How do you like the new site layout? We had a shiny logo created by the good folks over at I Design Your Logo last month, and I’ve finally had the time to sit down and work it into a new theme. I highly recommend Dana and Tony’s services – and I vote with my dollars, because yesterday, they dazzled me with another, this time for my web design business, Trasentino Consulting. So if you need a logo, definitely check them out. And if you need a website, well, I’m right here, so drop me a line!
Onward to farm business!
A fellow goat farmer and I had a chat on Twitter the other day, and he mentioned the common mistake that folks make in thinking that “goats will eat anything.” Goats might try anything, to see if it’s palatable, but that doesn’t mean that they’re going to consume it beyond that sampling. The old cartoon portrayal of a goat eating a tin can only partially gets it right – the goat might want the paper or the glue holding the label on the can, or perhaps the remnants of what was once in the can, but they are more discriminating than to try and eat the metal. At least, our goats are!
Another fallacious idea that gets spoken of frequently when folks hear that you have goats is that they will mow your lawn. Some sheep might be inclined to graze that low, but goats actually prefer to browse, either at the height of their head or better yet, above it. We often watch the girls stand on their hind legs to get a better reach at something tasty on a shrub.
I try to take the girls on a minimum of two walks around the property each day, to give them an opportunity to browse and chow on any of the different grasses, weeds, shrubs, leaves, etc. that they find appealing. This is very much in line with what they would do in the wild, and so it’s great for helping keep their diet balanced. Currently, we have a small fenced yard off of the back of our barn for them, but once we are able to get a tractor, we will be building a larger pasture for them which will give them access to many of their favorite edibles. Of course, I think I’ll still want to take them on their walks as long as they’re willing to cooperate. 🙂
The past several days, the heat and humidity have limited the duration of our walks, because I don’t want to stress their systems. It’s difficult enough on them, and it shows when they start panting to relieve the heat. On Wednesday, I misted them with the garden hose, which was met with limited enthusiasm from them. (Goats hate getting wet.) Thankfully, we were able to find a wall-mounted high-velocity fan at Tractor Supply, and George installed it for them last night in the barn. They are still a little leery of it, but it does provide relief to our girls, and I think they are realizing it’s worth putting up with the low humming noise in exchange for keeping cool.
This weekend, we hope to finish the electrical in our chicken coop, amongst other projects. We’ve had so many weekend social events over the past month or so, we’ve lagged behind on our to-do list, so we are playing catch-up. Here’s hoping for a productive couple of days. Have a great weekend everyone!
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