Unintended consequences and livestock

Goats are wonderful creatures. They have a reputation of being smart-as livestock go. While they may be able to circumvent any attempt to confine them, they certainly have their bad days. Today was a bad day for our billy goat. I slept in this morning thus getting a late start feeding the animals. I warmed up the bottle for the orphan - a minute and a half on high - and put my shoes on. When I got to the barn the Main mama goat was up and about, billy was up as always it seems. The other mama goat was in a stall with our orphan and her other little ones weren't in there. Strange. I had to feed the orphan as she was screaming for food. I had slept through my 2 o'clock alarm as I had set the alarm clock to pm. Oh well. He sucked down a quick cup and I went looking for the other little ones. In the meantime the mama of the missing little ones was getting upset. The little ones were finlly found in a stall that had been converted into a chicken coop. Mama goat couldn't get into this stall because it has a cattle gate across it. The little ones were piled on top of each other between a cinder block and the tin sidewall of the
tack room sound asleep. Mama was bellowing for them but like many children they don't mind too well. Orphan was between my legs wanting more milk. I held the bottle for him while I opened the gate so mama could get to her babies. Mama went in, didn't see her babies but did find a chicken feeder. This feeder is metal about sixteen inches tall with an open ended conical top to hold a weeks feed and a round pan shaped bottom so a little feed trickles out at a time.
I hadn't fed the goats yet and when they discovered the chicken feeder they swarmed around it trying to eat all they could. Billy stuck his head in the top of the feeder and got his horns stuck. He paniced and thrashed around smashing the feeder against the steel rails of the stall next to him. Chicken crumbles when flying everywhere. The bottom flew off the feeder so now he has a conical cylinder stuck to his head. He began bellowing and running around at top speed. He hit the barn door and went outside. I followed him out and he came around the outside chicken coop and hit me a glancing blow, it nearly knocked me down. He then went back into the barn and into the first stall. There were two babies in with him. I went in and showed him my hand to help calm him. I grabbed the bucket and his horns to try to get him unstuck. I almost had it off and he surged forward. Since I still had my grip I stopped him in a corner and was able to pop the feeder off his head. The feeder is going to need some repairs.

Last night Kristi began building a little play area for the baby goats. It was a small pile of cast off cement blocks. They took to it right away climbing and jumping on it. We added a pallet and a couple of boards for ramps. They are having a great time and burning off some of that energy.
Time to go do some work on the greenhouse.