We try to give our goats toys to climb on whenever we can find some.
When we first put it out, they're ecstatic about it and they're all pushing and shoving to climb up on it, but after a few days, it's like it doesn't exist anymore.
Do you think they'd stay interested if we moved it around every week or so, so it'd seem new?
How do you keep your goats interested in their toys, or do we just have not terribly playful goats?
Replies
A second stack with a board would work good and yes they LOVE to lay on top of things. Mine even sleep on spools and things at night.
I LOVE MY PALLETS! You know I built a milk stand with some have been using them for gates to pens and even some fencing not to mention throwing a few together real quick and tying them with hay strings made a real fast place to put Anchovy a medical pen when she got hurt!
And I have started building me a barn! Yippee! Although it is quick and easy, right now I feel I'll never finish it because it is just to hot to go get more pallets and work on it for a while! My son and I put up 25% of the walls in just a few hours. It will be awesome whenever I ever get around to working on it more. I think I am just going to piddle on it through the summer. I don't really need it for winter so much because it is more of a hot weather barn with spaces for good breezes. We don't have much winter! I never stay on subject do I?
This is not necessarily a toy, but in the alternate pen, I have three wooden pallets stacked on top of each other with plywood fastened by screws to the top pallet for a solid top. I had noticed that Capri especially seemed to want to come back to their primary area after only an hour or two, then realized they had no place to just lay around there other than on the ground. I've never seen her lay on the ground but since I put the pallets there, they have all used them a lot to just lay in the sun and/or chew their cud. The two youngsters do a lot of jumping on and off as well.
I recently acquired the pallets to start a compost bin just for straw/hay (other than with regular garden debris as that would fill up too quickly) and needed a place to put them until I have enough. It is a perfect solution, so much so that this may be semi-permanent. Another stack of two or maybe even four with a 2x12 between them for a walkway and three little goats will be delighted.
Because I work part-time for an industrial battery sales/service, I would have access to as many pallets as I wanted when they are done with them but cannot use any of those in my yard for anything and especially around the goats. They have battery acid dust or drips on them, bummer! Those pallets cannot even be used for firewood. They have really cool plastic-type ones also that never rot/break. Oh , well.
Yea, we did,as we do often. So, I will just say don't forget they don't reach full size til 3 years old!
On subject, Mine too love getting in my little garden dump wagon and in fact I have noticed that they really love LAYING in & on all kinds of things. Like laundry baskets! Especially if there is hay inside.
We had (it finally rotted after about a year) an old table that set under an oak limb that Marley loved to lay on and she would stand on it and stretch to reach the leaves on the tree. She sure enjoyed that spot. I don't know if they slow down playing when the weather gets to hot or if they slow down when they get to be yearlings or what but mine use to play a good bit before and now they just lay around. I think it is the heat!
I'm just comparing Summer to her mom. She was smaller when I bought them but figured it was because she was younger and didn't give it much thought thinking she would grow bigger soon. Now with Ginger catching up with her size-wise so quickly, I am thinking this might be her mature size. I honestly didn't pay that much attention to how she compared to the other goats in the herd. As far as I know, Capri is the only goat from the breeder's herd that has had a single birth. One of her does had quints two years in a row and Capri had triplets last year (her first litter). Admittedly, there is a small part of me that wants to believe God was watching over us for the single birth so I would have another year to adjust to needing to re-home one of my babies.
I did read a little about flushing but what I did read discouraged from doing it which causes me to think it's better to let Mother Nature make the decision. Her previous owner has an interest in her as she has truly loved each and every one of her goats so I am thinking I will get some input from her about Summer's potential mate.
Though this is useful, we did get a bit away from the subject of this thread, didn't we? :-)
She doesn't look very little to me in the pic. I think if it were me and that concerned about a single I would try "flushing" her to help increase the chance of a multiple birth. Do you know what that is? Of course then you would have to consider how many she may have and how well that will go.
The fact is no matter what you do, it is always a gamble and you never really know how things will turn out and really cannot control any thing only try to keep things balanced so to speak. But it is entirely possible that she had a 4 lb. kid based on her own genetics also. It is not necessarily because of the buck. Look at all the people having twins and triplets from the same parents that are extremely different in size. Summer could easily wind up with a 4lb. kid then again she could wind up with a 2lb. kid.
It's always a toss up. I wish there was a good way to control that part since I have had a single that I thought we would never get out of our Nubian once. It was truly a lot of hard work involved in that one. Long time, a lot of rearranging, and tons of pulling. All's well that ends well as they say he was a beautiful, big white spoiled rotten boy when it was all said and done.
Yes, Summer is the one with the red collar. She is the one that went over the 6-foot fence to get to her mom, Ginger and me that day. Fortunately, it has not happened again. It helped a lot to discuss it here and then when my friend pointed out that it was her human mom that she was wanting to be with, it made so much sense. There have not been any issues since as I make it a point to give her lots of attention and take her away rather than take away someone else. She is a smart little goat and, in looking back, I think she made the transfer from Capri to me the night Ginger was born. I took her out of the stall that night and she followed me all over as I took care of the chickens, etc. She was with me (except when I was in with Capri) all the time. Capri's attention was all on Ginger so I guess Summer gravitated to the only other one there, me.
Summer is also the doe that I want to have bred as soon as I find the right buck. She could be bred to Ginger's dad but now I am concerned about her size (smaller than mom) if she were to also have a single kid given that Ginger was 4 lbs. so I would prefer a smaller buck, at least her own size. Ideally, the buck I would like will be available for A.I. at some point in the future, but if I want milk this winter, that probably isn't practical.
OK, so the on over to herself in the red collar is Summer? Very flashy colors. I need one like that!
This is the most recent photo I've taken; it was taken on the 26th, Ginger's three-month birthday. Ginger is in front and standing in the border flower bed so is about 3-4 inches higher than the others. Capri is mom to both and is cream/white and tan; Summer is last year's doe from a 3-kid litter with two brothers. The three of them are like stair steps with the difference in height between Capri and Summer the same as between Summer and Ginger. Ginger is a single birth at 4 lbs. and has grown like a weed. The vet said that with the way Ginger has grown that Capri is probably producing a quart a day; it would be great if he is right. The most milk I have gotten so far was 1-2/3 cup yesterday morning but is usually right around a cup. I did get almost 1/4 cup at evening "milking" whereas I usually get only the strip cup amount. Apparently Ginger did not eat as much today so I am going to start an afternoon "milking" as well as evening with them separated at night for the morning milking. I would be absolutely delighted to get nearly a quart a day but will be happy with a pint at this point.
It really was hilarious to look over and see Capri (on the left) and Summer with both their heads through the one opening (not this pen). Ginger was watching them like, "Whatcha gonna do now?" Gawd, I wish I had taken the camera out, the video camera would have been perfect to capture the expressions and the way they were "eyeing" each other until Capri tipped her head sideways and backed out. I swear she *was* thinking, "Stupid kid." All that for her to reach a weed that is also growing inside just three feet away. <g>
June26.jpg
That is so funny! I can just see it. Glenna, I meant to ask you about which one is who. What color are your different goats?
Not a toy but the two older ones both put their head through one of the cattle panels in the alternate pen today - the same opening! They were looking at each other in the eye like "What did you do?!!" I really, really need to take the camera out with me when I'm working in the yard. I just watched ready to go help and then after several head tips and that silent conversation, Capri pulled her head out and looked at Summer like she was thinking, "Stupid kid." (Summer is the one that put her head through last.)
-
1
-
2
of 2 Next