Goat Farming In All Its Glory

 Am I a goat farmer? Or a goat rancher?

Honestly, goat farmer sounds more entertaining. I farm goats. They grow from seeds and I feed and water them until they're big enough to sell. Technically, that's very true.

Yep, goat farmer, it is.

These little dingbats keep me on my toes. However, since my personal life has been turned upside down, they also provide a great distraction from all the negativity in
our lives.

We were blessed with 8 healthy baby Boers on this goat farm in the last week of September. 8 healthy babies. We had the unfortunate circumstance of losing the first 2 as they were stillborn. They were a bit too early and a bit too small, born sleeping. However, with my "expert" non-existent YouTube midwifing skills - 8 more kids were brought into this world.

The first live babe was named "Meep" due to its neverending "meeping" as it tried to adjust to the outside world. The second babe was named "Sneezer"...due to its sneezing fit for the first 5 minutes of its life. 

Look at these little farts...just look at them. All snuggled together in a baby goat pile, cute and fluffy, in all their adorableness. 

These goats have been a complete loss so far, monetary-wise, but they have brought some joy and new experiences to the farm. Those experiences are definitely worth it. 

Both of my children were there to help with deliveries, even if it was just keeping the cat away or holding the flashlight - they were well-needed and did a great job as mini goat farmers.

That sweet white runt in the left corner is "Frappuccino"  and continues to be our smallest babe. She is the smallest, snuggliest, sweetest, and 2nd most beautiful of the bunch.

Unfortunately, my two big boys, "Chilimeat" and "Tank", had to go this month. If we get to the next breeding season without breaking the bank we may have to rent a goat. However, it smells so much better out here and our babes are much safer without them on the other side of their fence.

Teaching my children how to bring life into this world on this farm was worth the headache, the cost, and the hard work. 

Getting these two off their phones and out of the house to care for these moms through their pregnancies, aid in their births, and care for their babies has been one of the most rewarding learning experiences out here thus far. 

In the future, we hope to see chickens coming next spring. We've also tossed up the idea of an Angora sheep or two. Perhaps even a few peacocks to keep things interesting.

Our future out here, in our current family state, is up in the air for the time being so all we can do is dream and hope for the best. We will make the best of each situation as it comes no matter what that may be.

In the meantime, we will continue to snuggle these goofy little meepers and enjoy all the love they can give.

There's nothing like the joy of hearing their cackles every time they see you walk by, having them nibble on your fingers, jump, spin, and play, and grow their winter fluff on their tiny fuzzy bodies.

We were lucky enough to have 6 great moms so there was no bottle feeding these babies! 

Each one is about a month old now and growing tiny little horns while they develop their crazy personalities.

I never thought I'd grow up to be a goat farmer. However, I said something quite similar the last time we had chickens:
"I never thought I'd grow up to be a sh!t shoveling chicken farmer". It's funny where life takes you.
 
Last, but not least, in this very late blog update - our garden.

Our garden this year was horribly neglected. We had more pressing matters to attend to and the joy of gardening was lost this season. 

However, we did manage to pull in enough tomatoes to make enough sauce that will last well through the winter and Miss K harvested a great collection of carrots as well!

Those purples have such a unique flavor and their color is amazing! I'm planning on using some to make a natural dye. The depth of the purple is incredible.

I'm going to end this post with one of the best farm animal pictures I've ever taken from Ten Seven Acres.

The Clint Eastwood of llama/alpacas (llampaca?).

I hope you enjoyed the update, I'll try to get back to once a week soon!

Until next time,

Your friendly, neighborhood goat farmer,

Mad Mary.
Location: North Dakota, USA

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