The Not-So-Ugly Bucklings

Our lives have changed since living out in the country.  We do strange things like pick up animals as impulse buys.

While picking up our piglets to raise for next years' meat Steve noticed the farmer had goats and asked him about them.  They just started raising goats this year and it was kidding time.  When he found out that they were only $25 each, he couldn't resist.  We didn't have any kids this spring and were missing them.

We lost Goat Peter on Christmas Eve.  We had tethered him out in some tall, dried weeds with Heidi and Clara but since we were busier than usual with visiting inside, we didn't keep a close enough eye on him and he got all tangled up and ended up falling over and bloated and died.  So sad.  That was a hard lesson to learn about tethering goats out.  

This is Alonzo.  He is going to be our new buck to breed Heidi and Clara this fall.  He belongs to Naomi.  She really enjoys having a bottle baby to care for.

This is Mr. Coffee Zippity Tumnus.  He is going to be banded and become our wether to be companions for Heidi and Clara.  He belongs to Miriam.  She has become one of the "goat girls" and the two girls are responsible for caring for all 4 goats.

Little Mr. Tumnus was chosen because he was pretty and unique.  Out of all the bucklings he was the only one who was not pure white.  However, he came home to us sick and we quickly learned how to care for and treat a kid with pneumonia and he pulled out of it.  However, he is smaller and not as healthy as Alonzo so we won't be using him to breed the girls.

But that also means he gets to live.  After Alonzo breeds the girls he will no longer be with us.  Bucks are stinky and naughty.  Naomi's not too happy about that, but she is hoping for new bottle babies to care for next spring.

Miriam and Naomi with their new babies.  We fixed up the old office area in our barn for a nice, draft-free stall for the kids.

We set up a little paddock for the wee goaties with a calf hut for their shelter out in the lovely, green grass.  They are so happy here!  They can't be with the older goats yet until they are big enough to handle the load of parasites that are on the ground where the big goats are and to not be hurt by their bullying behaviors.

Samuel loves the little goats.

They aren't too crazy about eating the grass, but they do enjoy "hay" from the grass clippings.

Jacob has always loved goats.  He was excited to get to feed the babies with the girls.

I wish the camera could capture the cute little rapid tail wiggles that a happy, hungry baby goat will give as he drinks his milk.

The goats love to climb and jump.

So does Omi Bear.

Lounging around together after supper.

Cute baby goats.

Precious little goat herders.