Sad News From the Farm

Friday was a very sad day at Lazy Danes Farm. Due to a very stupid mistake with herd management the goats and the dogs ended up in the back yard together. Sparing the readers the details, we lost MerryWeather. I can not begin to express how sad and horrible I feel. MerryWeather and her sister, Scarlet, were the first farm animals for Lazy Danes. We brought them home at 2 weeks old to bottle feed and dote on so they would be friendly. They played in our living room and followed us around the farm. We didn't just lose a farm animal , we lost a family member.

Moving on with heavy hearts, Chuck and I looked for goats available to fill the milk production gap. This time of year it is much harder to find what you're after. I was excited to find some Nigerian Dwarf goats about 45 minutes from here that had already been exposed to a buck for kidding in the early part of 2011. There were several available and we promised Willow she could choose since Merry had been her goat. We piled into the van today complete with the Great Dane sized crate and headed to Buffalo Creek Farm in Germanton.

Well, we had lots of questions for them and so many possible solutions. In great Herrin style, instead of just coming home with 1 goat, we bought 2. Plus, one is most likely pregnant and usually throws twins or triplets. Eek! So here are some coming home pictures of our new additions...

First, we have Rosemary. She is a 5 year old Nigerian Dwarf.

And really, how could we leave behind the 2 week old Nubian, now named Petunia?

After a quick stop at Tractor Supply for milk replacer - I had no plans to buy a goat I needed to bottle feed- we made it back to the farm with just enough daylight to get everyone settled in.

Scarlet greeted the new girls cordially. Her and Rosemary will be sharing one side of the shed with Petunia being tucked all cozy under a heat lamp on the other side. So far no goat drama; they're usually pretty easy going animals.

Scarlet watching Rosemary "who are you exactly?"

Rosemary "what the hell is going on?"

Yes, Rosemary is shaped like an end table. Nigerians have very short legs and her roundness really accentuates this trait. They keep more weight on than other breeds and she's starting to store it up more for winter. I can't imagine how round she'll be when she's ready to deliver! Nigerians also have a higher fat content in their milk than other dairy breeds so her milk will be good for separating into cream and making butter. I'm excited to have a different breed on the farm.

Petunia

Petunia is an brown, almost cinnamon, colored doe with little splashes of white. I ADORE the long Nubian ears. So cute! She has already been on the bottle because her mom was sold a few days ago. The girls both fell in love with her and that's who Willow wanted. She even used puppy dog eyes on us. After much discussion on logistics we agreed to get Petunia as well. What's one more goat? She is well on her way to being spoiled, too. When I went out to snap theses pictures she was curled up in the far corner, shivering- she hasn't figured out to get near the heat lamp yet. So, now, she's sleeping on my lap as I type. After her bedtime bottle, I'll settle her into the warm corner for the night.

Welcome home new does!

In closing, lesson learned. The goats do not go in the backyard ever again. It is dogs only. Even if I have to replace every piece of fence on this property with chain link to contain Scarlet, there will be no more "just for today". Ever.

I'm sorry MerryWeather.