Taste of Freedom

Goats are pretty smart. They remember stuff too. I.e. how good the food on the other side of the fence tastes.

Of course that makes them try harder to escape.

We've had a few mishaps with the fence this summer and unfortunately our fruit trees and bushes have suffered. G thinks they'll make a comeback next year and the damage isn't severe. All I can see are my poor hostas nipped to the ground yet again. It seems like every time they get going again, the goats sneak out. "That's what you get for having goats!" people say. It's a good thing they're cute...

The latest round of chicks are enjoying trampoline life. Jip was interested at first, but now they're background noise. The goats love sitting on top of the trampoline soaking in the sun. How many can you see in the picture below? G says he's seen as many as six on there at once. 

They love rubbing against the sides. We've had to reinforce the chicken wire with goat fencing to keep the chicks in. 

One chick has tasted freedom. She figured out how to get out through a gap in the chicken wire. It's covered with goat fencing, but she's small enough to fit through those holes. She is also smart enough to find her way back inside the trampoline. I've given up trying to keep her in. 

The chicks are getting close to being able to be with the rest of the flock. I'm not sure how we're going to meld our flocks together. They said do it in the middle of the night so the chickens can't see anything and move them all to a neutral place. They wake up in the morning and their cliques are all messed up, so they form new ones. 

The thing we're missing is a neutral place...