"What about the toe?"

Photo by Kelly Wegel

The sheep on River Road got some more publicity recently at a volunteer privet pruning day. Yours truly even got his name in the campus paper:

"Zach Richardson, a fourth-year landscape architecture major, came out to the event to help clear brush to make way for the sheep.

He is also working on a class project to use goats in a similar way to clear areas of invasive plants.

“I used to live in East Campus and I used to bike past this area,” Richardson said. “That’s part of why I was excited about it because I had wanted to put goats on it.” Richardson and Chandler shared ideas for spreading the concept throughout the community."

The reporter overheard me introduce myself to the sheep's owner, Jennif Chandler. Miss Chandler uses her flock in a very similar way and for all the same reasons I've herded goats. We hit it off immediately. Listening to us talk about husbandry and invasive plants had to be entertaining - two targeted grazing enthusiasts making the same outlandish claims. "We should put goats and sheep everywhere." A couple of tree-huggin' agri-nerds...

Here are the links to the two articles about sheepscaping on campus: The Red & Black and The Athens Banner Herald.

"We are sympathizing here, Dude."

The joy of a successful goat roast and a 1-1 draw against Argentina was quickly replaced with the sting and sorrow of losing more of our flock. The night after our party, the neighborhood predator struck again...twice. After arriving home very late (or early) from the studio, I found this waiting on me outside:

"Dead Headless Chicken"

Upon hearing our girls call for help, Brian went outside to be the hero. Unfortunately, he was too late and discovered this Rhode Island Red outside the coop. (Why he proceeded to mummify it in aluminum foil, you'll have to ask him yourself.) Before I got home, our evil predator returned to haul off another hen.

That attack left us with a single remaining chicken. Guess which one. Yep, the survivor from past posts. Poor thing had a rough couple of weeks didn't she? The good news, though, is that she's back in the business of egg laying - we've had an egg a day for the past week or so. I think it's safe to declare her fully recovered. What a trooper.

"Got the whole cowboy thing goin'."

I apologize for the tardy goat roast post. Below are a few pictures from the weekend. All things considered, I'd chalk it up as a success. Good food, drink, and friends, plus a little soccer on TV... what more could you want?

Dr. Boo, like a boss.

The weather was far from cooperative, but goat roasters never say "never."

Jamaican curry, Mediterranean, and Texas barbecue goat. Come 'n getcha some.