Well, either through mismanagement or poisoning, we seriously compromised the goats, most seriously Nutmeg.  Since they've been at our house they have dropped weight alarmingly.  Then yesterday I noticed odd behaviors from Nutmeg: listlessness, staring alertness, pawing at her sides, and a stretching stance best described as odd.  Tiny Vanilla only seemed to be losing weight with no extra curricular odd behavior.

I didn't notice the weight drop fast enough.  The eye of a friend helped me there.  (Thank you Marilyn.)  The behavior: dangerous quiet and staring alertness was partly chalked up to life in a new home.  I don't know these goats well, not their normal behavior, size, or shape.  And looking isn't as telling as touching with livestock, especially furry livestock.  It took me a week before I could even put a hand on these ladies.  I've put A LOT of faith and trust in the woman who used to own these goats.  I know sellers sell.  But I liked her.  I felt good about her intention.  I believed what she told me, even as I've doubted my eyes.  So I haven't picked up the problems as fast as I might have with a new cow.  I still trust the former owner, by the way.

Actually, I think the problem has been poisoning and mismanagement, the two exacerbating each other.  First of all, I was not feeding them enough.   This embarrasses me in the extreme to admit.  But its flatly true.  I thought there was enough food out.  There was not.  And it took me a week to get loose minerals here.  Now we have WAY PLENTY of food and high quality loose minerals out free choice with baking soda, supplemental afternoon forage, and sunflower seeds.   Alfalfa hay is on the way.

Possibly due to hunger or possibly due to compelling desire, Nutmeg has been grazing through the fence on our gorgeous well established large pink azalea.  We watched her do it.  I think we sat drinking wine and eating roasted marsh mellows by the fire while we watched her do it.  "Cute goat," we said.  "Silly goat," we said.  Soon to be dead goat, was more like it.   Azaleas are very poisonous to goats.

Which I read online yesterday.  (Thank God for the Internet.)  I grabbed my girl's sewing scissors off the dining room table, walked outside, and hacked that gorgeous old bush back unmercifully.   There is no way Nutmeg can reach it, for the moment.  I'm not sure Vanilla ever could.  Which, I think, explains why they both lost weight but only Nutmeg ever seemed in pain.

I sat with the goats frequently yesterday.  In between running errands, cooking, and feverishly surfing: "goat posture, stretching, poisonous plants goat" online.  Every time I went out I coaxed Nutmeg (Meggy, perhaps) to eat more.  I busted up a fresh pumpkin for her.  I hand fed her fresh parsley. I kept black oil sunflower seeds in my pockets.  I did my level best to keep her chewing.  She was dishearteningly dispirited about my offerings, a very worrisome possibly ketotic sign.  But she did her best.

This morning she was up bright and full of vigor, running, prancing, jumping, playing!  Whew.  And I swear, I think each goat must have gained a pound yesterday.  I'll be careful, I understand too much can be as bad as too little, for ruminants.  But we are on the right track.  Thank goodness!   However, after morning chores were over and I was back in the kitchen cooking, a glance out my window showed Meggy straining through the fence for one more sweet delicious bite of the dreaded evil azalea.  That thing is going to have to go.