Walking on a Lead

Teaching young goats to walk on a lead would be an unnecessary exercise were several of our young kids not scheduled to make an Easter Sunday appearance in Nashville. With the So Green is My Grass Daycare space reserved, the kids are managing short separations from their dams with some grace; however, moving several at once remains a challenge.

Yesterday I tried pairing off the kids, forcing them to travel as a team. The concept worked well last year, especially for BullyBob (the sire of all but two of our kids this year) and Leo, the wether who has since moved on to a household where he’s the only goat—and so rather the rock star at that address.

Will and Walter, Thumbelina’s twins and our oldest kids this season, managed well as a pair yesterday. They managed well enough that this morning I clipped them together on a short lead and left them in the home pasture, together, while rounding up others. They traveled around efficiently, hardly dragging one another, seeming to understand the teamwork required to succeed when hitched together.

Samuel and Mister Maguire, meanwhile, had settled down in some hay for some serious morning napping. The adults in their life had been taken away without raising any alarm and they were enjoying their freedom beyond the confines of the barn. (My plan was to not only get the boys and their momma accustomed to separation before Easter morning, but also to allow Miss Marcie to build up a bit of milk for the humans who live here before afternoon milking time.) With all the eating they’ve been doing—Marcie produces somewhere around three quarts of milk for us each day, and these boys had milked her dry on more than one occasion—the boys are getting heavy. I took them out one at a time so as to carry them successfully. Later on, after they were awake, they could practice walking on a lead.

Samuel, then, was the first kid left in the daycare pen. He was concerned and disoriented, but he did not panic. Next I brought down Miss Mary. Then I found Walter and Will patiently waiting by a T-post where they’d gotten hung up by trying to pass it on different sides while hitched together. They were so good about their predicament that I was well pleased. They traveled to the daycare pen on foot and the process went smoothly. Then I roused Mister Maguire from his sunny sleeping spot and he lazily allowed me to lug him down the hill. By the time he arrived, Samuel had discovered the tasty the green grass and was little concerned about his twin’s appearance. Finally I hitched two of Jennifer’s triplet boys together—Ted and Todd. They did not travel well.

Todd exhibited mammoth lung capacity for such a little guy, and he pulled and flipped, bucked and twisted the whole way down the hill. When the pair arrived at the pen, I left then hitched together because Todd made it clear that even tied to his brother he was going to do everything in his power to avoid me when I came to move them again.

The So Green is My Grass Daycare was a happy, lively spot for a few hours while moms Gwen, Thumbelina, and Jennifer grazed freely below the enclosure. I was able to milk Leslie a little while still leaving her plenty in reserve for her boys, and got about a pint and a half from Miss Marcie, too, before bringing the Nubian buckling back up the hill. Little Samuel and Maguire make a serious pair. Coming back uphill, they traveled well hitched together and separated from me by a long lead, as did the Walter-Will tandem that traveled alongside them.

With another day of successful separation behind them, I’m anticipating a successful Easter activity if we just bring those five kids who traveled well and leave Jennifer’s three and Cocoa’s Theresa back on the farm. Indeed, I rather think these five will enjoy their excursion to new pastures and will enjoy the attentions of new people.

The other four will need more time to master walking on a lead. They may have all the time they need.