Goat Feeding Time Video
Here’s a video I made the other day as I was bringing some borlotti bean pods to the girls for the first time. They obviously knew a treat was coming because they started calling me just after I shut the door of the house.
Also making guest appearances are our bantam rooster and hen, our two other hens, a call from our quail, our Ape 50, and the gorgeous view of the Ionian Sea and rolling Calabrian hills from the garden area. Enjoy!
Don’t you just love Pinta’s screams? What a sweetheart!
Mamma and Baby Goat at Play
As those of you who have goats know, watching them play can provide hours of entertainment.
For me, there’s something especially adorable about seeing Pasqualina and Pinta start to play like peers, especially since I so clearly remember Pasqualina being the size of Pinta last year at this time. They grow so fast! Can someone please stop that?!
Here are some photos from a recent play session of Mamma and baby goat:
Headbutt!
And it all ends with a kiss:
Mwwwwwwaaaaaaaaah!
Smiling Goats: Say (Goat) Cheeeeeese!
One of the reasons many people love goats is because they looks like they’re always smiling.
I have to admit, whenever I’m feeling stressed, sad, upset, or otherwise blah, it’s pretty hard to stay in that mood when I have smiling goat faces staring back at me.
Say (goat) cheeeeeese! Or, I guess formaaaaaaaaggio since we’re in Italy:
Yes, this is what you get from two smart ass goats when you tell them to smile pretty for Maaaaaa.
Dogs Meet Goats: The Canine Companions
Certain members of the canine persuasion are apparently a bit peeved that the goats get a whole entire blog. “What are we, chopped liver?” may have been uttered.
So without further ado, I’d like for you to meet the canine companions around here:
Luna is the larger (and older) one in the background, and Stella is in the foreground. And yes, their tails are like question marks. Hee hee. For those who don’t speak Italian, “Luna” means “moon” and “Stella” means “star.”
We didn’t get the girls together, and they’re not even related, but they’ve become like sisters — and both are mildly interested in the goats. Honestly they don’t pay much attention to one another, which I suppose isn’t necessarily a bad thing.
Anyway, if you’re curious to learn more about the canine girls, they have both kindly taken out time from napping, eating, and walkies to fill out memes at my other site, Bleeding Espresso:
Getting to Know Luna
Stellaaaaaaaa!
Do you have canine friends?
If so, please feel free to pass along the meme to them and let me know where to find the answers! I’m trying to convince Pasqualina to fill one out, but so far she just wants to chew on it, which doesn’t make the MacBook happy. And when the MacBook ain’t happy, ain’t nobody happy.
What’s New on Pasqualina’s Plate?
Last summer was our first summer with goats, and my first experience with goats, so I wasn’t very adventurous in what to feed them. They were only between five to seven months old at that point, so I was nervous I’d give them something that would upset their digestive tracts. We stuck to feed, fresh grasses, and hay.
Now that lots of fruits and veggies are coming into season, though, and we have a big strong Mamma goat, I feel like it’s time to test Pasqualina’s palate. Besides, there are also a lot more peels and shavings and even the errant strawberry that’s going off, so it’s a great way to recycle the food, so to speak (if the goats don’t eat it, it goes to the chickens).
So after making sure the food is not poisonous for goats, I’ve been trying new samples with Pasqualina, always a little at a time as you never want to give goats large amounts of any new food as it can, indeed, upset their digestive systems.
You’ve already seen some results of our new experimenting with pea pods and cantaloupe; Pinta hasn’t shown interest in anything but the pea pods and prickly pear cactus so far, but we’ll keep an eye on that too.
One huge surprise for me has been the strawberry. Pasqualina won’t even take one! How can you not like this fresh from the garden?
It’s been a fun experience for me, so I’m now keeping track of what Pasqualina (and eventually Pinta) likes and doesn’t like to eat on a page called “Goat Eats,” which you can always find in the upper right corner of every page.
Please feel free to tell me what your goats like and don’t like in the comments!
When Life Hands You a Lemon, Trade It for a Goat
I got a lovely surprise in the mail the other day from a Bleeding Espresso and Goat Berries reader turned friend, Jill. She had spotted some drawings by a Brooklyn-based artist named Charrow in New York City, and then checked out her Etsy shop once she got home.
While browsing online, Jill came across this:
Gah! Adorable!
So carissima Jill snatched it up and sent it to me (blank so I could use it, but truth be told, I might frame it!) along with the sweetest note on another *adorable* card about thinning our herd, reminding me of all the joy that the does and their kids brought as I continue to deal with their absence.
Thank you so much, Jill, not only for thinking of me, the kind sentiments, and the adorable card, but also for introducing me to Charrow, a fabulous new-to-me artist! Love her stuff!
Sponsor the Old Goats of Apifera!
GoatSpotting!
Goats that readers have spotted out and about. Send your photos to michelle(at)goatberries(dot)com!
