Author Archive
My Goats Are Walking All Over Me
Literally.
Normally I wear a cheap pair of fake Crocs to the goat pen, but yesterday I forgot to change my shoes and went over in just my flip flops. This is a mistake I’ll never make again because OMGOMGOMG OOOOOWWWWWWIEEEE does it hurt when a goat steps on your bare foot! And then dances ever so slightly on it just to make sure your fourth toe on your left foot is actually cut open instead of just throbbing in pain.
Sure, Pasqualina will say she didn’t dance, but I think the guilt is written all over her smirking face.
Guilty goat.
The Naked Hay-Baling Man
As hay is a subject close to many of our hearts, I thought you’d enjoy this as much as I did. I mean, don’t try it at home or anything, but bwahahahahahaha!
On that note, I’m going to be taking a few days off the grid, so to speak, so please be patient regarding any e-mail, comment, and other responses you’re expecting from me.
Buon weekend!
H/t Huffington Post.
Goats and the Vanderbilt Estate — Perfect Together!
A lot of places have been using goats to clear off unwanted weeds and whatnot, but I found this piece at Wall Street Journal Online particularly maaaaaarverlous 😉
Enjoy!
Pinta’s Playlist: One Goat’s Favorite Songs
Pinta is coming up on five months old, but no one has told her that she doesn’t quite fit in my lap anymore. I’m certainly not going to tell her since I love Pinta cuddle time.
I’ve been holding and singing to her since she was just a wee thing, and it turns out she has certain favorite tunes that seem to relax her more than others. For example, she *loves* when I sing the chorus to “Don’t Cry for Me, Argentina” but with “Pintaruccia” in place of Argentina. She might like more than the chorus, but I don’t know any more words to that song.
So then we mix it up with a slow. soothing version of “Sweet Child o’ Mine” by Guns N’ Roses, which put her in the mood for her absolute favorite:
My sweet Pinta’s eyes are always heavy when I’m finished with James Taylor’s Sweet Baby James.
What about Pasqualina, you may be wondering? She likes a nice, sweet tune now and again, but she’s a bit more of a dancer these days — equivalent of a teenager, I suppose.
Do you sing and dance with your goaties and/or other animals?
What are their favorite tunes?
Goat Costume for Halloween
Yes, I know it’s only August, but it’s never too early to start planning your Halloween costume, right?
Especially when you can dress up like this:
Goat costume from Costume Craze
I kinda wish I was making this up, but I’m not.
Have you ever “gone goat” for Halloween?
More Goat Questions Answered!
It’s time again to talk about some of the searches that have brought people to Goat Berries. Read previous entries at Answering Goat Questions: Part I and Part II.
As I mentioned before, goats and watermelons have been on a lot of goatie friends’ minds these days, but here’s what else they’ve been wondering about:
1. Goats fig leaves edible : I’m assuming this is asking whether goats can eat fig leaves. Mine have, although we were told by a an experienced goat herder here that they shouldn’t have too much, so we tend to give them to our girlies just when we’re pruning the fig trees a bit — they never get more than a few branches at a time, and that’s usually weeks or months apart.
2. Goats and pit fruit / can goats eat fruit with seeds/pits : They sure can, and many times they’ll just spit the pit out if they don’t want it. Pasqualina has spit out both apricot and plum pits. It’s *so* fun to watch them eat these as they roll them around in their mouths. That said, don’t give them too many at a time — just like our digestive systems don’t love too much of a good thing like apricots and plums, neither do theirs.
3. Can goats eat banana peelings? : Whoo boy, can they — and my girl Pasqualina *loves* them. Loves bananas too. The other does we had also loved both fruit and peel, but Pinta isn’t old enough to care yet, apparently. Again, though, everything in moderation!
4. Kid goat cries all the time / why does my goat cry : Dig if you will the pic-ture. Oh wait, that’s When Doves Cry. Anyway, this is a tough one and requires that you know your kid pretty well. Some kids are just loud and cry when they want attention or food or milk or all of the above. Generally it’s not a problem unless it sounds like the kid’s in pain.
Of course, my kid cries like she’s in pain when she’s bored, so even that’s not a reliable measure. Who her?
In short, I think the answer to the question is most likely the age-old one: because s/he can. But if the crying seems abnormal to you, do look for other signs of illness such as lack of appetite, bloating, and just otherwise not doing goat-like things.
5. Milky sticky discharge coming out of nanny goat before kidding : Gross, but totally normal. We noticed it on two of ours about 24 hours before kidding. The other one didn’t show anything, or maybe we just weren’t looking (she was the first to go). I actually have a photo of this, but I think you get the idea; if you want to see it though, please feel free to contact me. In any event, you’ll be having a kid or more *very* soon. Congratulations!
Remember if you have any goat questions that aren’t answered somewhere in the blog, don’t be afraid to ask! I can’t promise to know the answer, but I will be happy to put it out there to other goatie lovers if I don’t.
And please feel free to add your bleats of wisdom on the above questions as well!
Buon weekend!
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GoatSpotting!
Goats that readers have spotted out and about. Send your photos to michelle(at)goatberries(dot)com!
