Lately, we have been having ‘problems’ with our goats. Oh, they’re perfectly healthy and robust, but unfortunately, they all seem to suffer from some sort of co-dependent paranoia/eating disorder that if I do not come and feed them every 10 minutes, they are at the fence (unfortunately which can be seen through my back door) and scream at the top of their goat lungs. An incessant, “BAAAAAAAA, BAAAAAAAA, BAAAAAAAA” from early morning to nightfall.  It is to the point that my husband is ready to gut and clean every goat and have a giant, citywide barbeque.  So much for the peace and quiet of the country. We currently have eight goats; I am trying to get that to two or three to quiet the decibel level of “Baa”.  Oh, they have full access to about 12 acres of brushy, goat-friendly goodness, but they’d rather take a hand-out.  Reminds me of some of the people in this great nation.  Anyway, maybe that’s why I find it doubly irritating.  I don’t know.  I did just look and the goats were all where they are SUPPOSED to be, which is in the woods.  Maybe they will learn, yet.  We shall see. 

In farm life, yesterday, we had a couple of ‘our guys’ come and help us burn dead wood out in the goat pen, clean out the goat pen and apply it to my garden, and haul bricks to our pathway we are constructing in front of our house.  It was really great to have 4 extra hands!  I found one of my up and coming Rhode Island Red hens with her rear end virtually pecked to a bloody mess (ah, the fun you can have with chickens) so, I had to put her in a separate cage, clean and medicate her chicken bootie, and see how she does.  She’s a lot better this morning.  If you didn’t know it already, chickens will ruthlessly peck most anything that is red, blood especially, to the point they will kill a fellow chicken.  It can be extremely annoying and frustrating.  That’s why many chicken brooder lights are red, so that they cannot distinguish one red area from another.  So, I’ll have to turn back on the red light, I guess.  Oh well.  They are almost ready to put out with the big guys. 

So, screaming goats and doctoring chicken booties aside, yesterday was a really good, productive day!