Reunion!

Dasha and I recently went on a visit to her birthplace in Conifer. Dasha was born at Bohica Acres, a little animal farm and goat breeding operation run by Diana and her family. The purpose of our visit was to breed Dasha to one of Diana's bucks. That was a fun adventure in itself, but the best part was when we let Dasha visit the other does.

Dasha's mother (Lena) and twin sister (Violet) still live at Bohica Acres. The doe pen had 12 does in it, but Dasha, Lena and Violet only had eyes for each other. Dasha hadn't seen her mother and sister since she came to live with me 8 months ago.

[You can click on each picture to view a larger size.]

Right before we left for Conifer. Doesn't Dasha look relaxed?

Lena (mom) immediately to the left of Dasha; Violet (sister) behind Lena.

Getting to know each other. Violet looks a little like she's winding up for a headbutt!

Dasha (with the collar) inherited her stubborn streak from her mother. Lena is the boss of all the girl goats, with Violet as her sidekick. Before Dasha left she was also one of the alpha girls.

Family snuggle.

And an update on the breeding...

Pirate is a very handsome boy with blue eyes, and actually looks quite sweet in person. He REALLY liked Dasha. During our first visit to the breeder's Dasha wasn't interested in him, but after we gave her a day to fully come into season she was willing to "hang out" with Pirate. If the breeding was successful, Dasha's baby(ies) should be due on April 8th!

For the Milk

As anyone who spends time around me knows, I love talking about my animals. It's great to share my experiences with other urban-dwellers. Even if they're not at all interested in keeping animals themselves, it helps to redefine what's possible in a city backyard.

It's also fun because it helps to shed a little light on food and biology, and how they're intertwined. People ask about my plans for my goats and whether I'm milking them. I always explain that they're just now getting old enough to breed, so once they've had their babies then I can milk them for a time. And then - for almost everyone I talk to - there's a moment of realization. "Oh, I didn't realize you had to breed them in order to get milk!" Most of us city folk (myself included) grew up thinking that cows and goats were just automatically milk-able. Nope, they're mammals, and they have to follow the same biological rules that humans do.

So, today's a big day for our little farm, because I'm taking Dasha up to the breeder's to - hopefully! - get knocked up. We're breeding her to a (again, hopefully) nice, registered goat named Pirate.

Isn't he a handsome devil? We're happy that we're able to breed her to a blue-eyed buck. I really couldn't care less about the eye color of my goats. However, it's really important to me that I'm able to sell the babies, and a reality of the goat world is that the blue-eyed trait is less common, and therefore sought after.

Snow Angels

Our recent snowstorm completely blanketed the barnyard, relegating the animals to their shed for the better part of 3 days (the chickens slept in their little coop with a lightbulb at night). The animals weren't unhappy, but the snow was definitely something new for them!


The first day of the storm.


Peeking out.



Before breaking the first path for morning chores.



From inside the cozy shed.



Dasha and the hens.





"Hmm... should we go out?"


Dasha re-breaking the path after new snow.



Wondering if Peaberry is going to come...



Yep, she did it!





"Um, Mom, can you pick me up?"





"That's much better!"




After the snow stopped, Cinnamon and Peaberry went on a little adventure.





They kept getting stalled on the single path, so I made them a loop through the barnyard.



Cardamom checking out what Cinnamon is up to.




Looking regal, even in the snow.

Goat Walk!

Our goats have a nice pen to explore, but we wanted to take them on an adventure. So, I went to PetsMart to buy dog harnesses (which ended up being too big, so we'll have to trade them in) and took the goats on a little walk on a nearby trail. Lots of space, and plenty of weeds to munch!

Brian's being a trouper, handling both goats for the picture!

Early in the hike, before the weed-eating began.

Brian and Dasha on a stroll (forgive the finger in the picture - can you believe I'm married to a photographer?).

Peaberry discovering the weeds.

This is a typical Dasha photo. "Hey, what are you doing?"

Peaberry and her too-big harness.

Gazing at the view.

Wanting to cuddle, even on the hike!

Helping

Snugglebug

Meet the Baby!

Today Brian and I went to Crowley Manor to meet the newest member of our farm family -- our baby Nigerian Dwarf goat. She was born at 2:00am on Saturday morning, so she was about 32 hours old when we saw her.

She is strawberry-blonde with blue eyes, just like the papa goat. We're going to name her Peaberry.











She already knows how to pose for the camera. She's a natural!

I wonder if we'll have any trouble bonding?

She's still got a little amniotic fluid on her forehead. Her momma has cleaned her, but whenever she nurses she gets a little more on her head. It's no problem - just a little post-birth stuff!

Lilly Blue (who's due to have babies in April) and Coco check us out.

She likes to cuddle close, and cuddling inside a shirt is even better!

Look at those blue eyes!

She has something to say!!

On your mark, get set...

And she's off!

Right now she's just a tad bigger than Lucy, but she's got looong legs!

Some gorgeous goat milk soaps made by the goat owner/breeder, Patricia from Crowley Manor. Patricia treated us to a couple of bars - Monaco Lavendar & Peaches and Pink Grapefruit Lemon Balm. These are just wonderful soaps, made by hand. You can contact Patricia at (303) 668-3892 or www.crowleymanor.com if you'd like more information.