October 29, 2017

Goat Bells

Dan needed to order a new ignition control module to fix his truck. We found the best price on Amazon, but still needed another purchase to have a $25 order for free shipping. He suggested goat bells!

These came in a package of 12 bells.

These are brass bells from India. They are roughly 1.5 inches tall and at first I thought they might be too small. They come in larger sizes, but I liked the price on these. However, they have a nice weight to them and we can hear them from across the pasture, so they are just right.

Daisy and Violet modeling their bells.

They are useful, because when I take the girls for walks in the woods, they sometimes spread out in the brush, and I can't see where they all are. The bells help me keep track of them.

When they're out in the pasture it sounds like wind chimes. Quite a chorus when they come running to the barn at milking time! It makes a nice touch to the homestead.

Goat Bells © October 2017 by Leigh 

27 comments:

Goatldi said...

Sweet! When I first has Goat's I had bells on my does all three of them😂

As time went by numbers grew and the only does with bells were the original three nubians . Flora Noire was the last of them to pass of advanced age she was my daughters showmanship doe. Her bell has a new life as a remembrance of a simpler times, a young family in the infancy of what was to become known as the back to the land movement. The bell still attached to her red breakaway plastic chain collar hangs in the last milking room thirty three years after she passed.

Gorges Smythe said...

Neat!

Chris said...

How awesome is that! Such a sweet sound, to do a serious job of herd protector. It's like music on the farm.

Chris said...

PS: just did a close-up of that picture, and Violet looks like she has horns. I had to do a double take! Nope, they're just goat tails, doing a convincing impersonation of horns. ;)

Dawn said...

I would love to have bells on the goats I will have to go shopping now :-)

Leigh said...

Goatldi, what a sweet story. Those kind of reminders are very nice to have around.

Gorges, :)

Chris, LOL, those tails do look like horns on Violet! Usually I notice those kinds of things when I'm selecting photos, but I didn't catch that.

Dawn, a fun touch for the farm. :)

Sam I Am...... said...

Functional, practical and beautiful all in one! I thought Amazon had raised their free shipping to $35? I got Prime but it seems what I order ends up from a 3rd party seller and doesn't count for free shipping....not sure it's worth it at this point. I love the bells and they look so pretty on the girls!

Leigh said...

Sam, thanks! Amazon did raise their free shipping to $35, then it went up to $49. That's when I pretty much stopped shopping Amazon, because I could always get a better price on eBay, often with free shipping for that single item. Recently the minimum order went back down to $25. Or at least it has for me. Amazon does not display the same prices to all visitors. Based on browsing and purchasing history, they adjust the prices to what they hope you'll pay. It's possible that's also true of the minimum order for free shipping.

Quinn said...

I would like to have a bell on one or two of my herd (13 would be too cacophonous for me), but I can't keep collars on them for fear of an accident with fences and trees or an injury - those cashmere goat horns! If I had open ground to walk them in, I would put a collar and bell on the matriarch doe to signal "we are going for a ramble" - I think she would enjoy the badge of authority. Not that she needs one - she strikes fear into the heart of goats half again her size just by looking at them!

Mama Pea said...

Ah, your goat bells brought back memories for me, too. Back when we had our small herd of dairy goats, our head gal sported a bell on her collar. Then when the goats were gone and we got our last dog, we put that same bell on her collar when she was in her puppy training months. Now the bell hangs on a hook by the back door along with Zoey's collar. Good memories!

Goatldi said...

Awe sweet memories !

Mrs Shoes said...

I am imagining the sights & sound of them running in, all jingling, and it is merry!

Nancy In Boise said...

Great idea!!! Cute faces :)

Leigh said...

Quinn, the herd queen can be like that! LOL. These aren't terribly loud, just enough to keep track of them.

Mama Pea, more nice memories! I love that.

Goatldi, I agree!

Mrs. Shoes, it's like having a herd of wind chimes. :)

Nancy, thanks!

M.K. said...

How lovely and useful! Those are pretty, and I wish I could hear the goat-chimes in the pasture too :)

m said...

Just paid 8 bucks shipping for a 1.99 and .45 transmission filter seal...me thinks amazon and ebay may decline in value, tho these were partsfor a 26 year old automobile..

Rain said...

That's nice Leigh :) I used to put bear bells on my pugs when I lived more up north in the mountains. I loved hearing the little jingles! :)

Pioneer Woman at Heart said...

What a nice idea. We always had collars on our goats, but never thought of bells. How fun!

Leigh said...

M.K., it's a pretty neat sound. :)

Mike, that's why I always go for free shipping! Amazon requires a minimum, which is okay if I have other things I need to order. But lots of sellers on eBay offer free shipping on their items. Shipping is often a deciding factor for other online sales sites. Then if I can't find it locally, I just figure I can probably do without.

Rain, that's a neat idea for dogs too! I know some folks put them on their cats' collars to alert songbirds too.

Kristina, the bells are a nice little touch for the homestead. And useful too!

Ed said...

I should put a couple on my two daughters for when we are off walking in the woods!

Anonymous said...

I love the bells! Cute and practical. *smile* So glad you got to get something fun. Have a great day and thanks so much for sharing your life with all of us in this way of blogging. I appreciate it. Remember to pray always. Sincerely, Mommy of two growing blessings & so much more!

Leigh said...

Ed, LOL. I've heard of that too!

Blessings Mommy, thank you! :)

Harry Flashman said...

Those would be perfect for the trip wires on my security system. I'm going to check them out and see if they are affordable. If they are, I'm going to replace the tin cans and marbles on the line with those. Thanks for the post!

Harry Flashman said...

I checked, and they are just what I need at the right price.

Leigh said...

Harry, interesting idea. I'm glad they will be useful. I thought they were a good price too.

Susan said...

What a lovely idea! I would imagine the smaller bells make a more pleasant sound than if you outfitted the girls with larger, clanging bells!

Leigh said...

Susan, I may have to get a few larger bells as well. Especially for the bossier goats! Let everyone else know they're coming!