I've had a lot of time off this spring during the slow season at work, which is awesome. One of the bigger projects I've been working on is getting my goat fencing up. I'm determined not to let this crew free range the neighborhood like the previous goats, even though my really nice neighbors apparently greatly enjoyed their visits. 😂
Because the fence isn't finished, though, I've been taking them on little field trips to have some supervised browsing time once a day. They stick pretty close to me, and if they start going in a direction I don't want them to, usually all I have to do is walk in the opposite direction, and they'll stampede after me.
I thought you might enjoy seeing some pictures and hearing a little bit about their personalities.
First is Lilah. One of my three Guernsey goat mixes, I think she is probably the "herd queen." Friendly and sweet, she is the most outgoing of the half sisters. In fact, I've been trying to teach her not to put her front hooves up on me when I'm in their pen. :P
Scratching an itch!
Next up is Marigold, Lilah's half sister. I like her feminine expression and rich orange color. She frequently starts a game of zoomies, which is hysterical to watch. I think she's probably somewhere in the middle of the herd hierarchy. She's less outgoing than Lilah, but still sweet.
Oakley is the third Guernsey mix. All three share the same father, but have different mothers. While the other two are registered as first generation British Guernsey crosses, Oakley can't be registered because she's the wrong color. I think she's pretty neat looking, though, and she may actually have the nicest structure of the three. She's a background goat, unobtrusive and quiet, probably very low on the totem pole.
Starflower is a Nigerian Dwarf goat. They're a small breed known for having extremely rich, creamy milk. I had considered the breed a while back, but decided to go a different route because the market in this area seems to be extremely flooded with Nigerians. But then I tried the milk and just had to have one. 😂 Starflower may be small, but she doesn't let the bigger goats push her around...in fact, she bullies Marigold a little bit. I think they're "frenemies" - I've seen them playing together sometimes too.
The picture below shows the size difference pretty well. My other girls aren't even very large goats, either!
Daisy is a Nubian. They're known for being loud and talkative, and Daisy is no exception. When she first came, she bleated until she literally lost her voice, poor girl. 😂 Other than being loud, she's another "background" goat with a mild, sweet personality. I think because she joined the herd most recently (last fall), she sometimes hangs out in the periphery of the group. There have been a few times when she almost got left behind, suddenly realized she was alone, and ran to catch up with everyone else. She is the most friendly toward strangers.
I didn't need another goat, but I got her because she was a steal of a deal, was only 10 minutes down the road, and because huge-eared, skinny-legged Nubian kids are just about the cutest thing you've ever seen. :P
Here are a couple pictures of a little goat stampede. Yesterday's zoomies lasted several minutes, and were, of course, instigated by Marigold.
In theory, I'll be trying to get all 5 girls bred this fall for spring 2024 kids (gestation is 5 months). I'm not totally certain what will happen after that, as 5 goats is already more than I need. As of right now, they're essentially just pets, and hay is expensive. But they are helping to clear and fertilize my land, and I can probably sell their kids next spring. I don't plan on selling milk, as I don't have a good setup to keep it cold...it's possible that I'd get pigs next spring and use any extra milk to supplement their feed.
Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed "meeting" the girls! Happy Wednesday! :)
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