Just about every morning I let the chickens out, check to see if the goats have food and water, and see if the rabbit's food is still on the side of the pen. (every night something tries to remove it from the hutch). This is what I saw this morning.
While Mark was mucking out the goat pen the goats were eating all the fallen leaves....
...the acorns...
...and just looking really good...almost back to themselves.
Madi's job was to keep an eye on the goats and not let them get into too much trouble.
Ahhhh, fresh hay.
More good food.
Just can't get enough of it.
Boogie with one horn.
Fresh water is always a big hit!
One giant egg in the Papy's girls nesting box.
All I get is evidence that someone or two are molting.
Binker still alive and kicking...providing that good fertilizer that can go directly into the garden.
And then you have the busybodies. They are always following me wherever I go looking for a hand-out.
We scheduled the vet to come to the house to wether the boys. Testosterone level and goat smell will go away soon...yea! It was sad and it was funny! But mostly it was AWESOME!!! I got to assist the vet...just wait until you see what he let me do.
WARNING: A few of the pics may be a little disturbing if you have a weak stomach. Mark was in charge of photography so you know he didn't get anything really gross.
I can't say enough good things about my experience with Dr. Kelly. He wanted to make sure the goats were being well cared for and wanted to make sure that I knew what to expect. I learned A LOT!
His Vet truck.
He first checked to see if the area above and below their eyes was pink. Passed with flying colors.
Checked their teeth. Passed. I learned that goats have four stomachs and have no upper teeth.
Checking for lice. FAIL.
For those of you that are freaked out by the thought of lice....lice is species specific meaning humans CAN NOT pick up goat like. Just thought I would ease some nervous individuals out there.
He found a few on Scoot and figured they all had it. Comes from the straw they sleep on. No problem Treat them with a powder once a month and they will be fine. Scoot is giving me the raspberries because he knows what is coming next.
Somehow Boot was the first to go down. All three were given the meds at the same time. It took him less than five minutes to fall asleep. The other two had to be given more sedative. He went down like a fainting goat.
Dr Kelly sent up his surgery table right on the patio.
My first job was to make sure Boot was comfortable. I kept hearing the other two in the background worrying about thier buddy. Reassuring them was top priority.
My second job was to hold his leg so no one would get kicked, And I was to hold him down if he tried to get up. He got washed really well with soap and water.
Don't worry that is just Betadine...same stuff doctors and hospitals uses on their patients.
And we begin.
The chickens kept coming over to see what was going on. Nosey little chickens.
Clamps were used. A very sharp knife. A curved needle with thick line.
(He used a square knot)
And here we go! Those are testicles...big ones.
This is going to sound gross but it was awesome. I had to hold back the scrotum while Dr. Kelly tied it off and cut it off. At one point my fingers were inside and there might have been a little blood that splattered on my hand. I was in heaven and Mark had to be begged to get some shots of my assisting in surgery.
And here they all are...mountain oysters. And see the little black furry thing on the left...that is the bottom inch of someones scrotum.
Out like a light. Not a peep.
Boogie moaned a little bit.
Poor Scoot...he was the most vocal of the bunch...moaned and groaned the entire time. Pitiful!
Lined up for the next procedure...horn trimming.
When they were a few weeks old the farm of their origin disbudded them. Somehow Boogie started growing horns...guess the iron wasn't hot enough or they didn't go deep enough. One has grown straight up and the other one has curled around. I asked it that was a problem and he said it could be. The one that was curling around needed to be taken down to the 'quick". The other one was left alone because if he cut it back it would bleed pretty much. I opted to leave it alone. If he starts using it as a weapon then it needs to be surgically removed.
calf hoof trimmers were used to trim the horns. And Ella won on this one. Dr. Kelly said to give them to her. They are a good treat.
Guess what is on my Christmas list this year?
The line-up.
They all got a tetanus shot. Dr. Kelly asked if I wanted to give hem the shots. Are you kidding me...YES!!!!
And this my friends is how you carry a goat...awake or asleep. And man are they heavy.
We lined them up against the fence for support.
They were out a good hour or more after the surgery was over. I sat out on the patio and watched. Finally, I saw some tails wagging.
And some heads lifting up. Boogie was slobbering. Poor buddy.
And Scoot was still out.
They got all powdered up for the lice.
Then it was time to clean up.
A bag full of stuff. gross!
Leona standing guard. Side note...when I went out to check on them and lock the girls in...Leona was sitting on Scoots back. Guess she wanted to be the night nurse.
Boogie was the first to eat.
Still a little droopy.
Glazed over eyes.
It was a great experience for me. Mark sat back and tried not to watch. The boys still aren't speaking to me this morning. Can't wait for them to get back to their old selves.
