Today was a busy day. I started with my usual morning walk at about 6:30 am. I walk in a nearby neighborhood because they have paved roads and it is easier than walking on our rocky dirt road. Then I come back to the farm and feed the animals. I feed the alpacas first, then the goats and chickens. After that I feed the dogs and then I return to the kitchen and prepare a bottle for my new little buck who did not learn to nurse from his mom.
The buck is only 13 days old and he already knows to come when he hears my voice. I haven't named him yet or any of the new kids. That is because I'm not sure if I will keep them or sell them. I will probably keep this bottle fed little guy and the girl kid. It is difficult to think of selling any of them. They are so darned cute! But my husband says we will have too many goats. He is right.
Anyway, we have 12 goats. Three are pygora does that I bought last year. Their names are Jenny, Bobbin and Lucy. Jenny had one doe kid last year. She is gray and the grandkids named her Butterfly. She is a little bossy like her mom. Bobbin also had two kids last year. They are both bucks. One is gray and the other is black. The gray one is Silverado and the black is Valentino because he was born on February 13 or 15. I'll have to look that up in my records but it wasn't exactly Valentine's Day, just very close. Valentino was also my first bottle fed kid. He and Silverado were neutered so they are not really bucks anymore. Lucy, a black doe, had three kids last year. They all died becuase she was a new mom and didn't nurse them. I was new at raising goats too so didn't realize until it was too late that she wasn't nursing them. Sometimes animals teach hard lessons. So that is what, 6 goats counted.
Last August I was fortunate to purchase two registered angora goats from Kathy Withers Farm in Tucson. Kathy is terrific. If you get a chance you should visit her farm and her beautiful shop. She sells all kinds of unique yarns and gives classes. Visit her website: www.uniquedesignsbykathy.com. The goats I purchased from her are a white buck and a chocolate doe. The doe was named Caramel and the buck just had a number. I named him Falkor after the luck dragon in the movie "Neverending Story." I'm hoping he brings good luck to this little farm and he looks like the big white luck dragon!
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