Free Lawn Care

As Spring arrives, the flowers begin to bloom, the bees begin to buzz, and the grass begins to grow. We love all these things as they are part of the cycle of life. Most of the land around our house is pretty untamed and we like it that way; however, we like our front yard to stay somewhat trimmed so we can do normal front yard things and to keep the snake population down. Mowing the lawn isn't that hard but we always find it takes double the time we think it will because issues always arise with the lawn mower. If you've ever owned a machine you totally understand. SO, I decided we could use the mini goats to mow the lawn. It's a win win, right? My lawn gets mowed and they get a nice little snack outside the confines of their fenced in home.

In my mind I had this picture that I would go get the goats and they would joyfully follow me to the front yard and willingly go on their leashes and eat happily in harmony in the front yard, enjoying the green grass and freedom. THAT picture did NOT happen! At least not at first. My experience was hilarious and probably a lot like wrangling twins.

I got the stake and twisted into the ground and hit rock (we live on a giant rock). I moved two feet over and twisted again and hit pay dirt. I packed the dirt in around it and set off for the goats. I leashed both goats (they're leash trained and wear collars all the time so I can grab them easily) and DRAGGED them to the front yard (we haven't practiced the leash in a while). I attached each of them to the same stake and sat on the front porch to make sure they did ok.

Tank (my billy goat) is ENAMORED with Fancy Pants right now (breeding season) so he took advantage of the fact the she was on a leash and couldn't get away. It was a nightmare for her and I was reprimanding him for taking advantage of her. He finally stops and finds that he can reach the front porch. So he jumps up joyfully to the front porch and poops EVERYWHERE. He's so happy and starts tap dancing and pooping all over the porch. I pushed him off the porch and swore that if he didn't start behaving that he was going home (they hate to be separated). He didn't care one bit and called my bluff on that one. He went over the the stake in the ground and started head butting it from each side to loosen it and pull it up from the ground. Then he head butted the water bowl and dumped it out so Fancy couldn't get any. I got tired of fighting with him so I took Fancy's leash (which is actually like a 20 foot rope type thing) and attached her farther away from the stake, took up the stake, replanted the stake FAR FAR away and leashed Tank off by himself. They had just enough leash to touch noses and both reach the water but that was it.

Fancy went on with her day enjoying the snack and gratefully grazing her area. Tank tested the radius of his leash for like an hour before he gave up and started eating, rolling in the dirt, and sunning.

They mowed my lawn to a perfect length and I took them back before dark. Instead of walking them back on the leashes, I grabbed a bucket of food and started running. They followed me in hot pursuit in hopes for what was in the food bucket. They were rewarded with the feed when they safely entered their fenced in home.

Next time, I'll separate them to start with and get a different water bowl for Tank because all he does is head butt it and knock it over. I also won't leash them to walk them to the yard but use the bucket of food approach instead. They did a great job at being goats and I learned a lot as their human. I can't wait to try it again without all the mayhem.

Disclaimer: We were home all day and left the window open so we could keep an eye and ear on them in case something went wrong. I would not feel comfortable leaving those two hooligans unattended. Also, goats regulate their temperature with water so we made sure they had hydration the whole day. They eat anything that fits in their mouths so remember to remove any yard ornaments you don't want eaten. They will eat your entire flower bed so keep them away from that.

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.

Nigerian Dwarf Goats (Tank and Fancy)

I LOVE goats with a capital L! My dad had goats on his farm for as long as I can remember. I delivered my first baby goat when I was probably 6 years old. We built play pens for them, we milked them, we bottle fed them, and we loved them. We had Nubian goats for a long time and later added Boer goats for a more hearty goat that is a little better at giving birth. I still have a fondness for the floppy, long eared Nubians with the woddles (the little noodles that hang from their necks) but they don't fare as well in labor and delivery. They are however, very good for producing milk.

As you've read from our first posts, my husband and I are working on building our own farm. Since I've left home, I've been introduced to the mini farm craze and I have to say that I'm hooked. I LOVE mini ANYTHING (probably because of my own small stature and my dread for having to lift things that are heavier than me) and I'm totally on board with any mini animal. They're easier for me to handle, they eat less, and they produce more than enough for our family of 2. I'd love to have mini cows someday but since they are kind of "in" right now, they are way too expensive for our budget.

For my birthday this year, my best friend got meee...........a mini goat (Nigerian Dwarf Goat)!!!!!! I can't even express how much I enjoy this gift. Animals are my weakness; add in a mini animal and it's over for me. When she took me to meet Tank, I fell in love. He has the sweetest little spirit and was friendly right away. Okay, maybe when we first brought him home IN A PET TAXI (that's how small he was) he might have been a little angry but when we let him out into his cage and I set a chair up so he could get used to my voice, he immediately jumped into my lap and curled up for a nap. He had me at hello. I was putty in his hand...or hoof.

We decided not to neuter Tank (I named him Tank so Sergeant can have his own tank) because he's just too cute not to breed. My friend who got me Tank decided he needed a girlfriend and she bought Sparkle who for some reason we nicknamed Fancy Pants. She's a beautiful red and white mini goat with sass and spunk. She's especially taken to Jarrod and knows exactly how to put Tank in his place. We love them both so much and can't wait for them to start a family.

We may have over-adored them and gave into their precious pleas of hunger and overfed them but we're working on a strict exercise regiment and dieting a little bit to get them back in shape...or out of the round shape. Haha! Stay tuned for more on these over loved animals and how we hope to build their family.