Farm Fresh Blog

The rains continue . . .

The barn has flooded and we're juggling livestock. The goats and sheep are back together again. They are free to roam through the mud and muck when I'm home, but when I leave for work, they go back in lockdown with the Livestock Guardian Dog. The sheep really like their dog.  The goats tolerate her now.

When Other Half left for work this morning he turned the stock out and cautioned me, "By 1 o'clock we have 85 % chance of rain. Whatever you want to do outside, get it done before then."

I mumbled something and went back to sleep.

He called at 11 o'clock and informed me that the rain would be here by 12:30 pm.  I puttered around the barn and ignored him. There was still plenty of time. (I did this, despite the fact that it was thundering and the sky was turning ominous. I mean, after all, the Weatherman SAID the rain would come at 12:30 pm!  That was a least an hour away!!!)

So I feed carrots to the ponies. I played with the horses . . .

I checked out the sheep and goats with Briar.

And then . . . a funny thing happened. . . 

                                                       . . .  it started to rain.

                                                                                   It started to pour!

But WAIT!!!  It wasn't 12:30 pm yet!  This wasn't fair!

So I call the goats and the sheep.  This consists of screaming "Baaaaaaaa!!!!! at the top of my lungs.  (There is no telling what my neighbors think of me.) The goats come running.  Goats are smarter than sheep.  We have already established that fact.  In short order, the goats are in their shed, happily munching food that I thoughtfully placed there for them earlier.  (I'm not a total idiot!)  So I grab a bucket and slosh out in the rain to call the sheep. Mud is squishing over my flip flops and my glasses are fogging.  I can barely see the sheep in the back of the pasture under a tree.  I pray they don't get hit by lightning.  I pray "I" don't get hit by lightning.   I call the sheep over the roaring rain.  They answer me, but have absolutely NO intention of leaving their tree. 

"Don't MAKE ME GET THE BORDER COLLIE!!!" I shout at them.  They are unconcerned.

"LILY"  I scream through the rain.

A black & white shadow that has been lurking by the fence slithers to the gate.  I wipe my glasses with my shirt tail and cuss the sheep.  The goats temporarily stop muching to regard me thoughtfully.  We exchange a moment, but then it passes.  I know.  Goats are smarter than sheep.  I know.

So I open the gate and Special Agent Lily slithers into the pasture. She has assessed the situation already and was simply waiting to be deployed.  She salutes and heads out in the rain.

The sheep are not happy to see her.  But a few nips on the heels and they come scampering towards me.  Thirty seconds later and she has them in the pen with the goats.  It has taken Lily approximately 2 minutes.  I'm not sure how long I was standing out in the rain shaking a bucket of feed.  But I'm sure that if I'd screamed "Baaaaaa!" any louder, or any longer, my neighbors would have had me committed.  

So to all the folks who say, "I don't need a dog, my sheep (or goats) come to a bucket of feed!" I ask you, how long have YOU stood out in the rain trying to coax them back inside?