Impatient Cows, Smart Aleck Goats....

Yesterday afternoon, I was in the barn, doing some odds-n-ends, type of things. Like always, as soon as I enter the barn, the goats start hollering that they are starving to death.

Funny thing about goats - they can lift their face out of the feed pan - WHILE EATING - and claim you haven't fed them for a month.....

I just decided to ignore them, and go see the puppies.

As I opened the door, all seven of them (6 pups, 1 mom) came running up to the gate to greet me. Mom was especially happy to see me, because I had a bone in my hand. The pups KNOW what a bone is, they just haven't mastered the technique of chewing on one yet.

Even though it was still an hour and a half early, Mabel saw me heading toward the barn, and figured it was time for her evening feeding.

**NOTE** Cows don't consider it "milking" time, they think of it as "face time with the feed pan"......

Mabel's "cow in training", Belle, usually follows her into the barn at such times. When they see me coming across the yard, they head up the hill and stand beside the barn door.

I guess they got inpatient with me, as I didn't open the door. First, Belle poked her nose in the little door to the pup's room. I could tell by the look on her face that she was expecting food.



There were all kinds of impertinent snorts, stamping of feet, and angry grunts, coming from outside the "dog door". No amount of talking was going to convince either Belle or Mabel that it wasn't time for supper. Finally, Mabel couldn't stand it any longer and stuck HER nose in to see what was going on.



I guess she figured her face has more pull then Belle's.

At any rate, it didn't work - I left the door closed and continued about my business. I did find, however, that when is WAS time for milking, both Mabel and Belle stood at the bottom of the hill and snorted. I actually had to SHOW them the grain bucket before they made the trudge up the slope.

Guess they wanted to show me who's boss....

Mean while, the goats were being their normal, pesky selves. I found out this morning that Sally - one of our Kinders - has figured out how to open the gate in the barn. Normally, she would wait for it to "bounce", then stick her pointy little face behind it, and shove. Now she has figured out how to open it with her paw.

The first sign that something was amiss this morning, came in the fact that Sally and the goofball LGD were curled up in some loose hay on the barn floor. They saw me, and jumped up like they knew they were in trouble. Shadow headed out through his doorway, and Sally ran to the gate. At least I got some satisfaction by seeing her friends "pummel" her when she re-joined them.

Now I have to LATCH the gate, instead of just closing it. Smart aleck goat.

Speaking of "smart aleck" goats -

Every time I am in the barn, somebody decides to have their face over the rail, or gate. I usually wander over, put my hands on both cheeks, then act like I'm going to land a big kiss on a nose, all the while making kissing noises. Normally, just the THOUGHT of smooching a human is enough to cause my "victim" to drop off the gate, and get out of "harm's way" before they get "human cooties".

Yesterday, though, Annie pulled a fast one on me. I had a hold of her face, with a hand on each cheek, and was doing my kissing noises at her. Instead of hopping down, and out of my grasp, she turned her face upwards, and GAVE ME A BIG SMOOCH - RIGHT ON THE LIPS!

She paused a second, then took off like a shot out the door.

Now I got "goat cooties".

Smart aleck goat....