Yes – I did it… traveled 6 hours round trip to pick up 3 goats. So here’s the story (cause there is one)
Start out the day and get ready to go. Trailer hooked up, dinner in the crock pot (yes I was THAT prepared), and Joe working with the kids. Set off around 9 instead of 8:30 like I hoped to…. but shouldn’t be a problem. 2 hours out I get pulled over. Apparently my trailer needed an inspection. So that’s $90 we had to spend that I didn’t expect to. Get there and it’s great – so many goats to chose from and so little money to spend (isn’t that the way it always is?). Well I chose 3 and I promise to get some pictures as soon as this week slows down. I spent an hour and a half down there figuring out and picking out the goats I wanted. See, the babies (kids) are going to be for meat – plus they are for Jacob & Alexis to show at the 4-H fair this year so I was a little picky about what I wanted. BUT on top of that I wanted a dairy mix variety. Now I have 1 – 2nd generation boer/nubian/sannen mix (more dairy than meat) and 2 3rd generation which I think are a little more meat looking but I expect they will provide some good milk as well.
Since they are bred, we now wait it out until they kid (have the babies). Then my plan is to let the babies stay with the mom’s at all times for 2 weeks. This will let them start out strong. Then I will start milking 1x per day. At least that’s the plan at the moment 
On top of this, the kids got some Nigerian Dwarf goats for showing in the dairy class at the 4-H fair! 2 are registered (which are the ones they bought) and 2 are not which I plan to just have here to hang out. They aren’t bred so the kids will probably be in the market for a buck so that they will provide milk as well as more lil ones. What’s exciting is that our kids are seeing these as “theirs” completely. It works out because the smaller goats are super easy to handle making it fun for them to go out and feed and water and even play with on a daily basis. Guess it’s not as much of a chore when you own it. Yes, they pay for the goats – they will buy them using the money they earn at the 4-H fair and 4-H auction (so ask me how you can help support them!).
Joe being as cool as he can sometimes be, has made 2 new picnic tables which will really help out with the farm tours and birthday parties this year! I’m personally impressed that he built them. Not that I don’t think he can build stuff (I mean he DID build the chicken coop!), but that without any plans and just copying the one we had he just whipped them together. Alexis has decided she is going to marry someone like him – and I tell her that she dang well should and not to marry some lazy guy who doesn’t know how to do this stuff!
Well with lambing season here – we are once again learning about just about everything. One year we will get it right and not have as many deaths. Partly our fault, partly nature. This evening I had 1 in the house with me warming up. Got home from the market and he was freezing. Gave him a bath and then put him in a basket in our bathroom with the room heater on him. He did really well after about 3 hours and so is now officially back out with mom. I was able to sit and watch him for awhile out there tonight… but I’m tired. He was the only 1 out of that set of triplets that was born alive (the other 2 were frozen right away). So we debate once again how we will handle next season. I love the lambs, but at the same time, the deaths take their toll on me. But there are 9 little ones out there now running around so that’s ok for the moment.
So I was planning on taking Febraury off – and now…. well that is just SOOOO not going to happen. The more money I spend – the more I need to at least head out there each week. I plan on taking 1 weekend off which I think will be the 3rd Saturday.
More stuff to come – I’ll keep you posted!
