Found some goats

I keep wondering if I am trying to rush it a bit. I find myself continually looking at Craigslist to see the price of goats, and what is available. Part of me knows that I need a good kick in the pants to get this done. I want goats. I have for a long time. So, I look on Craigslist. I have found that prices are not coming down as I would like and I am not seeing many dairy goats. I do not know if they are not desirable here, or if the owners just do not want to sell them.

I kept looking. I found a couple of possibilities, some I was able to talk to the owners, some I received no reply. Surprisingly, many of the goats I was going to look at, sold before I could get in touch with the person. Finally, I was able to go look at a two young Pygmies. One male, one female. They were cute, well mannered, easy to handle and cute. After talking with one of the owners for about a half hour, I met her fiancé as I was leaving. I rode there after work, on my Yamaha Majesty, so could not take them with me. I also wanted to have Faith and the kids look. I arranged to call the woman the next day to arrange another visit. However, before I got home, there was a missed call on my cell phone. Her fiancé sold the goats to someone within twenty minutes of my visit. We had not struck any deal. I had not put down a deposit. It was a bit disappointed, but could not be mad. I kept looking and found someone within ten miles of our house.

It was a 21^st Century meeting set up, arranged by text message. We were to go meet on Sunday afternoon. We almost got lost finding the house down an unpaved dirt road. Pulling up to the gate, by chance my wife was driving. I got out, opened the gate to allow the van in and closed it afterward. As expected, I heard the sound of a dog; it is a farm. What I did not expect was the low to the ground Rin-Tin-Tin looking German Shepherd coming at me from under the house as I took my first step toward the van, the backend of which was a good 20 feet away. There have been very few of the canine race that I have not found approachable. I dropped to one knee and with no hesitation called out to it, “Hi, Sweety! How are you? Come here.” I put out my hand. The dog almost stopped where it was and tilted its head sideways. My wife and I agreed the expression said, “What? Why isn't he afraid??” It turns out she was a sweetheart. After the goat owner introduced us to the dog, the shepherd would not let us near the goats because she wanted all the attention!

We did finally get to the goats. The two full-blooded Boer were separate from the main herd, as they still had the kids. These goats had taken over one side of the dog’s house, which the dog did not seem to object to. The woman pointed out which kids were for sale. The first one we picked up had a white muzzle that extended back in a sort of upside down “V” to the middle of its forehead. From her cheeks to the back of her head was brown and her ears folded forward and upward. I knew in an instant, I had found our first choice.

I let my wife and daughter look at the other ones. If they found one they liked, so be it. We needed a pair. I started a discussion with the owner, asking her about the other goats she had advertised. Specifically, I asked about a Spanish/Boer mix. She said they were out in the shelter, pointing across the field to a green, metal, 3-sided, open front building. I told Faith I wanted to go over and look at another goat. We left our daughter to get acquainted with the goats and set off across the Guinea hen patrolled field. The goats were all gathered in the building. This was not for the convenience of the visitors (us), but it just seemed that is where they wanted to be at the moment. These were not friendly goats, nor were they aggressive. They wanted to be left alone, not pet and inspected for possible relocation.

The Spanish/Boer mix was a yearling doe, rust in color with nice horns sloping back and outward. Her tail had a black end. I would not call it a “tip” as it was a very feathered tail. It took about twenty minutes to catch the fool thing, but when we did, it did not fight us too much. I did not feel any bumps, the tail and rectum were clean. It obviously had energy and did well with the other goats in the field. I had found a second goat. I immediately knew there might be difficulty between this goat and a newborn. I was also told this Spanish/Boer mix might be pregnant, as the buck (who also has the folded ears) traveled freely among the herd. Well, if she were, it would be a bonus.

 

She did not want to hold still for pictures



A few more minutes in the barn and then back to the dog house to look at the newborns… Well, I say newborn, but they were about three weeks old, not ready for relocation. Faith and I talked about it, agreed that one yearling and a baby would probably not be the best idea, so we decided on another newbie. We ended up choosing the sister of the goat with the folded ears. She is mostly white. The left ear and half of that side of the face is brown, as is half of the right-side and about a quarter of the ear. Her ears are not folded. Both the babes are friendly, but by the time we got back there, the one with the folded ears had had enough and hid under the tractor.

 

 

We put a deposit down on all three and headed home. The little ones would not be ready for a new home for another four to six weeks… and I have a goat yard to finish.

 

I now intentionally stay off of Craigslist. I don't want to know if I can now buy one cheaper. I don't want to know if there are a couple of dairy goats available... at least until I have these girls home. :)