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| Belle and Lacie are 6 months old already! |
So far this winter the only time I can get the goats into their hut is when it's raining or snowing. I've tried locking them in at night but they hate it so much that the next night they won't come near me for fear of being locked in again. Any other time they're right at your side. It can rain all day or be snowy and if it's stopped at night, even though the ground is wet they sleep outside on the wet ground. It makes me crazy.
So today I drove a couple of T posts into the ground and hung a tarp for a little bit of shelter. I figure it has to be better than nothing. I added an entire bale of hay on the ground for bedding and put their feeders in there to encourage them to use it.
They were sure that big green tarp was really some kind of toy. I'm not real sure if it will last all that long but at least I'll know before I build another more permanent structure if they will actually use it this time.
When I was putting the feeders on the fence I was surprised that it was noticeably warmer under the tarp. With all that hay to snuggle down in they should be more comfortable.
I put boards along the bottom and then covered it with 18" of leaves to help with the wind. Lacie isn't at all sure about going in at this point. On...yes. In....not so much.
After we went in the house they decided to give it a try. I think if they don't tear it down trying to play on it they'll use this alot more than they have the goat hut.
Happy New Years!
Elizabeth
