How we got into raising goats.

We moved out here with the intent to raise alpacas. I mean, who wouldn't want to raise a cute adorable fuzzy, long neck, furball?

 

 

I later found out they are very expensive, don't like to be hugged, they kick and the best part.... emmm, they spit.  Lovely. We didn't give up and kept looking. Dude and I would review Craigslist together looking for the perfect alpaca.

 

And then we found it! Not an alpaca but a new born baby goat. It was only two days old. It's mother died giving birth to the baby's brother. Both the mother and brother had died but this little one lived. Our heart melted. The seller could not take care of it properly and put it up for sell. So we called.  They could meet us that day. It was a Sunday. We felt we had enough time to prepare for one little goat. It was a cold muddy February day. When we got to their farm it was all disarray.  My husband looked at me and said, "If you become a goat woman our place cannot look like this."  There were chickens everywhere, the goats had knocked down their fencing and were partying with the pigs in the pigpen and mud.  The person that was meeting us was late. Her truck had broken down but she would be there soon. She told us her elderly mom was home and we could knock on the door. An elderly woman on oxygen answered. She was frail but very kind and happy to have someone to consider taking the goat.  The house was dark and I wondered where it was being kept. She led us to a back room. She had just been released from the hospital for a heart condition.  The woman was recouping in bed... and there was the goat.  They shared the bed the woman on one side of the bed and the goat on the other with piddle pads. The woman laid on one side and the goat on the other.  It was a little female boer goat.  The woman told of how they tried and tried to save the mom and brother during their birth but in the end, the old lady couldn't take any more and finally slit the throat of the mom to put them all out of their misery.  I felt sorry the woman and goats but at the same time tried not to let my shock show.

We left with the kid, baby bottles and replacement milk.

We were in love.

picture of Ethel  by Jess DelVecchio

 

We had no idea what to do. We named her Ethel. Dude built a "crib" and placed it by his side of the bed so he could feed her in the middle of the night.  She stayed in there while we were at work. We were stupid crazy over this goat.  She became our child...until she started jumping on furniture and running all over the house but that was later on.

 

That was 3 years ago and over a dozen goats later. 

Here she is with two of her daughters - Lucy and Fiona. She was a great mom with beautiful kids.

Ethel moved later to a wonderful farm with some of her kids and their kids.  We still have her son Angelo, who is fat ,happy and loves hugs and kisses with no spitting.  He enjoys long walks and take care of our dairy goats.

from left to right: Two Socks, Olivia, Ethel, Angelo, and Patch

Angelo

 

We plan on raising more boer goats along with our Alpine goat - Skippy and our pregnant Nubian goats - Pepper and Running Water.