Tidbits

Flicka, my older white goat from Virginia, was walking funny. I thought it was because her mohair bangs had grown below her eyes. I sweet-talked Matt into helping me shear her. She sensed something about to happen and ran up the hill, with Matt in hot pursuit. Once caught the clipping began and we discovered to our horror that one horn was actualy caught in the mohair on her back. No wonder she was walking funny. Goats will use their horns to scratch themselves all over...this time a horn got stuck in the long mohair! We got her clipped, wormed and sheared and hoofs trimmed. I have about 30 more to go and just put another desperate plea in to Jim Baldwin in Cortland to come and help us out. There are not too many shearers who do goats. Something to do with horns and bones sticking out here and there, and loose folds of skin that cause fits with the shearer. We caught the Olde English Bantam hen with her three chicks, born in the Lil' Lamb Dineing feeder. There was a runty fourth chick yesterday and I fear the worst. I caught Mother Hen fighting off a cat this morning as I was about to rush off to work. I ran off the cat and ran around trying to catch her, but no deal. Tonight I found her gone night-night with the chicks and enlisted Matt's help. I now have her cozied up in the chicken room with her chicks where she has food, water, and a lot of other hens to talk to. Sister Grace asked for some old manure for her garden. Matt went to the spot where I dumped a mountain of rabbit manure I trucked up here from where I lived in Pa. When he dumped out some dung from a black plastic bag and great big snake came out too. Matt is not afraid of much and often went camping in West Texas, sleeping on the ground in the desert, snake city, but he confessed when this snake popped out he was scared ----less! From his description it sounded like a garter snake. If she survives my cats and dogs she's a very smart snake! I am giving Velvet, Bridie and Brandon warm water in their bottles now in an effort to wean them off milk replacer. I have spent a small fortune on the stuff this spring, as I have done as long as I have been lambing, and they are way big enough to get off the bottle. Their screams in the morning cut through me like a knife so I give them water. It works! They are happy! When the babies stop screaming, there is peace in the barn!