It has been rainy and overcast all day.  It made it better for doing farm chores and we accomplished many today.  We reinforced the small alpaca pen in the back.  We added more plywood to divide the shelter, removed the gate on the alpaca side, re-wired places where we thought Casper or the goats would try to get out and moved feeders and water buckets.  Once we felt like things were pretty secure, we started moving animals.  The alpacas were easy.  All we had to do was open the gate and they went into the larger pasture.  Since we were moving goats we decided to trim their feet first and then move them.  So Caramel, Casper, Mouth and Little Bones got toenails trimmed.  Steve trimmed while I held.  They were all pretty well behaved once they were caught and placed on their behinds.  Only Little Bones protested and I think only one little "bla-a-a-ah" came out of her mouth.  After that we put some animal crackers, which all the goats love, in a dish and started leading them to the new pen.  First we moved Caramel and Casper.  We put a leash around Caramel's horns, just in case.  We had to go passed the buck pen and we weren't sure she would not try to stay there.  She did try to stay there too but ended up stopping just long enough to leave a little perfume pee to drive the bucks crazy.  I carried Casper and the cookies and they both went right into the new pen.  Caramel made a lot of noise at first  but seems to like her new surroundings now.

Then it was Little Bones and Mouth's turn.  Little Bones followed me like she had been taught to heel.  Mouth was a little more curious and took several bad turns including heading out the drive way, stopping to visit with the bucks and getting stuck behind a fence.  Eventually, Steve had to grab him by the horns, strattle him and get him into the pen.  Of course, Casper, being a baby still, immediately tried to go through the fence into the alpaca pen.  His head and new little horns went through with no problem but when he decided to backup, his little horns stuck on the wire and he started wailing!  There is nothing as alarming as a kid goat screaming when they are terrified.  Just as I got there to rescue the little guy, he managed to get out.  Hopefully, he will remember the fear and not do that again.  They all seem to like the bigger enclosure.  They had to get a few head bumps out of the way and Casper is learning to use his small size and speed to stay out of the reach of Mouth's horns.  I'm sure they will all settle and be a herd soon.  It rained some and they all took to the shelter without forcing anyone to stay outside so that is a good sign.

After that was all done, Steve removed all the old hay and manure from the barn pens.  I then scattered diamatacious earth all over the ground in both pens.  This is to help get rid of the flies and other insects.  The DE is made up of skeletons of ground up sea animals.  It is sharp like glass and damages the larvae and exoskeletons of insects.  I got the kind that is organic and not harmful to people and animals. It looks like a white powder or talc.  I will let the pens dry out for a couple of days and then move the turkeys and the Delaware chicks into those pens for awhile.  They are not big enough to move to the large space I have for them yet, but they are big enough to need more space now.  I may separate the Royal Palm turkeys from the Red Bourbons.  All the Royal Palms are males.  The Red Bourbons are male and female.  It is obvious now that they are getting so big.  I feel good about what we accomplished today.  Now, if we could just get that other pasture fenced!