Wednesday, October 31, 2007

Goat deer :)

On my way home from work last night, as I was driving past the corral to our drive, there was doe 21, out on the roadside eating tree leaves from the hedgerow. *sigh*

We really don't mind them getting out and browsing so much, but we just don't want them near the road. And she was awfully close to the road (in the ditch). So I "beeped" my car horn.

Man, did that startle her! She jumped and took off at a dead run north around the end of the corral. That was the way I had to go to turn into the drive, so we she saw me coming, she took off again, even faster, and headed toward the back gate to their pen.

I thought "she's going way too fast -- she's gonna hit that gate and hurt herself!" I was kicking myself for beeping the horn.

But at the last she made a football-style dodge to the right, a flying leap, and sailed right through the fence (the small gap over the woven wire top wire, and under the strand of barbed wire above it), like a deer. Seamless. Barely even moved the wire. Made it look like it was a breeze (did I mention she was pot-bellied pregnant too?)

I went out to examine her for injury, but not a mark on her.

I'm beginning to think fences are worthless with goats.

That, and I need to use Cattle Panels on the road side of the corral.

2 comments:

Mel, Foxtail Farm said...

Wow. I guess I'm lucky that my boers don't seem all that interested in getting out. They much prefer staying with the herd to being out alone.

Tracy said...

Well, ours only get out because they want LEAVES - and their corral is pretty much devoid of trees they haven't already devoured. And since this tree line is immediately outside of the fence; she maintains close proximity to the other two - just separated by the fencing itself. But still....