2 posts tagged “goats”
Sometimes a little goat can be an important part of your herd and your life. Goats make great companions for horses. I don't know why but they certainly can be a calming influence on an easily excited horse. Often times race horses are accompanied by a goat to keep them settled during travel to races and being stalled in strange places. Horses are real homebodies and a small traveling companion can provide a constant that is so important to horses.
The little guy in the pictures as been in our family for over ten years. He lived at Gramma's house and one of the grandchildren showed him at the fair. After a few years he was retired and came to our farm. He has been a standard fixture and faithful companion for my horses. He shows up in almost every picture I took of the horses. We don't know how old he was when my BIL bought him or even where he came from, but he was an adult of more than 2 years and we have had him for at least 10 years. He had three different names Damien (granddaughter liked drama), Ralph and alternately Geo as in G O for goat. He loved the horses and was always in their company. He would race for them when they returned from a show. Often times I had to tie him up so he would not come into the ring and get under foot while I was riding. Sometimes he would rear on his back legs and bounce toward the horses teasing them. Then he would race for me with them in hot pursuit. He'd run around behind me so that I could save him. He loved to play. Sometimes though, one of the horses would stand with his head down, muzzle resting on Ralph's back. They would stand like that for long periods. Who knows what they were thinking.
I don't know what happened today. I saw him several times through the day and all was well. When I went out to feed this evening, Ralph didn't come in. I went to look for him and saw him standing on three legs. His right hind leg was just hanging and the old boy was shivering in pain. By the time I got my husband out to double check what I feared, Ralph had hobbled up to the barn. I set out water, grain and hay for him. Goats are tough, really tough. He ate, drank and was working on the hay without any seeming care in the world. I was able to examine him more carefully and my worst fears were realized. His right hind leg was broken clear through the cannon bone. That's the equivalent of your shin/calf bones.
There isn't any more to be done for a goat with a broken leg than a horse with a broken leg. We had to put him down. Horses are very aware of death and like all animals they understand it and accept it. I let both horses out of there stalls, and they went over to the body and sniffed it carefully over and over again. Riley pawed at the little guy and even tried to get him to move, pushing at him with his nose. They spent a good 10 minutes going over and over him. They know he is dead and gone and will not look for him or call for him.
We don't know how he broke his leg. I have a feeling that he was lying down and just did not move out of the horses' way fast enough. He was getting older and slower. He may have stepped in a hole or caught it in a fence but what ever happened it was a disaster. If the one of the horses stepped on him, it was an accident. Ralph really did like to be right in the middle of everything.
I think I have brain freeZe 
I am just in from doing chores. The temp is -4 and we have about a 10 knot wind. I put on my husband's Carhart facemask hat, my sweatshirt hoodie over that, my snowmobile suit and my winter barn coat over that, my BOGS (insulated water proof knee high boots) and heavy gloves. The horses have been in their very large stalss for nearly two days and I wanted to get them out, though I didn't think they would go out. I did open the east door for the horses and opened their stall gates but like I thought, they looked at me like I was crazy and said "Hell, NOOOOOOOOOOO" The big water hydrant handle was nearly frozen but both hands and lots of muscle got it open. The chickens' water bucket was frozen and they were all huddled around it or sitting on it looking like impatient victims. So, I got the water running, the ice knocked out of their bucket and refilled it, filled their feed trough and collected TWO EGGS I was thinking stew pot 
Anyway everyone is fed, watered and as cozy as a barn in arctic Michigan will allow.
We must have gotten another 5 inches last night with a strong drifting wind to help us out. I'm not whining, really I'm not. It seems normal to me. This artic cold is almost comforting because it is the way things used to always be. We just get ready for it and truck on through. I put a drop light on the handle of the hydrant, hung a couple of work lights in the chicken coop and one in the barn for the goat and shovelled a path for the kitties to get to their food. I will say though that the two square inches of my face that were exposed to the wind going and coming to the barn are giving me a burning sensation. I am sure that you southerners who fight the heat in summer have your survival methods in place .
I am going to make another pot of this wonderful coffee and get under a comforter. I bought 8 O'Clock hazelnut beans, and boy does this fresg ground coffee taste great.
