~Sam~
07-29-2004, 12:04 AM
It's so quiet out there in the barnyard, that I don't know what to do with myself. I took Joline and two of her doe kids to the auction yesterday and the barn is so peaceful I can't believe it.
I hadn't truly realised how pervasive her constant complaining was becoming until I started to take all the goats out to the pasture with Raven. Well, from the very first meeting, he disliked Joline with a passion. When it was her time to get on the milk stand, he would put his ears back and snake-neck at her in anger from his stall.
The first time I took all the goats out there, he cut her from the herd and wouldn't let her back with them. I should've known then that he was very perceptive about things like this.
To Raven, this became a habit. And when he began to cut Cholly and Dot from the herd, well I knew that it was up to me to do something about the situation here.
It hadn't dawned on me either that I was becoming "off my noodle" . Her incesant bawling, her constant Em-maaaaa, em-maaaaaaa, em-maaaaaaing had me going absolutely nuts. When I had finished milking, giving them grain, changing the water and giving all of them fresh, and then putting new hay in their feeders... she would still raise holy hell if I walked out of her sight. I had to stomp on the floor in the hay mow to shut her up when I went up there to throw down a new bale of hay. God! But it drove me to distraction. And when I'm upset, so is everybody else. Go figure.
Last night was the first time in weeks that my shoulders and gut weren't tight and in turmoil. And all it took was a short ride to the sale barn. I knew that, but I had put it off because I was trying to operate this farm on a lovey-dovey feeling.
That doesn't work with animals. You have to be real with them. You have to be kind and consistant, but you have to let them know who is the boss. I tried to be different, and they all knew it.
And when someone is ruining things for the peace and tranquility of the herd, others will drive them off. So I did. I drove them right to the loading dock of the Westminster Livestock Auction barn. And there I left them.
I'm told that this is a good thing, although while I was doing it, it didn't feel so good. I felt like a traitor. I felt like a failure. I felt weak and insubstantial.
But, this morning when I went out to do chores... I felt good. And I'm beginning to feel a whole lot better about my decision to do what I did. After all, they are livestock. And when dealing with livestock you have to maintain a livestock mentality. To tell the truth, Kaibab is looking like Chevon-on-the-hoof to me now too. Think that I'll let him put a couple of months growth on him before I shoot him, butcher him and put him in the freezer... but I will indeed do the deed. Freezer space or no.
Looking at my clock, I see that it's time to turn around and do it all again. Have to go out there and bring Raven in from the pasture... throw some hay and grain around and then go and show that guest house to some folks.
In the meantime, I'm truly enjoying the peace and quiet of my pared-down barn yard.
You all have a good evening too.
I hadn't truly realised how pervasive her constant complaining was becoming until I started to take all the goats out to the pasture with Raven. Well, from the very first meeting, he disliked Joline with a passion. When it was her time to get on the milk stand, he would put his ears back and snake-neck at her in anger from his stall.
The first time I took all the goats out there, he cut her from the herd and wouldn't let her back with them. I should've known then that he was very perceptive about things like this.
To Raven, this became a habit. And when he began to cut Cholly and Dot from the herd, well I knew that it was up to me to do something about the situation here.
It hadn't dawned on me either that I was becoming "off my noodle" . Her incesant bawling, her constant Em-maaaaa, em-maaaaaaa, em-maaaaaaing had me going absolutely nuts. When I had finished milking, giving them grain, changing the water and giving all of them fresh, and then putting new hay in their feeders... she would still raise holy hell if I walked out of her sight. I had to stomp on the floor in the hay mow to shut her up when I went up there to throw down a new bale of hay. God! But it drove me to distraction. And when I'm upset, so is everybody else. Go figure.
Last night was the first time in weeks that my shoulders and gut weren't tight and in turmoil. And all it took was a short ride to the sale barn. I knew that, but I had put it off because I was trying to operate this farm on a lovey-dovey feeling.
That doesn't work with animals. You have to be real with them. You have to be kind and consistant, but you have to let them know who is the boss. I tried to be different, and they all knew it.
And when someone is ruining things for the peace and tranquility of the herd, others will drive them off. So I did. I drove them right to the loading dock of the Westminster Livestock Auction barn. And there I left them.
I'm told that this is a good thing, although while I was doing it, it didn't feel so good. I felt like a traitor. I felt like a failure. I felt weak and insubstantial.
But, this morning when I went out to do chores... I felt good. And I'm beginning to feel a whole lot better about my decision to do what I did. After all, they are livestock. And when dealing with livestock you have to maintain a livestock mentality. To tell the truth, Kaibab is looking like Chevon-on-the-hoof to me now too. Think that I'll let him put a couple of months growth on him before I shoot him, butcher him and put him in the freezer... but I will indeed do the deed. Freezer space or no.
Looking at my clock, I see that it's time to turn around and do it all again. Have to go out there and bring Raven in from the pasture... throw some hay and grain around and then go and show that guest house to some folks.
In the meantime, I'm truly enjoying the peace and quiet of my pared-down barn yard.
You all have a good evening too.