Wednesday, March 3, 2021

The Ending of an Era (or Error???)

I haven't been the offical "Keeper of Goats" at the homestead for almost six years now. After re-establishing myself in the weekday 9-5 grind, the daily Care of the Caprines was no longer my responsibility. I don't recall how many goats we had when the Goat Baton was passed to Paul, but I swear it was no where near what we had last week. Specifically, thirty-nine goats. As in just one less than forty. As in, "Holy Crappers! Where in the hell did all these goats come from??" Well, when a mommy goat and a daddy goat love each other.......

But I regress

We've been talking about thinning the herd for a few years now but it just never seemed to happen. Until last week:

Two separate buyers releived us of twenty-seven goats. Not only do we not have to feed these goats any longer, but we ended up with a few extra dollars in our pockets. Not to say we actually MADE any money on them because as anyone who raises small-scale livestock painfully understands that you never, EVER make money, but we did not send the goats off without getting a little bit of green for the trouble.

Hopefully we will be visited by an additional buyer this week who will take a few more off our hands, leaving us with only MamaGoat, Cactus, Sunflower and the two bottle buckliings. MamaGoat is past her kidding years so she will live out her life here. Rhiannon was unwilling to give up Cactus and Sunflower as they were her bottle babies from last year and Cactus is pregnant; she wants to be with her for her first kidding. Sunflower is a little bit gangly and not really fit for breeding, so she's become a pet; she may eventually be sold if it's to another family as a pampered pet goat. And the two bottle bucklings will hopefully be sold as soon as possible.

Going out into the goat yard yesterday was still a bit eerie. Not being mobbed by them nor hearing the screams of "starving" goats whenever you make eye contact with them is taking a little getting used to. Wait, what's that racket now?? Oh yeah. We still have seven roosters. Five more than we need. Time for rooster stew.

And I've got a rooster story for you as well. Stay tuned!
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5 comments:

  1. Mama PeaMarch 3, 2021 at 5:34 PM

    Wow, you really did decrease the size of your herd! And what a decrease it was. Lucky you to find so many folks wanting goats in your area. That would not be the case around here!

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  2. LeighMarch 4, 2021 at 5:02 AM

    I know that sense of relief when the goat numbers go back to a better management level! Of course, just about the time you get there the next round of kids starts arriving! Some you don't miss, but there are always a few that stick around in your heart for awhile.

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  3. Nancy In BoiseMarch 4, 2021 at 12:14 PM

    Good for you, sounds like takes looks of time and energy!

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  4. Pioneer Woman at HeartMarch 4, 2021 at 12:39 PM

    Wow, that's a lot of goats. I'm trying to get my husband to let us have dairy goats again, but we have been taking vacations more often year after year. The kids don't want the work. It was always hard to find homes for the bucklings and doelings too.

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  5. GoatldiMarch 7, 2021 at 9:47 AM

    I feel your joy and pain. Does take a bit of getting used to. Having had as many as 89 and as few as two (in the beginning) now in the waning years 6 does and 2 bucks. I haven’t bred anyone in two years . You know that starry eyed decision that makes so much sense in the Fall and so easy. Invariably becomes a lot of work in the Spring . Leaving one to wonder what the heck was I thinking?

    Congratulations on the herd reduction and may your good sense continue to prevail 😊

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