The dog houses that the miniature goats prefer are a sunken city now. With the wasted hay and 4 feet of snow, the small igloo dome is barely visible. The hay and snow have frozen the houses to the ground. In the summer, they can easily be taken apart, separating the bottom from the top, and cleaned out, then disinfected and rinsed with the hose. In winter, at least this winter, they are inaccessible. The one facing the opposite of the other two clogs over with hay that is tramped downhill and the door way gets plugged. One day, there were 3 little goaties in there and they didn't know how to get out. The hay and snow gets dislodged with the claw end of the hammer daily to keep the doorways usable.
Celia goat was hoping for a treat and hopped up on one of the bigger houses, that do not look so big now, but would easily house a large German Shepherd size dog, when in full view. Two, and sometimes three, Pygmy or Nigerian goats crowd together to keep each other warm. They do not prefer the bigger shelter unless it is full. The sheep helped generate some heat and block the wind as well, but they are going back to their pen at the end of the month. They were visiting the goats, along with their ram, for breeding. Celia has what appears to be cashmere. Any goat can have a soft downy undercoat that can be combed out. Her neck, in particular, is showing that very thick down, so under the guard hairs on the rest of her body, it is likely the same. I will have to put her on the milk stand with a bucket of field peas and comb her when she starts to shed.
In the meantime, we are thankful spring is around the corner. If winter lasted much longer, goat city would be another Atlantis, lost and gone forever.
Celia goat was hoping for a treat and hopped up on one of the bigger houses, that do not look so big now, but would easily house a large German Shepherd size dog, when in full view. Two, and sometimes three, Pygmy or Nigerian goats crowd together to keep each other warm. They do not prefer the bigger shelter unless it is full. The sheep helped generate some heat and block the wind as well, but they are going back to their pen at the end of the month. They were visiting the goats, along with their ram, for breeding. Celia has what appears to be cashmere. Any goat can have a soft downy undercoat that can be combed out. Her neck, in particular, is showing that very thick down, so under the guard hairs on the rest of her body, it is likely the same. I will have to put her on the milk stand with a bucket of field peas and comb her when she starts to shed.
In the meantime, we are thankful spring is around the corner. If winter lasted much longer, goat city would be another Atlantis, lost and gone forever.
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