Wednesday, July 27, 2011

The Goat Warp

I have decided there is a Goat Warp between my house and Susan, dear Susan's. 

Kinda like a time warp, but it involves goat behavior and health.  They leave here with or without one set of issues, and arrive at her house with or without another. 

Exhibit A:  Ren.  The most obnoxious biddy we have ever had here.  Bullied every goat in the doe yard, and every person that walked in the doe yard.  Used to head but the two legged kids as she walked by them.  Just coz she could.  She pulled ears and bit the four legged kids.  She was the biggest toot.  Gets to Queenacres Boot Camp, and never makes a wave.  Susan thinks i am making up the stories about the bad behaviour.

Exhibit B:  Snippy, aka Cut & Shoot, aka Snippage, aka Snippity Do Da.  Heads to Susan's for Freezer Camp, is in perfect health.  No problems.  Arrives at Susan's and falls apart at the seams. 

Exhibit C:  Legacy.  Legacy had been on a downhill slide with a known health issue, so we brought her here, thinking we would care for her in her decline.  In the year that we were graced with her presence, i almost never saw evidence of her problem.  She did very well here, until she had a run in with Sancho.  Which is a story for another day. 

Exhibit D:  Moon Pie.  Has had no health issues.  I have been watching everyone for evidence of mineral deficiencies, as we know we are having  trouble as a result of the drought.  Have seen no problems in Pie.  Take her to Queenacres for breeding yesterday, and she steps out of the carrier and promptly gives us plops instead of berries.  Then, as i am on the way home, Susan calls and says Pie has gone down in her pasturns, one of the signs of mineral deficiency.

Exhibit E:  Lace.  Ren had always been herd queen.  Ruled with an iron fist.   During Legacy's tenure with us, we shipped Ren up north.  Although Legacy is one of the wisest and greatest equalizers i have ever known in a herd, Lace decided she should be the Queen of Everything.  Lace made Ren look like a marshmallow.  Lace would run everybody out of the barn if she wanted quiet time.  And if she was  munching in the manger when there was alfalfa hay, she would fight any of them off...from inside the manger.  Lace and Legacy went head to head every single day.  It was awful.  They hated each other.   And Lace was a pig in a goat suit.  Any treats that came out of the kitchen were hers, and she did not have a discriminating palate.  She didn't care what it was, she would eat as much as she could, so no one else could.  Lace has been at Boot Camp for about a month.  I saw her yesterday, and as soon as i walked into the yard, she and Legacy started loving on each other.  Susan says they are like that.  Says that Lace is extremely picky about her treats, and at alfalfa time, waits for the others to get their fill, then steps in to eat what is left. 

I am telling ya, people, there is a Goat Warp in the Universe.

And it keeps sucking my goaties in.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

It's not boot camp....it's the day spa!