How We Started (Share Your Story!)

GoatGirl123 · #1 05/14/14, 06:20 PM

I thought I could start a topic for sharing our first experiences with goats! I'm willing to bet everyone's story is unique, interesting, and worth sharing. Feel free for long posts, everyone!

When we finally made the decision, we first went to a farm someone we knew owned to look for goats. We were sure we wanted Nigerian Dwarfs, but we decided to look at this Nigerian/Lamancha cross farm anyway. There we found Timmy, a 3/4 Lamancha, 1/4 Nigerian mix. He was so cute and friendly and we bonded to him immediately. Next stop: another farm that bred purebred, bottle fed Nigerians and had lots of kids for sale. There we found Luna and Cocoa. Those three would be the start of our herd.

Of course, before we brought them home we found another buckling online, Colonel, who we fell in love with by the picture. So . . . our herd now was brought up to four.

We brought Timmy home when he was three months old, and later that day Colonel. They bonded immediately. A great start, no?

Then it was time for Luna and Cocoa. Nothing could possibly go wrong, right? Wrong. Instead of bringing home Luna and Cocoa, we brought home Luna and Clover. Why? Cocoa had a cough and wasn't ready to come home. But why Clover? Because we fell in love with her at first sight, when she was laying on the ground in such a way she looked dead, but was in fact perfectly fine, only playing dead apparently. She was much too small and had a severe underbite, but that didn't matter, right? Wrong again.

Several months later, Cocoa still had the same cough and Clover was found to have severe Coccidiosis, apparently why she wasn't growing.

So Clover was treated, and we decided Cocoa was obviously not healthy and we would go back to the same farm to choose a different goat. We chose Buttercup, a beautiful doeling with blue eyes who resembled Cocoa a bit.
One week later . . . Buttercup died because she reacted badly to one of her shots. When we told the person we got Buttercup from, she was quite nice about it and gave us another doeling for free: Hazel.

A little later . . . we got Arthur, a ten day old buckling to bottle feed.
About a month later . . . Hazel and Luna both got severe Coccidia. Were treated for it, then were fine, but Hazel got it again a while later, this time even worse. Both survived.

Months later . . . Timmy died of Polio. This whole goat thing was not going as planned.

A couple months later . . . Luna got Polio for the first time. Note, the FIRST. Yes, she got it again, not once, not twice, not even three times. So many times we lost count. And she survived EVERY SINGLE ONE. Luna is a miracle . . .

Several months after Luna's first Polio: We got Annabeth, a doe two months pregnant. We were finally ready to take the big step.

Three months later . . . Annabeth gave birth to a single buckling named Toby. Naturally polled, blue eyes -- exactly what we wanted. Perfect! We kept him.
Months later . . . we bred Hazel, and than a couple weeks later, Annabeth. Both to Arthur.

Five months later . . . Hazel gave birth on March 10, 2014 to two bucklings, one blue eyed, the other brown eyed, neither polled. Not what we wanted, but something.

A couple weeks later . . . Annabeth gave birth on April 1, 2014 to one buckling and one doeling. What we wanted, but we would sell both anyway.

When Hazel's kids were around four weeks . . . we banded Muffin, Hazel's brown eyed. We disbudded both.

Easter . . . Cracker, Hazel's blue eyed kid, died of Coccidiosis.

Now . . . May 14, 2014. We got our goats June 2012. It has been a wonderful two years of having goats, and although there were tragedies, I don't regret a single bit. It is all wonderful and a miracle, and we love our goats very much.

Doug Hodges · #2 05/14/14, 07:21 PM

Bought two goats because we wanted to live healthier and knew the benefits of Goats milk.

Bought another goat. Bought 3 more. Then a couple more. Then a few more. Bought a buck. Bought another buck. Bought more. Had lots of babies. Sold babies. Bought more goats. Sold all the starter goats. Sold all unregistered goats. Sold all American registered except for 1. Bought more goats. Bought more goats. Now have 40 something goats.

The end (or the Beginning)

GraceAlice · #3 05/14/14, 08:10 PM

We got goats when we weren't supposed to (and that led to our current problems with CAE, but that's another story) and we weren't educated enough. Goats are evil. They wedge themselves into your brain and you just can't pass them up. Buy more. Buy goats, goats, and more goats. Every goat that looks healthy, you almost have to have in your possession.

So...

We were driving around one day in the tiny town of Peck, KS... when a little wooden sign was spotted by my very naughty eyes. It said three important words... "GOATS FOR SALE". Oh no.

We drove in the driveway... and lo and behold, I saw goats! And a little deer spotted nubian that nearly broke my heart in half.

Long story short... we came home with a little moonspotted Nubian named Alice the day after.

Well, she was lonely. She jumped through two gates to climb in and sleep with our adult sheep. She also bit my finger and drew blood because I didn't know how sharp goat teeth were, but again, that's another story.

So we went back and we brought home Betty, a lamancha. I didn't want her because I don't like Lamanchas, but we got her for company.

Ever since then, I have bought several goats... lots of Nigerian Dwarfs, an Alpine who had CAE, two lamanchas who had CAE. Let's just say this whole goat thing has not worked well for us. Never again will we buy a non-tested goat!

The original two are now 2 years old and haven't had babies. Betty got diagnosed with CAE 2 weeks ago. They are both going back to their original owner at the end of this month.

Goat Servant · #4 05/14/14, 08:26 PM

Hooboyhowdy.
When I was young we lived next door to a dairy goat farm. I was always over there playing with them.
My friends called me Nanny Goat.
Dad told Billy Whiskers stories. I didn't know until I ran across a copy just a few years ago that my dad was not the one making them up.

Big bro was in FFA taking his chickens cows & ducks. I never got to do it cause we moved off the farm.

It always bugged me. I mean it was so ingrained! An unfulfilled calling if you will.
Skipping ahead some 50 yrs , the children grown I decided to quit my job & invest in Boer goats.
I now show a little & love it all, have met & gotten to know some of the most wonderful people ever!

fffarmergirl · #5 05/14/14, 09:03 PM

I can't tolerate cow milk at all, even end up in the hospital if I drink too much of it. A few years ago, one of my co-workers was talking about her pride and joy herd of Oberhaslis and I asked her for some milk. It was delicious and I couldn't get enough of it. I left that job and really missed the milk but didn't feel up to the task of raising goats. Then a year and a half ago I made friends with my neighbor and her daughter decided to get milk goats. I asked if I could get an Oberhaslis a nd board it with them and we could share milking duties. I called my old co-worker and bought one of her goats. I didn't expect to enjoy the goats so much. Pretty soon I will have my own goat facilities here at my house a nd I plan to get more oberhaslis.

wintrrwolf · #6 05/14/14, 09:35 PM

hmmm not sure mine will sound as cool as yours. Just sorta plain jane.
Moved into a place that had acreage and lots and lots of weeds, trees, and poison ivy. At that time I did not know that goats could eat poison ivy...
I got my first goat for the milk, yes one goat a 3 year old Saanen Doe that had been recently dried off for 35 dollars named Sugar...little did I know...
She tore into that poison ivy like spaghetti and I freaked out which led me to HT

(hey who knew poison ivy was ok) found out why she kept crying for me HT peeps told me that I needed to get her a friend LOL
So I got a pygmy/nubian cross doeling about 7 months old Gypsy, still hadn't figured in the breeding to get milk, was just having fun with the goats. Someone from here got me hooked up with my first buck an unregistered nigerian OMG my neighbors got a whiff and thought their septic system had backed up...
Caught sight of my first nigi hehe drove 4 hours one way to get a registered doe and buckling BECAUSE someone here told me I could breed the buckling to the Saanen and make mini saanen

All this time was keeping buck in with Gypsy and Sugar and never saw any deeds done, though he did spend a lot of time chasing Sugar around.
The buckling Piper was a little sick at first with nasal discharge and I treated him for pneumonia and he got better.
Gypsy aborted 3 weeks from due date DUE to a dog attack

and then Sugar gave me 2 bucklings. First buck went to a fellow that had a small herd of 20 does (my neighbors gave me a cake).
I got a mini Saanen doeling Crystal that was crazy wild, pure white, with blue eyes, and not long after I got my first nubian....Pawnee
Piper had bred Inga when he was 6 months old, didn't know that could happen...
I banded one of Sugar's boys to keep with Piper since by this time I learned it might be better to separate the buck from the does for planned breeding and due dates.
Sold Gypsy and Legend (sugars other boy) to a fellow who had only 1 goat.
Inga had twins a doeling and buckling...spitting image of Piper.
Meanwhile I have been milking Sugar getting so much milk I was able to sell some. And found that as cute as the nigi's were I was in love with Pawnee's attitude.
Now I have to move eeek...
Sold Crystal to HT friend, traded Inga and her girl for Shaq(nubian buck), Sold Piper and his boy to lady. So that left me with Sugar, Pawnee, Shaq, and weathered Seeker to move.
Pawnee kidded right in the middle of the move twin boys (Piper being the daddy) hmmm mini nubians and I wasn't even trying. One unfortunately died got stepped on in the field I think shortly after being born, the other I sold later.
Move finished. Pawnee milking. Sugar kidded twins a boy(Crackers) and girl(Cookie). Sugar died about 3 months later and I was crushed. Had serious doubts of continuing on with goats, Sugar was my first goat and I loved her dearly.
Sometime later...I became enamored with spots and nubians. Yarrow helped me out with that addiction and I left her place with a spotted bottle baby doeling (Pebbles) and 2 spotted boys BamBam and Monkey (funny how that happens).
Another move. I got a pure white long earred doeling to be friends with Pebbles (Pearl) who had to be treated a lot for cocci.
Cookie apparently got bred and had a doeling. At this point Crackers and Seeker were really ticking me off ramming my dehorned nubian bucks with their horns so I ended up selling them. Friend from HT gave me a nigi boy to breed with my mini's. I traded BamBam for nubian Doe Heidi who was already preggers and they didn't know. So imagine my surprise when she dropped 2 boys on me. Pawnee dropped 2 girls from Shaq. Cookie dropped a boy and girl and her daughter from year before dropped a doeling. whew babies everywhere!!
AND by this time I discovered that mini's and nigi's are the worlds best escape artists and I made the decision to concentrate on one breed. Nubians. So long story short I sold all the mini's and nigi's, one of Heidi's boys. Friend gave me a pure NZ Kiko buckling to keep with Heidi's remaining boy. I got 2 long legged, long eared beauties Nibbler and Faline ready to be bred.
Now we are up to winter of 2013-14 I lost Shaq, Heidi, her boy, one of Pawnee's girls and Pearl, almost lost Monkey, and Nibbler aborted to hay toxin.

Faline kidded a girl outta Monkey and a few weeks later I got Vanilla from Doug.
I think that's it...for now.

mrstillery09 · #7 05/14/14, 11:42 PM

So interesting to read!! My story with goats starts with chickens. My family had a farm and we always had cows, but no other animals. I had this wild idea to be more self sufficient so why not start with chickens. While looking into chickens I thought, why not get a milk cow?! Except cows are large, and give a lot of milk, and I didn't think that would work well. Then I stumbled upon the idea of goats, and I was soooo excited. I told my husband I was going to get some chickens and then some goats. (He was thrilled to hear they are herd animals so I had to get more than one! We still joke about it!) I got chickens, and then the following year I finally got my goats. A saanen and alpine doeling that we drove two hours to get. They were not the healthiest they could have been. The alpine, Juniper, wouldn't drink from a bottle, they both had snotty noses, and the saanen, Berta, struggled with diarrhea. Juniper would drink maybe an ounce at a time, and ground her teeth. We went to the vet, for him to tell us I was killing them by giving them cows milk, and gave them nuflor in case they maybe had pneumonia. Berta got navel ill. They finally started to thrive. When Berta was 7 months old I walked to her pen to see her writhing in the dirt. Once she saw I was there she laid down and looked dead. The vet gave a few shots and said it'd be a miracle if she lived. This forum gave tons of support and help. It was either polio/listeriosis, she didn't move for an entire day, but the next day was standing. We tubed her, gave her tons of shots, and while she couldn't browse, I picked leaves and spoon fed her "green smoothies". She recovered amazingly, although her eyesight isn't what it used to be. This was all just last year, and this spring we got two darling lamancha's who were so loud I thought police would be called to our house. They showed me the huge difference in buying healthy kids from healthy does, as they were so different than my first ladies. We had our first loss when one of the lamancha doelings strangled in the fence. Lesson learned: they find all sorts of ways to die, so if you think they may get hurt on it, try your best to goat proof it. We needed new companions and got some nigerian dwarf bucklings. I learned that food is the best thing to tame wildish goats, and that nigerian dwarves bounce. We hope to have our first babies, and farm fresh milk spring of 2015!! Yay!

Squeaky McMurdo · #8 05/15/14, 01:04 AM

Put an offer in on a house with a yard and pasture overgrown with grass and weeds. Told my husband we should get a couple goats to clear it. Started obsessing about getting goats and joined this forum. Offer on the house wasn't accepted. Started looking for a house where I could keep goats. Found one. Got goats. Luckily I knew to get tested goats since I had joined this forum while still living in an apartment.

Backfourty,MI. · #9 05/15/14, 07:37 AM

When we still lived in the city all my husband could talk about was when we moved he was going to get A Goat to follow him around with the dogs!
Well we all know you can't have just 1 goat so we started with a couple pygmies, then we switched to Nigerians, now we raise mini nubians & we Love them although we Loved them all!

My husband now tell's everyone that they are MY Goats!

ykcharrier · #10 05/15/14, 07:39 AM

We purchased our house in 2011 in order to give our children a healthier lifestyle and wholesome food. We decided we would need 2 does in order to provide enough milk for the family.

In March 2012 we finally found someone selling goats and picked out the two does we needed for milk. Later that day we went back and bought the doeling belonging to one of the does. That fall we bred the girls to a neighbor's buck.

In the spring of 2013 we decided to buy our own buck. We planned to save one wether from our spring babies to be his friend. We were blessed with 4 does and 2 bucks from the girls that spring but were only able to sell the doelings. So now we have 2 bucks and a wether in that barn.

We then learned that our youngest son was allergic to cow milk and did so much better on goat milk. Our new daughter-in-law is lactose intolerant but can drink the goat milk. Our new grandson also did so much better on goat milk. Now we needed more does. We bred the three does we had to our new bucks but had to add another doe in milk earlier this year.

This year we were blessed with 7 doelings and only 1 buckling. My husband has decided that we will keep all of the does. The new buck will be wethered, and he will hopefully be sold with the wether we kept last year.

We started with a plan to have 2 does bred to a borrowed buck two years ago. We now have 15 goats.

GoatGirl123 · #11 05/15/14, 10:15 AM

I loved reading all your stories! @wintrrwolf, no way was it plain jane! Everyone has their stories and they are all worth telling and all interesting. I'm so glad you all posted!

RiverPines · #12 05/15/14, 10:45 AM

We wanted goats for meat and milk. Started with a couple of pygmies to practice. Went well and they tasted delicious. Then added some ND for milking. Again, went great. Milk was fabulous. Milking them wasnt so fun, especially with not having a barn. Then added Boers. So far so good. Then we started to get to attached and didnt want to eat them anymore. We sold them and switched top Angoras so I could have fiber. The fiber was great. Handling the big Angoras wasnt so fun. Then I got a few BF sheep. They were a piece of cake compared to any of the goats! No escaping problems. No buck stink problems. No handling to groom or shear issues. Then we stopped goats and kept just 2 pet pygmies, a wether and sister and switched to sheep.

crazyfarm · #13 05/15/14, 11:00 AM

Love this thread and hope many more stories are shared!

paintpony · #14 05/15/14, 11:21 AM

My story starts with a garden

When our son was born 22 years ago, I wanted to feed him(and us) healthy organic food. So, I started with a small garden in the backyard. It was a lovely little garden. Just about the time it was ready for harvest, we moved 1500 miles away to my husband's hometown. His hometown was a cow dairy area. So, I got to learn how gross cow dairies have become. The cows were most times in holding pens up to their knees in muck. I don't want to drink this! Once we got our own place, we added some chickens to the garden, then raised a pig or two. Then we got a bull calf from the auction to raise for the freezer, and a lamb or two. Always learning how to do things better, easier, and healthier. We finally bought a place and thought about getting a cow for dairy and meat. Our vet (who I worked for as a groomer) didn't do cows. One of my co workers said she had goats and what fine milk they gave. We got two lovely Nubian doe kids from the local breeder (tested clean) and my son named them (barn names) Lilo and Ruffles. Eventually I got up to milking 13 does and was selling milk for "pet use" as well as homeschooling son and working part time. The goats paid for themselves and their food. Years pass, hubby decides he's had enough of upstate New York's long winters and too much snow. I sell all but 3 does, dry all but one up. She refused to dry off. So I milked her every three days because I knew it would take us three days to get back to Arkansas. Bought a Boer buck, sold kids from the crossing. Son went off to college, so I thought I needed to sell the goats. Three years later, I'm back into goats

I now have a grade Nubian, a reg. Experimental (50/50 Nub. and LaMancha), the 8 year old wether, Boer buck kid and the two LaMancha kids.

coso · #15 05/15/14, 11:55 AM

We always had dairy goats or a dairy cow when I was growing up. I always swore I wouldn't have a goat to have to milk. After I was married and we had our second child, my wife had umbilical hernia surgery after he was born and dried up. I couldn't believe how high formula was and started looking for a goat. We bought four Toggenburgs from a local lady. Then went to LaManchas a couple of years later. I have sold out or down two or three times, but they have stolen our hearts.

CAjerseychick · #16 05/15/14, 12:08 PM

Too sad to really talk about the first pair, well ok here goes, short version CL AD. I looked it up I did ask about testing they said they were negative (wrong answer, you cant reliabley test 5 months old)... we went and watched them chase them down, found out the hard way why you dont want wild wild little goats...(first offspring of first goats, lawnornaments)...
A month later, answered an Ad for 'weedeaters, friendly goat kids" much better- lucked into a dairy goat herd being downsized.
picked up a purebred Oberhasli goat doeling (extra teat/nipple its barely there, so not registered, although she should be fine for milking) $50, then the owner mentioned she would like to place a a first freshener, still in milk - who was getting really picked on, not getting to eat $100 with papers (so sweet easy to milk, nice nice goat)..... and then when we went back to get them the next day, owner said, will you take the little wether (same age as doeling, 6 months, they are cousins)... so we put him into the back of the Honda (Fit) the seats fold down, its becomes a little mini van....- Best goat purchase ever - 3 nice goats for $150!!! and they are great!

SO that is our start in goats... one bad, one great, and (later we got a buckling but he had CAE too as the first pair did too- they retired out to pasture on 40 acres as weed eaters)...

GoldenWood Farm · #17 05/15/14, 12:18 PM

I have shared my story before but here it goes

.

A few key things before I get started. My mom is NOT an impulsive person and does NOT do things without thinking them through for a few days. We have always had animals all growing up though never livestock except for poultry and waterfowl.

In my early teen years my mom had talked about wanting to get some goats to clear out the blackberries we had on our 20 acres and just for fun. There was a local feed store near where I grew up that we went to almost daily. They had a small animal barn where they sold adult & baby poultry/waterfowl, rabbits and the random goats or sheep that people put on consignment. I being the animal lover always went in there to see what new animals/birds they had.

In 2002 I met this beautiful little cream colored goat with the most adorable upright ears and big brown eyes. I brought my mom out to meet her (found out it was a "nanny") and started pleading for my mom to let us get her. Now remember my mom does NOT buy on impulse (or for pleading children) and there was a good chance at this time we where losing our house and property (with no prospect of where we would live). My chances where slim at best for convincing my mom we needed this little goat. What came over my mom I will never know but Willow came home with us that day, we didn't have a place to put her, didn't really know how to feed her and had NO clue all the needs a goat had but we where willing to learn. The people at the feed store told us she had come from a local auction and for feed all she needed was calf manna and alfalfa.

We ended up putting Willow in one of our chicken pens in our unfinished basement. Our basement at the time was a part of our chicken raising operation, we would raise out 4000-5000 meat birds at a time and sell to different ethnic groups so we had chick pens downstairs. It wasn't the best setup but it would do until we could build something more solid outside for her. We knew that Willow needed another goat friend but had no clue when or where to get one. Fast forward to a few days later when my dad and I went back to the same feed store where I met Brandy. Somehow I just clicked with this tomato red, earless goat. I asked my dad if we could get her and he said if my mom could buy a goat then he could buy a goat...so I came home with Brandy who was the start of my future LaMancha herd (though I didn't know it at the time). Brandy and Willow clicked from day one and we quickly started learning about goats over the next few weeks/months. I would take them for daily walks on our 20 acres and they LOVED it!

A few months later (January 2003) we ended up losing our house and during the move our dogs got out and attacked our sweet Willow. Brandy was untouched but I found Willow still alive and in shock, I won't go into the gory details but her back leg was gone. My mom rushed to call the vet while I held my sweet Willow in my arms. We found out nothing could be done so the local vet came out to put my girl down. I stayed with her the whole time and held her until her last breath. We knew that Brandy needed another companion and somebody told us about a local auction near where we were moving. We went down with the intent on getting an adult but ended up coming home with Merry and Pippin, 3 day old Nubian bucks. Again my mom was going "What have I DONE!" because we didn't know the first thing about bottle raising a baby animal let alone a goat. We stopped by a feed store and got the low down on what needed to be done, so off we went with our new kids.

Life was good again, Brandy was happy with her new buddies and I loved having some newborn babies to play with. The summer of 2003 after we ended up moving to where we still currently live I decided I wanted to breed Brandy, I wanted a kid out of her just in case anything like what happened to Willow happened to Brandy. I previously had learned that Brandy was a LaMancha so I started looking on forums for a LaMancha breeder. Someone in Texas referred me to a gal who lived in my town, yippie!

After talking with the gal in my town I decided to take Brandy to get bred. The breeder asked if Brandy had any tattoos and since I had no clue the breeder checked for me. It turns out Brandy did have tattoos, she had THIS breeder's tattoos. We both couldn't believe it! I quickly told the gal the story of how Brandy came to me and we figured out how I got her. I found out Brandy was bought by a 4-H kid but something happened and he couldn't keep her. She somehow ended up at the feed store by my house and when I got a hold of her she was about 9 months old. I was able to get Brandy's ADGA paperwork and have her switched over to my name through the help of the breeder. I learned that Brandy was actually an Experimental so 1/2 Oberhasli and 1/2 LaMancha but I could breed up to pure.

That breeder was Suzanne who became my goat mentor and a second mom. I worked for her over the next few summers learning about goats and getting some LaManchas to start my herd. God blessed me because in spite of EVERYTHING I never had CL in my herd, I was CAE clean from the start and God brought Suzanne into my life. It will be 12yrs this summer since I got into goats, I lost my Brandy girl 2 years ago to cancer but her legacy lives on in her daughter and granddaughters. She was one of the founding does in my herd, Ober-D'Rainbow KRT Renae also called Brandy

.

I hope this ENTIRE long thing made sense...I was trying to figure out how to write it but not be all over the place. There is obviously a lot of behind the scenes that went on but I actually came to this forum back when I was....16yrs old? So 11 yrs ago I believe...it might have been less time but I know it was quite a while ago. Anyways that is my long saga of a story! Below are photos of my sweet Brandy Girl

, she was tough as nails, stubborn as the day was long but she would jump over the moon and back if I asked her. Suzanne joked that we made for each other because we where two peas in a pod, both stubborn and strong willed!

CraterCove · #18 05/15/14, 12:24 PM

A story about my goats is a story about my family.

We used to live in California in the Bay area and my husband and I each grossed about 100k a year in our respective jobs. He was a game programmer and I was a dog walker (yes I got paid that much to walk other people's dogs and take groups to dog parks). We 'owned' a house on a postage stamp of land that was less than 1400 square feet and was not in a terribly good neighborhood and got it for the bargain price of over a half a million. My husband had a beautiful corvette and I had a big brand new SUV for my business.

We ate out far too much, spent too much money on silly things and when my husband's company laid off everyone and the market fell apart for a lot of people and my clients found that they had time to walk their dogs if they were unemployed we ended up broke and living in a spare room in my brother in law's house outside of Atlanta GA.

For all of our work and for all of the money we had pulled in together we had absolutely nothing tangible to show for it all.

We moved back to his family's homestead in the country and that year we worked our garden with hand tools and began this journey together.

I bought our first doe, a Saanen for 200 dollars and my first buck a couple of months later for 300. I learned a lot from them, I still have Mr. Kidd. Unfortunately Sunny died of meningeal worms as I discovered how little I knew for all my book reading and online studies. So much of what one needs to know about proper animal management needs real world experience to go along with the book learning. Mr. Kidd almost died because I didn't understand nearly enough about properly worming goats. Nearly everything that works is off label and that's really confusing for beginners!

Now I have five does and I am looking to move into making a Boer herd too. The last tragedy to strike was an act of god rather than my ignorance and I count that as a big step forward. All we need are a couple more stable years and we will have no debts and will be bringing in and preserving most of our own food. We are already beginning to accumulate wealth instead of simply paying off debts. Bring on the Zombies! We can handle them now!

GoatGirl123 · #19 05/15/14, 01:06 PM

You know, I actually forgot to mention Lily and Lulu! LOL. So, last September we decided we were ready for a fiber goat and we decided on an Angora. She was all white with blue eyes and absolutely gorgeous. A couple weeks later, however, her previous owner said she wouldn't sell us Lily unless we also took Lulu, a Shetland sheep, because Lily and Lulu were best friends and inseparable. So guess what ended up happening? We got a fiber goat AND a sheep!

hiddensprings · #20 05/15/14, 03:48 PM

We purchased our land so we'd have a place for me to keep and ride my horses. Hubby decided that we needed another form of livestock. I said "no" to cows...too big for me. He started talking about goats for me I didn't realize that our discussion was over when a truck drove up with 25 pregnant boer goats and a buck. That was the beginning of March. Hubby went to Iraq the beginning of April and by the end of April, I had baby goats everywhere. Went from 25 to 75 in about 45 days. I had no idea what I was doing. I also didn't get the memo that said "meat goat meant people were going to want to eat my babies.". I named everyone. Could tell which babies belonged to which mothers just by looking in the pasture. WHen I sold my first kids, I cried because I knew they were going to be BBQ. I told hubby I wasn't going to do well (I was never raised to be a farmgirl) with raising meat animals. I bought some Angoras a few years later and learn to shear, spin my fiber, and knit. Then I slowly switched over from the boer goats to Nubians, took every goat class that UT offered, and now 9 years later, I'm the local goat expert with a beautiful herd of Nubian dairy goats. Everyone still has a name, but I've come to accept that my boys will most likely be going into the BBQ at someone else house. I sold the Angoras when milking took the majority of my time. I love my girls....