Ummm, where are the boys?

This morning as our girls were doing their regular morning chores, our oldest came in to let me know that all 5 of our boy goats (the Little Boys and Sam) were not in their field and the gate was open. This is bad. Especially as our front gate didn’t close properly last night! This little group stays in only one field because Sam has been known to climb fences that are even the least bit droopy—especially when there are girl goats on the other side. This is the only secure pasture at the moment.

So we all put on socks and boots and head outside to search for the missing goats. Thankfully, they were just up in the tree area on the other side of the house, next to the female/baby herd of goats. They were having some sort of meeting at the gate up there. Making all sorts of racket by this time because they knew they were caught! Most of our goats are highly motivated by food—especially food in a red Folgers coffee bucket. The Little Boys promptly followed the bucket back to their field and went on their merry way. Sam however, did not. He did not care about any food and spent about 10 minutes escaping from us—until Brant caught a horn. He and our oldest dragged him (literally, they just go limp when they don’t want to move!) all the way down the hill and back to his buddies. He looked like an escaped convict refusing to walk back to his place! Highly entertaining start to our day!

Today’s lesson #1: Make sure the gate actually latches when you go through it-apparently just pulling it closed does not mean it is actually latched. Lesson #2: keep your interior fences intact and strong just in case the Billy Goat decides to get out and look for ways to get through them!

Sam on his way back to his field