Hen23's Journal~Goodbye

[Henrietta23]

Thanks! So far so good. I can't wait to have a free evening to make CHEESE!!!!
I knew I would love them. I thought DS would too. DH wasn't convinced. He is now. He just adores Donki. Turns out he was a little worried I'd choose Stella and he would have been disappointed. The kids are still unsure around DH and I but seem to think DS is one of them. They're getting better. Last night I made a batch of guacamole and DH and I sat on a rock in the goat pen eating it. Donki begged for corn chips from DH. Daisy climbed up on the rock at my back and just stood there. As long as we didn't touch each other she staid.

 

[Henrietta23]

7 days left, one of which I will be on DS's field trip with him. It is looking like my mom may still be subbing for his teacher by then, or at the very least taking her place on the trip while she stays at school and catches up on paper work. She was just released from the hospital today after being there for 5 days. What started as the stomach bug that was going around had her dehydrated and worse. I'll spare the details. Don't know if they ever did find a cause. I can't imagine that she's going to feel up to chasing 26 2nd graders around the aquarium!
Today was my last regular day at the HS since I won't be going in on Thursday and next Monday is an early release exam day. 4 regular days and the last half day at the elementary school and I am DONE!
Got another 3.75 cups of milk out of Donki tonight before Cub Scouts. 7.75 cups for the day. I still don't feel 100% confident that I'm getting every last drop. I brought a pint to school in a jelly jar and drank it with my lunch. Mmmmmmmmm!
The nextdoor neighbor was getting out of her car as I went to get DS off the bus. She did mention the goats were really loud. I just apologized and said I hoped they would settle in soon. They are all in new surroundings away from the other goats and humans they knew. They're more confined than they were used to. As soon as we get the other huge rhododendron out of the yard and hunt for anything else evil to goats we'll be able to let them out in the fenced backyard for more space. But that will be a while. We'll have some ornamentals (not many) to fence in. Mainly a Japanese maple and a crabapple and some hostas. There's not much else in back they can harm. DH found a bunch of poison ivy he'd love for them to have access to. In the meantime we're pruning our maples a few branches at a time which makes them very happy.

 

[freemotion]

Try not to worry too much about the neighbors. Can you invite her over to meet the goats? That helps a lot! Then they start talking to them over the fence.

The neighbor that complained about the noisy guineas plays insipid "kid's" music outdoors EVERY DAY. I want to hit something, HARD, everytime I hear it. That stuff irritated me even when I was a child. Maybe because my mom played a wide variety of real music in the house all day, and even as a small child, I instinctively knew the difference.

So I really don't care if my animals are loud!

 

[Farmfresh]

Can you invite her over to meet the goats?

I think that is a great idea! I would mention that they love to eat poison ivy and even offer her some milk or cheese.

I always try to keep things as smooth as possible. There will always be mountains to climb and battles to fight, so I just try real hard not to make any of my own.

 

[Henrietta23]

She has met the twins but hasn't come over to meet Donki. How could anyone not fall in love with Donki. She was mostly just making note, more than complaining. What happened was one of the daughters had friends camp out in the backyard Saturday night, the night after we got Donki. Donki made a lot of noise that evening and in the morning after we milked her, her first milking here. Now these kids were warned about the rooster but the goats were a new thing! They are not too fond of either animal right now. They didn't get much sleep.
I give them eggs when I have extra, never charge them. I'll be offering cheese soon too! They run a/c all summer so I don't think they'll hear her much.
Donki was really mean to Daisy in the barn tonight. Body checked her into the wall to get her away from the grain. DS got really upset and left. Doesn't want to be around her right now. Daisy is his favorite and he is hers. She just loves him! I'm finally able to pat their sides if I've got treats. They didn't take long to figure out where the yummy stuff comes from.
Tonight when I got home they were very noisy. Turns out the neighbor on the other side was out with his daughters, the shriekers. The goats didn't like that one bit. Or they were complaining about his country music.... oh wait, that was me!
Paul emailed to make sure I'm milking her all the way out. I think I am. I milk until everything shrinks up and bump her and get a little more then strip her out. I'm getting almost 4 cups. Should I be worried I'm not doing it right?

 

[freemotion]

No, if her teats are floppy, she's empty! She is probably producing a bit less due to the move, new people, new companions, etc.

Although head-butting is part of normal goat behavior, I would not give anyone else grain with Donki present and loose. You can create tie stations if you can't separate them. Donki gets all she needs on the milking stand, right? So the kids could either get theirs while she is being milked, or they could all learn to be tied up to eat until everyone is finished. They tend to be pretty quick, anyways.

I am not a big fan of free-for-all graining, although a lot of people feed their herds this way. With just a few goats to feed, it is safer to feed them as individuals. Especially when space is limited. My barn is tiny, so I can't even feed Ginger in Mya's presence. She will get bashed....even if I prevent it while Ginger is eating, Mya will bash her out of jealousy as soon as I leave. Goats! That part is not therapeutic!

Your kids may not really need grain, if they are eating well and getting lots of supplemental fresh branches to munch on.

 

[Farmfresh]

Horses are the same way. Things just work out smoother if they are fed while either tied or separated. Personally I prefer tying them. That way they learn to stand tied quietly, which is a great thing to know if they are ever injured.

My sis feeds her horses by giving each their own bucket spaced apart and then monitoring the situation. Seems like time she could better spend cleaning or something else until they have finished. She still has scuffles from time to time. One of her horses has learned to solve the bullying problem however - when he is attached by a grain bully he just runs away...but he always takes his grain bucket with him!! THAT is pretty funny to watch.

 

[Henrietta23]

Okay, good to know it's somewhat normal. Until yesterday she wasn't eating grain. She still will barely nibble it on the stand. So we gave the kids grain outside while we milked Donki then put what she didn't eat in the feeder in the barn and let her finish while I chilled the milk and DH freshened water and hay and dealt with birds. By the time we were done with all that all the grain was gone and everyone got along fine.
We cut them some maple branches before we left and they were very happy goaties!
Donki gave me just over 4 cups this morning. Slowly increasing. And she was definitely floppy when I was done.

 

[Henrietta23]

5 days left!!!! Not counting the field trip. My mom is definitely subbing for DS's teacher that day. Teacher got out of the hospital last night but is not well enough to come back. Don't know what she has/had. Mom is being told to expect to be covering for the week. That means the field trip then field day on Friday. Last year we were requested that either DH or I come to Field Day or DS wasn't going to be able to participate. There were other factors at play last year with another student. We were both swamped and they didn't give us much notice so my mom volunteered and that went well. She just kept an eye on him and the other student. Haven't revisited that situation in a while. Not fun!!
Our education budget is being voted on again today. Keep positive thoughts. I don't want more staff cuts...... I have beaks and bills and mouths to feed!

 

[freemotion]

OK, I spent what, two hours with your family last week? Your ds was just about perfectly behaved, IMO. I have a client who brings her ds to appts on occasion, has for several years, and I allow it because he is just as well-behaved. He's about the age of your ds. He also had trouble in school with teachers complaining about his bad behavior, and when she switched schools, the problems went away. So who was poorly behaved????? Yup! Teachers! Not monitoring or handling dynamics between certain children is their job, too. I don't have kids but the stories drive me up a wall.

Having had teachers as students and clients, when someone asks, "What's she smokin'?" I can tell you.....and it's not legal! (Most teachers I know are dedicated and wonderful. It is the few idiots who do a lot of damage to tender psyches..)

Rant over.

Yeah, I would suggest not leaving any grain in a communal area. If a smaller kid gets hit just right by bigger Donki, damage can take place. Better safe than sorry. Toss any unfinished grain. Better yet....give her what you KNOW she will definitely finish, and have a can within reach to add to her bucket if she finishes the smaller amount. That is what I do. Then I am neither waiting or racing. I keep alfalfa pellets nearby, because both my does will finish their grain/beet pulp. They both need a little alfalfa pellets to slow them down for me, but I never know how much from day to day, so I keep a pound can within reach. In the past two days, Ginger is on to me and is starting to race so she can have more! Which is fine. Alfalfa pellets are safe to give in larger quantities, unlike grain.

This also allows for varying amounts of veggie scraps. If I have a lot, I don't put any alfalfa in unless needed.

Also, since I feed "wet" foods, I cannot save any leftover food....oh, wait, I have pigs now!

Soggy leftover alfalfa pellets get tossed on my flower gardens, as they are very good for leafy growth.