The goats are having babies, but technically, I did not believe they were due until the 25th of April. That is when Stevie Wonder went in with the girls. 

But, for a few weeks prior to that, the Nubian buckling, Wimpy, was in the goat pen with the ladies. I saw Wimpy a lot and it appeared he was not interested yet in breeding. He showed no sign of rut, which is the hormonal time for male goats where they get themselves stinky for the girls by peeing on their faces and front legs. Gross, I know, but the hormones or pheromones do attract the does and get them cycling. Stinky male goats seem to do it for them. Anyhow, Wimpy was not like that. He was just his usual self, wimpy. I gave him that name because he was a quiet boy, not overly large for a Nubian and not very feisty either. I was not even sure he would make the winter because he was cold already in the fall when there was not even any snow yet. But he did. And he did something else.

He bred the does. 

Yup, he did that. Nix was bred to the Nigerian Dwarf buck, Stevie Wonder, but Nix never stayed in the fence and one day Stevie got over there. Unfortunately, Nix lost her little girl because she chewed her umbilical cord entirely off and the baby bled and fell asleep forever. So sad.

But the other goats were beginning to develop udders much too large for being due in 3 weeks. And there were other signs too, that made me think something was off. Then yesterday, Christina had a baby and it had long floppy ears and long legs. Well, I'll be. He is Nubian sired. Wimpy is a daddy! Then today two more does had their kids and both are Nubian sired, or course, because Stevie did not even get in the pen early enough for the girls to birth now. So, those goats that are giving birth this and next week and possibly the week after will all be Nubian sired.

The cross, Nubian and Nigerian Dwarf, is called a mini Nubian. This is a first generation and several breedings will be necessary to actually call the goats mini Nubians, however; even this F1 first generation cross are indeed Nubian/Nigerian. Both Nubians and Nigerians are milk goats, but Nubians are not hardy here, while the little Nigerians are real troopers. They impart their strength to the Nubians and since both are excellent milk producers, the smaller mini Nubians, do produce copious quantities of milk too. I have two mini Nubians, blue eyed at that, from a different breeder. Normally, the Nigerian Dwarf buck covers the Nubian females, but since Wimpy was small for a Nubian, I did it the other way. The babies are larger than the Nigerian Dwarf kids, but not too large thus far to be problematic. It has resulted in singles so far, which is fine. That will be singles with the exception of Daphne who is so big she is having trouble walking. She usually has quads and I am worried about her carrying four larger babies than normal. She is a very good mother and births without complications, cleans her kids and has them all up nursing in no time. She can support all four, but I have been removing two in the past couple of years as she is getting a little older.

So, the puzzle is solved. Wimpy, though he not once appeared to be interested in breeding, is a sneaky, sly buck who managed to get the job done in the dark or something akin to that. Wimpy is a daddy! 

The goats still have at least 4 weeks left before the babies come, but this year they are huge. The hay was particularly great, with everything the goats love to eat, except the grass. It was chock full of weeds, dandelions, thistles, strawberries, clovers, wild flowers and herbs. The hay came from Lac La Biche, about an hour and a half from Elk Point, from a farm that has not used any sprays in a long time or possibly never. The farmer was thinking of tilling the fields over and planting hay. Oh, goodness, that is the worst thing he could do. The minerals and nutrients in the weedy hay far will surpass any monocrop of modern hay he could ever plant. Weeds dig down deep with roots that can draw all that the plant needs, whereas modern grasses just do not compare. With poor feed, comes lack of parasite resistance too. The animals immune systems are compromised because they are struggling to stay well nourished. My sheep and goats have hardly touched their minerals this whole winter because they are well supplied from the beautiful weedy hay. 

But, that means multiples and big babies, since the does can send lots of goodness to the developing fetuses. Poor Daphne, well, she looks like a beached whale already and has another month to go. She may deliver a week early if the babies get too large for her to manage. I will take time off work then and try to be available round the clock in case of complications. I have been very selective over the years and my goat herd is amazing! The does kid without problems, have the babies cleaned up and nursing within minutes, and Daphne can handle her quads, though I usually take two from her to ensure she is not depleted too badly. She is already 6 and in the prime of her life. She has given me beautiful goats that carry her amazing strengths. The buck, Stevie Wonder, is also excellent quality, hardy and naturally able to fight off pests that weaker goats succumb to. The babies should be incredible! Daphne has brown eyes and Stevie has blue, so at least some of the babies will have blue eyes. There are two of Daphne's daughters in the goat herd as well. 

I had another incredible goat, Cecelia, who was the herd boss, but I sold her with her quads one year back, though kept two of her doelings. I did not have Stevie then and it will be interesting to see how the babies turn out. Already the does are very pregnant, so I am guessing they will have twins and triplets at least. 

There are some new goats that came to the farm just a couple of months ago. I am positive that the mother is purebred Nigerian Dwarf, but cannot attest to the lineage of her daughter and three granddaughters. The previous owners really did not have much of a clue as to the parentage. All five of the newbies are blue eyed though. 

There is also Wimpy, the Nubian buck. He is really small for a Nubian, but he is purebred. I am hoping he will breed some of my Nigerians this fall and a new buck is coming as well, a Nubian/Nigerian cross, or mini Nubian. There are two beautiful princesses, Lena and Leah, who will marry him then. As much as I absolutely love the Nigerian Dwarf goats, Lena and Leah have really stolen my heart. I hope they will be my future milk goats, along with their daughters. Since downsizing is in order for the farm as I am getting older, I will be parting with many of my current herd members too. There are 22 goats currently and I would like to cut that down to maybe 8 or 10 for next winter. 

But, babies are coming and although it is a stressful time, it is my favourite time of the farm. Stay with me for lots of photos and the frolicking antics of the new goaties. 

A few days ago, one of my first bunnies on the farm, an imported from Holland Flemish Giant buck, passed away. I knew he was going. First it was ear mites, then an eye infection, then loss of fur and no matter what I was doing for him, he would recover and get sick again. I knew it was his time. But he did give me many bunnies and had a long and good life. He was a gently buck and preferred to be in the company of another rabbit, rather than alone. Despite what people said, and that he was a male, he still did better with another male and did not scrap and beat him up. 

I also have a pair of Satin Angoras and a pair of Giant/ French Angora crosses. The Satins are a smaller rabbit and as anything small, I find they are never as pleasant as the big ones of their kind. There is a white red eyed male Satin and a red Satin female. Of their mating there is a white and an unusual chocolate tone kit. Well, they are bunnies now, not babies. 

I knew the French/Giant cross female was bred. She dug a burrow in the side of their pen and carried hay down it. She was building a nest. That was 4 weeks ago. Yesterday I saw the first kit, a dark chocolate. Oh, it is so delightful! Then I dug open the burrow to put him back in, but it was just enough for a little bunny, not open wide. The mother did not cover it back up as I thought she would, so obviously she instinctively knew it was time to allow the babies out into the world. First a little grey popped his nose out and later a solid black. They are so beautiful! 

These are not the most common Angora rabbits and with their pretty colours, they should sell well.They are easy to keep and very sweet natured. In the house they can be trained to use a litter box and be a house pet, but most people prefer to cage them. I have had bunnies in the house in a cage and unless their cage is cleaned almost daily, they stink! Yuk! If the cage was large enough to allow a litter box, I think they would use it and then be litter trained. In the far future I may try it, but Robbie, the border collie most likely would not allow a bunny in his domain. 

The idea with the Angora rabbits is to sell the fibre. I would need a lot of bunnies the same colour to sell enough fibre to make money at it. Being part of my little farm, I only want to keep 6-10 bunnies in total. So, I will try to sell them as babies, but if they do not find new homes, then I will harvest their fibre  twice and then send them off to the butcher shop. The Giant/French are large enough to make a good sized rabbit that will dress out at 5-6 pounds, but the little Satins are small under that wool. Eventually, I do not wish to keep any more of the Flemish Giants. There are 4 escapees left out roaming around and they really do destroy the plants and flowers, just the four of them. They are well large enough to be harvested, so their fate is meat and hopefully, no more escapees will be around to munch down the garden. 

​I am not sure how many babies there are in that burrow, but are you ready for a new pet? A cute, cuddly fluffy baby bunny? 

No farm should be without some goats. They are much different than sheep, more comical and much more mischievous and adventurous.  They get into trouble somewhat, like today when Bonnie thought the caraganas were greener on the other side of the fence, so she jumped over it. She had already climbed on it and stretched the wire down, so it was an easy jump. Fortunately, I was there watching the whole time and quickly came to the rescue, shooed her back in where she belonged and fixed the fence temporarily. I watched as she tried to pull the wire down again so she could jump out, but it held that time, so she lost interest.

I have tried Kiko meat goats, Nubian dairy goats, Cashmere, which is basically a Spanish goat that grows a heavy down coat in the winter, Angora goats and my favourites, Nigerian Dwarfs. 

Here is what I have to say about the breeds. 

If you like soft mohair, Angora goats are very dual purpose, however; I found that the mothering instincts and a few others, like where to forage for food, were bred out of them in favour of fibre. One of my Angoras was a good mother though, so I kept her and she is better at following the herd to eat with them. The kids take a long time to gain confidence to go with the herd though, so she does not go far for the first two months. Angoras need to be shorn twice yearly or the fibre will mat into a terrible useless mess and have to be cut off anyhow. They do not shed. Angora goat meat is considered a delicacy in the Middle East and is quite sought after. The animals do flesh out very well and have lots of milk. The meat, I must say, is fabulous. 

Cashmere goats are basically good hardy dual purpose goats, good mothers, have great instincts and will naturally shed the cashmere if it is not brushed or combed from them. I have not eaten cashmere goat meat, only Angora, so I cannot comment on that. 

Kiko goats are big sturdy goats originating from New Zealand. If my Kiko buck does not sell, I have a mind to breed him to the Angora to see what sort of goat is produced. It should have fibre like Pygora  (Pygmy/Angora) or Nigora (NIgerian/Angora) crosses which is very spinnable, yet sheds naturally if not harvested. There are 3 grads to the cross fibre, A, B and C according to the curl and guard hairs present. The Kiko and the Angora have good milk and the Kikos are great mothers. That cross might be worth looking into . The Kiko doe I have was sold to me as a breeding doe but she has fish teats or nipples teats that split into two nipples, which at first confused the kids, but in no time they got the hang of nursing. It is a hereditary trait and the bucklings should be sold as meat goats only. 

I did have only two Boer goats and did not find them particularly appealing for some reason. The buck was big and pushy and the doe was not very friendly having come from a commercial herd. 

The Nubians are good mothers, gentle, personable and excellent milkers, but hard for me to keep healthy. I am not sure it is just these two Nubians or all Nubians or because I live where winter is very cold. That is the time they seem to go downhill fast, though they do pick up on pasture in the summer. I would try them again if I lived somewhere warmer just for their sweet natures. 

But, my favourites are the Nigerians. They are smaller, smarter, more playful, have triplets or quads and can raise them all with their copious amounts of rich milk. My does consistently have quads and although they can raise them all, I usually sell two as bottle babies, because it is too hard on the mother to manufacture milk for four babies and it takes her body condition down. One of my does, Daphne, can easily raise 3 kids though, without losing condition. They are easy to keep, small to handle, friendly and come with blue eyes sometimes. The true Nigerian Dwarf has a long lean body that is well proportioned so that if you looked at a picture of the goat without surrounding to verify the size, you could imagine the goat to be regualar sized, unlike true Pygmy goats, which to me look like tanks on short legs. I love them too, but they are hard to find. What people call Pygmy goats are nowhere near what they really are. To the uneducated, any small goat is a Pygmy. 

I am trying to sell all the goats except the Nigerian Dwarfs to cut down my workload and feed costs. Because they are smaller, they eat less of course. They do grow a double coat for winter too, which keeps them warmer, so they eat less than a single coated animal who must eat to stay warm. The Angora may be the last to leave or maybe she will stay. Bred to a Nigerian Dwarf, her offspring may be blue eyed, but always will be white and fluffy since those genes are stronger. I also have two Nigerian/Nubian cross girls coming and I am hoping they will do better than the Nubians with the input of Nigerian Dwarf genes. 

If you are starting out and don't know which to try, Nigerians are easier to keep in because of their smaller size, and they eat less for the same reason, plus they are a true dairy goat and provide rich milk, though of course less than a large dairy goat does. Besides, they are just so darn cute! My choice for sure...maybe they will be yours too!

I spend a small fortune on hay nets. They are supposed to do three things: Keep the hay off the backs of the animals thereby keeping the fleece clean, save feed because they take a while to get it out of the net and then do not waste it as they do when they pull a whole mouthful out and it drops, and three, keep the waste down. 

I have not seen the sheep so much as attempt to eat the green feed from their hay net. They do eat the grain heads from green feed and if it is green enough, they will eat some of the grassy part, but mostly they regard it as straw and leave it alone. The goats have discovered that green feed has a little grain in it, not much, but some and they have mastered eating the grain and throwing out the rest. That is contrary to what is supposed to happen. I will try with hay when they devour and waste most of the bale they have. I think perhaps now they have learned to pull out what they want and discard the rest, the theory of no waste will not work. It does one thing and that is help keep the hay off the backs of the other animals, though. For a fibre farm, if that is the result, then it is successful. 

I took a short video of the goats eating the green feed, pulling out the straws and discarding them, then continuing to hunt for the ones that had any kernels on the ends. They do not tend to pick anything up if it falls to the ground though, being browsers. So, the waste is more than ever. 

The cows will likely do the best because they will eat whatever they get out of the net. The cow net has larger spaces and they should be able to learn how to access the feed in the net. It slows down feeding so they eat constantly basically, except when they are chewing their cud or sleeping. This is purportedly healthy for ruminants of all breeds. 

For the goats, hay net feeding green feed does NOT work! Now I know that, on to the next feed. I think alfalfa would still get into the fleece though. We shall see. I have one bale of alfalfa left and when the green feed is gone, I will give it a try. 

Hay nets for goats….the decision is pending.

Celia is the herd boss in the goat yard, not the  biggest by any means, but certainly the one who bosses the rest around. She is a great mother and has had quads every year. I want to keep at least two of her daughters this year, so she is for sale. She is hardy and strong and the best of everything, with the one exception that she is bossy. I think the goat yard will be better without her. 

This year she had a very strange birth. One doeling was still born, and looked like it was about 3 weeks overdue. Then she had the quads and when she expelled the placenta, a fetus of about 3 months was with it, aborted, of course. The smallest of the quads was sold as a bottle baby to ensure that she was going to be fed. The bigger sisters tended to push her away too much. She is well loved in her new home and her owner dotes on her. One of the remaining girls is being pushed away by the two strongest babies. I am thinking of removing her and bottle feeding her or supplementing her and letting her remain with the group. It is easier for me to bring her close, but harder on her. I suppose I will try the supplemental feedings first. That way she can remain with her family, though sometimes the mother will reject the baby if does not smell like her milk. Time will tell. 

There are two left from Daphne's quads and they are growing well and are bouncy and strong. Soon it will be weaning time. I think about milking Daphne but I dont use milk except for soap and occasionally to make cheese. I suppose I could get a supply and make some cheese and freeze some for soap making in the winter. She is not a very cooperative milker though, or at least was not last year. 

There is one other kid from the Angora, 13. The baby is half Nigerian and female and has a smooth coat which is very soft, most like cashmere. I will have to wait and see how it goes. Hand spinners love Nigora fibre for spinning. The Angora goat is an excellent mother, but stays well out of Celia's way, as does Daphne. The young goats, Sofi and Pippin, Tommy and Timmy, avoid  Celia and the bit Nubians do too. The rest of the herd tends to get along fine. Celia would be a great goat with one of her babies for a small family, just on her own. She is a protective mother and also teaches her babies to fend for themselves very well. I will be sorry to see Celia go, but I don't want to add too many new goats and keep the older ones too. So, Celia is for sale. Sorry goatie. Time for greener pastures for you and thank you for all your wonderful babies! 

I read a lot. As a matter of fact, maybe I read too much. I am always researching and looking up things I want to know and learn. When I decided to be a farmer, I already knew I wanted to be an organic farmer, since my lifestyle was primarily organic for years prior. What I did not understand, is that in some areas, the theory of organic farming is not only not practiced, but frowned upon. I spoke to an elderly lady today, a well known business woman in the small town of St. Paul, and she told me she sees absolutely no value in organic cotton as opposed to regular cotton or synthetic fabrics, with her preference being the synthetics because they are easy care. Whoa! I told her I make soap, lotions, salves, creams and blend essential oils and again, she said that none of those things appealed to her because she can go the store and buy any of those much cheaper and better than the hand made ones. Whoa again. 

And it is that way with sheep too. The production farmers who raise sheep want bigger, fatter, faster growing lambs so they stuff them full of grain as soon as they are able to nibble food. I cannot find evidence of my theory on this, yet, but I think that the early feeding of grain forever ruins the sheep's ability to thrive on forage, and that is likely the same for goats and cows as well, also being ruminants. I am basing my idea on only what I have seen in the past three years as a farmer. The sheep I have acquired as adults, who have been fed grain from babies, do not adjust well to a grass fed operation. They are always 'hungry' and some even have to be taught to eat hay. 

The Angora goats that came to the farm were from a fibre farm where they were fed pelleted feeds and straw for roughage. This was done to keep the coats clean so the fibre, mohair, would fetch top dollar. When the goats came home, they were fed hay, as rumunants should be, and they nearly starved to death. I eventually had to go buy some pelleted food, that which they were used to, and sprinkle it on the hay, to teach them to eat hay. Two of the does never did thrive and were made into meat, which, I must say, was delicious. The third managed to adapt and has done very well. 

Many of the sheep that have come from grain heavy farms also struggle with forage based feeding. The Cotswolds were from two different farms, the ram from one and three ewes from another. Only one ewe managed to switch over and I have kept her. The ram and the other two ewes could never gain enough weight to thrive, so I sold them (to a grain feeding farmer). The Cotswold ewe I have kept is robust, fat and healthy and has given me one single lamb per year for the past two years. Cotswolds are not known for multiple births, but twins are not uncommon. Her lambs are big and healthy, so I am fortunate there. One of her lambs, is like her mother, thriving on the hay and pasture, but the other is smaller and thin. All ewes, sheep, get the same care, with worming and supplements in the form of alfalfa at the onset of pregnancy and the month prior to delivery and the month after. They do not get grain, though sometimes I have given them some field peas. 

The sheep that seem to thrive on the forage based feeding system also seem to be more worm resistant than the grain pigs. I , so far, cannot find research that shows a correlation between grain feeding and poor worm resistance. I am only going by what I observe in my small flock. The animals that do not thrive on hay and pasture are sold or go for meat. I am particularly interested in breeding those that not only do well on the grass feed, but also are parasite resistant, and have strong hooves. Good feet are paramount to health for ruminants. The breeds that I favour are primitives, those that have not been improved by man and are the way they have been for centuries on end. The Icelandic, Jacob, Shetland, Finnsheep (to some degree, but lots have been altered) are all short tailed naturally and do not require tail docking to keep the flies from chewing them alive in the summer. They are hardier than the commercial 'white' sheep breeds that have been created by man and which did not evolve long ago. 

I am not really interested in a lamb that is for production. This started out to be a little fibre farm and as soon as I find ways to keep the fleece free of vegetative matter, because they are hay fed for 7 months of the year, the fleece quality will be good enough to sell for hand spinners and felters. But, well fed sheep also have better pelts. That does not translate to grain fed sheep. 

The grain fed sheep that have been on the farm are greedy sheep who fight for a morsel of grain. It is like heroin to them, fixating on a sugar high immediately. Research has shown that grain is not the answer to keeping the sheep warm in winter. It is akin to coffee for humans, or sugar, where there is an instant rush and then nothing except the desire for more. Hay is proper food for runimants and it is digested slowly, chewed twice and provides energy to the sheep, provided it has adequate protein. Not all hay is the same, so I have discovered. The hay I had last year was planted hay and the sheep did extremely well on it. This year's hay is just pasture grass and is variable from bale to bale, with some being better than the others. With the alfalfa supplementation, they seem just fine. When they are shorn, then real condition scoring can take place. It is harder to asses when they are wearing their thick wool coats. They will be shorn at the end of this month. 

In conclusion, I want to stress that sheep farmers are not doing the sheep any service when they feed them grain and when they worm them routinely, whether they need it or not. Instead of breeding the parasite resistant sheep that thrive on forage based feeding, they shove grain down them as early as they can, never giving the sheep a chance to live naturally. And, with routine worming, the worms are now resistant to many of the antihelminics out there, and they are no longer working. What if only the parasite resistant were kept as breeding stock? The flock would be a hardy, naturally resistant flock, strong and the costs to the farmer would be way down through parasite deaths, plus the elimination of grain would cut the feed bill. 

Grass fed meat has been proven to be much healthier for humans to consume, though here in Alberta, most won't touch it because they are used to sweet, well marbled meat that grain produces. I want to say that there is a direct correlation between human health and grain fed meat consumption, too. But that is another topic for another day. Suffice to say that this farm will endeavour to breed the sheep and keep the sheep that thrive on our forage based feeding system and are parasite resistant naturally. Too bad I have just started farming. If I had another thirty years (I would be ninety then if that was to happen), I would have created some darn healthy sheep! In the meantime, I am doing my best to learn as I go and have a thriving, healthy and well loved flock of sheep at the Fat Ewe Farm. 

The ram lambs were born in May through June of 2014. These seven little boys were weaned in October and were still very small, so they went in with the little goats kids and the two Nubian does for company and warmth. The Nubians and kids have a round granary as their barn and it does keep them totally out of the wind. With the 14 bodies in the barn, the temperature can be twenty degrees warmer than the outside. For night that have been especially cold this winter, the extra warmth provided by the sheep has been good for the goats and the lambs too. 

But goats and sheep do have different nutritional requirements. Goats are browsers and eat from the top down given their choice, whereas sheep are grazers and like short grass the best. They both eat weeds and the goats prefer tree leaves to grass. Good hay for the sheep and goats will have lots of natural weeds in it. But the does benefit from the extra protein and minerals in alfalfa, though for rams, it is too rich and sometimes the extra calcium can cause urinary calcuali, little calcium stones that must pass the urethra, a painful condition. Baking soda helps with that, but prevention is better, so now that the lambs are older, it was necessary to separate them. Goats require greater amounts of copper in their diets, but too much copper is harmful to some breeds of sheep, so the concern for feeding minerals and mineral salts is also there. 

Moving the ram lambs is always a process. They are not tame and friendly, but not wild. They have not been haltered, nor ever fed grain, so leading them with the lure of a grain bucket means nothing to them and haltering one is a process. The term "jumbuck" is a young lamb on a tether, likely originating from the jumping and bucking they do. My poor arm and shoulder muscles will never be the same. I moved the first that way and then my son devised a plan. I had already thought that plan through, but felt I could not execute it on my own. Since he was there to help, we put the ewes in the barn, then opened and closed several gates, and along with the border collie, Robbie, got the rest of the ram lambs into the other goat pen. The goats were then easy to lure out with a bucket of grain, since they all knew what that was and they followed me to the pen where the lambs left from, to be with the rest of the goats. 

Then war broke out. The two herd bosses, Cecelia, the Nygerian doe and Mattie, the Nubian doe, had words. Cecelia has horns and knows how to use them. She won. The herd is still divided and I have been feeding them separately and will continue to do so for the next while until they sort things out between themselves. I noticed the Nygerians were sleeping in the shelter, while the Nubians still had their barn. What I would like to see is all the goats in the barn. The Nygerians are pregnant, but the Nubians are not bred this year. 

And poor Raven, the lone little buck was left with the ram lambs and has gone hoarse crying for his girls. I will move him along with the two little bucklings when the weather warms up somewhat. Oh the fun with the critters never does end!

In the summer I bought two registered purebred Nubian does and one buckling. The buckling did not make the winter, and one of the does is very thin. She was not in great condition even when I purchased her, but I thought I could easily fix that. She is dangerously poor though and does not respond to anything I have tried. These does and the doelings are not being bred this year. Matty is likely strong and well enough to breed, but I will give her a year off to become in prime condition first. Then hopefully, I will have acquired a Nigerian buckling ready to breed and big enough to breed her, or possibly a large red Boer goat and the offspring would be meat goats, not milk goats. The Nubians were bought to milk. The Nygoras arnd the cashmere goats are fibre goats, however, I did have some Angora fibre goats butchered last fall and I must say, goat meat is fantastic. 

The goats are houses with ram lambs to help provide some warmth in the barn. The more bodies the warmer the barn and sheep tend to stay a lot warmer than goats because of their heavy wool coats. They all snuggle together in their round barn for the night. 

Not this year, but the next, the Nygora doelings will be big enough to breed and they should start to produce some goats with coloured fleeces. They will remain small though. Pippin is the largest of the doelings, but Sofi is not far behind her. Tommy and Timmy are tiny bucklings. 

Goats are really intersting creatures, but not the easiest animals to keep healthy. They are highly susceptible to worms and many have started to become resistant to chemcial wormers. They do not like grass, but will eat it if there is nothing else. What they really love are weeds and leaves. They will completely deforest all they can reach if they are allowed in a bush. Last summer, they went into the fenced part of the bush and completely demolished the caragana shrubs that were heavily populated there. I am hoping the other part of the bush will be fenced off for them this year. Would I recommend keeping goats for pets? You bet! Come and visit them sometimes.

It does not take long to increase a goat herd. Last year there were 19 babies born. This year, there are only five does bred. Angora goats seldom have twins or triplets, and this goat has only had singles for her first two kiddings. The buck is very tiny so the kid should be white and fluffy and tiny, since white is the dominant colour here. 

Sheri and Daria are Daphne's girls from the past two years. Daphne is the most beautiful friendly goat and her kids are always the first to sell. I have kept these beautiful girls back, but will likely sell them next year and just keep the mother and Celia, plus the Angora. I also have two Nubians and several Nygoras from last year's kidding. They are not being bred this year and in another pen away from the buck. 

Celia is very large already and likely will have quads again. She usually has twins and two non related babies. Unfortunately, one of the babies of each litter has not survived, even being taken from her and bottle fed. The babies are not removed otherwise and she has raised the remaining triplets with no problem, as has Daphne. Daphne is a little thin currently, but Celia is nice and round and in great condition. 

The goats all need copper because the iron in our water causes the copper not to be absorbed properly. I have ordered copper wire filaments to bolus the goats with. The bolus will also reduce any barber pole worms, since they do not like copper and leave the body. I was reading a new article today that indicated that sheep also benefit from copper bolus. It has been thought previously that any copper was detrimental to the sheep and should be avoided at all costs. 

Cocoa had a single baby last year, but was clueless as to what to do with it. I am giving her a second chance this year, but if she walks away from her kid, then she will be sold. The little buckling might stay on to breed the girls next year as well, depending on how many of his daughters I keep as replacements. The idea was to milk the goats, but I have not done it. I tried, but they kicked the bucket over, kicked me and were terrible. I need a better stantion where I can tie their legs at first too. 

Anyhow, the goats are bred and getting big even though they are not due until May. Basically they are only half way through, and the dates cannot be wrong because the buck was not introduced to the ladies until December. Let's hope the weather in May is nice and warm. Last May we had some terrible frosts and the babies were born on some of the cold freezing nights. Cocoa's baby was nearly lost that way. I picked her up half frozen since Cocoa did not mother her at all, but she did make it. Thanks Mamma Goaties. Your babies and your lives are honoured here at the Fat Ewe Farm.