I’ll have to admit the goats can creep me out at times, the way they know what I am about to do and then just disappear from sight. More than half of them must be psychic the way they can read my mind and alert the others. And, I’m only trying to do good for them, but they don’t believe me. All I can say is they need to toughen up and accept the fact that in each goat’s life, some worming may happen. But, how do they know what I am up to?

The only other explanation is that they have a calendar out there with a little pencil and they mark each time I worm them or give them their CD/T shots and then estimate when it’s time for it to occur again. I’ve hunted high and low and can’t find their calendar, so they just have to be psychic.

I have goats in the herd that will stare you full in the face, looking deep into your eyes, and you know they are up to something. They are attempting to read your thoughts as to why you are out there. That’s what they are doing.

Now, when you have psychic goats in the herd you learn how to trick them. Never look them full in the eye when you are planning on doing something to them. Sort of mosey around them like you are just out for a nice little walk. How do you recognize psychic goats? Those are the ones staring you full in the face (to read your thoughts) and on the alert, ready to bolt soon as they hear you say in your mind, “Catch that goat.”

So it’s very important not to be thinking, “Catch that goat.” Maybe rephrase it to trick them and think, “I’m going to give that one some grain. Yes, I am. She’s going to get grain. Do you hear me? Grain.” But, really it’s better not to even think anything and blank out your mind and slowly sidle around and wait until she’s not looking at you, and then grab her.

I have yet to have a psychic bottle baby or grown-up bottle baby. I don’t know why they never turn out psychic. They will look you full in the face, but their eyes are so friendly and loving and they hurry over to say hello. I don’t know, maybe the overload of my thoughts while bottle feeding them and hugging them and telling them they are so cute and wonderful, burned out all psychic ability. Once in a while you might get a bottle baby that turns on you and decides you are a nuisance with all those wormings and shots, but usually the bottle kids and adults are pretty laid back and don’t mind you being in the herd at all.

Years and years ago, when we had an Angora herd, we had one particularly psychic doe in that herd. When we first got that herd of all white curly girls with horns, I couldn’t tell them apart. Every day I would go out to grain them and every day one of the Angoras would make an impossibly fast run and hit the can of grain out of my hand as I was lowering it near the feeders. The can and grain would go flying and everyone would run to clean the grain up off the ground. I didn’t want them eating on the ground and I never could figure out which one was doing the can butting. And, the way she could time it just right. She knew my thoughts on exactly when I was going to put the can of grain within range of her lightning fast speed.

Finally, I asked Lee to hide and watch the herd as I fed them. If he stayed out in the open where the goats could see him, she never did it. I lowered the can and WHAM! that can was knocked high in the air, grain going everywhere, and everyone trying to eat it off the ground. Lee was ready and dove into the herd of scavenging goats and grabbed the one that had butted the can out of my hand. We put a collar and a smallish type cow bell on her. That way I could hear her coming and lift the can up in time from it being butted high up in the air. Even with her psychic powers she couldn’t overcome the bell. I knew where she was at all the time. Usually we don’t put collars on goats with horns because the other goats can get their horns caught in them, but desperate times called for desperate measures. Later on we built a feeding place where we could open a gate to let them come in to eat after we had put the grain out, no need of the warning bell then.

Dealing with psychic goats can be spooky. Them knowing what your next move is going to be, but us plain human normals can adapt and win. Just watch your thoughts, keep your head down and learn to mosey along, unconcerned with life, and don’t look them in the eye. It fools the psychic goat most the time.