If there is one thing that has surprised me about having goats, it's how easy and enjoyable they are. They are so small and require little space, are the cleanest of the livestock, and interact more like a pet instead of the typical stand-offish ruminant. I love my goats much more than I ever imagined.
The goats here are Dwarf Nigerians and they are 50-60 pounds max weight. They have a lovely coat on them and are too cute. They're not highly aggressive nor very mischievous. I would highly recommend them to anyone who wants to expand agrarian ambitions beyond chickens and bees but don't want anything too big or scary. Honestly, I don't even need to pen my goats in because they know where home is and don't like to go too far.
Having said that, they are still goats and you definitely should take care building their pen because they are capable of amazing David Copperpfield-esque escapes. And, being goats, expect typical goat-y behaviors like trying to jump or climb on you. As I'd check on my pregnant doe, Valentina, I'd have the boys, Louis Vuitton and Braveheart, chewing on my hair or climbing on my back and standing on top of me. Typically I feel peace and calm when I'm with my livestock. I admire the beauty of nature and have to coax or wrestle my animals if I want to handle them. But when I'm with my goats (at least with the boys), I feel harangued. In fact I feel something akin to the stress my children can cause. I have always been opposed to calling children "kids" because "kids" are baby goats. Within two weeks of having goats, I recognized the appalling similarities between children (or at least my children) and baby goats, kids. Calling my children "kids" has become a loving, joking endearment.
But back to my Valentina and her three precious babies. These photos were taken two weeks ago when we came home from church to find the best kind of surprise. The girls are the two little ones on the left and the boy is on the right.
On the right is the baby that was born first, baby #1 who is a boy. Baby #2 is to his left.
Here is baby #2, a girl.
And baby #3 is the smallest, another girl who looks like her daddy.
And just three days later,
Today I took some photos of the baby boy so that I can try and sell him. The sad truth of boys in the farm is that you need so few of them. Their contribution is very limited and what you do need from them, you only need one or two to accomplish. Those one or two you keep are the best of what you can find and everyone else gets voted off the island, I mean farm. It's a rough world for a boy. If I were to keep him, I would have to castrate him or make him a "wether". Like I said, rough.
But he is a cutie who was crying for his momma for the photos. Just irresistibly adorable.
In honor of it being Easter today and having spring underway, here is a video of our daily egg hunt and a few photos of our daffodils and magnolias which I am so grateful for.
Finally, because it is Easter, here is a video to remind us that because Jesus Christ lives, our lives, our hearts, are changed. Because He lives, my experiences in my home and this life are more than just their sum total. Because He lives, I can be better tomorrow than today and find beauty and hope in every experience. That is my testimony and though I realize many who visit this blog may not share my beliefs, it's worth examining the things that give meaning in this life.
Happy Easter!
