Monday 28 January 2013

A good job jobbed!

While it was cold and icy last week, David managed to muck out the easy half of the barn.  Getting in and out of the field to dump the muck is so much easier when the ground is frozen, and it also means that there is less mud left up the road for people to complain about!

Afterwards, it also means that the goats all tend to sleep on the 'clean' side of the barn as they have lots of fresh straw over there, even though the 'dirty' side is far warmer because of the muck underneath them.  So, the past couple of days have been a bit cosy as most people gathered over that side:


Keen to get the rest of the barn done, we took a chance on the weather staying dry today.  And it did.  Just.  Looking at those black clouds gathering, I would say that we are in for some serious wind and rain later on tonight!

So, after milking and feeding everyone this morning, we left the goats over the far side of the barn with full hayracks and set to work quickly taking out all the gates and other 'furniture' so that David has plenty of room to move the tractor around.

It's always a bit crowded on mucking out day, especially when noone is keen to go outside:


Not sure whose ear that is!

As you can see, many of the goats just stand about watching what is going on.  Some are busy at the hayracks - a novelty having extra ones in a different place to usual:


Some stand with their heads on their sister and just doze - Coye and Diddi:


Whilst others are keen not to miss anything.  After all, there may be a banana hidden somewhere.  Footsie.


Mindful of the weather, David grabs as much as he can on each run into the barn:

 
Then piles it into the trailer ready to go off to the field down the road:


Eventually, it is all done and the new straw spread. 


All those eager little faces just waiting for the gate to be opened:


The mad dash as everyone runs over to the 'clean' side of the barn.  And then it's bottoms up and heads down as they all start to rustle about to find the best bits of straw to eat!


They have a couple of hours to settle down now before milking and I expect that I when I return to the barn everyone will be comfy and snuggly with tums full of food!  Not a bad life is it?



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