Every winter we have a horrible mud pit out to the coop and always say we HAVE to do something about it. Once summer comes and the grass begins to grow, we forget all about that mud that was sucking to our boots each cold morning. Then, winter comes back and we again have muddy chicken and dog footprints everywhere, and were leap frogging between all the semi-dry spots to get to the coop. The chickens had clumps of mud clinging to their feet (not the best thing for them) and little Danny even lost a boot once, so this isn't just a little mud were talking about. This year we had enough and finally decided it was time to do something about it. I always wanted a cute stepping stone path out there, but it was never in the budget. The few stones I did have were actually now sinking so deep into the mud that they'd soon be disappearring if we weren't careful. Danny wanted to put some gravel out there and I finally agreed. We needed gravel this year for the veggie garden, driveway, and garage so he said this was the year to do it. For his spring break project, Danny scheduled a gravel delivery and we had 15 tons dumped on the driveway one afternoon. Little Danny was thrilled, and so was Elmer. Using left over fence posts we had, Danny created a frame to hold the gravel in place, securing them by driving some 10 in long hex bolts into the ground along their edges. Then the Dannys then filled the inside of the frame with gravel, creating a nice dry path all along the front of the coop and goat shed. Little Danny loved helping shovel the gravel and help take loads over to the coop. He got out his own little garden hoe and followed his dad like a little shadow repeating, "I help my dad," over and over again. The coop looks so much better and we now have clean chicken feet and clean boots. Harvey really seems to enjoy the gravel too and has been laying down in it as his new spot to relax. If we like it, we may extend the gravel path to the house so we have a nice mud-free patch to walk on the entire way out there, but we wanted to try living with it for a bit at first to see if we wanted to do more. Even if we don't extend the path, it looks so much better and now we don't have to wait for the grass to grow back to get some relief from the mud. We still have the little stones left to make a path with and the gravel now blocks the holes under the coop where the cats (and weasels) liked to hide.
Sometimes husbands just know best.
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People always ask how we're liking the goats and if we're regretting them yet. We've been goat owners for almost a year now and love them more and more. Danny is always wanting to give them hugs and they follow him around the yard, frolicking and kicking making him roll with giggles. They've adjusted well and are as friendly as the dogs, quickly becoming beloved pets and making the chickens seem not nearly has enjoyable. I never realized how personable goats are and they love anybody that will give them attention. They've brought us so much joy and lightheartedness and are still the best medicine for a rough day. As with most things they have their ups and downs, and I would be lying if I said they didn't have their annoying habits. The goats definitely prefer to be in the yard instead of their shed or pen, yelling to us the moment they hear our voices. They're honestly better at notifying me of visitors than the dogs. They escaped pretty consistently at first, but Danny has seemed to successfully have them penned in now. They do however, think its great fun to try to run out the gate towards the road, if anyone is trying to pull in or out, and they will just let you run them over before they move out of the way of the car. To save my flowers for the summer, the goats stayed in their pen unless we were out with them. Once most of the garden was done for the season, they've been given free reign. At the beginning, they mostly wanted to eat grass and the occasional leaf in the yard, keeping the patio leaf free. Then they discovered roses and geraniums, which they devour in a heartbeat and was the reason they were not allowed out of their pen in the summer. The lilac bush was nibbled up to goat height and they climbed the limbs trying to get those leaves just outside of their reach, breaking a few. Danny enjoyed the open space they cleared, digging in the dirt with the dogs under the open bush. The goats ate all the crabapples they could reach and, my arborvitae looks like a troll (ugly, bare, with a tiny tuft on top.) Despite an acre and half to roam they choose to annoyingly poop on the sidewalk as a nice "Welcome to the Kelley's." They won't put themselves to bed and have to be herded with a broom in the bitter cold and scratch at the back door like the dogs. They have they're little quirks, we still love them. They're also sweet and social, chasing after us on the four wheeler and jumping on our laps to sit when we're on the patio. They love being chased and played with and could let you brush them all day. Moxie tries to get in the house hanging out by the back door and has managed to get inside once or twice. She hates the cats for some reason, chasing them down and head butting them. Mosley still can't be separated from his sister without crying and he's definitely little Danny's favorite. Danny squeals with laughter every time they take off in their skittish run, hopping and head butting each other. Thet are surprisingly fast for how stiff and unathletic they appear and have great, crafty, little memories. Despite what everyone tells me they definitely don't eat everything, actually I'd say they're rather picky. Chickens will eat anything, inlcuding chicken, and are the better disposals. The goats love all my flowers, shrubs, and trees, but they're not into much else unless it's chick feed. They're even sticking their nose up at their hay, having a certain preference for something we are yet to discover. We're still figuring out what works, changing up their pens and shed here and there, but as with a lot in life, we learn as we go Here's what our current goat care looks like. The Goat ShedDanny cleaned out the shed before we got the goats, filling it with fresh straw. He built a hay feeder our of leftover pallet wood, and built them a stand out of an old bookshelf so they can look out their window. They love looking out and yelling at us and really spend most of their time there when locked up. For the winter the window got closed, but we'll open it soon and see their little faces yelling at us again. The pallet feeder ended up not working out once we got the stand in there. They decided it made a better bed, sleeping in it and knocking if off the wall. They were wasting hay tromping it everywhere so Danny tried to fashion a different feeder. Using old fencing we had, he would it in to a cylinder big enough to hold one bale and placed it on a solid pallet. So far this is working much better. They can't sleep or pee in it and they aren't going through it as fast since the cant smash it to nothing. The Goat PenThe pallet pen has wire mesh lining the inside, since they could actually fit between the larger pallet gaps, and there is an angled chicken wire cage that prevents them from hopping out. Danny changed the gate to opening inward instead of out, and that seemed to be the final thing in keeping them from escaping. They have a pan of water our in the pen along with an old chair, pallet, seesaw, and some stones to stomp on. Danny seems to enjoy their pen and shed more than they do, always scampering in to play as they scamper out. The shed does have a pop door we can close if we want. The Movable PenDanny made them a movable pen out of left over fencing. We just drag it to whatever part of the yard we want them in and attach it to the existing fence with carabiners. They have learned to lift it so one can escape leaving the other in and crying so Danny fashions some wire stakes to hold it in the grass. Other CareTheir care for now has been water, hay, and the occasional hoof trimming, which is an art to figure out. After getting into a patch of poison ivy and giving it to all of us, they got their first bath, and did not enjoy it. They're not nearly as skittish over the dogs and Mosely is quite the sweetie, happy to walk on the leash for Danny most of the time. He calls them Mose and Mox now, preferring Mosely since he's a bit more cooperative, and they enjoy the occasional brushing. Goats shed a lot, so I like to give them a brushing every now and then to keep the amount of hair on my clothes to a minimum. Once a month we buy them a hay bale and drive the four wheeler down to the barn to get it. Danny would go get one every day if it was up to him. This winter we've given them a little big of goat feed from the store, but as spring approaches they'll be back to nibbling grass. They loved nibbling our Christmas tree which we threw in their pen after we were finished with it, and desperately want another. We're making plans for adjustments for the spring, probably fencing all the critters to one side of the yard. The goats appreciate getting room to run, but with flower season approaching I don't want bald gardens. Danny's already changed up their shed again, hoping it will be a better fix with less waste, and we still don't know why they won't eat their hay. I've made notes about what plants NOT to invest in anymore, and am honestly toying with the idea of taking one of them to the garden store to see what they won't eat. As with anything you can choose to look at the negatives or the positives. Some people find our goats annoying and gross and don't understand us at all, but we see the little critters as family. I still can't believe my childhood dream of owning goats actually came true, and we all appreciate the joy they bring us. Danny runs through the yard yelling "play with my goats" as they all scamper about. Elmer gets in on the fun, and even the goats seem to understand Harvey just wants to play chase and aren't terrified anymore. With this pregnancy being so tough I haven't been able to do much of anything and having the little critters to watch has really brought some much needed entertainment. Thankfully husband Danny like them too, despite having to care for all the animals on his own. They really are one of the best gifts I've gotten and have surprised us all at how much we enjoy having them around. Only the poor cats seem to regret the purchase.
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