Mama goat in the new paddock

Since we did get a paddock built, we decided the other day to take one of the goats over to the new homestead and see how it worked out. We took our older doe, that we fondly just call Mama Goat.

Now let me tell you, she wasn't at all keen about her traveling accommodations. We had to tie a heavy rope across the bed of the truck, make a couple of large knots in it, then fasten her collar in between the knots with a collar clip. The knots kept the clip from going more than a couple of inches either way. We also opened the sliding back glass in the truck so I could keep my hand ready to grab her, just in case something didn't work like we thought it would. But, it all worked just fine.

Mama Goat, though, wasn't happy with it. She was pretty nervous. See, we've had these goats for a few years now and got them when they were about 6 months old. They haven't been anywhere else beside on our little homestead since we brought them home in the back end of the Explorer I used to have.

Mama Goat is behind the others, with the skinny horns.

Once we got her over to the new homestead and put her out in the new paddock, she was still uneasy but did start eating the tall weeds and grass that are there. We made sure she had a bucket of water nearby, and, though she occasionally would cry (these goats hate to be separated), she ate till she got her tummy full, then laid down to chew her cud.

Next time, we'll take all the goats with us, since we now have a huge carrier for the back of the truck that we can put them in.

Here's a little video of Mama Goat in the new paddock.

First fence built!

It's not a huge area, but we did get a small paddock fenced in to put goats into. I figure we'll need to put the buck out on a tether, and he does well with that. The does can go in the paddock.

We still need to put up some kind of shelters for all the animals, and the first ones of those will be simple lean-to structures made from pallets. Just something fast and easy to construct until we can get better barns built.

We used a technique for securing the gate post that we saw on another YouTube video, and it's working very well.

For a quick look, here's a video for you to watch. Be sure and let me know in comments what you think about the fence. Just be nice! lol

I need to make a list

I figure that if I put a list here, where I can reference it often, I will be able to know what I still need to get the off grid cabin livable. So, here goes!

• About a dozen 2X4s
• Enough insulation to cover all outside walls and the underside of the roof
• Brad and staple gun
• Get generator fixed

Following is my need-to-haves but these can wait a bit.

• Rain guttering and downspouts for rainwater catchment
• At least 4 more deep cycle batteries
• Another 200 watts of solar panels
• A 60 amp charge controller
• Field fencing and T-posts
• More pallets!!

Some of these things will set me back a bit of money. Some won’t. The problem is working them into my already stretched-thin budget. I did watch a video on YouTube recently where the person suggested dumpster diving at carpet installation businesses (with permission, of course) to get clean carpet and carpet pad remnants to use in the cabin or even as insulation for the walls. We may be trying that soon, too, as there’s a carpet place in the town near us.

Soon, (as in next week) we’ll be heading to a friend’s house to pick up some pallets and lumber he has that he’s donated to us. We also need to finish getting the poles, posts, and gates from another friend that go with the chain link fencing she gave us. As of right now, I’m pretty much broke…again…and less than 1/4 tank of gas in the truck, so we’re staying close to home till about next week at this time.