On Monday, Mama and I drove to pick up our new goats!
Friday, we had gotten the outer enclosure all set for them by driving stakes into the ground and tying the fence pieces together, and she had been busy preparing the interior of the chicken coop to her taste.
Well, after a struggle to get the mama goat into the crate up in the truck, we were all set. The baby rode home on my lap.
Meet Sweetheart~
And Alyssum~
Sweetheart, (or Heart), is a Boer-Saanen cross. Alyssum isn't her kid, but she did have kids a while ago, and so she's all set to be milked. While she is constantly butting Lyssi away, she can't stand to be separated from her! When she's up on the milking stand, she won't be calm unless she has grain/grass to her liking, and Alyssum is eating on the other side of the wall right where she can see her.
Alyssum, (or Lyssi), is a sweet little Saanen, about seven weeks old, I believe.
The milking has gone about as smoothly as can be expected, what with the shake-up of being relocated. But Heart is getting better and more used to it. We're figuring out her quirks and what makes her feel comfortable.
They have a pen in the chicken coop, since the rooster was... *cough*... evicted...
And the outer pen is right under a big maple tree. They have shade at all times of the day, and plenty of sunlight.
Oh, and they have John Deere collars. :3
These goats love dandelions.
I should have just named Lyssi after them. Then she would be Dandy for short. :P
After a few milkings, Mama had a gallon of milk. So she tried her hand at making chevre cheese. It came out a little wetter than intended, but it's more like cream cheese. It spreads great on bread. Ingredients: dill, onion powder, and sea salt.
The goats are wonderful. ^_^
Every time I walk across the yard to the garden, they spy me and call out. I like their voices. Heart's is funny and loud in contrast with Lyssi's soft bleat. I love the smell of goats, too. XD
We're getting along well, and as the routine starts to sink in, everything will go smoother. Already it isn't such a struggle to coax Heart up onto the milking stand.
Yep, I'm enjoying this. ;)
They just make me smile, too, even if I just hear their bleats while I'm someplace else about the homestead. I had hoped to gain a little strength back in my hands and forearms from the hand milking: from the first 3 days it was very tiring, but today I felt absolutely able to go at a steady pace and not need to pause for my own sake. Goat therapy is good therapy. :-)
ReplyDeleteO so sweet, thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteI very much enjoy reading your whimsically written experience, thank you for sharing! :)
ReplyDeleteWhat a beautiful blog - the writing, the photography! Great job Hannah! We'll come over and see the goats in a week or two.
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