Busybody or Great Protector?

Clyde can't decide what he wants to be.   One minute he's on top of his house calling out for the Donkeys to come up the pasture so he can see them close by.   The next he's wailing at the top of his goat lungs facing the house to tell on the Donkeys for being engaged in horseplay (or should we say, 'donkeyplay'?)

He's either the biggest busybody goat ever, or he's honing his craft at being the great 'Watch Goat' that he knows he can be.    Make no mistake about it, he's got a set of pipes on him that rival his buddies Pancho and Lefty when it comes to noise making.

Also, I think there is a part of him that really wants to grow up to be a Donkey.   I've noticed that when Pancho and Lefty graze off to the side of the goat enclosure, Clyde is always down there grazing along with them.   He never goes down to that end on his own, but if they are there, so is he.    Also, in the mornings, he's always over at the fence as I'm feeding the donkeys.  Partly it might be because he knows his food is coming next, but he puts his feet as high as he can on the fence to make himself look taller.

It reminds me of my soon to be 5 year old daughter.   She's adopted and of Mayan descent so I don't think she's going to be a starting forward on the basketball team, but she constantly tells me she wants to be a 'big kid.'   I think Clyde is like this too, he might be a Pygmy Goat, but he really wants to be something bigger.  Whether it's a 'Watch Goat' or the worlds first 'PygmyGoatDonkey' he's going to give it his all.   And for that, I'm happy.

Whatever I end up being in life, you can't deny the fact that I'm cute (er, handsome)

My Hero Donkeys

Bonnie with her cast

Let me start off by saying, I apologize for the lack of an update for the past few weeks.   Needless to say (as you will find out in this post) it's been a rather hectic time at our budding little farm.

We come home one day from work.   We are greeted by the loudest continual wailing from the donkeys I've ever heard.   These guys hardly ever make a sound, aside from a little whining from Lefty in the mornings.   Lefty sounded like a siren going off.   We immediately noticed that the goats were not in their enclosure.   They had escaped.

I was instantly impressed by the alert that the donkeys (especially Lefty) were giving us.   They were telling us something was really wrong.    I looked and didn't see the goats anywhere.  

I guess I have watched too many Lassie episodes in my day, because I looked Lefty in the eye and said to him.  "Where are they? Take me to them."

I have a witness (Lori) who can back this up, but Lefty turned around, brayed very loudly and walked about 30 yards out into the pasture and stopped right where Bonnie was laying.   He took me to right were she was.    She was hurt and scared.    We picked her up and realized her leg was hurt right away.   Lefty turned and followed me back up to the gate with her.   Pancho was right there too.   Their concern for their little buddy was evident right away.

We found Clyde off on the other side of the pasture, he was scared, but not hurt at all.   He was a little sore for a few days, but he's back 110% now.

All our animals instantly knew something was wrong with Bonnie.   Both Pancho and Lefty laid down and slept right by the goat fence for the first few nights and Girlfriend (our black lab) took to laying by the fence and softly whimpering and wagging her tail.   Even Winky the Wonder Cat sauntered over to the fence to check on Bonnie, (but don't let him know I mentioned that.)

We finally have Bonnie casted and at home thanks to the fine folks at Shaver Animal Hospital in Tuscaloosa.  They did a great job getting our little Bonnie casted up and hopefully on her way to recovery.

She spent a few days down at their clinic and all her animal buddies missed her while she was gone.   Clyde cried for her almost the whole time, and yesterday when we brought her back, he seemed very content that she was back.   She has to stay on the porch in a kennel for a few weeks, but at least they can talk to one another.

I can't tell you enough how impressed I am with our donkeys though.   They proved that they are worth every penny we paid for them (they were free BTW) and then some.    I wouldn't trade them for the world.  

Lassie ain't got nothing on them.

My Heroes

Just how you reckon this happened?

'Move along folks...  Nothing to see here!'

This is what greeted me the other morning when I went out to feed Pancho and Lefty.   There he was standing there, with this slightly embarrassed look on his face.   As some of you might know, we gave the boys hula hoops to play with when we first got them.   They (along with every toy we gave them) were ignored for the better part of a month.   Then I happened to be down in the low part of the pasture one day and I found one of the hula hoops with definite teeth imprints on it, so I knew that they had been playing with it.

I brought it up to the top of the pasture and then it became 'OK' with them to play with it.   It was on their own terms.

Fast forward a month or so, and I'm greeting to Lefty wearing the hula hoop just like the Scarlet Letter that Hester Prynne in Nathaniel Hawthorn's great novel.   You could see it in his eyes, he was embarrassed that he had to wait for us to help him get this thing off.

I still want to know, just how did that happen?   Oh to have had a hidden camera out in the pasture to have witnessed that.  I could be $100,000.00 richer for submitting it to 'America's Funniest Home Videos" (Is that show even still on?)

Well, it was really early and this scene was way to much to not share, so I went in and woke up Lori.   I told her she had to come with me.  She had this startled look on her face, and she immediately thought something was wrong with one of the donkeys.  I then smiled and showed her the picture and she and I both laughed.  In fact, I had to force myself not to laugh when I went to wake her up.

We go out, and there he is, still standing just as he was in the picture.   How could we get it off him.  Lori tried to pet him and he started to pull away.  I told her to use the hula hoop as a handle.  She did and it came apart and off him it went.   He took off like he's just been given a new lease on life.   The now unhooked hula hoop lay on the ground not fully round any longer.   

I can say, that I'm going to throw the old broken hula hoop away because after a week or so, it's not been touched by the donkeys.   I feel their 'Hula Hoop' days might be over.   Life is never dull with them I tell you.

The hula hoop back in the good old days.

You smell funny and you don't look like me....

Saturday afternoon was the big meet and greet.   Pancho and Lefty knew something was up.  They had spent a great deal of time in the new goat enclosure prior to Bonnie and Clyde's arrival.   We had let them graze in there some to keep the grass down and we let them smell and explore all the stuff we had been building in there.  They have a most curious nature anyway, we felt it only fair to let them explore it.

When we arrived with the goats, I immediately went in and gave Pancho and Lefty some sweet feed.  They never pass up a treat like that.   That bought us enough time without them right over our shoulder to get Bonnie and Clyde out of the truck and into their enclosure.   Suddenly Pancho's ears perked up...  'What's that over there?" I could almost imagine him thinking.   They finished the treat and made a beeline for the goat fence.

Meeting

The noses went down and Pancho tried to put his head over the fence to get a closer look (and smell) things.    (If you notice the later pictures, you will see the extra wire at the top of the fence.  You can thank Pancho for me adding this after the fact.   I had decided we didn't need the wire, but turns out, thanks to 'Curious George' (Pancho) we do.

After a few minutes of skittishness on the part of Bonnie and Clyde, suddenly they were rubbing against the fence and staying right up close while Pancho and Lefty stayed at the fence as well.   It was if they were having a little housewarming party.  (I should note, that we weren't invited to this little affair as Bonnie and Clyde are still a little standoffish from us humans at this point.)

It seems as though adding the goats might even help Pancho with his fear of letting us brush and pet him.   Since their arrival he's been more and more affectionate towards Lori and I.  This morning he even let me pet his nose for about 5 minutes before I put their morning feed down.   Suddenly he snapped to his senses and backed away, but then he came back up close again.   I think there might be hope for him yet.

Lori and I were talking yesterday about what the animals can teach us.   The main thing it seems is patience. Things have to be on their terms and their timeline.  You can't rush it.    If that means I have to sit quietly in the goat enclosure for 2 hours until Bonnie and Clyde realize that I'm OK, then I'll do it.    If that means we have to try to get close to Pancho 100 times before he realizes that we are cool, then we'll do it.   It's all part of living the life that we all need to live.  More simple, and less stressful.

The whole gang (even though Bonnie is photo-bombing)

Not enough Fiber in their diet?

So our Donkeys have now decided that in addition to the grass in our pasture and the occasional Privet Hedge and Oak and Pecan leaves, that they will now indulge in a new delicacy.   The siding on our barn!

We noticed that they have been chewing on the siding and have pulled a few small pieces off the back of the barn.   I sprayed some of the "Evil Fly Spray" on it this evening to keep them away, I doubt it will work.

Like they aren't getting enough to eat already.   We just started them on new supplement that is all natural and Garlic based to see if it will help control the fly problem we have.   Also, we don't have to worry about Vampires coming around the pasture or barn either now.

I saw on a video of a friend that has donkeys that he had chicken wire put on on the outside of his barn.  I am willing to bet he's had the same problem and I've sent him an email to find out.   It surely can't hurt.

Less than two weeks now until our Pygmy Goats come to live with us.   We can't wait to get them here and settled and start blogging about them too.

Have a great evening, and I leave you with this picture from a few weeks ago.  Mr. Wallace came to cut the pasture and Pancho and Lefty treated him like the Pied Piper.   Every time he came up to the top of the pasture, they followed behind him.   They sure are a curious pair...

Getting ready for their new friends...

Our new Pygmy Goats (Bonnie and Clyde) will be arriving on June 15th.  That means lots of preparation for them.   The enclosure is built and yesterday we went and picked up their house as well as an old plastic playhouse for them.   I'm going to build bridges and climbers for them in and on the old playhouse.

Of course, as soon as we got the structures in place, the boys had to come check them out.   They are so curious as to anything new.   We've been leaving the gate to the new enclosure open so they can come and go in there as they please before the goats arrive.  

As usual they had to smell and taste everything in there.   It's almost as if the donkeys are the Quality Control testers.

As you can see above, Pancho is giving the plastic fort the old 'smell' test.

I think we will be incorporating the 'Bonnie and Clyde' show into our blog here. (Heck, we might even have to change the name)   I feel the goat antics will be just as (if not more) fun than the daily treat that we get from Pancho and Lefty.

Stay tuned...

New Watering Hole...

So summer has descended on us.   It was nice to have a respite from the summer weather for a while, but it seems that pleasantness has gone away.   Since it's going to be getting hotter, the Donkeys will need more water to drink.   We had this old tub left over from Raychel's wedding last November (It served as the iced down drink dispenser) and it was just sitting out in the pasture.

We moved it over to the boy's shed and cleaned it out and filled it up with water.  It didn't take them long to realize this was much easier to drink out of than their bucket they've been using.   I might have to get a new drain plug, but for now it seems to be working out fine.

While we were working we were treated to the 'Lefty Rolling Show' and the video of one a few weeks ago I've been meaning to post is below.   It makes me laugh when he rolls on his back and Pancho watches him so intently.   Pancho doesn't roll in public, but I've seen dust on his back so I now he rolls when no one's around.  I guess he's just shy that way...

On their own terms....

Will you play with me?

We gave the donkeys 2 hula hoops the first week we got them.   It was as if the toys weren't there.   There was no interest at all.   Nada.    We tried an old ball that my daughter had in the yard.   I tossed it out there, it rolled right by them, totally ignored.   Then a couple of weeks ago we had a soccer ball that Sassy (a dog cousin that came over for a visit) decided to deflate during a rambunctious play episode, we decided to toss that over into the pasture as well.   You guessed it, totally ignored.

Then I took the tractor down to the bottom of the pasture the other day and what did I come across?  The original hula hoop we gave the boys.   It has been flattened and had obviously been played with.   I picked it up and brought it up to the top of the pasture and now they play with it most every day.   As you can see above, Lefty enjoys holding it in his mouth and walks through it when he carries it.   I think he would try to use it as a Jump Rope if he could.

Then the other day, I found the first ball we put out there for them.  Totally shredded from what I can only assume was a very spirited game of tug o war.   Then I saw them sparring over the deflated soccer ball the next afternoon.

It appears that they do enjoy the toys, but only on their own terms.   That caused me to start thinking about the dreaded and feared 'Fly Spray' that we still haven't been able to introduce them to.    It would make their life so much better to not have to deal with the gnats and flies biting them all time, but for some reason they have deemed it totally 'off limits.'    What if we had a way to introduce it to them on their own terms?  

Next stop the Tractor Supply website and during a browsing session I saw it...   Even though it's designed for cows, it surely can't hurt to try it out.   Here is a link to the Cow Life Cattle Rub that I think might just do the trick.    I can put the Fly Spray liquid on this contraption and then Pancho and Lefty can apply the stuff to them the first time 'on their own terms.'    You reckon it might work?   It's sure worth 20 bucks to find out to me.

I'll give you this, life with these boys is never dull.   I hope you all have a great weekend, and Pancho says...

"Check out my profile... Aren't I handsome?"

Curisoity

 We are getting 2 Pygmy Goats.  That means a new fenced enclosure for them.   Well Thursday afternoon we measured and laid out the area for the new enclosure so I can go this morning to get the materials for the new fence.   Of course you can bet Pancho and Lefty were right there checking out every step in the process.   As you can see above, Panch is curiously watching me put the stake in the ground.   (Notice the 'SAFE' distance he keeps, because I did have something in my hand that could have been that God Forsaken Fly Spray that they hate so much)

After I laid out the stakes and as I was taking my measurements  Lefty decided to investigate the stakes I'd already put in the ground (Again, the safe distance from me and any potential Fly Spray attempt)

First he smelled them, then he tasted them to make sure they weren't some sort of treat, then finally it became a scratching post to sooth his neck.    He then proceeded to knock it over due to his scratch attack.

After all was said and done, we removed the stakes, because I did't want them potentially hurting themselves on the posts, but I can only imagine how they are going to 'help' me later today when I start putting in the new fence posts.    I'm sure that will provide some prime blogging material.   Stay tuned...

Let Sleeping Donkeys Lie...

So this morning I'm leaving to go  to work about 6am.   I cut an apple in half for the boys and as usual, if I don't see them up in the top part of the pasture, I'll just leave the apple halves on two fence posts for them later.

But wait, there is Pancho lying under their shed.  I call out to him, nothing.   I figure he's snoozing so I go to the gate and open it.   Not worrying about how much noise I make, hoping it will rouse him and Lefty.

Still nothing, I walk all the way up to him and he is clearly asleep with his eyes open, by this time Lefty (who is laying facing the opposite direction is turning around to look at me and is starting to get up.   I hold the apple half up to Pancho's nose and he stands up awake (or so I think)

He takes half the apple and puts it in his mouth.  Now I should tell you, normally, Panchy is the aggressive eater what with his big mouth.  Today, though he delicately takes the apple from my hand.

Almost as soon as he took the apple, it fell out of his mouth totally unscathed.   It's as if his mouth was still asleep.   The apple dropped and Lefty was 'Johnny on the Spot' and got the apple half and began munching on it right away.

Pancho by that time had woken up enough to take the other half of apple out of my hand and began eating it.

I got a good chuckle out of Pancho's mouth not waking up at the same time he did.

I read up on Donkey sleeping habits today.  If they lay down to sleep it means they feel at ease and comfortable in their surroundings.   If they are in the wild, they always sleep standing up in order to be able to fend off any danger straight away.   It makes me feel glad that the donkeys feel comfortable in their pasture to sleep laying down.

I'll just let them sleep next time...

Do Dah Day....

So a friend suggested that we should take Pancho and Lefty to Do Dah Day.   I love going to Do Dah Day, but trying to take Pancho and Lefty there?  Not so much....

Let's look at the facts:

1. When we first brought them home it took 1 1/2 hours to get them on the trailer before we could leave their old home.   Definitely don't want to do that again.

2.  They boys aren't lead trained at all.   They don't even like to get brushed for God's sakes, you think they would follow us on a lead?

3.  They tend to be a little shy around folks until you get to know them.   Heck, even some days (like yesterday afternoon) they treat me like a stranger.   I suspect that will get better with time.

Now, as some of you might know if you follow our Facebook feeds, we are getting some new additions to our little blossoming farm in early June.  Not in time for this year's Do Dah Day, but maybe next year.   Bonnie and Clyde (Yes they already have names) are two infant Pygmy Goats that we are getting.   Now, they might be the right size to take to Do Dah Day, and we have a year to get them lead trained.

Lead training is one thing, but potty training?  That's totally out of the question, so we have decided that if we do take them to Do Dah Day, we will need help, so we are trying to enlist Lori's daughter and her best friend to act as the 'Bonnie and Clyde Environmental Impact Team'  We'll even get them shirts to wear as they walk behind us and pick up any 'accidents'

Meanwhile, Pancho and Lefty will stay at home and in their pasture where they can do their own thing, on their own time...   And that sometimes involves giving us a 'Razzberry' as you can see from Lefty's picture below.    If you are in Birmingham on Saturday May 18th, head out to Southside and partake in all the fun that is Do Dah Day...  It's a great day for animals in Birmingham and they have great music too.  

Here is a link to their website...

Do Dah Day

Sunday Afternoon Dilemma...

Well there you have it, the classic Mexican Standoff.   The Sweet Feed (oh the glorious sweet feed) is so close, yet just out of the frame is Lori standing with the bottle of Fly Spray we bought and have been trying to spray on the boys.

We thought today that I would bring the sweet feed into the paddock and Lori would play the bad cop and spray them with the fly spray when the started eating. Well how do you think that went?

The Donkeys won this round, but we will keep trying.    Just like they still don't like getting brushed, it will only take one time for them to realize just how good it makes them feel.  

Life with Pancho and Lefty is never boring.  In fact, it's often the biggest chuckle we get all day.

In the absence of Peppermint, Vanilla Wafers will apparently do quite well...

OK, so it should come as no surprise to anyone that our donkeys are spoiled.   Totally and indisputably spoiled.

I came home from getting gas for the lawn mower this evening to witness the aftermath of the video you see above.   We ran out of peppermints and I (trying to be the good donkey owner) have been giving the boys 1/2 an apple in the morning before I leave to go to work.

Lori (being the 'enabler' donkey owner) has been giving them Vanilla Wafers as a treat.   As you can see from the video, they apparently like them a lot.

And if you look at the picture below, it appears that there must be some sort of 'Donkey Narcotic' in them, as Pancho looks a little glassy eyed in the photo.

Anyone know a Donkey Interventionist?  We might need their services soon...

Rainy Sunday morning, boredom ensues...

So it's a rainy Sunday morning.  When you are are donkey that really hates to get wet, that means boredom under the shelter.   I looked out from the deck and saw Pancho standing under the shelter I built them.  It makes me happy that they use it to protect themselves from the elements, but today, the look on Panch's face looked just like a kid at the window on a rainy day longing to go out and play.

Lefty?  He might be under the shelter on the other side of his buddy, but he doesn't mind the rain as much.  He will get wet and love it, in fact, I've seen him rolling in the mud on occasion.

I guess I will be looking out the window today as well.  There are a ton of projects to do outside, but the rain will keep me from doing them.    I might go to the workshop and finish the Herb planter I'm building for Lori, that's a nice 'inside' chore I can do.

Enjoy your Sunday, whether it be rainy or sunny...

Fresh Water... and improvised toys.

So I went out to check on the boys this morning and I found their water bucket (The yellow one in the picture above) about half way down the upper part of the pasture.   Someone must have knocked it over and then decided to have a kickball game with it.

Also, one of their sweet feed buckets was destroyed too. 

They want to play with things that aren't their toys and totally ignore their toys.   

We read online that some folks buy cheap hula hoops and their donks will play with them all day long.  Ours?  They have not even touched the Dollar General hoops once since we put them out in the pasture for them.

As for the weed cloth that we put down under the mulch for Raychel's wedding back in November?  Every bit of it pulled up and used as 'tug of war' ropes.

I'm going to try to find a piece of thick cotton rope (you know the kind you used to have to climb up in gym class) for them to play tug of war with.   Will they use it?   Probably not, but it will at least make me feel better knowing I gave them something as a toy.

Anybody got any ideas for toys to try for them?  They will be happy to ignore them too, I'm sure.

Having a pasture with rolling hills is a double edged sword...

Our pasture is only 4 1/2 acres, but it drops down towards the bottom quite a bit.   The terrain isn't steep, but it does roll and drop off into a tree line at the bottom.  Pancho and Lefty spend a good bit of time up near the house and it is always a treat to go out in the morning to leave for work and be able to spend a few minutes with them.

Other days, they are off down in the 'lowland' as we refer to it, down in the thicket of trees near our spring which gives them water down on that end.   We can't see them when they are down there, so it always causes a bit of trepidation.   "Did they get out of the fence?"   And then I start the mental inventory...

"Did I patch that place in the fence?"  

"Did I leave the gate open?"

And then I realize, that even if any of those things might have occurred  these boys are probably not going anywhere.    I give them peppermints for God's sake!!!

So this morning was one of those mornings.   Lori and I rode together as her sister is leaving to go out of town today.   Usually if I don't see them when I leave early, she will see them when she leaves a little later.  But today they were nowhere to be seen.   Most likely snoozing down in the treeline after a hard night of protecting the pasture from coyotes and rabbits.

I kept the peppermints I had in my pocket for them to myself...   I'm sorta addicted to them too.

When the gnats are buzzing, a donkey's gotta do what a donkey's gotta do...

OK, so this is some interesting behavior.  We were out watering the garden and I looked up and saw this.  It was like some sort of 'Preen-Off' going on.   The gnats have really been bothering them, (us too) so I guess is their way to cope with it.

A friend has recommended some spray that they make for horses, we'll have to get some and try it.   Anyone know any 'old wives tales' remedies for gnats and flies?

I've come to realize that Peppermint is like Crack to a Donkey...

I've created a monster.   Thanks to my friend Nancy at work, I bought some of those soft 'King Leo' peppermint candies and we use that as a small treat for the donks.   Well let me tell you, you would have thought I had just imported something really special from South America what with the way they come running for them.

I make sure that I always get the first one and the last one for myself (I want to keep Pancho and Lefty in their place in the pecking order in the pack (tongue firmly planted in cheek there)) and I will give them each 1 or 2 peppermints when I go out to the fence to see them in the evening.   Pancho (who we refer to as the 'special' donkey because of his shyness) has taken to craning his neck way out over the fence in order to receive his treat.  After we are done with the treats they continue to smell my hands looking for another sweet morsel, and if I put the wrappers in my pants pocket, they smell my leg and look for more.

We don't give them sweet feed but about every other day or so, as we don't want them to over indulge,  because Jenny Craig or Weight Watchers don't have weight loss plans for donkeys.  The peppermint was supposed to be a little 'Amuse-Bouche' (a small bite sized appetizer) in between their feedings, but Lefty creates a loud ruckus lumbering across the pasture toward the fence and his little treat.  They are truly like junkies for it.

I hope there isn't ever a peppermint shortage.  I might just be in trouble.

A beginning, what better place is there to start?

It was mentioned to me that our newly adopted donkeys should have their own blog.  Well, here goes.

I suspect this blog won't be only about Pancho and his 'pal' Lefty, but will include snippets from our other 4 legged 'children' (or boarders, or nuisances, or inspirations) that inhabit the 5 1/2 acres we like to refer to as 'Stately Covington Manor' as an homage to Lori's late Mother who always wanted a place out in the country with a menagerie of animals wandering about.

With that we begin...  I hope you like the ride.   It might get bumpy from time to time.