Timing is everything!

(Started this last Sunday)

It's interesting to me that no matter what the task or plan, timing plays a major role.  I tried to time when to wean the little girls in order to give the moms the opportunity to dry up and get in a little better shape for breeding towards the end of October, like now!  Of course things don't ever seem to go as planned around here -- separated, found a way to get back together, then separated again -- so the timing is a little off for the forthcoming breeding events.

You simply cannot imagine the exuberance bucks have over a doe going into heat.  I wanted to try my new, young buck, Buster, on Little Sister and Little Sister, Too this year and had noticed LS, Too was showing a bit of interest.  (Goats are in and out of heat in 48 hours and part of that time is either too early or too late -- more timing issues.)

When I came home from work Thursday I decided the time might be right, so now the dilemma was how to get Buster and LS, Too together without Patch getting in on the act.  I decided to put a rope around Buster's neck and maneuver him out of the pasture while keeping Patch in.  Amazingly it worked but once out, Buster went bonkers going after LS, Too.  Here was little Buster alternately mounting LS, Too and then trying to nurse her because she was not completely "dry."   One second I was pulling him off (choking him) when he was under her and the next second going around in circles with them when he was on top of her, all the while trying not to get tangled in the rope and trying to keep my big, black wether from butting the life out of him (protecting LS, Too? who knows).  (Sometimes, I really wish there was a hidden video camera capturing these crazy antics.)

I have no earthly idea whether or not little Buster succeeded because he is much smaller and shorter than she is.  Finally, after many, many . . .  many mounts (some from the side and front, he was so excited) his back legs gave way, from exhaustion I suppose, causing him to fall off rather awkwardly.  (I was a little embarrassed for him and looked away so he would not be too humiliated :).  In the meantime, Patch, wanting to get in on the action, was constantly, ferociously butting the fence causing some of the connections holding the fencing to the metal t-posts to break.

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Timing lesson #2 -- You should not try to administer meds orally when a goat is chewing her cud.  She doesn't like nasty tasting medicine mixing with her nicely regurgitated green matter.  Enough said.

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Timing 3 --  It's not the best idea to decide to clean out the automatic water tank just as the cows decide they are very, very thirsty.  Discovered cows need to learn a thing or two about patience.

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Patch has been with the does now for a little over a week and the poor thing is running himself ragged.  He is in constant motion checking to see if someone (anyone, please?!) might have some interest in him.  When they are not, they are really not and he gets butted by one then another.  I've even seen him trying to find a way to mount one of my little doelings through the fence.  Let me tell you -- goats are a determined species.