We sure did. And they are still usable. I try not throw anything away unless its not worth keeping. I will give it away, like we did 10 dozen eggs today, taking up room in fridge, gave them to our neighbor plus had and 50 or more to bury in hügelkultur and flower garden to fertilize. She said she will pass some off to her neighbor's. We did not need 10 more hens. But so far Jake won't sell any of them. We have one hen in hospital pen. She is walking and running better but still not time to put her in with the others. They will peck her to death. She is spoiled, runs up to us when free ranging for protection. She loves her sand baths. We thought we would lose her but she is coming along.
If I get a dog I'm going to to train it for harness racing. I want to be pulled in my sulky to the Food Lion and back to save gas. No whips. I'll teach him to bark at bad drivers and women drivers (same thing).
I was going to try that with my sheep. An upside down horse halter fits lambs as harnesses perfectly but my friend recommended using goats instead. I will not get a goat!
Mary why no goats? I have been entertaining the idea for a while, but then more animals more work. And on times like now with both of us down for a while at least, reminds me of how fast things can get to be a real challenge.
Actually goats can be quite useful. They eat poison ivy which we have by the pond. But they are a bit more active than sheep and I don't want them jumping up on my car. Their stomachs are not made of iron, as we have been told and can get sick and then are not so easy to treat. However the mini breeds are sometimes appealing to me.
Thank you for the info and we're seriously considering a couple to help with vines. I will find out what we can use on them for tic's which are epidemic this year.
A picture of the 15 y.old harness on Foxy. Its getting a little tight. @Cody Fousnaugh , this is how inquisitive Foxy is and you know where the picture was taken, Pier in Vilano Beach.
I have Ace Garden And Pet Dust. It's safe for the animal and owners. You just sprinkle a teaspoon or two and rub it in to spread it. I don't even wear gloves or mask when doing this. The link is to a similar product. https://www.acehardware.com/departm...nsect-and-animal-control/insecticides/7309594
Will you be able to let the goats run free or have to tie them up, @Marie Mallery ? Either way has its disadvantages, I think that fruit trees/bushes and roses/flowers/garden are a goats favorite food, so if they are loose, they will eat all of that an ignore all the vines you want them to eat. They will have fun jumping all over your vehicles, on the porch, into the house if the door is open, and just about anywhere else they can get to. However, if you tie a goat up, he always wants to be somewhere that he cant get to, and will manage to wrap the chain tight around any object, tree, or whatever that is close to him or that the goat is tied to. You will need to be constantly untangling the goats, and if there is more than one, be sure to tie them where they can see each other but cant wrap around each other, or you will have two goats totally tangled into each other. If th goat has horns and can get their head through the fence, they will do that every time and then be stuck in the fence because the never seem to understand that they can’t just pull straight backwards out of the fence. Also, you will have to watch that your young dogs do not chase the goats and possible kill them, so the dogs will have to be securely confined far away from the goats. You might want to consider a llama. They are also a browser, and are much more sensible to deal with than goats.
Yvonne thanks for the warning's. We were already talking about a higher fence around the garden area to keep dogs out. Far as chain I understand that and don't like permanent chains anyway. They will have 7 or 8 acres to run thru that has a 5' no climb fence with stand of barbed wire on top, around it for the ignorant trespassers we had 20 years ago. People can be real foolish. The same people who brag about shooting trespassers if they step foot on private property will trepass.
You might want to consider a llama. They are also a browser, and are much more sensible to deal with than goats Lamas? I didn't know they browsed. I thought they just ate rice,
They probably do, since they seem to like almost anything, like these two dogs we have. I don't know yet I do know they like to roam. We see the mans goat down the road running down the dirt road with two huge dogs all the time.