Monday, May 27, 2013

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...

Monday, May 20, 2013

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...


Friday, May 10, 2013

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?"

Saturday, May 4, 2013

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...