Chapter 260 - 117: Live Capture in Sheep Pens
Experienced sheep farmers can determine how many lambs a ewe is carrying by feeling the sheep's belly and observing its behavior.
Although Chen Zhou had plenty of interactions with sheep while living in the countryside, he didn't possess the extensive experience of seasoned sheep farmers.
...
As the birth approached, the nanny goat, with its swollen belly, moved very slowly.
Perhaps due to being domesticated for too long and frequently fed salt by Chen Zhou, at this sensitive moment, it showed no resistance to human approach.
Getting close to the nanny goat, one hand grabbed its horns, while the other was placed on its warm belly.
Chen Zhou felt a bit like those watermelon buyers who, despite not knowing how to choose, pretend as if they do by tapping the melon with their knuckles, leaning in to listen.
This useless act serves no purpose other than to quietly amuse experts and deceive oneself.
Probing around, he could only confirm that the nanny goat was indeed pregnant and that it would give birth in a few days.
As for other details, he could only rely on his "intuition" to judge—this time, there was a high chance of twins.
And this judgment was based on "the nanny goat's belly is just too big."
...
Following the kittens and mice, "his assets" were once again on the brink of self-propagation.
While excited, Chen Zhou also hesitated about whether to temporarily move the nanny goat to the mouth of the cave, tying it on the platform or near the wooden hut.
If a sheep experiences malpresentation during delivery leading to difficulties, the mortality rate is quite high.
At the least, it could suffocate the lamb, and if serious, it could result in the death of both the mother and offspring, a tragic outcome.
The kitten and mother mouse both gave birth in the cave.
Chen Zhou kept an eye on the kitten's birthing process and provided some assistance.
He didn't pay much attention to the mother mouse because he trusted the breeding capability of wild mice.
Being part of the "four pests," the resilience and reproduction ability of mice is unquestionable.
The grand eradication activity of four pests back in the day, followed by all kinds of rat poisons, sticky traps, snares, and cages have all failed to complete the task, proving the mice's exceptional evolutionary track.
Flies, mosquitoes, and cockroaches, which are also classified among the four pests, are equally considered "immortal" and "inextinguishable" creatures.
If goats could develop half the reproductive ability and vitality of these pests, Chen Zhou would smile even in his dreams.
However, since goats don't possess the qualities of the four pests, to ensure a smooth delivery, he still had to trouble himself to bring the nanny goat to the cave for proper supervision.
It wasn't just for the sake of the nanny goat and the lambs; Chen Zhou had his own considerations.
He hadn't drunk goat milk for half a year and missed the slightly sheepy fragrance of it.
Saltpeter icehouse was already on the agenda, and in the future, he might be able to enjoy some refreshing cold drinks during the dry season, which would be wonderful.
...
Having decided to take the nanny goat back to the cave entrance, Chen Zhou didn't act immediately. Instead, he led Lai Fu along the hillside to the east to check the platform.
He didn't expect to gain anything from this impromptu stroll.
Unexpectedly, as he crossed the ridge blocking his view, he saw a large group of wild goats grazing on the slope below the platform.
He couldn't remember the last time he saw them. Chen Zhou's gaze was fixed on a few newborn lambs in the herd, with lactating nanny goats not far from them making him drool.
If he could capture a few pairs of these mothers and young ones, his long-desired livestock business would be halfway there.
Not to mention the "milk freedom" that would come with the lambs, allowing him to drink milk tea freely and make cheese, milk skin, and butter himself.
These aren't just goats; they are moving treasuries!
Previously, more pressing matters always required attention, preventing him from focusing on capturing goats. The low allure of the herd was also partly why.
Capturing semi-adult lambs or adult goats required a long time for domestication, and if not tied up after capture, they'd run off into the wild.
Once tied, they needed regular feeding of salt and water.
One or two goats were manageable, but if he actually caught more than ten, he wouldn't have time for any other work aside from fetching water for the goats.
If the goats were tethered to the riverbank, or if captured during the rainy season, fetching water could be saved, but then he'd have to find them shelter from the rain to prevent colds from getting wet, which would be a hassle.
In Chen Zhou's view, the ideal targets for capture were lactating nanny goats and lambs.
The lambs would follow their mothers without needing to be specially restrained, and domestication would handle two at once.
Moreover, lambs born just a few days ago haven't developed the alertness and yearning for freedom that come from being with the herd, making domestication relatively easy.
Not to mention that the nanny goat could produce milk and is crucial for herd reproduction. Without them, capturing more male goats is useless.
Hence, the moment Chen Zhou saw the little lambs and nanny goats running around, he instantly decided to hunt them and planned to act on the night of September 30th.
...
It's easy to kill a goat but hard to capture one alive.
Without a tranquilizer gun, there are basically four methods to capture wild goats alive—traps, baiting, fencing, and pole with a noose.
Chen Zhou had previously attempted using traps to catch goats.
But all he used were rope snares, and after the rainy season started, he neither maintained nor reconfigured the snares, rendering them ineffective.
This time, he still planned to rely primarily on traps, supplemented by baiting, and as a last resort, create capture poles or noose nets—