New Additions!

Our farm has grown by three goats!

Meet Lily's 4-H project:

Last year Lily participated in a goat-leasing program which culminated in her showing a goat at the Wright County Fair.

We could have participated in the same program this year, but the pandemic had many details up in the air. Through a happy set of circumstances, involving a hay customer and her newly freshened doe goat, and the fact that we have plenty of room on our farm, we decided that Lily should be a goat owner instead of a goat leasee. 

These three Nubian siblings arrived at our farm two weeks ago. Zeus (red collar), Athena (pink), and Percy (teal). Lily owns Zeus and Athena; Lily's good friend and fellow 4-Her/goat enthusiast purchased Percy and keeps him at our farm with his siblings. A perfect arrangement!

These babies will be 6 weeks old this week. It's been a busy time of bottle-feeding, pen construction, and running around with goats! They love to run, jump, kick up their heels, and eat trees (and roses!)! They are so tame that they follow us where ever we lead them. Much easier to handle than calves!

Athena is Lily's registered Nubian (that's the goat breed) doe. She's the future of Lily's herd (if Lily sticks with it that long...). This young thing won't have her first kids for almost two years, which is a l-o-n-g time to wait for goat milk! Lots needs to happen between now and then, including showing her at the fair!

As fate would have it, the year we buy goats, the fair ends up being cancelled (as Tate says, "Darn coronavirus!"), but 4-H will still do something for all the kids enrolled in animal projects. Likely a virtual event instead of an in-person event, but at least the hard work that these 4-H kids put into their projects will be recognized.

Unfortunately for Percy and Zeus, this is the only year that they are fair eligible. Being wethers (bucklings who are fixed), they are considered a meat goat (whereas Athena is a dairy goat). If we were raising them for meat, their lifespan would end this fall. 

Luckily for Zeus, he has a permanent job as a companion for Athena, because goats need companionship in order to thrive. And Percy? He's along for the ride!

The kids are having a great time with these little cuties, and the responsibility that comes with caring for animals is a priceless experience for them.

I'm excited for the possibilities that the future holds for us as goat owners!