Cat in the tree

We haven't put up the Christmas tree in several years. Imagine how exciting it was for a full time house cat to have a tree inside. Now I remember "why" we haven't put it up in several years.~Pat

New Buggy Seat

The goats have really done a number on the buggy's seat this year. Duct tape worked for a while but they found it to be a new challenge to peel that lovely purple tape off. I don't know why the vinyl became so torn anyway. People just sit on it, right?

Anyway, the seat is now re-covered with lovely expensive feed sacks (hey........feed *is* expensive), a little duct tape and staples. We'll see how long this lasts. It looks pretty good if you ask me! ~Pat

Newest addition here at BTR

We noticed that one of our 7 mo old hens wasn't roosting with her sisters at night so the hunt was on to find her. Those Americana's are really good at hiding. We found her in a goat shelter laying down behind some pallets and she had eggs under her. This late in the year and as young as she is and she is being broody? What a surprise. Saturday it was cool, rainy and just unpleasant outside. We came in late after an evening of shopping and we heard chirping. Our little gal had hatched out 10 little chicks. I bet Lynne is glad she is back in MN so she doesn't have to share her bathroom with more baby chicks! ~Pat

Fall is here and the colors have been glorious. What a wonderful surprise after the dry summer months we had. I ran out and snapped these photos one afternoon as the sun was beginning to set.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Two Gorgeous Hunks!

Ran across this photo in trying to come up with a post for the blog. This photo was taken by my good friend and owner of these two fine bucks at the time, Debby Fronk. Although Debby had to disperse her herd last year these two fellows are still hard at work. BTR Njord, TMG herdsire is back home at Bending Tree Ranch and BTR Amadeus, TexMaster is working hard at Double O Ranch in Kansas. I am very proud of these two fine fellows. They are real assets to their breeds.~Pat

Making new friends............

Aiden, one of Ms Charlie's grandsons just spent a couple of weeks here in Arkansas and of course he came with his Nana to tend to the goats. Aslan is our Anatolian pup and they quickly became good friends. Aslan would watch for Aiden to arrive and would greet him at the fence line everyday.

I love seeing kids and animals relating to one another. Aiden has made great strides this year. In the past he was afraid of the chickens and wanted to stay inside if they were around. This year he has been a great help hunting out all the hidey holes where the free range chickens are laying eggs. I really miss his help with the egg hunting since he has gone home. ~Pat

A Grand old Gal................

OCR Daria was one of those does who always caught visitors eyes when they visited us here at Bending Tree Ranch. She was a proud old doe who always kept her head held up high. What she was best known to us here at BTR was for her excellent mothering abilities. She loved her babies and always kept them close and safe. These photos are of her with her baby doelings back in 2005.

We lost grand old doe this Winter. I had a pair of siblings that were compromised due to their dam getting sick and the need to pull them. Neither one wanted to take a bottle and it was a major battle working with them trying to get proper nutrition in them. Daria being up in years and not holding weight well herself was put in with the babies hoping that it would help calm them as well as give her a warm, dry place to sleep without the other adults butting her. Daria kept those babies tucked up as close as she could to her and would lay her head across their backs to sleep. We found her one morning in eternal sleep with the kids still tucked up against her. What a grand old gal she was.~Pat

Momma goats and their babies

I love seeing the contentment of a momma goat and her baby snuggled up together. This is BTR Echo and one of her sons, BTR Sock Monkey taken earlier this year. ~Pat

Carlie w/ son Cool

Another favorite photo of a doe with her baby. Carlie had two boys this year, not sure where the other one was when this photo was snapped. ~Pat

Kitties.............

Cinderella's kitties are beginning to venture out and about. The other day I came in from the feed store and stepped inside the house to put up my purse. I heard a cat meow loudly outside the front door. Looked outside and it was Cinderella and her bravest kitty wanting to be fed. Seems Ms Charlie was late and they had worked up the nerve to come to the house to ask for food. Looks like Ms Charlies taming down the feral kitties is working. ~Pat

Producers worst nightmare..............

This is a sight I hope no goat producer ever has to see. I won't put the other photos up as they are too graphic but you get the idea. Imagine the shock I felt when I looked down at our pond to see one of my very best does laying in the water. She had been chased into the pond and was taken down before she made the shore on the opposite side.

I only have one livestock guardian dog working this area but she works both sides of the perimeter fence. Apparently she was not close by when this attack happened. ~Pat

A beautiful sight.............

We found some round bales !! Only 20 bales but it is a start towards the 100 we need. I know the Texas folks need hay badly but so do the locals in the states that are shipping it all out of state.~Pat

BTR Sonny Boy

One of my favorites this year is BTR Sonny Boy. His sire is BTR Jupiter and his dam is BTR Sadie Mae. Over the past couple of years Sadie Mae has been featured many times. She is one of the "yard goats" those who get the special privilege of living loose on the property rather than in a pasture. She has so much spunk and personality and has passed this on to Sonny Boy.

As you can see in his photos Sonny was not too impressed with the photo shoot. To bad Sonny Boy, we think you are adorable. This little guy should make a great breeding buck for someone. Drop us a line if you are interested. We have several more lovely, breeding quality 2011 bucks available. ~Pat

Serendipity............

This is Serendipity, 2010 TexMaster doe. She surprised us with a single buckling this year and has done a great job with him. Serendipity is just one of several nice 2010 does available for sale.

If you do facebook you can see a video of Serendipity dancing in the snow as a newborn by visiting my page. ~Pat

Spanish and Spanish/TexMaster cross

Carmella is our lone pure Spanish doe. The past couple of years we have been breeding her to a TexMaster buck finding this cross to make the best kids from her. Thought I would share a photo of Carmella as well as her this years daughter. Her son sold right at weaning. The daughter (unnamed) is out of BTR Clark Gable. ~Pat

Roosters

Roosters..........we have 2 roosters. Rooney, the top ROO is part Bantam. Not exactly sure what was crossed with what to get him but we just love him. I have a bad history with roosters as they seem to always want to flog/spur me. Rooney is the first rooster that is not aggressive that we've owned. His son, Junior on the other hand is quite a bit larger than his daddy and like all the other full size roosters we have owned has tried a couple of times to chase me. I don't know what it is I do to make them feel the need to come after me but they do.

Juniors mother was a Cuckoo Maran hen. They aren't a super friendly breed either. The Cuckoo Mara rooster we raised was the most aggressive of all. He was horrible. It didn't matter if there was a fence between us he would chase me along a fence row and try his best to spur me. Here are a couple of photos..........one of Rooney, one of Junior and one of Rooney with some of his ladies. ~Pat

We enjoy our chickens so much. I've not snapped a photo yet but the hens, along with our goats LOVE the buggy. If I stop close by to the hens they hop right up in the bed of the buggy to check out what is in it. If the wagon is hitched to the buggy it is usually filled with hay and they get right to work checking it out and burrowing down in the hay to make a nest. ~Pat

Got and itch? Scratch it!

Coyote Creek Ranch Holly shows how to use the downed trees as a tummy scratcher. -Pat

Walking with Purpose

I love this photo of Cameo and her daughter marching along. It reminds me of the cartoon based on the book "Madeline." All the little school girls with their uniforms and big hats with the long ribbons marching along the streets of Paris. -Pat

Silver Fox found some yummy forage out in the woods. -Pat

Burnt rolls??

New photos of the mushrooms after days of searing heat. -Pat

Grass is growing again..............

Things are starting to green up here and the goats are loving it! I just pray that that there will be more hay to cut soon. -Pat

Mushrooms................

We've had quite a bit of rain and high humidity over the past week or two. Mushrooms are popping up everywhere. These are rather strange looking. Ms Charlie said she thought they looked like dinner rolls. I think she is right. -Pat

Got Milk?

We have finally been getting some much needed rain. The yard goats as we call the ones free to roam the bulk of the property can also get up on my front porch. It is one of their favorite places to get when it rains. Cameo, my Alpine doe (yes, I know she is colored like a Toggenburg) apparently got separated from her doeling last night. This is the view I got when looking out the french doors in the kitchen.

Cameo is a wonderful milk goat.-Pat

Daydreaming..........

I couldn't pass up this photo of BTR Rachel, Boer/Myo cross doe. She was standing on a stump with her front feet gazing off as though deep in thought. I wonder what she is thinking about. -Pat