There’s nothing like being locked up due to the weather to help a new goat fit in. Huckleberry has been busy moving in.
New Routines
Everything was different for Huckleberry. Of course, the herd was new. He looked them over. They looked him over. An uneasy truce was reached.
Then there was the milk room routine. Huckleberry soon decided this was the place to be. Oats appeared in his dish followed by a handful of alfalfa hay.
The difficulty was getting on and off the milkstand. He finally found he could jump up after climbing half up a few times. It was getting out again that troubled him.
To get out of the milkstand, a goat must back up. Goats don’t easily back up. Huckleberry is considerably bigger than I am. Still, I pulled him out a time or two. He’s a smart buck and does fine now.
The next step is going out of the milk room once you are done eating. He is still working on that.
Before Winter Returned
Another new routine was going out to pasture. Huckleberry stood and watched the herd go out, then wondered where they were. Fresh hay in the barn helped pass the time until the herd returned.
I tried taking him out to where the herd was busy nipping off new grass shoots. He stood looking around.
After several times, he has learned grass is good to eat. This is true as long as I stand out in the pasture. As soon as I go back to the barn, so does he.
In Lock Down Once Again
Goats will go out in the snow. They will ignore a fresh bucket of water and eat snow. Sunshine is the true lure as they can stand, bask and get cozy warm.
However, the barn cools down to the outside temperature once the door is open. When the temperature stays around ten, the door stays closed, sun or no sun.
Huckleberry feels right at home this way. He is used to spending most of his time in a barn.
Once the snow leaves again, Huckleberry will keep busy moving in by learning to go out with the herd. Maybe.
