Satisfying and Delicious
Who can take a sunrise…..sprinkle it with dew….cover it with chocolate and a miracle or two….the Candy Man…..oh the Candy Man can….the Candy Man can cause he mixes it with love and makes the world taste good. (The Candy Man – by Sammy Davis Jr. Writer: Chambers, Karina / Monaco, Katherine / Schjolin, Morten / Ingoldsby, Denis Noel Copyright: Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Warner/Chappell Music, Inc., Universal Music Publishing Group, EMI Music Publishing)
It’s kind of amazing how all creatures..big, small, human, animal….zombie…..are all attracted to the sweet things in life, at least sometimes. There are THOSE yummy things that take more effort to resist than others.
I think that that kind of treat will be important in the management of our little goat herd. Clark and Lott, being bottle fed babies, are easy to handle. They come running when they hear our voices….they call out when they see us….in stark contrast is, Montana!
Since Montana was raised to forage with the herd, he is not accustomed to as much direct handler contact. He does not relish the idea of being scratched or hugged, and if he senses movement in his direction…he goes the opposite way. Montana is completely wonderful….he is exactly what we wanted to help the bottle fed babies learn the basics of, “How to Be a Brush Goat.” However….I do want to be able to handle Montana when it is necessary, so he and I have been working on familiarity with being touched. He doesn’t have to like it, he just needs to be able to stand still when it is necessary. We have made pretty good progress….and then…there was yesterday!!
We broke boundaries yesterday….Montana actually ate out of my hand!! The lure….goat candy…better known as young Douglas Fir branches. Tony introduced the three to this delicious treat a couple of days ago.
Since licorice flavored goat treats weren’t pull enough for Montana to breach that border between food and hand…I decided to try a young fir branch…..SUCCESS!!!! This seems to be a treat that all three of our kids cannot resist.
As chomping ensued, I was able to get a few scratches in behind Montana’s ears, and between his horns. Petting his furry body was a little more intrusive than Montana would welcome, but progress is progress!! Later that evening after I had closed them in for the night, Montana stood still and allowed me to pet him a bit. I didn’t push it….by the way…I never knew that goat kids were so fluffy!!
No worries, little guys…there is plenty more where that came from!!
Thanks for visiting the kids this morning!! I hope you have a sweet, sweet day!!
Your friend from Oregon,
Tami
Build Me a Dream 