Okay! I went to stay at a friend's ranch over the weekend, looking for my farm in her area. (Found a tract I'm interested in but still want to look around.) I got to wrangle a rooster! They'd just gotten some and wanted to band a few for a friend, and I was very pleased I could get in there and grab a roo by the legs. It's been quite a while since I handled a chicken; I think I can get over any timidity pretty easily.
But here is the better one, about a little goat! It's a little tragic but has a good ending -- it may make you queasy so go now to the next paragraph if you don't want the description of what had happened to the goat. The goats have long, floppy ears -- and apparently the mini horse had bitten the ear of one of them the day before, right at the top, and it tore down the length of the ear, and the torn part was hanging down from the tip of the ear.
So, the tip of the ear had to be clipped. My friend gets shaky doing that sort of thing, but her DH and a guy who works for them pulled the goat down to snip it and treat it, and the goat struggled like crazy. So I knelt down and took it's back legs in one hand and one front leg in the other and started talking to it really low and quiet. She settled right down and let them do what they needed to do! I was as surprised as anyone, and it felt so good that I had that effect on the goat! I don't want to get all proud about it (I hate come-uppances!) but at least at that moment I had the knack. It was a bottle-fed goat, and of course it's not going to occur to men to do something like that softly and compassionately. But the baby really responded. And she's doing fine.
SO... I think I might be able to make a go of a little farm now. It boosted my confidence on both the chicken and the goat front, for sure.
livestock adventure
you did good.. men dont have the where with all to think about calming the poor baby..glad you were there it for it..
yup i think you are ready for a farm of your own..
WTG!!
cindy
Congratulations! That feeling is true peace. When you experience it.. it's so heart warming. It absolutely works.. on all creatures! Fear is obvious to animals... they don't have the sense to figure out why you are scared.. but the calming feeling is very productive to "counteracting" that flight from fear instinct.. I swear sometimes they know..
I'm so happy for you.. you are soooo on the right track!!
Awesome Brigidlily! I can send you that goat you're wanting anytime!
Y'all just send me prayers that I'll find (and can afford) that farm.
Or maybe a farmer... complete with farm... ;)
(squealing!!) Oooh, romance is part of the bargain! Woo hoo!
(I'd rather have the goat...)
But I NEED THE FARM!!!
But a cute farmer WITH a goat AND a farm.....now there's something to aim for!!
What is an acre going for over there in Texas?
"Dirt" cheap. LOLOLOLOL
Get it? An acre? Dirt....?
Sigh.
HAHAHAHAHAHAHA
Depends on where in Texas. Around Austin, raw land can be around $25,000 an acre. You can get it considerably cheaper in, say, El Paso, but then you'd have to live in El Paso. (No offense to all you... El Pasoans? El Pasonians? Los Pasos?)
Oh Claire! : ) I was just a bit curious Brig, as I will be graduating soon, and had heard Texas pays RNs well AND the cost of living is low also, but 25,000 is not what I consider low. Especially when there is no water.
Yes Mox, we got the joke. Girl you crack me up. Your a mess but your also a keeper. LOL. Haystack
Hey there brigid: I was stationed in San Antonio. My favorite place to visit was Austin. It's beautiful there.
25,000.00 an acre has to be very prime land for that area. I'm sure that is well above the average, isn't it.
So now the truth comes out, what we are really looking for is a FARM-er with a farm and a goat. Good Brigid, now we all know how to pray. Hmmmmm. Hay.
I did say EITHER! I will get my farm. If I can get it the easy way... ;}
I've seen land much cheaper, even in that area, and much more expensive the closer you get to the bedroom communities. I usually look for property through the Mother Earth News map search. Lots of stuff available, so PLEASE don't write it off, Patch! You might look around the Marshall area, south of Tyler. Near me, they're selling old timber land off for as little as $500 and acre.