I've always been a late to bed late to rise person. Ever since I was a child I struggled with getting up in the morning. And even spent a couple of decades as an adult getting to work at 8 am every day.

When I moved here fulltime I said 'that's it. I'm gonna do it my way [Sinatra in the background].' My normal wake time has been 9 am now, for a few years, and I like it that way. The dogs and various humans have learned to not pester me before 10 am. People here seem to get up and going even earlier than people in the city. I've friends who automatically wake up at 4:30 am every day. Shiver!

I was wondering if my schedule will present problems when I get my goats next Spring. I'm certainly not going to get up at six to milk and feed, etc. But, everybody I know who has animals is up at the crack of dawn to care for them. Can they be trained to my schedule?

-- pc (jasper2@doglover.com), November 20, 2001

Answers

Response to A later bird

Hi pc,

My goats are fed and milked every 12 hours. For me, 12 hours is 5:30 am and 5:30 pm. For you, it would be 10am and 10pm. If you're getting goats that are already on another schedule- change them gradually, so they're bodies can adjust. Goats are forgiving.

-- Charleen in WNY (harperhill@eznet.net), November 20, 2001.

Response to A later bird

pc.....when I worked 3-ll I milked when I got home at night and when I got up in the morning. 12 hours is how you get the highest milk production, but I gave up on being a top producer several years ago and most days milk at 7:30 am and 5:30 pm with not huge drop in my milk production.

-- diane (gardiacaprines@yahoo.com), November 20, 2001.

Response to A later bird

:-) Phew. Thanks.

-- pc (jasper2@dog-lover.com), November 20, 2001.

Response to A later bird

There's a good chance you'll find that hungry kids and their mothers will wake up when it gets light, and start talking about their view of the world and someone who doesn't do something about it from then until "someone" does something anbout it. You may want to take that into account when debating how close barns are to houses, and layout of yards, and so forth. On the other hand, that implies that if the animals are bothered by something during the night (say a predator) you'd be less likely to hear them. I don't think they'd complain much about a couple of hours after dawn - say 7am, but you're talking about 5 hours. Wouldn't do them any real harm, but I think they'd complain.

-- Don Armstrong (darmst@yahoo.com.au), November 20, 2001.

Response to A later bird

I know several dairy farmers (cow) that have young children with a lot of school activities. In order to fit them in nicely, they milk late at night, like 10 PM or so, so they can have the evening attending school sports, etc. And they milk at 8 or 9 in the morning. I've done the same when I feel like it. Fortunately, the cows aren't unionized, and PETA hasn't come sticking their nose in yet, either. If you feed, clean out, and milk on schedule (Schedule is important to most dairy animals) you should be fine.

-- Jennifer L. (Northern NYS) (jlance@nospammail.com), November 20, 2001.

Response to A later bird

Glad to see you can still be an evening person and raise your goats.

If there weren't evening people, night people, early morning people, etc., then we wouldn't be here. The human race would be limited to a pile of bones with saber-tooth tiger chewmarks all over 'em.

-- brooklynsheep (robbins@informinc.org), November 20, 2001.

Response to A later bird

Duly noted Don. I'll just get quiet goats. Hopefully! And brooklynsheep..yes..it's nice to learn how we can all do what we want to do within our unique spheres.

I never planned to be eccentric. But, I've always questioned standard norms.

Perhaps if I ever get my goats..I will name the the midnight milkers.

:-)

-- pc (jasper2@doglover.com), November 20, 2001.

Gracious, I've had people call be as early as 5:30 AM just knowing I would be up already. If not, I try to pretend to be.

-- Ken S. in WC TN (scharabo@aol.com), November 20, 2001.

I know Ken S. ..

You and the rest of the world..guess I'm just a different drummer. I walk my pups to the ice cream store once a week for a bit of hot dog or a spoonful of ice cream. Guess when I get my mini goats they will go along for the walk too. Might as well add fodder to the eccentricity.

pc [when i am older i shall wear purple...]

-- pc (jasper2@doglover.com), November 20, 2001.

I am a 10 am and 10 pm gal here also. When we sold milk we milked at 10 am and 5pm, this way during the week the girls could help me milk in the evenings without it getting to late. No sense in milking early weekdays only to sleep in weekends and have the goat gals hollaring to you that you are late! Vicki

-- Vicki McGaugh (vickilonesomedoe@hotmail.com), November 21, 2001.

Don't worry pc, goats can tell time better than most people. If you feed and milk at 10 a.m. and 10 p.m. (or whatever schedule), they will start pacing around and discussing issues at 9:50a.m. and 9:50 p.m. Once they get used to your schedule, they'll be fine. Realize that there will be an adjustment period and that you'll have to adjust them slowly (like when I have to adjust my girls to daylight savings time).

-- Sheryl in Me (radams@sacoriver.net), November 21, 2001.

I am also 2nd shifter. I do chores noonish and 1:00 am. The goats and sheep are fine. The added bonus of later morning feeding is kidding will almost always be in daytime. I have interrupted chores a LOT to kid out a doe. Of course, there will always be some middle of the nighters.

-- Brenda Kenfield (bjk@gmavt.net), December 14, 2001.