This is Sammy our wether. I don't think I've ever posted his picture before. He is 5 months old.
MollyD
Updated pictures of our goats
Tommy (born April 8, 2008)
His twin brother Huck (Huckleberry Finn, Tommy is Tom Sawyer)
The whole herd of 5 (new buck won't arrive till August)
very nice tails up and coats shinny.
The three boys together
Thanks L2G. Just wish Bonnie (twins mom) could get some weight on. She's too thin for a Boer.
MollyD
feed her eggs and milk?
saw thes pics earlier, just got busy outside.... man it got hot!
such nice start of your herd Molly, you did good!
tf
Yes a very nice start. Yes it is hot out there.
Them babies can take alot out of their mama's, she should be weaning them soon she should start to come around then.
There are a lot of Boer goats aroud here--but I've never seen one as nice as yours, MollyD.
What a nice looking group Molly! They sure look healthy. Bet you can't wait for your new buck, huh?
Christy
Thanks guys! Yes indeed we're on pins and needles wanting to get that buck here but knowing we have work to do before he gets here. We've tried twice now to separate the twins from their mom. Their mom is cool with the whole thing. It's their aunt Milly who goes ballistic and twice now has torn the fence down to get to them.
We're going to do some work on the electric fence and run two wires to stop her. It's time for Bonnie to get some rest. I want her to put on a few pounds (she's about 25 pounds underweight) before I breed her this December.
Once the buck is paid for we have to get two unrelated does for the twins. It seems like it goes on and on!! We want to make sure that these does are unrelated to our new buck and each other so we're not limited in who can mate with whom.
MollyD
Your goats are so nice looking! Very cute, and they look so healthy and happy. You give us all goat-envy!
Jana if you saw how hectic things get at meal times you would have less envy! No matter how much they've eaten they always behave as if this were the first meal in several days. I have to fight my way to their feed bin to fill it cause they're trying to steal the grain right out of the bucket!!! I end up with hoof prints all over me!
MollyD
You are right, I dont envy that, but boy do they look like little angels in their pictures!
Molly I know what you mean! I resorted to chaining up the pygmies during grain time because they harrass the sheep AND each other! They do act EVERY day like they haven't eaten in days, lol!
Molly, call me what you like, but this next time you go to separate, check a farmer's almanac. Shoot i could check my moon gardening calendar for you... ol' timers always weaned when the moon sign was below the "knees"...
Yes but does that work on obsessed relatives? Their Mom is ready to give them up! Crazy aunt doesn't want to.
This morning I outsmarted them. They wouldn't stop crowding me long enough for me to get their grain so I started to walk into that section where they broke into to get the kids from. They followed me and I quickly stepped out and closed it off so they were on the other side. Working quickly I got their grain done and then let them in. They all walked in very subduedly. I think I spoiled all their fun at jumping on me. I'm going to have some very angry goats on my hands now cause I finally got a measuring cup for their food and I've been feeding them twice what they need. So I cut it back closer to their correct amounts. LOL Hopefully that will encourage them to browse more. I gave them a little extra hay in case the rain stopped them from going out.
MollyD
Molly,
It is hard to feed them what each one needs, unless you feed them separate.
They are beautiful Molly... Tommy is my favorite... how about some personality stories? Sounds like auntie wants all the glory.. why not serperate them and let her go over with them for awhile giving mom a break? Oh, just in case that was a really stupid idea.. I really know NOTHING about goats...
LOL don't worry Fran. Normally that wouldn't be a bad idea but we don't want aunt Milly in with the boys because she uses Sammy the wether as a punching bag. We're trying to separate the adults from the kids (Sammy is a kid too at 5 months).
L2G yes it is very hard. Gluttons get more than their fair share of the food. Another reason to separate the kids from the adults.
Let's see. Bonnie (twins mom) is very gentle with people. Not so nice to Sammy. She loves to be hugged and petted and will follow me all over if I let her. She loves apples, raspberry leaves, virginia creeper, locust and walnut leaves. Yep walnut leaves. I was told they were poisonous but our goats will stand on two legs desperately trying to reach them. They've eaten them many times now with no ill effects. Bonnie loves to be groomed as does Milly.
Milly is bossy but also wants to be petted. Milly would follow me but if she wanted to do something else she wouldn't hesitate to go off on her own. Milly is (fingers crossed cause you can't be sure till they give birth or are tested) pregnant. Her estimated due date is 9/13/08. That's based on 5 months from when she was first put in with the buck. Milly is a complicated personality. If Sammy is out she head butts him really hard but if he's in his pen she keeps running back to check on him! Milly eats almost everything and anything!
Sammy (the wether) is a little fuzzball darling. He is everything a Boer goat should be in looks but when you look into his eyes you see such gentleness there. He loves to be groomed which is a good thing since he's got this thick curly coat that Boers don't usually get. It gets all kinds of branches and things in it so it needs daily combing. Sammy really wants to be accepted by Bonnie and Milly into the herd but the two witches of Eastwick (that's what I call them when they're being mean to him) won't let him in. He gets along really well with the twins. Sammy has a thing for dried leaves. Like having potato chips I guess!
The twins are Huck (Huckleberry Finn) and Tommy (Tom Sawyer). Huck is adventurous and outgoing. He likes to play games with me like pulling on my clothes from behind and then running away pretending it wasn't him. He's the paint btw. Huck loves to be petted and enjoys grooming. Tommy is a bit more aloof. Petting is on his terms. If he wants to be petted he will seek you out. If not he will dodge and not let you touch him. Tommy isn't fond of being groomed unless he's feeling itchy. Most of the time you can't get a comb on him! He and Tommy love to play king of the mountain. They also love to gang up on Sammy who is able to deal with them very well. The three of them will romp and play all day if the adults leave them alone.
All the goats love their hay and grain!
Bonnie and Milly were part of a set of triplets (3 does) born Dec 30,2006 so they're just over 1+1/2 years old. The twins were born April 8,2008 so they're going on 3 months. Sammy was born January 2008 so he's now 6 months old. He and the twins are physically around the same size!
MollyD
Molly
wheni put the yearlings in with Brandywine, i started bringing BW outside the pen and tying her to the gate to eat from her own bucket. then she is turned loose to browse after milking...
what you did with the gate was very smart Molly! they are gluttons for sure...
Thanks TF. If I let them they would eat the whole 50 pound bag in one day!
It's been pouring rain all day so that trick won't work for dinner. They're going to be extra rough at dinner since they got less feed this morning.
How many goats do you have now Tf?
MollyD
just the three... nobody bred, YET...
I only knew about the one you were milking. Are the other two also does? What kinds?
MollyD
our Nubians. i fianlly got pics of their udders. they turned a year last month, Frosty and Creamy.... same father, champion Nubian, mothers are sisters... did wlel at the fair last year considering my kids had no experience showing, and they were not clipped...
will get that USB cable working or else LOL
tf
LOL I had no idea you even had Nubians!
MollyD
Oh tf Nubians are soooo pretty! Totally can't wait to see pics! Do you make cheese or soap? These are things I thought I might like to try.