Goat Momin'
Little Ann and Little Dan, Two of the prettiest little Christmas goats!!
I became a goat owner in December 2016. My husband Johnny surprised me with two of the most precious Christmas pygmy goats. A male and female that I promptly named Little Ann and Little Dan. My little herd has grown since then. We have had many fun adventures! I have found that pictures or videos of my little goat herd get more likes and comments than pictures of my food!! Below are some fun facts or observations I have made since being a goat mom.
Goats are curious creatures. Always nosing around. Don’t ever try to do work while they are around. They will be all up in your business.
Goats never do anything you Want them to do. If you want them in the fence they want to be outside the fence. Don’t fight this battle. See observation #3.
Goats will do anything for food. Like anything. They will eat the clothes off of your back. Its always a good policy to keep some food on hand. My goats love Skittles, Cheese-Its, Jelly Beans, and Sweet Feed.
Goats are smelly. I’m big on smelling. I know its weird and bad manners, but I guess it’s a primal urge to use one of my senses. Chances are if you hang out with your goats you will be smelling goaty for the remainder of your day.
Goats are not very smart. Their Flight instinct is on point. Always running. Never fighting. Mostly helpless.
Goats multiply. A fellow goat friend told me if there is a Billy in your herd of nannies something will always be pregnant. I maxed out at 12 goats. Two goats are fun. Six goats is more fun, but come time to worm 12 goats are too many.
Find a fellow goat friend who is knowledgeable in the ways of goats. You will have lots of goat questions. (why are they sneezing/coughing, why do they have diarrhea, how do I treat diarrhea, why did two die out of the wild blue, what dosage of wormer do I give, how do I assist with a troubled birth) Also, the internet has a wealth of goat knowledge.
Your sweet little Billy goat can become aggressive especially if you are interfering with his ladies. He will pummel you leaving your ego and arm badly bruised. You can retaliate with a water hose on full blast or a metal trash can lid is a useful tool to get his attitude back in check.
Goats are the most entertaining creatures. I could watch mine for hours. They each have a unique personality. They have a hierarchy that is very apparent if you watch their interactions. I name all of my goats, but names are subject to change as their personalities evolve. I named one of out best Mamas Cookie, but it soon changed to E.T. as her eyes are spaced far apart. Phone. Home.
Goat babies are the best. By best I mean cute, snuggly, hoppy little creatures who you just want to squeeze!! My sister and I witnessed 3 of my nannies give birth to 6 babies within 3 hours Halloween Day. We now refer to ourselves as goat midwives/doulas. The most gratifying feeling is helping a tired mama bring her little ones into this world safely. We lost one baby but the others survived. Mom Millie had one baby Vanilli, Mom Cookie(AKA E.T.) had Boo, Jem, and Scout, and Mom Ann had two babies. One did not survive. The other we named Lucky because he was lucky to be alive.
Baby Mose. He just looked like a Mose. An old soul!
Baby Bunny because his ears were floppy!