I am so so so so excited! I bought 2 goats today for our new farm! Completely sight unseen - could be an outrageously stupid move but what the heck, it 'feels good' so I did it.
2 does - 1-6 yr saanen and 1-2 yr toggenburg (sp perhaps). Both have been bred and should drop in feb. Both are experienced mothers. And best of all - they have been cared for by a family with 7 kids and the kids do all the milking and caring for! That's what attracted me - goats acclimated to little kids. The current owners invited us to spend up to 6 hours at their place and learn how to trim hooves, lead, feed, groom, etc. They bought the 6 yr doe as their first goat when first trialing homesteading and seem as excited as us to be passing her on to a family trialing homesteading, too.
The 6 yr old's name is Nellie. That name stays. The 2 yr old's name was Humilty - I asked the kids to re-name her - and they came up with Sally. So Sally and Nellie join our family by October 1st. I am so dang excited!
eta: why on earth would someone name a goat humility? I like sally much better.
ITO
The current owner said that one year they named all the kids after virtues so they couldn't cuss at them when acting up. LOL. Still, Sally is somebody you could hug. Humility..... hmmm, no hugs.
pics when we get them. He offered to send bi-weekly emails to our boys with photos so our boys could get all excited.
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okay, since the opening post I've also acquired 6 turkey pullets (midget whites) and 4 full grown laying hens (buff orpingtons). The new stuff - aka not the goats - are all on the american livestock breed conservancy lists of either watch or endangered - pretty cool to be getting into older breeds in need of sheperding (kinda like seed savers, but for animals). I've been hounding the local animal shelter adoption sites looking for a dog..... anyone want to join my husband in telling me to slow down? I am so excited I can't stand it!!!!!
heck, I'm not telling you to slow down so long as we get an invite to meet all those cool endangered animals! Your farm sounds like it's going to be amazing.
Good luck finding a dog. I'm partial to Australian cattle dogs but they can be a little "crazy" for most people. Border collies, German Shepard and corgies are all good with farm animals since they're herding dogs but make nice obedient pets too.
Chole
__________________ 18th century Mama to a exciting 8yr old, SO to a graphic novel guy
congrats. I am just blown away by the changes that are happening in your life!!!
if you need any goat raising tips, I can give you the email of one of my favorite people who keeps about 20-30 goats ata time...and has raised and shown goats for 23 years
__________________
"If you only believe what you see, then you are limited to what's on the surface. If you only believe what you see, then why do you pay your electric bill?" Dr. Wayne Dyer
What are your intentions? Exotic pets? Showing? Are they wool producers? Are they for milk? Milk for drinking? Milk for soap?
How very interesting! I am glad they are used to children. I hope they are everything you anticipated.
ari
the goats are dairy goats - we'll milk and use the milk for our house and for other animals. The kids will most likely end up in the freezer at the end of the summer though I'd like to keep a wether (castrated male) and train him to work under harness - aka pull a cart, till the garden, etc. I don't want to keep more than 3 goats on a permanent basis - not a ton of grazing land and I want to add a couple of sheep in the spring. Not expecting to make soap but will continue to make kefir and yogurt, am hoping to branch into cheese.
Couldn't pass up on these goats because they are currently milked/tended to by a family with 7 kids who started homesteading 7 years ago - the goats are the kids responsibilities. So they are not very used to adults - but incredible with the children. And the family is so excited that the 6 yr doe, who was their first goat, will be our first goat. They've invited us to spend an entire day at their farm learning - and are sending bi-weekly emails to our kids with pics to get them all excited.
Congratulations! 
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