This is who's here. Four of them. Two chestnuts (Mum and daughter), and one black and white, all pure blood Rove goats. Then there is the tag-on, the white and brown girl who is a mixture of Alpine and Pyrenean, and has a bell on her neck which is a typical goat bell, deep and resonant.
They came out of the back of Jean Marc's van with a bounce, charged away from the vehicle, and headed straight for the permiter fence with such a spring and bounce in the feet that I really thought that they would go straight over the top of it. They didn't. But for one precious moment I thought they would.
So they are here, our first goats. All are pregnant, except the younger one, January being the time of the goatlings arrival.
The same time as the lambs.
It looks like it will be full house in the barn again this winter.
And here is Lester / Head Goat Keeper, giving our new arrivals their first feed. They are nowhere near as skittish as the sheep, who would not have come so close so soon after arriving. They would have skittered and diva'd all over the place. Lester is in love. 'Money well spent' he said.
So, goat's milk next year. And Head Goat Keeper has a precious few months ahead of not having to get up at six in the morning to milk the girls, and again at six in the evening. For the moment he can enjoy lie-ins. From April next year that will finish.
And on Monday we see the little cow.
6 comments:
So much to look forward to!
Excellent. I like goats.
How wonderful to see these little gems. They are great looking goats. You will have to make sure they are well fenced in as they are very curios, they will try to escape for greener pastures. They love to browse the trees and will strip the bark off of a spruce or pine tree. Have fun and enjoy these little girls.
Fly, ..and lots of work to look forward to as well! Ah the joys of smallholding!
Tommo, after nearly two days in their company, we like them too!
Horst, all our perimeter fencing is high and solid, just one or two weak points which no doubt the goats will find so Lester is sorting those out tomorrow. They are lovely animals to have around, although the sheep don't think so at the moment.
I would fancy a pair of goats but they would not do my garden much good! Sounds like more fun for you though :-) Diane
Diane, fortunately we don't have an actual garden at the moment, so if they did get out, all they would eat was grass and weeds!
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