I have learned that the bonds goats form are very powerful. Wesley and Buttercup are the first two goats we got on our homestead. We got them with the intent of breeding Buttercup and having Wesley be a companion for the buck we would soon be getting. Wesley and Buttercup are twins. They were sold to a family as a set, and later we bought them as a set. They have never been separated. We found out very quickly just how strong a goat bond is when we tried to put Wesley with our buck. We knew that we could never separate these two. The picture says it all!
This did not solve the question pf what to do with our buck. He needed a companion. So we found Thor. Thor is our 2 month old buckling. He is too little and young to go with our buck. So we solved that by making a pen for him so he could be with the does for companionship but not in with them so we don't have an accidental pregnancy.
Thor did not like this arrangement. He became depressed. It was so sad to see him. The solution? Put Wesley in with him. This works because the pen is in the doe part of the barn and the wall is made of mesh wire so all the goats can see each other. Thor is happier and Buttercup and Wesley are still together.
A broody hen is cause for excitement on our little homestead. We recently acquired a beautiful rooster with the hopes of keeping our flock going. Not really wanting to add to the flock just yet, we decided to let nature take its course and down the road invest in an incubator.
Imagine our delight, to go out to the coop one morning and see a girl sitting there on eggs. She was hollering and squawking at anyone who dared approach her. Carefully we checked and sure enough, six eggs were under her. She made sure to let us know how she felt about being disturbed. So we let her sit. We could hear her all day long as we were working on the goat area.
I got to thinking about how to put food there for her, when the babies could hatch, and what they would look like. So you can imagine my disappointment while going to gather the rest of the eggs later and there she was, pecking and clucking in the yard with the others. Sure enough, her post had been abandoned. No baby chicks this time around!
I guess she got bored and hopped on down to join the others.
It all began on a spring day in March 2015 with the purchase of 8 Rhode Island Red baby chicks. Now almost a year later, a dream has become a reality.
Welcome to the blog that will follow our journey of becoming small farmers! Follow along as we learn the ups and downs of raising our animals, working hard.
