A caprine dream team

It's been nearly two weeks since the neighbors brought the goats over for me to take a turn with them.

We had something between .25 to .5 acre in brambles: blackberries and salmon berries to a height of about 7'. They were growing over several downed trees and a seasonal stream, none of which you could see any more. It was pretty overwhelming.

I figured the goats would do the bulk of the work, and I'd be relatively free -- move them once or twice a day, and go in later to clip the big stuff out.

The goats do the bulk of the work. I do NOT get off so easy. But I love working out there with the goats.

Since the property is not fenced, the goats need to be tethered. This means moving them often. It also means freeing them when they've wound the tether around branches or brambles. The most experienced goat, the handsome buck Chop, almost never gets his tether tangled, but Daisy is new to the tether and has managed to truss her hind leg up in a complex knot, tight against a branch. All three does get their tethers snagged on things fairly often.

Chop posing for the camera; Chop working the brush

Clipping the big stuff doesn't wait either -- I need to clear more space to take them into, I need to clip away the canes they've wrapped the tether around, and sometimes I need to clip the brambles down so they can reach them.

All four goats are a pleasure to work with. They are gentle, easy-going, and friendly. Whenever possible, they are within touching distance of me, or leaning up against my leg. As we have gotten to know each other and they have gotten to know the yard, we've formed a brush-clearing team. I know the goats' preferences: Daisy prefers not to have to climb for forage, Princess is happy to do so.

Princess nibbles salmonberry leaves.


Chop will break down a wall of brambles with his body as a matter of routine, to get to the tender leaves at the top. Babycakes loves ferns. Princess loves Chop and wants to be with him whenever possible. And they know my preferences: when I pull up the tether stake, wait for me before heading out. Move slowly. Ignore the Rhody (it could poison them). Ignore the Camillia. I can point to an area and ask, "Could you get that out for me?" and Chop or Princess will give it a go.

And they do a GREAT job clearing the brush. This area was solid brambles just a day or two earlier:



More on the goats later, meanwhile here are some more pics.

Daisy checks out the living room; Scarlett checks out the goat.


Goats on the lawn

Daisy climbs a tree at dusk, to eat the ferns growing on the trunk.

Chickens, goats, and the beginnings of a blog

Why start a blog now? It began with an email I sent to a list of my friends, copied in part here:

Hey, everybody, this is to let you know that I have my very first batch of chickens -- 5 Ameraucana chicks (or probably just Easter Eggers) -- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ameraucana -- that I picked up from the feed store last Wednesday. They are now about a week old and thriving in a plastic tub on my dining table. The cats are fascinated, which does not bother the chicks at all. I do try to discourage the cats from laying on top of the hardware cloth lid, especially if that means blocking the heat lamp. But so far I can take the lid off the tub and clean the cage or handle the chicks, and the cats just peer in. The babies have really grown since I got them. They are already getting little stubby tail feathers.

On the 23rd the Grange is expecting to get in Australorps (http://www.mypetchicken.com/Australorp-B14.aspx) and Speckled Sussex (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sussex_(chicken)), and I'm looking forward to getting a few of each, maybe a dozen chickens total. I figure the hassle factor is about the same for a dozen chickens as it is for a few, and I can sell some of the eggs.

Himself is very much on the hook to build a hen house and predator-proof run. He seems to find the chicken thing mildly amusing. And he was the one who wanted to live in the country after all.

Why chickens? I really don't know. My neighbor and I were talking about chickens & rabbits and such and I suddenly had an intense and persistent urge to keep chickens. I think it has to do with just having so much life around me. They've certainly revitalized me since they arrived. I'm getting a lot more done than I have for months. We'll set them up in the back yard, just across the bridge over the creek. I'd like to have a movable pen for them, too. Nothing quite like chickens to clear a garden bed, from what I hear. Not a weed nor a weed seed left.

On a separate note, the neighbors are renting 4 goats to clear out some blackberries and other weeds. Next week I'll have them over here to clear the back yard (including where the chicken coop will go). The goats don't clear out the roots like pigs would do, but they get everything but the big canes. And you don't have to find a place to dump the stuff that has been cleared -- the goats pellatize it all!

One of my friends, an accomplished blogger herself, suggested that I start a blog about my experiences with the chickens etc. So here it is.