Monday, July 16, 2012

Pickles the Porch Goat

At least it's not "Pickles the House Goat".

I did have her inside two or three times the first few days because of the extreme heat, but other than that, Pickles has been an outdoor goat.  One the porch, but still an outdoor goat.

I've never raised a bottle baby and I do have to admit that she is much friendlier than the dam-raised kids.  Not that the other kids are mean or overly timid, but it takes longer for the kids raised by their mothers to warm up to us.  Pickles, on the other hand, is like a puppy and follows us everywhere.  So she's been hanging out on the porch.  And banging on the front door to come inside.  And jumping on, head butting and otherwise annoying poor Moonshine to the point where she'll be begging to come inside just to get away from Pickles.

But I don't want a porch goat.  And we need Pickles to get used to living with the other goats.  So I've been taking her out to the goat pen for her feedings.  She's been staying with the other goats for longer periods of time although she's still sleeping in the dog house on the porch at night.  Nettie, Annette and Chop Suey were picking on her at first, but nothing that really warranted a human intervention. Eventually the older goats figured out that the little annoying goat wasn't going away and got bored of harassing her. During a (very short and light) period of rain, Nettie actually let Pickles stay with her in one of the goat huts.

Pickles is also eating like crazy.  I think she's going through an entire half-gallon every 24 hours.  Thank goodness Nettie and Annette are in milk otherwise I'd hate to find out how much milk replacer would cost us.  She's also much beefier than I remember the dairy kids being at two and a half weeks, which would make sense as she's a Boer goat.

As soon as I get the door back on the kidding pen, she'll spend the nights out in the barn with the rest of the goats and her days of porch-lounging will be just a distant memory.

And Moonshine will be much happier.

11 comments:

  1. Pickles the Porch Goat . . . perfect! She sure is a cutie. But you're right, you don't want a full grown goat living on your porch. 'Cause she'd need company. Like two or three other full grown goats living on your porch. Then there would be the times you'd have to bring a buck to visit on your porch and . . . oh, never mind. You get the idea. ;o}

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    1. Great. Fornicating goats on my porch. Just what I wanted to think about first thing in the morning....and will probably now think of every time I walk onto the porch.

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  2. Carolyn, that brings back memories. We had a bottle baby that we had in the house for awhile in a doll cradle in my daughter's room. She eventually made it to the pen with the others only after being a "porch goat" and being a playmate for my kids, riding in a red wagon with them. Yeah, everywhere that "Mary" went our goat was sure to follow!

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  3. She really is just so darn cute! I never had a bottle baby goat, but plenty of other animals... They really do end up sweeter and more affectionate to humans than the traditional babies.

    Oh, and Kitty at the farm didn't stick around... I assume she went back to where she came from to have her babies... I miss her!

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  4. What a cuite pie! Sounds like you're doing a good transition, kind of like how I've done my older chicks to the flock....

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  5. I do know what you mean - the 'cute' tends to lose its shine after they start wrecking your porch. But that name - I LOVE that name. It has the same affect on me as when I was a kid and someone said 'underpants'. Hysterical.

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  6. Ah, a porch goat. Um...what does your hubby think of this? ;)

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  7. River Bend Farm, You know, I think there's an old nursery rhyme about that :) Oh wait, nevermind...

    Kristina, those floppy ears are just too cute, ain't they?

    Tiny, Maybe barn kitty will show up with her family!

    Nancy, the transition was easier than I thought, especially since she hasn't figured out that she could get out of the goat pen if she really wanted to.

    Susan, goat pee on the porch gets really old, really fast.

    MamaTea, I'm pretty sure you know exactly how he feels about this!!

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  8. Pickles is a NICE looking Boer goat. She will be a great start for your meat goats.

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  9. She sure is a cutie-pie! :) How cool that Nettie let her in out of the rain, my two older does aren't as nice...
    They do eat a LOT when they are little, it always amazes me. You don't realize it so much when maaa is feeding them.

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