Goat Notes

Yesterday we got goats.

Here's the woulda/shoulda. Pretty much tells the story!

1. Even tame goat kids are still afraid of new people, especially when those new people are trying to catch them to give them a bottle.

2. A big goat yard is good, but fence off a small portion for new goats so that they don't have space to maneuver away from you when trying to catch them to give them a bottle.

3. (Goat) Kids can fit through fencing you wouldn't imagine they could when they are panicking because you're trying to catch them to give them a bottle. Be prepared to run out and get chicken wire if your fencing is inadequate.

4. Thankfully, once loose, they prefer to come back to their friends and won't hightail it for parts unknown.

5. The dogs will spend at least the next 24 hours making absolutely sure you're aware that there are Ferocious Baby Goats in the yard.

6. Dogs will find a way to fit through the fencing of their yard if there are Ferocious Baby Goats in the area. (No one was injured - they're really just curious, not attacking)

7. Goat kids consider neither bottles of formula nor apple slices to be a good treat (they don't actually need formula at this point - it's a bonding thing).

It's ok. They're getting used to us. I kinda suspect these guys aren't ever going to be bottle babies for us, though.

So that was yesterday. Those three are pygmy/nigerian crosses.



Today we got more, because LemurDa doesn't like to do anything by halves. These guys (a mother and her quadruplets, one of whom she rejected and is now a bottle baby) are boer/nubian crosses. Though the kids are younger than yesterday's, they're currently about the same size. They're much more socialized - they're all friendly, but the bottle baby thinks he's a human and is already the kids' baby.



So total, we have 1 mama, 3 girl kids, 3 fixed boy kids, and 1 intact boy kid. We'd intended to use the 3 fixed boys for meat eventually, but I have a feeling bottle boy (already named Friendly Freddy) is going to become the companion for the buck. Using siblings for that purpose would make more logical sense, but, well, he's Friendly Freddy.



The girl in particular from yesterday is starting to warm up to us.



The two boy goats from yesterday seem kinda dumb. This may be because they're a month younger than the girl. Or maybe just that they're dumb.



Mama and her three nursing kids. It's amazing how much smaller and less sturdy the bottle baby is, though that's a chicken or the egg question.


Their home is 1/3 of the shelter that was already in place when we moved here. We walled it in to block the wind. They haven't had significantly more shelter in the past, and the weather is quickly improving, so they should be ok. Once they've adjusted a little more, they'll be able to go out in the pasture during the day.