Friday, May 15, 2009

Bare Naked Ladies

Well, I may have been spinning a lot of wheels this week but the girls have been shorn of their heavy ( and dirty ) winter locks. All except Dolly who wasn't feeling well beginning of the week so I decided to do her over the warmer weekend. This is my first time using an actual pair of shears to do this job, previously I had had to use scissors. Predictably, it isn't the best job, but no one lost skin and there are only two very small nicks to report.

The fleece is not worth saving. We have to leave it on so long in the spring due to weather that by the time I do feel safe about clipping the girls, they are well into shedding and matting that shed into the fleece.
I don't think I've ever introduced the girls in an official manner. The two blacks are Sylvie and Cece, the two white/cream girls are Dolly and Taffy (mother & daughter) and the silver is Nancy, who is Sylvie's mother.

 What a funny bunch of girls they are too and very hard to snap photos of. They follow their shepherdess (me) closely and when they spread out to graze they do so with me as the sun. In other words, I can get great pics of goatie butts but the minute I move they all come running back to me.

 They are allowed to run loose during the day and stick pretty darn close to home, always within sight of the horse paddock. If something startles them, they run back to the paddock, either theirs or the horses. Where ever they go, they go en mass.

 Dolly and Taffy are the sweetest of the 5, Sylvie is queen bee and can be a little haughty with everyone. She will challenge the horses but to date, she has never challenged me although she has thought about it. She challenges by rearing up and lunging forward to butt heads as is typical of goats. Thankfully none of the goats have horns. Cece is my bull in the china shop and if she thinks you have a bit of food for her, look out, she'll come barreling into you in excitement. Nancy is always polite and a little distant. Goats, I think, are one of Mother Nature's little jokes on the universe. They are into and on everything. They crawl on Bob the tractor, they will hop in the back of the Subaru or truck while you are unloading stuff, they will be endlessly helpful while trying to cut firewood or doing yard work. We have to lock them up when we fell trees around here.
They have tried to follow me on a trail ride or two and once, friends came up in their beautiful soft top Audi 2 seater sports car and I looked out to see a goat on their roof....YIKES! Thank god no damage was done as I would not want to have to replace it. Goats are curious and smart and have the capacity to get into all sorts of trouble. They certainly liven up the farm.

6 comments:

Life Looms Large said...

Your goats are too funny!!

Our dog used to get on the roof of our car when it was in the garage and that freaked my husband out. I cannot imagine his reaction if it were a goat on the car!!!

I have trouble just cutting Bailey's toenails. I cannot imagine giving goats a haircut!! You're tough!!

Sue

Jennifer said...

I worked with some goats while I was in college - wild ones from the college farm. I wasn't thre when they caught her from the field, but I can remember the day we tried to one on a elevator. She had horns and I straddled her holding the horns to get her where we wanted her to go. it was an experience!

Cindie said...

Very fun to meet your goats! They are amusing critters, aren't they?

Sharon said...

I would really like to have a couple of goats, things that might be viable with retirement on the horizon. I grew up with Nubians and loved them, but my parents had them as milkers since I was allergic to cows milk.

Our Shetland wethers just got sheared last weekend. I'm afraid their fleeces are a lost cause too, but they're sure a lot happier now.

Theresa said...

Goats are fun and funny. Sometimes a pain to deal with but on balance worth the extra work. Cindie, amusing certainly covers having goats perfectly.
Sue, goats need their toenails/hooves trimmed and that really is goat wrangling.
Sharon, Nubians are such sweet looking goats!
Jennifer, Wow, getting a goat by the horns in an elevator. That sounds like a real rodeo!

Anonymous said...

Theresa, you are such the trooper with all of your animals! I think I'm doing good with one cactus - and sometimes I want to throw it out! I love your furry family.