Ferrie Tails Farm
Nigerian Dwarf, Mini LaMancha, Boki Goats and Miniature Horses
This page is updated frequently with the happenings at Ferrie Tails Farm. The most recent information is listed first.
4/26/2009 Ok, so I know it's been forever since I updated this page or any of the pages for that matter. I have FINALLY given this site an overhaul with updated bios of all the critters and as soon as they finish shedding updated pictures. I will be deleting a lot of the old stuff so get ready for new and improved Ferrie Tails information!!!!
9/18/07
Everyone is doing great. The boys have adjusted to having new friends in the pasture next to them. Sockit & Blondie seem very happy here. I love my new babies! Well, ok so they aren't babies, but they are so sweet and fun. Plans are underway for a permanent shelter for Sockit & Blondie. (My idea of a shed as a shelter was apparently not sufficient for my dear husband, not that I'm complaining!!)
Everyone got wormed last week and Sockit and Blondie got baths and their hooves trimmed(NO, I didn't trim Sockit's his farrier did). The boys are due so I'll do them on Thursday.
Had to rearrange the feed room to make room for new feeds and supplements. Now, I have to make sure I have enough storage for winter hay. Don't want to run out and end up with crappy hay like last year. I think I can hold 8-10 of the larger 3 string bales of coastal for the boys and 6-8 of the regular square bales of alfalfa for Blondie and Sockit. I don't know how long that will last the boys. I only had 6 goats last winter and Wiley and Ryder didn't come until late October and they were still babies.
That's all for now, more pictures of everybody coming soon.
8/29/07
The votes are in, well ok, the inches are in!
The winner for tallest goat is none other than: "Stevie" StaysNMexico measuring in at an enormous 21 & 3/4 inches at the withers.
Second place is a tie going to: Jacky Don "Tucker" & Wild Child Warrior AKA "Wiley with an amazing 21 & 1/2 inches at the withers.
3rd: Big Bull "Ryder" who is 21 inches at the withers and catching up fast.
4th: EasyMoney Littleman "Richie" surpassing his brother with 20 & 1/2 inches at the withers.
5th: "Toby" Keith Covel at 20 inches who until a few months ago was taller than his brother, Richie, and ourMini LaManchas.
6th: Marshall "Dillon" with an impressive 18 & 1/2 inches, why impressive..he's only 5 & 1/2 months old!!!
And last, but definitely not least TJ's Country "Cowboy" at almost 17 inches at the withers.
I'm so proud of my boys, they are strong, healthy and rotten to the core!!!!!
8/27/07
Whew, it has really been a long time since I posted on here. I really need to update some of the pictures on the boys' pages. Anyway, let's see, the boys have been wonderfully spoiled as usual.
We got the fence done in the west pasture a couple of months ago. The boys now have their larger area 24/7, well minus at night when they are safely tucked in the barn. They really enjoy it, they now hang out under the shade tree in the heat of the day. They are drinking lots of water and tolerating our Texas heat quite well.
Tucker is still my biggest "nongoat" of the bunch and can't understand why he can't come with me to the house!
Stevie is getting a beard now. It's still really small and probably nobody sees it but me, but it's there I know it!
Toby has decided to grow some funky hair!! He's got, what I can only describe as a cowlick on both of his sides. I'll take a picture, it's hard to explain. Oh and he's not happy that I think he's gonna be my smallest goat.
Richie is no longer the runt. He is officially taller than his brother! He out grew Toby a few months ago and now is probably a full inch or more taller than him.
Wiley is getting more and more "nongoat", Tucker is not amused and actually neither is Stevie. He is also almost as tall as Stevie & Tucker. He only has about 2inches to go.
Ryder has his grandmother's features and her calm, fabulous personality. He, like his brother, is also almost as tall as Stevie & Tucker. But he has about 3 inches to go.
Dillon is all legs! He is as tall as Toby, and catching his "big brothers" quickly. He's only 5 1/2 months old!!!
Cowboy is the baby and he knows it! He is the loud mouth too. He's grown so much but still the smallest with at least 4-5 inches to catch Toby.
The boys all cooperate with hoof trimming and Richie even tolerates trimming his scurs.
That's all for now. I'll try to get pictures updated this week!!!
6/24/07
Wow, time flies around here. Doesn't seem like it's been that long since I updated things. Anyway, the boys are doing great.
Dillon and Cowboy act like they've been here forever. The big boys are doing great with them. Dillon & Ryder play a lot together. Cowboy has buddies up with Stevie. I guess it's a color thing!!
The posts are set in the west pasture, so tomorrow John will attach the fence. This will increase their all day pasture area. Currently they have a 90'X70' area and with the new fence we will add a 120'X60"(that's 13500 square feet total!)!! I am very excited about this. The new fence is still 60 feet from the road, so I don't have to worry about them being at the road. Also, in the next couple of months we will do the same to the other pasture. Then I can rotate pastures and they will also still be able to go into the small(60'X60 area near the road on weekends. There is also a large shade tree so I hope they like that and don't go to the bran when it's really hot(less poop for me to scoop).
The boys have been frisky and playing hard. They have tons of fun and are hilarious to watch. The added benefit is that since they are playing so hard a few have knocked off the small scurs that they did have.(Tucker lost both, Stevie his left, Ryder his right)
That's all for now!!!!
6/11/07
Our boys "helping" with some work.
"Hmmmmmm, how do you make it go?"
"What, my name IS Ryder!!!!!"
"I'm waiting, will somebody please make it go!!!"
"Here, Let me push this to the front so it doesn't fall out."
Never too young to drive a Deere!!!!
6/8/07
Well the swamp is finally drying up. We have had so much rain it's crazy. Lots of standing water, mosquitos and just all around yucky. The boys are happy, they have apple cidar vinegar in their water and the flies and mosquitos don't like the way they tatste, so they leave them alone.
John got my utility stand built so I can trim hooves and anything else I need to do with little or no help. Look:
Tried it out yesterday and got all the boys hooves trimmed, except for the babies, and they don't need it yet. Everybody did great, I was pleasantly surprised. Richie and Wiley were the best. Tucker kept wanting to see me and trying to pull his head out so he could. Stevie was dancing around some. Toby did good, but was a little antsy on his hind legs and so was Ryder. But all in all they did great and it was easy to do. Perfewct heighth and size!!
Dillon and Cowboy are growing like weeds and they are part of the herd already. Dillon has the greatest voice and my shy little quiet Cowboy is now a loud mouth!!!! I love my new babies!! Thanks again Ebert family!
Toby and Richie will celebrate their 1st birthday on Monday. It's hard to believe it was a year agao that I first visited Deb and picked these 12 hour old boys out. That was the beginning of my goat journey and I'm loving every minute of it!!! Well ok, not every minute, I wish someone else could clean poop out of the barn, but other than that every minute!!!
5/19/07
Dillon and Cowboy are home!!!!!!! I went to pick them up early this morning. We had a small area fenced off for them so the big boys wouldn't bother them. I put them in there, they all got to know each other through the fence for a while. After about an hour the big boys wandered into the big pasture, so I closed them out there. I let Dillon & Cowboy roam around the barn pasture for about an hour. Tucker, being the mama's baby that he is, was standing at the gate yelling at me the whole time. So I finally decided to let him in with the babies. He completely ignored them and went into their small area, hopped on the "goat"(dog) house and began eating the bush. One by one I let the big boys in to meet the babies. It was very uneventful, which made me very happy. Wiley & Cowboy played and head-butted for a while, but for the most part the big boys just ignored the babies.
We had our big fund raiser for Equine Angels tonight, so I was back & forth all day checking on them. There was a little pushing and shoving every now and then while I was there, but that is to be expected while they sort of pecking order. When it was time for bed I put the babies in their little sectioned off area of the barn. They had a big, busy day so I wanted to make sure they could sleep peacefully and not have to worry about the big boys bothering them. I'll probably do this for a few weeks and then we'll move their little pen and they can all sleep together in the barn.
All went very well and I am very happy to finally bring them home. When you pick them out when they are 1 day old it seems to take forever for them to be big enough to come home!!!! Thanks again to the Ebert's for my precious boys!!!!!
Pictures are uploading now and since it's after midnight I'll add a few here and some to "Goat Gallery" tomorrow!
4/20/07
Finally got the pictures uploaded. Stevie & Tucker had a mini-party on 4/12 to celebrate their 1st birthday! They knew it was for them as you can tell by the looks on their faces!!!! They all had special treats after dinner and Stevie & Tucker wore their crowns until they decided to eat from the tree in the pasture. I didn't want them to ruin their crowns so I took them off. The rest of the boys got regular party hats and since it wasn't their birthday, they weren't as amused by theirs.
Yep, we are now 1 year old!!!!
"You look funny in that hat!"
"Yeah, well, so do you!"
"Why, oh why, does she do this to us???"
"Yep, it's my birthday!"
" I know, I look fabulous!"
"Is this how I'm supposed to wear this?"
" I don't know for sure, but I think so."
"Woohooo, I get to keep my crown!"
"Come on, it's my birthday, you have to follow me!"
4/7/07
Apparently it has decided to be winter again.
It is noon and it's only 37 degrees outside. NOT a good day for a party. Soooo, unfortunately I have decided to reschedule it. Not sure if it will be one night this week or when, but as soon as I do you will see pictures!
4/5/07
Well all the boys had got their hooves trimmed yesterday and today. John has figured out it is definitely time to build a "All purpose" stand. Milk stand doesn't seem right but officially they are milk stanchions. I, however, won't be milking, just trimming hooves and any other things where I need them to be still. They are pretty cooperative about it, but since they are getting bigger they don't fit in his lap quite as well as they used too.
They are still shedding their winter coats like crazy. I spend about 30 minutes each night brushing them. They seem to enjoy it, especially Tucker. Now, of course, we are having a little cold snap come through, hopefully it won't last long and they won't grow any new "underwear".
The pastures are growing like crazy too. The boys are loving all the green munchies. They wait at the gate at 6 every evening. As soon as I pull into the driveway they start calling me. They holler until I get out there. I would love to say they are so excited to see me, but what they really want is to get into the big pasture and eat those weeds and some grass. There's plenty in their pasture, but you know what they say, the grass is always greener!!!!
My Mom came to visit a couple of weekends ago and she is always surprised at how much they have grown.
My Dad needs to come visit so he can see them in person, plus I haven't seen his new puppy. AND I haven't seen him in a long time.
Time to end this random entry, stay tuned, birthday party details and pictures coming Saturday!!!!
3/31/07
Stevie & Tucker turn one year old!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Their First Birthday is April 9th!!!!! We are gonna have a party for them complete with presents and cookies(oatmeal, of course!) It will be a small get together, but it will be so much fun. I went to the store today and they will get new "big boy" collars for their birthday, as well as many treats and oatmeal/raisin cookies. They are still so precious!!!!! Stevie really wants to rule this herd and he constantly tries to tell everybody what to do! Tucker is still a Mama's Baby! He always hangs out with me instead of the herd. He LOVES to be brushed and he still has no idea he is a goat. Stevie is still so inquisitive and HAS to know what is going on with everybody. I am so thankful I found Agape Oaks when I did. The Ebert's have been amazing mentors and wonderful friends. Pam, Inna and Andrew: Thank you for ALL my babies and for making me feel like part of the family!!!!!
3/21/07
We are getting 2 more boys to complete our herd!!!! I am so excited, I knew I had to have these boys, but wasn't sure if John would be as excited about them as I was. At first he wasn't but as you keep reading I think you'll see he has warmed up to the idea quite a bit.
The are not twins, but both were born on March 13th! They are buds, so they had to stay together! They are so cute! They will be joining our herd on May 26th. We are looking forward to having them. A special thanks to the Ebert's at Agape Oaks for these sweet boys. The Mini LaMancha's name is Agape Oaks Marshall Dillon, Dillon for short. I named him. The Nigerian Dwarf's name is Agape Oaks Country Cowboy, Cowboy for short. John named him. You can see pictures of them, they each have their own page.
Since these guys will be so much smaller than everybody else we will have to make a few temporary adaptations. We are going to section off an area of their pen just for the little boys. After they get used to being here and our big boys get used to them, we will make an opening in the sectioned off area that is big enough for the babies to fit through, but not the big boys. That way the babies can come out when they want, but still have an area of their own should they need it. Same thing in the barn for sleeping at night, the babies will have a small area just for them to sleep.
Here is a link to some videos of the boys playing. There are 4 videos in all. After you view the first one, just click next in the top right section of the window.
3/20/07
It was time to weigh all the boys today. My wonderful husband stood on the scale and picked up each boy so I could record their weights. Holy Moly have they grown!!!
Stevie & Tucker will be 1 year old on April 9th. Monster Stevie weighs 56 pounds
!!!! Tucker weighs 49 pounds.
Toby & Richie won't be 1 until June 11th. Toby weighs 34 pounds and, get this, Richie outweighs him at 35 pounds!!! He's still the shortest but it's all muscle!
Wiley and Ryder who are still very young, their 1st birthday isn't until September 4th, both weigh 35 pounds!
They are my MiniManchas so they will probably end up being my biggest goats.
Awwww....my babies aren't babies anymore!
3/18/07
Well the boys got a new addition to their rock mountain. We finally moved the concrete steps into their pen, they love it! They are also enjoying being in the big pasture more often. They get to go out there every evening since it stays lighter longer. They also are out there all weekend. It's officially dog proof now!
Here's some pictures of John bringing it in and them on their new rock mountain:
2/20/07
I have a little story to share and amazingly it's not about my goats!!!
My aunt Susan, who is the reason I have goats, called me to tell me this story and I think it's so awesome I just gotta add it here.
She was out feeding her cattle, it was cold and very windy. As she was feeding she heard what sounded like a tiny newborn goat. She wasn't sure if she really heard a goat or just the wind making funny noises. Her dog, Blitzen, who just to note likes to jump out of the truck and run the land. He tries to behave but sometimes he just can't help himself. Anyway, she asked Blitzen "where is that baby goat?" Well, Blitzen takes off like a wild man, runinng and running, and getting farther from Susan by the minute. She thinks he's just running off, so she tries calling him back, all the while thinking what a bad dog. Finally, Blitzen stops, criss crosses, and now he has something in his mouth!!!! Susan thinks he has a rabbit or some other wild creature. Blitzen makes a bee line back to the truck. Just as he is leaping into the back of the truck Susan realizes he has a baby goat!!! She is terrified he has hurt or even killed the baby, but NO..he gently sets this baby down and looks at "mom" with pride. She praises him and tells him he's a hero. She rushes back to her house with this cold, almost lifeless baby. She gets him warm, fed and happy. Now he is a bottle baby who lives in her yard with another bottle baby. They have a warm place to sleep in on the porch and they make sure Susan is not late with those bottles...They have big voices and know how to use them!!!!!
So there ya have it!! Isn't that a great story??? Yay Blitzen!!!
2/09/07
Well, well, well, my how things how change. Just when I thought I had life (ok, my goats' life) all figured out, they up and change things!!! Wiley and Ryder have been fully accepted into the herd. By this I mean they are no longer bullied and they have their place in the chain of command. Everyone seemed content with this setup for a while. Well, not anymore!!! Ryder has decided "low man on the totem pole" is not for him. So, he is now full of himself. He's running around and head butting everybody...including Stevie. I haven't seen him do this to Tucker yet, but that doesn't mean he hasn't. With his new-found confidence, his brother, Wiley, has decided to join him. So, these two now proceed to run from mountain to mounatin, just so they can be king. They then head butt anybody who tries to de-thrown them. This is quite hilarious to watch. Especially when you have 6 goats running sideways, hopping and "dancing" around their pen. Richie, who up until now, has been little man with serious guts and who has attempted to de-thrown Tucker, is not amused These two are now challenging him, when previously they just let him reign. Richie would like to reign overall, but Tucker, Stevie & Toby (in that order) see things differently.
Looking back, I'm really not surprised this has happened. When Wiley and Ryder were still at their breeder, Agape Oaks, they reigned among the babies. Granted mostly due to sheer size, but still, they were kings. So, I was surprised when they got here and just accepted low-man status. Now I know, it was all just a trick. They lulled the rest of the boys into a false sense of security before attempting their take over!!!! It will be fun to see how things turn out. Especially since those two have the potential to be the biggest goats on the property since they are Mini-manchas. I think Tucker will always be king simply because he is the biggest mam's baby and they all know I am actually herd queen.
2/7/07
It has been gorgeous here the past few days and the boys are really enjoying the warmth and sunshine. They are all very hyper and are constantly running and playing, which I love to watch.
Ryder is really coming out of his shell. He has decided he doesn't wanna be low man any longer. He has gotten brave, he "fights" (which really is more just rough & tumble boys playing) with Toby and Richie now. He occasionally will head butt Wiley. He is still not brave enough to take on Tucker & Stevie, but he no longer just gets out of their way. Richie, on the other hand, has a new nickname...."Big Billy Bad A$$". Still our smallest goat, but he has drive and determination. He always thinks he should be "King" of any mountain and doesn't hesitate to take on Stevie or Tucker. He holds his own quite well for being so much smaller. Toby is not amused by Richie's antics and takes every opportunity to attempt to put him in his place, which according to Toby is beneath him in this little heirarchy. Wiley has decided that patience pays off. He watches from below while all the other boys battle for king, after they have settled down, he takes his place on top of the spool. It seems to work for him. Stevie is always ready for fun and games. He usually starts the event by running from one "mountain" to the next, hopping and snorting as he goes. He tries to rule the mountain, but gives in to Tucker 90% of the time. Tucker doesn't usually worry about Stevie, he likes having Stevie as back-up. Tucker still prefers me to the rest of the herd, which is great, ALMOST all the time. When I am trying to clean the barn and he comes to help it's ok, but then he starts calling the rest of the boys. I have told him over and over I don't need any help and to leave them in the pasture, but he doesn't always listen.
Last Sunday Deb came by to visit. She had never been out here before so she had not seen Toby & Richie since I got them from her September 9th. She was pleased with how much they have grown and how spoiled they are. She also loved their barn. We had a great time and I was very happy she got to come visit.
1/29/07 It was a pretty day on Saturday so the boys had fun playing "king of the mountain" and running around in the big pasture. They also got a new mineral feeder...the old one was a pain to clean, so hubby made a new one. I'll get some pictures soon. I also got a new latch on the gate..that makes me happy, especially since this one is much easier to open and close, and of course, still goat proof!
Then the cold front came in and it's only supposed to get colder and wetter.....as much as I love my boys and as spoiled as they are...I'm tired of hauling hot water twice a day!!!!!!
That's all for now, I'll post pics of our new stuff soon!
1/21/07
YAY!!! We finally have sunshine! It's been so long I almost forgot what it looked like! The boys are really enjoying the sun and warmer temp. It's close to 60 degrees today. They are hanging out in the big pasture and running around too. This gave me the chance to clean the barn without help. I scooped up lots of shavings and wasted hay. Then I added more shavings since winter is not over yet.
Last week everybody got weighed, so today I decided to measure everybody. They however, didn't get that memo. Between them all trying to eat my measuring stick and Toby & Richie being a little scared of it I finally got it done. I plan to weigh & measure them monthly. I bought my own scale today so I don't have to borrow the neighbors every month.
Stevie: 19 1/4 inches, 40 pounds. Still the biggest but not by much.
Tucker:19 inches, 37 pounds. He's catching up to his twin brother.
Toby: 16.5 inches, 25 pounds. I was surprised he didn't weigh more, but I guess it's all his winter fluff.
Richie: 15.5 inches, 25 pounds. Wow! Look how much he's grown. Still the smallest but he's all muscle.
Wiley: 16.25 inches, 27 pounds. Amazing that he & Ryder are 3 months younger than T & R, but look at those numbers!
Ryder: 16.5 inches, 26 pounds. With his latest growth spurt, he's also gained some assertiveness amongst the boys.
1/17/07 Surprise, surprise...woke up to snow on the ground and falling from the sky! Opened the barn door, Stevie & Tucker stepped out, front hooves only, looked at the snow, looked at me, turned around and went back in the barn!!!! No one else even ventured to the door. What can I say, they are spoiled rotten! They did eventually leave the barn because when I went to feed tonight there were hoof prints in the snow. We are supposed to get more freezing rain and possible snow on Friday night.
The feed room needs cleaning and I wanted to do that before I got more hay and shavings, but they only have a few flakes left. I have to get hay tomorrow or they will run out and well, that's not an option! If I want to clean the feed room, it will be tomorrow morning in the freezing cold!!!!! Plus I have to get that done in time to go get hay before I have to go to work. I'll let you know what happens, but my guess is, the feed room won't get cleaned tomorrow morning!
1/15/07
Well winter decided to rear it's ugly head again!!! It started raining on Friday and rained all day, got below freezing that night so we got freezing rain. It's been below freezing since early Saturday morning. All the fences, trees and roads were covered in ice. The boys don't leave the barn too much. They don't like the cold north wind. They are getting cabin fever and running around like wild boys all over the barn!!! The sun was shining today but the temp. was still in the upper 20's. All the ice has melted off the roads, and most things that got some sun today.
The boys are very demanding of their 2-3 times daily serving of hot water. They even stop to drink before being hooked to their feeding station each morning and evening. Since the don't leave the barn much, it's messier than usual, so morning only barn cleanings, have turned into morning and evening cleanings. Luckily due to the handy work of my dear husband, the bran has no drafts and isn't too bad.
Tomorrow is supposed to be warmer so hopefully the boys will hang out outside and burn off some of their excess energy.
Those of you that know me, know how much I DETEST the cold, so it still amazes me that I get up at 7 every morning to feed and let them out of the barn, and it doesn't bother me at all!!! I actually look forward to seeing my boys and giving them all morning hugs and kisses!!! Sometimes I even catch myself standing there watching them eat hay with numb hands!!!! (Yes, Mom, I do have gloves on!)
1/1/07
Happy New Year!!!!
We have had a productive new year so far. John replaced the water spigot that is in the goat pen. I re-organized the feed room and updated all the care and feeding instructions. I also updated both goat notebooks, both in the house and in the barn. These notebooks contain all their care & feeding information, medicine dosages, signs of a sick goat, diseases, as well as pictures and pedigrees on everyone. The one inside also contains all of their registration papers and our herd name registration.
We have also decided to split the 2 large pastures into 4 smaller ones. We will put a fence across the middle of both pastures. This will allow me to rotate pastures and also give them more room when we are not home. I don't like letting them in the big pastures when we aren't home because I don't like them so close to the road. This will allow them access to one of the 2 pastures closest to their pen and barn. This also allows us to let them into the ones closest to the road on the weekends and our days off.
We are contemplating purchasing a few does this spring. I have decided that if I do this I will get young kids. That way, we can watch them grow up and then breed them and have babies of our own later on. This is still a work in progress, since I'm not positive yet. There are many things to consider. First and foremost being my 6 rotten boys I already have. They are so spoiled and receive so much 1 on 1 attention. I love that, and I don't want them to suffer just because I think I should get does and breed. If we do get does, we will expand the barn by approximately 6X14 feet. This will allow me to separate the new young does from the big boys, and will also serve as 1 or 2 kidding pens when the time comes. There are many other factors, but I'll spare you my thought processes for now.
12//29/06
Ok, I wasn't going to post this, but since it seems so funny now, I think I will:
We butt heads. Of course, he wins, he stills lands on the bench. I, however, after a few "choice" words am trying to decide if there is blood or not. My left eye is watering so bad, I can't tell if it's blood or tears. After a minute or 2 I decide it's tears and go on about my way, hooking up goats for feeding time. They didn't seem too bothered by the whole scene. Stevie stood on the bench staring at me, Tucker wondered why I yelled since he was standing still like a good boy. Toby & Richie took a few steps back. Wiley & Ryder acted like nothing happened and went to their spots for dinner. So, I proceeded to hook up everybody else. They finish dinner and we are just hanging out in the barn.12/27/06
Christmas has come and gone, and we are kinda sad about that. The boys got lots of goodies in their stockings. Well, I didn't really put them in their stockings because they would have eaten everything...and been really sick! They got banana chips, apple chips, strawberry frosted mini-wheats, animal crackers, raisins and candy canes. They have not had any apple chips yet, so I don't know if they like them or not. They got to try their peppermint candy canes last night. It was pretty funny. I think they smelled them because they were trying to get into my pockets the minute I walked into the pen. Stevie & Tucker LOVED them. Wiley & Ryder liked them, once they figured out how to eat them or should I say, once I broke them into small pieces. Toby & Richie weren't so sure. They will get to have some more in a few days. We rotate treats, and they don't get them everyday...otherwise I would have really fat goats!!!!!
Merry Christmas from all of us at Ferrie Tails Farm!!!!!
Samantha & John Ferrie
Stevie, Tucker, Toby, Richie, Wiley & Ryder
Yashin, Ezmerelda & Alivia (our cats)
12/18/06 My friend Kim came to visit me. She's from Oklahoma and she just got back from Honduras (she's in the Air Force). They had a goat mascot there. That goat was a large breed goat with horns. I'm not sure who was more stubborn, the goat or Kim, but they didn't see eye to eye. So, Kim was pretty sure my goats wouldn't like her and I think she kinda figured she wouldn't be too amused by them. Kim loved all my boys (how could you not!!) and they loved her too. Amazingly enough, I didn't take any pictures. I know that's a shocker, but I really didn't and I should have. The boys are due for hoof trims, so I thought I'd do it yesterday morning. They are actually very good about getting their hooves trimmed so it's usually very easy. Well, silly me, the boys wouldn't stay still! They were too busy making sure Kim didn't give anybody extra attention!!!! At one point she was telling Toby she didn't have three hands because she was already petting Stevie & Tucker. So, I'm gonna trim hooves today.
12/11/06 I have the most awesome husband ever!!!!! Well, ok, I already knew that, but, he just reminds me how great he is when he does things like this:
I had asked him to feed the boys and lock them up for the night since I wouldn't be home until about 7:30 and then we were headed next door for Spencer's birthday party. On the way home I asked him if he had closed their barn windows. He said no, and when I asked him to close them when he took out the trash he again said no. I replied with a thanks and headed inside knowing he'd do it. I was being lazy and didn't want to have to change clothes to go to the barn. (I can't go out there and close windows and not go into the barn and visit my boys.)Well, I get on the phone and he comes in and says "come with me". I say no and keep talking. He leaves, comes back a few minutes later and says again "come with me" and then stares at me and says again "COME WITH ME". He's pretty insistent that I go, so I explain to Kim that I've gotta go to the barn and that I'll call her back.
We get to the 1st gate and he tells me to wait here while he closes the windows. So, I'm thinking....I got off the phone, changed clothes, and now I have to stay here!!!!! I ask if I can at least come to the gate into their pen, he reluctantly agrees. So, I get to the gate and that's when, thanks to the neighbor's porch light, I see a shadow of something in their pen. I tell him I'm coming in and before he can respond I'm already in the pen and this is what I find:
I had gotten the smaller spool from a friend (Thanks Betty!!!) and he just happened to find the big one on the job. So while I was finishing work and heading home, he created "Spool Goat Mountain"!!!!!!!
My next question was had the boys seen it, he said no, he didn't put it in the pen until after he locked them up. So, I run to the barn, tell the boys to come see what daddy made, and off we go, and they LOVE IT!!!
12/10/06 The boys are ready for Christmas!!! The stockings are hung on the barn with care, in hopes they are high enough not to be chewed on that is! They, of course, had to help with the process. Tucker tried to eat Toby's stocking. Richie was mad he couldn't reach them. Wiley stood in between my legs to make sure he didn't miss any move I made. Stevie and Toby butted heads to be closer to me. Ryder took this opportunity to head butt Toby a few times.
12/10/06 While the boys were in the big pasture pigging out, I decided to rearrange their play area. They now have a new "mountain" to play on, and as you can see, it's constant entertainment watching to see who's king!!!
The "mountain" before the boys arrival.
"I'm the King!!!!"
"No, I'm the king!!!!"
"No, I'm the king!"
"Sorry boys, but I AM the king!!!!"
"Seriously, I'm the king!"
"NO, really, I'm the king!"
12/5/2006 There is now music on the boy's pages!!!! I also updated some of their information. Yes, all the songs are Toby songs, did you really need to ask, after all that is how they all got their names!
12/2/2006 Today was picture day, yeah, yeah, I know when is it NOT picture day!!!!
Anyway, today I finally got a good picture to use for my Christmas card. It only took around 40 pictures to finally get 1 that will work. It was much warmer today and the boys hung out basking in the sun. It is cold again tonight and they were very happy to see the bucket of hot water coming. Added some more pages and updated some of the boys info.
12/1/2006 Well, winter has arrived at Ferrie Tails Farms, at least for the time being. It is Texas after all!!! Wednesday was a beautiful 79 degrees and then the arctic blast hit. Within 45 minutes it went from 79 degrees to 40 degrees with a wind chill of 25!!!! And we actually had some snow, well, sleet mostly and some snow. The boys absolutely HATE the cold. They don't leave the barn and demand an all you can eat buffet of hay and hot water from the house! So, we are currently hauling hot water to them 2-3 times a day and of course keeping the hay feeder stocked! Yes, they have us trained quite well!!!!They are all super fuzzy with their winter coats, not to mention that "hunched up" cold goat look. I did convince them to leave the barn this morning, but only by opening a bag of leaves fresh from the neighbors. We added a tarp to the south side of the barnto block the wind and the cold and that makes them very happy. ( all hubby's idea and when I was indecisive on the matter I suggested bringing them indoors, and didn't get the He!! No I was expecting! He didn't really even protest!) Richie is particularly annoyed by the cold. He is the smallest so I guess it affects him more. He stands at the door and yells a lot. I don't blame him, I don't like the cold either. Today warmed up to the mid 50's so I think they were a little happier. The small amount of snow/sleet we had is gone. I'll take pictures of the little furballs tomorrow, if I can convince them to leave the barn that is!!!!!! I also informed hubby that WHEN we decide to breed he would need to build a new barn or expand the current one. He thinks I'm crazy but he has admitted he loves the boys and he even feeds them for me if I'm running late from work, I don't even have to ask!!!
Hugs to all~~~~~~Samm & All the boys at Ferrie Tails Fram