit about farm type animal insurance and keeping them in a location that no one lives in and yet still has structures. Believe me the deal she was offering wasn't for my benefit.
Back then my mother was even worse about bringing home useless animals and one day she showed up with three goats. It just so happens that it was right after that the trebuchet construction started and the goats began running around tearing stuff up and head butting people.
When she asked why I was building a trebuchet I told her that when it was finished I was going to fling the goats from it.
It took us about a month or so to finish the trebuchet and by the time it was finished the goats were gone. :)
I left that thing in the barn all these years as a reminder that goats were not allowed on the place and it worked. After I gave up on this place for a few years then came back the old trebuchet was still there, still doing it's job. Once I was pretty confident that although I wasn't going to get rid of the useless nags still on the place my buying it had finally stopped the useless animal acquisition I decided to finally get rid of it.
However is any more head butting goats show up I will start building another one. I still have all the plans and design paperwork somewhere.
I like sheep I have just never been a big fan of goats :)
Keep Prepping Everyone!!!
Best story ever. I think, given the opportunity and choice, I would be a sheep person as well (except for goat's milk - there is lots of cheese you can make with goat's milk).
ReplyDeleteTB - Well I am biased because I love Lamb. So I don't really think my opinion is fair. Yet having raised both Sheep and Goat I will say the Sheep seem to me to be much easier overall.
DeleteI'm sure it's a fine way to tenderize the meat.
ReplyDeleteStephen - I bet it would be yes :)
DeleteIt seems that we share the same opinion of goats. One of the most destructive animals on earth. Every country where they exist in great numbers is a defoliated waste land.If anyone doubt this, they only need to keep goats and then count the trees in 5 years. Oh there will be plenty of worthless weeds that will flourish around goats but be sure that nothing of any value will withstand the worthless things.
ReplyDeleteSf - To be honest I have seen Sheep do that as well although I have yet to find a plant the sheep don't at least chew on. I think SHeep are easier to direct towards eating though...
DeleteI'm not sure even what to say.... I feel a little sheepish..
ReplyDeleteRob - You Got it!!!
DeleteGoats have their uses. One of the neighbors has a 5 acre overgrown thicket that you couldn't even walk into. As part of his plan to rehabilitate it he put a bunch of goats on it about a year ago. Today it is still a tangled mess but you can see about 25 yards into it, the floor has been striped bare.
ReplyDeleteI don't have any large areas that bad but I have a few spots that I would like to make use of but basically leave alone because of the hidden junk piles as well as the effort required to clean them out. They are really bad, I cleaned one the size of a small suburban front yard and found a complete John deer seed drill for the 8N. It was ten yards from the tree line and totally hidden. It would have taken 15 to 20 minutes to get to it, if you had of known where it was. Anyway, after seeing how well it is working for the neighbor I am considering fencing them off and putting goats on em.
Best,
Dan
Dan - I have used the sheep in the same way. In fact it's my opinion the sheep are much easier to pen into a location and stay there than goats. Sheep also don't climb on everything like the goats do but with sheep you have the whole shearing thing. Maybe the hair sheep act the same way though.
DeleteOh, the Moose so wants one of those!
ReplyDeleteIzzy - It was fun we flung pumpkins and water melons a good 200 yards with it I think.
DeleteI concur about the goats, they're not bad on a BBQ, but other than that, no thanks! The milk tastes bad and if you ask me the the cheese has that same off, rotten ass taste as the milk.
ReplyDeleteI'll take a milk cow any day!
Miss Violet
MV - A milk co is in my future at some point I hope. Just haven't decided ona breed yet.
DeleteI have Nigerian Dwarf Dairy Goats and love them. The head butting behavior you experienced was from some one at some time mishandling the goats. Not one of my dozen does, or three bucks head buts. The milk is much sweeter than cows milk because it has a higher percentage of butterfat. It is also easily digestible and many people with lactose intolerance are able to consume goats milk. I did try some goats milk from the store and it was awful...
ReplyDeleteI make cheese, soap and lotion with the milk as well. Combined with the meat these animals are very versatile and seem to me to be a great alternative to those who do not have enough land on which to house cattle.
Jennifer - I don't think I mentioned head butting goats did I? Maybe I did but in looking back I didn't see that. I have only a few issues with goats. To me they raise more of a stink than sheep. Goats are much harder to keep where they are suppose to be kept and much harder to get back there when they do escape and I simply do not like goat meat much. They also climb on cars when they get out I have yet to see a sheep on one of my vehicles nor have the sheep ever eaten something other than vegetable matter when they have escaped.
DeleteBut I am not trying to bad mouth goats at all. Well at least not in the post I guess I am here in the comment. Still I am not attempting to convince anyone sheep are better than goats at all. It's just my preference and experience with three particularly ornery goats :)
Also goats sell well and at higher prices than sheep. When I researched as to why I discovered that goats have a strong market to a certain religious group I would rather avoid supplying. Again just my personal preference.
I am sure there are plenty of lovely and easily cared for goats. I was just trying to tell a somewhat humorous story not start a goat v. sheep debate.
Jennifer - Ok I found it. Ya they did head butt a few people so I did mention it. Wasn't a huge big deal though I wasn't trying to make that into a deal breaker situation I promise :)
DeleteNo worries, been lurking here for a couple of years and decided to comment on this post as I have had a truly lovely experience with my small herd. I understand your reservations- however, dairy goats are not for the most part meat goats. Though they can fulfill that need, and so in our planning that consideration was also be taken into account. For our family in this long slow decline we decided to go with the miniature goats precisely because they could meet so many of our needs.
DeleteLove reading you just wanted to offer an different opinion and approach :) And truthfully one of my does has so much butterfat in her milk it literally tastes like ice-cream...Yum!
Oh and I did laugh at your story! I can totally see it...:)
DeleteI've decided to go with Jerseys. Granted they don't have the volume a Holstein puts out, but I think the trade off in richer cream is worth it because I also want to have butter and cheese. I wouldn't mind a milking shorthorn but I've just about found it impossible to find any, at least around here. I've kept a Holstein before and my experiences with them are that they aren't that people friendly, they're very large to handle and they eat a lot more. Jersey it is! I am hoping to have some Highland Cattle too and for the heck of it I'm going to train one up to milk. You always have to keep experimenting you know!
ReplyDeleteI was reading your mulberry post earlier, we had mulberry trees in Ariz when we lived there, beautiful trees. I don't know if they would grow here, too cold I think.
Miss Violet
MV - I think Mulberries grow on the Eastern half of the continent all the way into Canada.
DeleteI really wanted some Dexters but the wife was leaning towards something even smaller. However it works out I won't be getting one until we get rid of another horse or two.