Goats

 

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All for the love of goats

A true goat lover will stay up at night worrying if the kids are safe and dry during a big storm. A true goat lover will stay up at night to make sure a new mother’s birth goes ok. This kind of love makes your heart race when you hear the howls of coyotes.  But how quickly all those worries are washed away when you watch the kids jump and play for hours. I wish everyone could experience the love of goats. In addition to our large herd of fiber goats we have a couple of Nubian milk goats which supply our family with rich, wholesome milk. All I can say is life would never be the same for me without goats, smart, friendly, playful and oh yes a bit of mischief just to keep things interesting.

 

 

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  This is Lucy and Laura, our Nubian milk goat cuties

   They're sweet, just like their milk

 

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                                                                   Happy & beautiful, our goats are naturally curious                                                                        

                                        

SHEARING - We do this twice a year

 

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 1st step - Blowing dust and debris from the goat's fiber

 

                      

 goat5                  Brushin fluff                                                                                                

2nd Step - Brushing - we get out as much of the stickers & hay as we can. 

 

 

3rd step - hoof trimming

   3rd Step - Hoof trimming

 

 

4th step - shearing

                  4th Step - The actual shearing!!

 

 

That gal can shear

   That gal can shear!

 

 

line em up

 What's not to love?!

 

 

Im gorgeous and I know it

   I'm gorgeous and I know it

 

 

Everybody gets a kiss

Everybody gets a reassuring kiss

 

Naked kids

 Naked Kids...once they figure out who is who, they get really playful!

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Our fiber is naturally luminescent - look at how it catches the light

 

 

I'm Not Kidding

Another day in the life of a goat girl, birds are chirping, sky is blue and the grass is green. This is going to be a glorious day, but who was I kidding? Fixing fence, raking manure and tangling with goats all day is hardly glamorous. But there is something about the new hope of spring and kidding time to kick start your day. 

While doing my daily chores at the barn I noticed that Amy (a young Pygora goat) was starting labor. I found her a sweet little spot next to her sister who had just kidded. All was calm, both mothers and kids nestled in the straw so I thought I’d have time to run back to the house and get my midwifery kit which consisted of overalls, old towels and iodine. I couldn’t have been gone more than 10 minutes and to my surprise I see Amy already nursing two kids! Hey but wait a minute, how could those kids be dry and fluffy already? 

Apparently Amy decided that labor was just not her thing and these 2 kids would do perfectly fine. I think any mother could relate to that!  Never in my whole goat life had I ever seen a mother adopt kids while in labor.

 Mother Nature knows best though, her first kid came out lickety split but the second decided after checking the place out it would rather go back to its cozy womb. After much persuasion we were able to free the 2nd kid. I guess Amy was right about her first instinct of adopting. 

Just like spring, they have all sprung back to life and are merrily playing like kids do and I’m left with the dirty laundry.  

The Lame Goat

You've seen a heard of goats

going down to the water.

 

The lame and dreamy goat

brings up the rear.

 

There are worried faces about that one,

but now they're laughing,

 

because look, as they return,

that goat is leading!

 

There are many different kinds of knowing.

The lame goat's kind is a branch

that traces back to the roots of presence.

 

Learn from the lame goat,

and lead the herd home.

 

Jelaluddin Rumi

(1207 to 1273)