Herding

NIGEL:

As the goats eat down the grass (& trees!!) in their main filed, we have been herding them into the smaller field to graze. This isn't as easy as it looks when you don't have a fence to keep them away from the trees you want to keep & keep in good condition. The goats not only eat the leaves & small branches... the eat the bark off. They pull large strips off which ultimately kills the tree. As a result... I have built yet another fence...so we now have 4 small paddocks for them to rotate in.

Devastated!

NIGEL:

Matilda was to be our #1 breeder on our farm.

Then 2 Thursdays ago, we noticed Matilda acting differently. She looked healthy, but seemed hesitant. We thought it was because of either... a) the new goats upsetting the status quo, or b) the de-worming medicine I had given all of the goats? Anyway, by the weekend she was obviously not feeling well, but we thought she would be okay. I called the emergency vet to see if they saw goats, just in case she became worse. They didn't & couldn't provide me with any options. On Monday I called our regular vet & he was going to call me back as he was busy. He didn't call until Tuesday, but Susan had found her dead that morning.

We were & remain devastated! As does Daisy!

Anyway I loaded her into our Subaru & drove her body to the NC Veterinary Laboratory. The vet, Dr Brad predicted it would be parasites, as this year has seen a dramatic increase in deaths from these in both sheep & goats. They did a necropsy & confirmed this. Apparently the parasites have built a degree of immunity to the de-wormer I was using. This coupled with the concern I may not have been giving her quite enough (not sure) resulted in her death. Apart from acting lethargic, she looked healthy. Dr Brad said this is typical & it was unlikely we would have been able to do much by Saturday to save her.

He recommended 2 other de-wormers which I promptly purchased & gave to the goats. I will be giving them a 2nd dose in 2 weeks.

Needless to say, this has changed the pecking order, with Daisy (who is quite gentle) falling to the bottom! As a result, I have had to create her own section in the barn so she can seek cover from the rain & cold.

It has been both strange & sad without Matilda on the farm.

New Goats

NIGEL:

We now have 5 goats. We purchased 3 just weened French Alpine (2 female -Chardonnay & Merlot & 1 male - Lunch) from a local farmer named Lynn. They are typically milking goats, but not for us. Susan calls them the antelopes.

Anyway, their arrival really stressed Matilda (especially) & Daisy out! Matilda established dominance & was very protective of 'her' barn! (see photo). This concerned us greatly as goats don't enjoy rain & we were hoping they would share after a short 'adjustment' period. Well the adjustment period continues.......

I moved the chickens' outdoor shelter over next to the barn to give the Frenchies some shelter, but they sleep mostly outside at present. Merlot, in particular, loves to climb atop of it (see photo)!

Merlot & Chardonnay were also skinny enough to slip between the gates & get into the other pasture. It took us many days to work out where they we getting through. Of course once in the smaller pasture, they went straight to eating the trees (we didn't want them to do that!) & getting into the chicken coop. They have discovered the joys of layer feed! Returning from a mountain bike ride with a couple of mates, I thought they had escaped, as they were nowhere to be found! Kevin suggested the coop & there they were. You can see me with Chardonnay as I carry her back to her side of the fence.

Lunch fattening up!

Chardonnay & Merlot near Matilda's the barn.