Sometimes I have moments of clarity and I wonder, "What am I DOING?" I had one of those moments yesterday.
It took thirty minutes to move Hyacinth and her babies, Cosmos and Rose, from the barn to the pen. She wanted to browse along the way, which is fine, but...browse while walking, already! No, she wanted stand and browse, take a step, stand and browse, take another step...
And if I tried to drag her, she fell to her knees like a martyr. If I didn't give in, she flopped down on the ground like a beached whale, laying on her side, still grazing from the prone position. She wouldn't get up until all the grass around her face was eaten. **sigh** I need to learn to carry my camera.
Finally, I got the bright idea to loop the lead rope, which was attached to her collar, under her chest behind her front legs. I could prevent the falling-to-the-knees and belly flops and drag her along at a reasonable speed.
By the time we made it to the pen, the babies had given up and laid (layed? lain?) down in the grass to take a nap. I shoved Hyacinth in the gate and ran back to get the them, while Hyacinth made a dash back out of the gate. Thankfully, she's not one to run off (like Pansy) and the lead rope was still on her so she was easily recovered.
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12 comments:
LOL..to bad it wasn't being taped..sounds like good "American's Funniest Video" material to me. Maybe if you used sweet feed to 'entice' her? When I had sheep I had to use a whip. I NEVER hit them..just snap it in the air behind them and they would run. It just scared them alittle and they still loved me :-) Kinda like using one when you have a horse on the lunge line
April
I tried sweet feed to bribe her yesterday morning, but she wouldn't budge when I tried to move her from the barn back out to the pen. I ended up dragging her back into the stall and leaving her there until the evening feeding. I was wishing I did have one of those lunge whips.
Oh yeah, I forgot to tell you about when she did the knee thing when I took her out with the babies that one Sunday. She really wanted that specific grass I guess.
you need a herding dog.
I don't know that I'd get another dog..Pearlie would NOT like that! LOL If you don't intend to have very many..I'd get the whip. Once you get them in the area where they can stay all the time..you won't need to herd them. Also, if you get the donkey in there..they might start following it around.
April
I might try the whip first. It's cheaper and easier. I will have to be herding the goats back and forth while I'm milking them, so this is going to be a long-term arrangement.
I've been resisting getting another dog, but I may have to.
Having read your de-horning blog and doubting that you will find a 365 day/yr milking obligation as "fun" I would make a suggestion. Keep a few goats and let them live the leisurely life of goats and raise something else that you don't have to milk, eat or dehorn. You can trade it for 20 gallons of goat milk and still be self sufficient.
I don't expect the milking regimen to be fun and we can't afford to keep any animals that don't have a job to do or that don't fulfill some need or duty. We really do want to try our hand at self-sufficiency. That's what this is all about. But, I realize that we cannot do everything or provide everything for ourselves. The dehorning may be one thing that we have to rely upon someone else for. That, or either get used to goats with horns. We do have one already and so far, she is not a problem.
That's why HS FFA and AG. classes are for! I think I've told you before that rural HS students who are in FFA or AG classes are always looking for farm/ranch jobs where they can keep their animals in exchange for 'working' on your place or are just looking for a job on a place like yours. Call the local HS and ask to speak with the person in charge of their FFA or AG classes and tell them what your looking for.
April
I forgot to add..ask your vet if he knows anyone who might be interested. He's probably got students/parents who have large animals that might be looking for this type of job or open to it. Most of the kids who are in FFA or AG are pretty responsible because they are raising animals to sell and are taught how to care for them
April
just grab her tail when you are leading her and twist (not hard, but hard enough) and that'll help her get going. we would do that when we were teaching our goats to lead. they were always falling down on their knees and we looked like we were gonna drag them to death.. but the finally caught on.
You really ARE terrible! lol
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