Goat vs. Steer

For the past week, I have subtly or not so subtly been suggesting to Sarah that we should take the goats out. They get restless inside, crashing off the walls, headbutting each other, rubbing their noses on the fence. They've been staying in the barn all day partly because it's been cold out and partly because the paddocks closest to the barn are occupied by steer and buffalo. To get them out, then, we have to walk them along the road for 1/4 mile to get to the pasture. Today, she acquiesced and lo and behold 20 goats were trotting along behind her down the road. No one tried to go running off. They stopped when she stopped. They waited patiently behind her when she opened the door to the paddock. I was so excited to see the doelings run and jump and play. Kenzie was at home, doing her other job--school--and I wished she was here because I knew she would have wanted to see this. When we got into the pasture, though, it was the same scenario. The goats wouldn't leave me or Sarah's side. Instead, they swarmed us. We were one pack, one herd. I would run off in one direction, and they would scamper with me. When I stood still, I was surrounded on all sides, jostled and playfully headbutted, but no goat ventured outside of a 10 foot radius of us. Sarah thought maybe we should just walk them back with us instead of leaving them in the pasture, saying "they're so social, they'll just stand by the gate if we leave them." I convinced her to let them enjoy the sunshine. Sure enough, though, the goats stood more or less by the gate until we returned for them. One doeling had slipped through a small slot in the fence to an adjacent locked pasture. The opening was so thin she did not want to come back through. We decided to leave with the herd to go get the manager to get the key to get her out. She was bleating and running after us on the other side of the fence. Next thing I know she has gotten through another fence and into the pasture with a herd of 50 steer and one miniature horse. The miniature horse starts chasing her and two steer start chasing the horse. I try to get the herd of goats off the street and back into the barn while Sarah rescues the doeling. Coincidentally, they are not following me like before and try to get into all areas of the big barn--the stalls, back outside, the grain room. Sarah returns with the doeling and we are both goat wrestling the remaining does--pulling, pushing, kneeing, sweet talking, until they are all safe and sound back in their newly mucked pen. Sarah counts the goats aloud 5 times. And asks me to check up on them in a half hour. I wonder when she will let me take them out again.

Kenzie, with Gwenyth, my favorite goat. She is the boss of all the goats. I feed her extra kelp.  

Me, with Terry, Kenzie's favorite goat. She is very shy and deer-like but a "quiet leader" as Kenzie describes.

Milking the goats on the stantion