Green Grass At Last

At long last the sheep are out on grass...well, for short periods of time. I have to watch them in true shepherd fashion. The fence is still not up and if I left them alone they would head for the road. I was helped out by a rainstorm that made them head for the cover of the barn, but they got about two hours of grazing in. It seriously cuts down on making product to sell at the Farmer's Market and at shows this fall, but I do enjoy watching them graze and listening to the munching. It's not a good idea to let them eat too much green grass first time out. Bloat is a horrible thing - and I could tell you stories but I'd rather not. The goats nibbled their way over to the bushes, which goats prefer over grass anytime. If I had managed to get their long coats off it wouldn't be a problem. Not only can the mohair be ruined by the brush and my months of time and money lost, they can get caught on a bush and not be able to move. If I didn't find them they would starve. Luckily last year the goats who were caught screamed so loud I knew right where they were. I will shear some goats today while Matt works on the fence. There's never enough time or enough hands to get what I should done on this farm. Mia's coming next weekend to help me put up fence. Matt will be gone for the next two weeks, doing his weatherization thing, saving energy and helping people keep warm.