Mini Goats Meet Snow

Right after Christmas this year we had a little snow and it was such a nice little treat for us. We usually get coated with sleet, ice and rain but rarely snow. Since our animals are not accustomed to the temperatures that come with snow, we babied them a little bit. The cows were out in the pasture and the area they were in had no block from the wind or elements so we decided to bring them into the goat pen. It's been a while since the goats and cows have been reunited so I was a little nervous about our somewhat aggressive cow bullying my miniature goats. They're small, defenseless and just plain cute so I wanted them to be safe. Inside the goat pen we have a smaller dog kennel with a dog cabin inside it where the goats sleep - we put them in the dog kennel, latched the gate and let the cows have the run of the larger area. The goats were not all happy with this new arrangement but I felt it was the safest option for everyone involved.

I cleaned out their little dog cabin because it doesn't have slats in the floor for their poop to fall through (next time we will definitely do this), shook out their rugs, made sure they had a water bucket and a food bucket and lured them into their little winter escape. Like I said before, they were kind of upset but they ended up being grateful for it later. Texas weather is weird so when we put them in there, it was warm and sunny - a beautiful day - so I felt terrible about taking their freedom but I knew from the hourly forecast that the low temperatures were soon on their way. It's so important as a fur mom to be aware of these drastic temperature changes and be prepared for it. While animals can adapt to more extreme temperatures than us, they still need protection from harsh elements like sun, sleet, or snow. Goats regulate their temperature by drinking water so always make sure they have enough of this and that when freezing temperatures arrive that you break up their water buckets first thing. They won't drink a lot when it's cold but they need to have that option. Mini goats are even easier because they drink far less than normal sized goats so you can buy smaller bowls when your herd is small. When our herd grows, we will splurge on larger bowls, more bowls, and more dog cabins (with slats in the floor).

ANYWAY, we awoke the next day to a wonderful white landscape that we are rarely treated to. First thing in the morning, we got bundled up, grabbed a shovel so we could break up their water, and scooped up food to feed all the fur babies. The goats were HILARIOUS. I guess they've never seen snow in their lifetime so they were terrified of it. They were trapped in their dog cabin and watching the panic on their faces was a little funny. I called to them to come out and they just stuck their heads out with a look like, "are you kidding me??? Look at this stuff? What are we supposed to do with it?" Until finally I coaxed them out with the food bucket (a little rattle of the food is really all it takes to get their attention once they're trained). Our brave little Tank went first and went ever so slowly - one. foot. at. a. time. LOL. Once Tank braved the scary white stuff, Fancy followed suit albeit slowly. It was so fun to experience this with them for the first time and I am so in love with their sweet, docile personalities. They've really taken to us and I love that they wouldn't come out until I assured them it was ok. That shows they trust me and accept me. It warms my heart and I can't wait to experience more "firsts" with them and to share them with you.