Decline Watch: America's goat population to remain a mystery

Foreign Policy ^ | November 10, 2011 | Joshua Keating

[cva66snipe]

They would go out as a flock in the morning and then come into the barn to chew cud. Then they would go out again in the last afternoon to graze again and return to chew cud...Yuk I was scratching one's neck one day when she brought up her cud. God that stuff stunk as she burped in my face....Yikes. Glad they didn't spit like camel and llama's do..

Yep that smell does kinda get too ya LOL.

[cva66snipe]

They hear that crinkly sound and come running! Good way to get stepped on with them feet, too; if you are slow at getting the package open!

If I think they are going to not stop I throw up my arms above my head and yell. That usually puts them at a dead stop. LOL

I remember a few years ago Google had the bright idea of going green and using goats too mow their headquarters for them. Looks like somebody didn't do their research LOL. Yea they'll eat grass sometimes. They'll eat trees too and the bark as well LOL.

[okie01]

Goats are the oddest looking animals.

When I was in the ad biz, my partner was the art director. We decided to use goats in a poster series for one client.

After sketching one from memory, he dug up some photographs to check his work.

Like your goat, none looked anything like his sketch.

[Harmless Teddy Bear]

I've had summer interns.:)

[goat granny]

I had them eat a row of pine tree’s in one of the pastures, and alway knew who was doing the eating. They had black sap on their faces...I never thought my pine tree’s were in danger...gone in a week, no needles, just naked branches and some bark gone..

[cva66snipe]

Twenty years ago I had several hundred pines on my place. Now I have five and those aren’t southern pines but rather White Pines. The pine beatle kiled every standing southern pine on my place but the White Pines. When I move the goats they try too head for them every time.

[goat granny]

Where I live now (not on a farm) I have a couple of large pine, going over 15 foot and never had beetles, but my son had them on some of his pine trees. What I found amazing is when he showed me a branch and when he wiggled the branch those things stood up as a group and looked like needle buds. He never could get totally rid of them.

Nature sure has some strange stuff. I have a lot of ash tree's and the green ash beetle has killed quite a few. I have to get a pro to take them down with stumps that ended up about 15 inches across...they are pretty iridescence green,(the beetles) but where I live your not suppose to take the wood out of the county. Trying to keep the beetle from spreading. It took about 8 years after they infested the area until they got to my tree's and those trees sure were great for shade...I had another one die last year and have to get someone to take it down. Its close to the house fingers will be crossed when it comes down...

[Elsie]

The Lord is constantly delivering me firewood.

I do wish, however, that He’d cut and stack it.

I had to collect some of it off of the roof just 2 weeks ago.

[Elsie]

They could have Googled® it and found that goats are BROWSERS and that sheep are grazers.

[goat granny]

The Lord is like UPS or FED-EX they deliver you assemble :O)

[Elsie]

Today I must 'assemble' another old shower door into a window for the goats.

They broke the last one; pushing and shoving one another.

It faces south to let light and heat onto on of their goofin' off platforms in the barn.

[Elsie]

It’s right behind the plywood in reply #32.