I love my goats. I can differentiate their different voices from the driveway (the screamers, at least). Goats are incredibly smart, and because of their intelligence, they get into far too much trouble. I have two especially bratty ones, Violet and Crescent, whom I love dearly, but sometimes they drive me crazy with their shenanigans.
Violet cares about one thing only, food. She is a dog food junkie and she knows exactly where to find Layla’s food – in Layla’s private quarters, which is really a dog kennel inside the goat pen. I have to be extremely careful when opening Layla’s door because Violet is so quick to dart past me and head straight for the food. She also knows she’s going to get dragged out of Layla’s pen so she eats as fast as she can, and then runs into Layla’s dog house, where I have to crawl in to pull her bratty self out. This happens at least once or twice a week. Violet is one to watch if ever I have treats in my pockets as she is quick to stick her face in and grab them. She’s a fast one! I always have to be careful, and very stern, when walking around the goat pen with the grain bucket when Violet is around because she will stick her head in it and knock it right out of my hands, with no regrets.
When we had last year’s extra roosters in the goat pen for tick duty, Violet was notorious for chasing them. It was quite likely her favorite past time, aside from eating. Of course, it backfired, and the roosters started attacking the goats. Bad, Violet!
Crescent has taken lessons from Violet. Crescent hasn’t grown a taste for dog food (yet), but she has learned the milk room is where the good food can be found. Long before she was even tall enough for the milk stand she was sneaking in.
No matter how many times I’ve evicted her and even though we’ve reinforced the milk room, Crescent has always found a way in. And I don’t dare leave the room or turn my back if I have a doe on the milk stand, because Crescent is watching and she knows when I’m not paying attention, and it takes her less than half a second to sneak in, hop up on the stand, and stick her head in the grain bucket, no matter who else’s head is already in the bucket. I once spilled some grain on the floor and after I had finished milking and began cleaning up, I looked down to see Crescent’s head, sideways, stretched as far under the wall as she could reach and she was licking up the spilled grain as best she could.
I do believe Violet and Crescent together have taken years off my life.