Back to Square One

About three weeks ago or so, I told you about the challenges of weaning bucklings (“Growing Up is Hard to Do.”) It took awhile, but finally, things were starting to calm down and the little boys were crying less. Sunday I brought the girls up to the paddock adjacent to the little guys. I fervently hoped it wouldn’t start another hollering session, and for awhile all seemed well.

When Dan and I went out to do chores I went to get the girls but they were gone! Turns out they had broken into the puckling pasture and everybody was one big happy family again. The problem was the gate between the two paddocks. The bolt latch can be worked open if the gate is bumped often enough, which is why we have a chain on it too. Somehow the goats had rubbed and stood on the gate panel enough to loosen the latch, but the chain wasn’t tight enough to keep the gate shut. The girls has worked their way through the opening.

Separating them again was a first class fiasco. All the goats were running around and hollering. Finally I managed to get the girls through the one gate without the bucklings following them.

The girls were glad to go back to the barn because it was feeding time. But the little boys were heart broken, and have been crying ever since. It wouldn’t be so bad if it was the typical goat call of “maaa, maaa.” Instead they’ve been screaming! High pitched and shrill like a bunch of little girls who just saw a spider. I thought we’d finally gotten over this! I hope they settle down again soon.