What did you do today?

[Nanno]

Today we got a couple feet of sopping wet, cement-like snow. It started as a heavy drizzle last night so I quickly fashioned a couple of makeshift blankets out of some fleece for Rambo and Rocky. The little guys have no mama to curl up with, and Delilah won't let them stay with her kids in the warmer big shed. They have to use one of the little dog igloos, and they also don't have enough fur for this climate. They came from Pueblo West, which is substantially warmer than here near the mountains. So they got jammies to sleep in. I'll post a picture tomorrow if any of them came out.

Delilah has been a terror about letting other goats into "her" shed. None of my goats are mean to babies, but that doesn't matter to Delilah. She chases everyone out, including the Nubian kids and her own sister. There have been times when she's trampled her own kids in her zeal to kick someone else out. As the weather kicked into high gear this morning I decided I'd had enough of her antics. The dog igloos were filling with snow drifts despite facing away from the wind, and even dominant Petunia and mean little Nubbin were grudgingly sharing their shed with poor, soaking wet Jezebel on a limited basis. There was plenty of room and uneaten hay in Delilah's shed so I tied her to the back where she could no longer guard the door or rampage around. She spent a lot of time sulking and growling but there was nothing she could do about Jezebel eating the hay or the bucklings playing with her kids and snuggling with them. I think it helped her attitude because after I untied her this afternoon she was much more subdued and sharing of her space. I like protective mamas, but Delilah has been a little ridiculous, and there's simply no reason for her to chase the bucklings away. They're not remotely a threat, and they're not trying to nurse on her either.