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2006-Apr-14
Thoughts on Keeping Closed Flocks
I have watched over the
past two years of living on Daily Walkin’ Farm, the intricate relations
between my animals. The goats and poultry are especially fascinating. I
noticed whenever there is a newcomer, everybody gets upset. There is
fighting and fussing of all sorts.
Chickens and goats are
both easily stressed, and in my opinion, a bit ruthless with one
another. Stressed animals do poorly, and produce poorly. I have often
wondered at
The wisdom of maintaining
a closed herd. New members, coming as babies birthed on our place, are
well cared for by their mammas, and automatically have a place in the
herd or flock. They are protected and loved. I have seen the goats
‘baby sit’ for each other. One mamma will be auntie to the babies, and
play games with them while watching over them. One day in particular,
one of my favorite does was the designated babysitter and she raced all
the kids back and forth from the barn to the far end of the fence of
the coral, over and over. It was the most entertainment I have ever had.
It would seem to me that
breeding my own goats and poultry is better than replenishing their
numbers from outside sources. There’s little or no stress, and
everybody remains happy and content. A new goat means jostling for
place in the herd for weeks. A new chicken often gets an immediate
death sentence. A new flock of chicks has to be protected from
everything out there, and their own ignorance. They often make the
mistake of jumping in the water buckets all over the barn for the goats
and drown. Contrast that with when I have nest hatched out by one of my
hens; she protects them, keeps them warm under her wings, and is
constantly instructing them in safety and the finer point of chicken
protocol. Chickens have a hierarchy much like the goats. The low
ranking animals get less food, and not the choice portions. A really
low ranking animal may be picked on to the point of stress and illness,
and among chickens, cannibalization. Thus my opinion of
ruthlessness! I tend to keep those animals separate in smaller
groups. They are the geeks or nerds, and deserve, in my opinion, some
measure of protection from the bullies. Because the newcomers take
awhile to be accepted, and some never do, I have decided to spend this
and next year building up my breeding stock and maintaining closed
herds as much as possible. These animals are intelligent, have good
memories, and live in family groups with a chain of command, so it
seems best, as much as possible, to not disturb their social order. I’m
hoping to have healthier, happier, more productive animals with this
plan. It will be a fun experiment anyway; I really enjoy spending time
observing and just hangin’ out with my critters.
“Be
thou diligent to know the state of thy flocks, and look well to thy
herds. For riches are not for ever; and doth the crown endure to every
generation? The hay appeareth, and the tender grass sheweth itself, and
herbs of the mountains are gathered. The lambs are for thy clothing,
and the goats are the price of the field. And thou shalt have goats’
milk enough for thy food, for the food of thy household, and for the
maintenance for thy maidens.” Proverbs 27:23-27
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