So let me just start by saying that I am by no means any kind of expert on goat keeping. At just over 15 months in, I have learned a few things, but there is so much more out there. And I am afraid a lot of it is going to have to be learned the hard way.
I was thinking what I would post next.... Goat basics, book reviews, guest posts? Where to begin? So I thought that I would start with a warning.
If you plan on getting goats (for you cannot have just one.. maybe more on that later) you need to secure their pen as if it were a playpen. When you think you are done, ask yourself, would I leave my 15 month old child in here? If there is a nail sticking out of something, they will find it. If there is something that shouldn't be eaten, they will eat it. If there is something to get on top of, under, beside, they will be there. If there is something to knock over, you can bet they will knock it over. I have been at this for a while, and I am constantly amazed.
When my husband and I were expanding the goat pen, we had to have my mother come down and "babysit" because the goats were in the middle of everything we were doing. Not just sticking their noses into places that might get them smacked with a hammer, but trying to eat the fencing staples. We pulled more than one out of Zinnia's mouth. I don't know if she would have swallowed it on her own, but she was definitely considering her options.
When we built the milking cottage, we included a hay "loft" which is essentially a table with storage space underneath. Hay on top (we can get 13 bales in there) and feed storage below. As soon as we built it, Zinnia jumped up to explore. No problem, except that the decking wasn't nailed down so when she tried to jump off the edge, the board came with her. And when the bales get low, she gets up there and climbs around on the hay.
Whenever you have something leaning against a wall or, say, the hay stack, the goats will want to get behind it, regardless of how little space there is. They seem to think if their nose fits in, the rest will be able to follow. If you have ever measured the difference between the end of a goats' nose and circumference of its belly, you can see how this might cause chaos. I can't tell you how many times the step ladder and the fold up dog crate have been knocked over.
We have an apple tree that has recently lost a few immature apples. My husband gave some of them to the goats, but because they are an awkward size, they have to be cut up. I had left some in the cottage to spread out the treats. Zinnia must be able to smell them as whenever she comes in, she seems to be hunting for them... On the hay shelf, on the storage shelves, on top of the grain bin, etc. Turn around for a second and she has cleared the shelf of their grain bowls, the cleaning supplies and anything else around. The noise and chaos they create freaks them out, so they panic. And that is the real issue. When they panic, who knows what can happen. I have seen them make some very bad choices.
So there you go. The first educational goat post. Goat pens should be safe for goats and toddlers. If you have goats in the city, I expect you will eventually have both in your goat pen.
No comments:
Post a Comment