As you know, the goats pride themselves on being useful.This time of year, they are a great help with the fall yard chores.
The grass needs one last cutting, and leaves have to be raked (or eaten) up. The goats are on it. The chickens also help by making sure that grubs don’t overwinter in the lawn. Such a hard-working crew!
We’ve had several hard frosts, which have wilted the mums. Pip tidies up the planters.
The raspberry canes need to be cut back. The goats make the job easier for me by removing the leaves first.
The goats even do jobs that I didn’t think of. Both boys were adamant that before the first snowfall that parsley should be eaten back to the root base. They were so enthusiastic about this task that they convinced me that they were right. Caper says that his miraculously expanding belly is up to the challenge.
Thanks for easing the workload and leavening the mood, boys!
Sooo cute! I love when you post funny (but true!!) stuff like this. Please more Terry!!!!
Will do!
Aaahhh the goat brothers hard at work! I agree with the other comment; I love light hearted posts like these (and the educational ones too) and now that the boys are no longer on a cam I miss checking in on them. Thanks Terry for the Monday morning smiles and giggles!
That cam was just too darn hard to keep running (thanks to the industrious goaties.) I’ll post more about the boys – it’s fun for me, too.
I must admit that I enjoy the goat brothers posts the best!
:)
Love posts about the goaties. I think goats are just funny…standing still they’re just funny. (I have a friend who has a basset hound that has the same effect on me. I just look at her, standing there minding her own business, and I start giggling.). I recently read an article that educated me on the toxicity of acorns and oak leaves for dogs. While I’ve never owned a dog that enjoyed chewing acorns, I had no idea they weren’t just toxic, but highly toxic to them. Do you know if they have any negative effect on goats?
The goats can handle the oak – but not if that is the only plant in their diet. Some horses get very sick from acorns, others do ok, but again, they’d better have a full belly of hay before ingesting them. My dogs are totally uninterested in eating acorns, but I’ve known some that loved to munch them.
Quick postscript: quick google confirms that both acorns and oak leaves are indeed toxic to goats. I don’t know if you have oak trees, so take care!
They are toxic, but not excessively so, and they’re bitter, so the goats prefer other things. Our yard is currently covered with oak leaves and the boys are fine. They do love to eat the acorns – but only in the spring after they’ve sprouted.
Ha ha! Go Pip and Caper!
My husband and I love the goats brothers! I agree that everything they do is funny and entertaining. Sitting folded up in their stall facing the wall, sitting with one leg rakishly out, facing the bucket, nose practically touching the bucket! Seeing Pip leaning his head against Caper’s flank with his fuzzy seeming-grin, the head-butting, stump-standing…
Brilliant, gives me a big smile and takes away my doldrums over the lousy wet weather we have been and are getting. Can’t believe the good weather your having,,,:)
I love the first picture of everyone pitching in for fall cleanup. I wish I could “borrow” a few of your hens for grub duty. They would probably make smaller divots than our resident skunk does. Our lawn looks like a war zone, but it probably is better than having all the grubs. When I complain about Pepe Lepew’s work, my husband always says that he is doing a fine job getting rid of the grubs.
So happy to see the boys!! They bring such joy. On the farm everyone has to work. Go goats and chicas!!! Beautiful day out east.
It is lovely to have such industrial helpers. Love the last photo.
Nice to have a postcard from Pip and Caper again. Cute as ever. I think of them when we hear about different communities using herds of goats to clear brush and the like.
oh those goat bellies! I miss those boys!
We had to remove the platform that you built for them – if finally rotted out. Time for another goat play yard construction day!
How is the combining of the chickens going??
I’ll be writing about it later in the week!
Cool!! Cannot wait to here!! the goat boys!!