Sunday, August 23, 2015

First Line of Chicken Defense and Another Pathetic Life Form Joins the Menagerie





It was a perfectly beautiful day today. Not over hot, very little humidity, a nice breeze and few clouds after about 10 AM. I spent most of the day reclaiming the section of the barn around the chicken coop/stall. This section hasn't been cleaned or worked on for almost 20 years. I also added a flimsy fence and pieced together a gate out of scraps to keep the dog from getting all the way to the coop and worrying the hens through the cracks.

There are actually a couple of reasons I put this inside fence in. The chickens can get through the cattle panel I used for the gate. I designed it that way not so much to keep the chickens in but to allow them a quick escape rout. This fence will also direct the hens out into the main part of the barn and the barn lot instead of out the front.

The dog I discovered isn't so much aggressive towards the chickens anymore as he is interested in the squabbling he hears while they work out their pecking order. It literally makes him want to get involved otherwise he leaves em alone.

Truth is I didn't make this fence and gate anything strong. I used some t-posts, 2x4's and plastic trellis I had laying around. I just wanted to stop the dog and kinda give the hens a first line of defense.

Another couple of days and one more gate to make and we will find out how well it works.

As for the pathetic life form well the story as it was presented to me was that this sweet old lady was diagnosed with cancer that is supposedly too far gone to be operable. The water works were flowing as I was asked if we could take in her miniature goat.


 "Does it have horns" was my only question.

"No" was the answer.

They lied. They lied right to my face. I must say however she is the sweetest, cutest little thing though.




The first thing the little girl did was hop off the truck they had her in lower that head of hers with those horns and chase the dog away. Then came back and started nuzzling Mrs. PP for all she was worth.

I knew I was screwed at that point. We now have a goat isolated in the big four horse trailer.



We kept her tied out eating all day and she is leash trained quite well. The only problem is she is also used to living in some old woman's house too and I am afraid that just ain't happening here.

There is also those horns to deal with. She knows how to use them too and that isn't going to fly with all these polled lambs and nursing ewes either.

But of course the wife is in love with her. I actually let her off her leash for a bit while I was feeding and walking around the barn lot and she followed me around like a dog. Ran right into the barn and immediately knew what the scoops and cans were all about. Jumped into the large feed can and looked at me like "Thanks for all the grain dude"!!!

Needless to say she wasn't very happy about the horse trailer isolation space though. She bawled for about half an hour before settling in to eat the hay I left for her. She didn't start bawling until the grain was gone I noticed.

At this point we are vaccinating her tomorrow and I am looking into removing her horns before allowing her to go in with the invalid flock. 

Ya I know I am a big pushover when it comes to women and animals.

But I have to admit she is damned cute.

Keep Prepping Everyone!!!!!!!


14 comments:

  1. Replies
    1. Idahobob - I really am not fond of goat to be honest. One reason I started raising sheep actually and Goats are such a pain to keep fenced in too. However in a pinch LOL.

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  2. So someone got your goat by you getting someone's goat?

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    1. Either way I guess I got the goat though lol. Not sure how this horn thing is going to go down though either.

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  3. snap I am going to see about goats today, I am looking at two in kid well they will be put to the Billy before they come here :-)

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    1. Dawn - I have never been much of a goat fan. I don't like the meat and the ones we had when I was a kid were impossible to keep fenced in and destroyed everything they came in contact with. I realized that many people LOVE them however and that my experiences were more than likely just due to unruly goats :)

      This little girl though is kinda changing my opinion a bit though. She is certainly a sweetheart.

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  4. We had goats for a few years, they were not much good for anything but destroying what ever they got near. I thought they would eat weeds but I soon realized that it would be less work for me to cut the weeds myself. I better stop as I might have a flash back to the horrible years that we had goats.

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    1. Sf - I hear ya. I wrote pretty much the same thing above. Many people LOve their goats though and they do have a lot of personality I must say. I think the problem comes in that they require a bit more individual maintenance than we have time to mess with along with all the other work around the places we have to do.

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  5. Sounds like that goat has your number...cute! visiting from Leigh at 5 Acres...

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    1. TCF - Thanks for stopping by!!!! That goat knows how to turn on the charm. I think the horns maybe a BIG problem though so we may try and find her another home but we have time to be really discriminating about it.

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  6. Oh you old softy, and kymber calls you a wienie. can she eat the same stuff the lambs and ram eat?? Another member of the cutting crew??

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    1. Rob - Ya our feed is for sheep or goats. The problem is her horns. Letting her out with the ewes would be like putting a teenage serial killer armed with dagger into a room full of bitchy lactating fat women. You just know how it would end.

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  7. Preppy I got an old egg sucking dog could you take him off my hands?

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    Replies
    1. Bubba NO!!!

      And don;t you even think about asking my wife.

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