And look what my sister found for me :)
3 pretty ladies! From the time Kristy told me she found some free goats to when we picked them up was less than a week - right after we moved. So, we dealt with moving boxes into storage, unpacking, cleaning the barn, and sourcing grass hay and oat straw AND giving up a spot at a hard cider making session to make these ladies feel comfortable in their new home.
It was worth it!
The dark one is Momma, her baby is the one with the horns - Tiny. The other lady is Cleo. Momma adopted her :)
Momma is a Pygmy-Alpine cross (we think). Alpine is a milk breed. She's much older than what we thought at first. She has quite a bit of grey hair throughout her coat.
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| Cleo is a little shy still... |
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| Tiny, always eating! |
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| Yes, Momma is smiling for the camera! |
Tiny is 3/4 Pygmy, the smallest of the 3.
Cleo is a Pygmy-Boer cross. Boer is a meat breed, she has a very pretty shape!
Right now Momma is the only friendly one. The two little ones weren't handled much by their original owner. It'll be a challenge, but I'm working on getting them cuddly (wish me luck! leave tips in the comment section! seriously.).
Tiny and Cleo are both spring babies. I'm hoping to connect with some near-by goat people (literally, they're just down the road) to breed all 3. Cleo and Momma can handle a full-sized buck, but Tiny needs a smaller partner. I don't want her carrying a baby that's too big for her small frame.
If we can manage to get them bred (they only come into heat once a year - in the fall and early winter) that means we get babies and fresh goat's milk this spring! Yay! Imagine the cheese :)
Yeah, you're thinking about the cheese, aren't you? ;)
Speaking of cheese, I missed my October Cheesepalooza accouncement. That's right, Halloumi and Feta. I haven't even made mine yet? :(
But, now that we're -mostly- settled in and the goats are settled in and the garden is -mostly- cleared off, maybe I'll be able to take an afternoon to myself and MAKE CHEESE! :)
I got this fabulous new digital pH meter... used it for canning already (salsa! all with goods from our garden), but it's true calling lies in cheese. I can't wait to make a Traditional Mozzarella with it! Seriously. I'm getting super excited just thinking about it :)
Hopefully I'll be able to coordinate a trip to #yeg to do an afternoon of mozza making with my Cheesepalooza ppl - Val, Ian and Addie. That way we all get to try out my shiny new toy :)
What are you looking forward to doing now that summer/fall/harvest has finally wound down?
wow! congrats on your big move....i can tell that you are very happy there - even tho there is LOTS to do! you are a brave! you know you are one of my #localisbetter hero's!
ReplyDeletethe little one looks like she is in LOVE with the goats...babies love babies and animals...so cute....
good luck with it all
i will look forward to your farm posts
cheers
su :)
I am sooooooooooo jealous!
ReplyDeleteJealous of the goats! Can't wait to see what cheeses you guys get :)
ReplyDeleteAny plans on getting some laying hens for your farm?
We have hens at Baba's farm down the road.
DeleteAlso had meat chickens there earlier this year and there's still about a dozen piggies almost ready for making bacon there too :)
Might look into getting sheep in the spring to house with the goats! Guess I better sign up to learn to spin wool ;)
Congrats on your move back to the country ... sounds wonderful! The goats are so cute. Look forward to reading more on how things work out on that front. :)
ReplyDelete