We Have Shelter

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Over the weekend, Jeff and the kids cleared out the middle bay of the barn for the animals to take shelter. The outer bays hold the tractor, box scraper, and hay. We really needed to do this. For the last few weeks of rain, the animals have been sheltering in the shop, or heaven-forbid, under the back porch. Well, the cow hasn’t sheltered in those places. He doesn’t seem to be bothered by the rain and prefers to be out eating non-stop. We don’t actually know where he’s been sleeping.

In making this space for them, we now have a set-up so the goats can be trained to behave during feeding times. My goodness, they get out of hand! So what we’re doing now is: the kids fill their containers and serve them from the other side of the cattle panel (where Jeff and Mikah are standing in the picture). The goats stick their heads through the panel to reach their food. At this point, only one goat a time eats and we require the rest to stay away from that goat’s bowl and behave in order to get their own food. The kids tell me that after two days of being strict with feedings, the most unruly goats are starting to behave. Perhaps soon they’ll all be docile? Wishful thinking? That is not to say they aren’t sweet. They are the sweetest, most wonderful farm animals. But when food is around, they take on another personality!