Topic: New additions

[barleychown]

After much research and planning, Mike and I picked up our newest additions today.

Meet Cleo and Chloe. (subject to change! )

[patches]

Oh my gosh, Sarah, they are adorable!         How old are they?   

[Tina]

 They are very pretty. My brother had a  four legged 'lawn mower' for a few years. You really will have to protect your garden, Sarah.

[Patty S]

I knew you'd give in & have kids some day! 
Your little twins are just adorable!  I'm sure they'll come in mighty handy, when it's time to clean your garden beds out & trim the shrubs.   Meanwhile, are they going to live inside the house with you, so we can still enjoy your gardens?

Goats can be very entertaining critters, so I hope you plan on taking some videos of their antics.   I can't wait to see them in person, & BG is going to love going to your house even more than she already does!

[Penny]

OMG too cute!!!

[barleychown]

When I planted the back yard, I did so with a plan in mind. That plan included goats, and if you look real close at the pics of my back yard, from the chickenhouse to the creek, I have nothing planted, just what returns year after year, like blackberries, Ivy, and hummingbird vine. That will be their pen when they are a little bit older.

Right now they are 10 weeks old, and very unhappy, as last night was their first night without their momma, and her milk. They seem to be settling in slowly. Where they came from, there were no fences, so they are less than impressed with mine. Also, I put collars on them, and fitted harnesses for them. I have a wilderness park next to my house, and will be walking them there a few times a week.

I grew up with a goat, and know how big of a pain in the rear they can be, but I also know how smart they are, and what they are capable of. They will be a great addition.

[Patty S]

I meant to ask yesterday if they're identical. (I couldnt see their faces real well in the pics.) 

Hey, do goats need to have shots like other pets do?

I know from talking to you on the IM that you wondered if they'd be noisy this morning... were they?  (I can just imagine the chorus coming from your back yard, between the ducks & the goats!  I think you need a peacock too!)

[Triss]

Oh gosh, they are just adorable.  I was right in my guess of goats, too.  Very cute Sarah.  Did you get them for their milk as well so you can make yummy things with it?

[barleychown]

Patty, they are not identical, but they are sisters. If you look real close, one has more black to her coloring (Chloe) and one has more tan (Cleo).

Cleo has had the rough life, between the two of them. Right after they were born, in a snow storm, they were taken to the house to be bottle fed. Well, apparently they were not in a secure place, because when the caretaker went out to feed the outside animals, two dogs grabbed Cleo and where playing tug-o-war with her!

As if that wasn't bad enough, they have never had their hooves trimmed, never been wormed, and have had no shots.  I can do each of these myself, but it makes me angry when people do not take care of the animals they had a hand in placing on this earth.

As for their care, I plan to attempt the more natural route. I hate giving shots, unless there is a concrete reason to. I've seen way to many reactions and deaths caused by vaccines that were not really necessary for the area.

So far, they have not been noisy this morning, just talking to one another in a very quiet voice. Last night, for about 30 minutes, they were yelling for their herd. About broke my heart. However, I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that they are far better off here...even if they don't understand that.

Triss, I did get them with the intent to milk them. I'm going to play it by ear...they could be bred as soon as 8 months old, but I want them full grown and very healthy first.

[Triss]

I hope they adjust quickly so you do not have to hear them cry anymore Sarah.

[Wrennie]

Aww CUTE!
Are They milk goats?

[barleychown]

They will be in the future, Wrennie. 

I got some better pics today, now that they are getting use to me.

"Hey! What are you looking at?"



"Oh, nevermind. It's just her. It's nap time."



If you look close in these pics, you can see the first momma hen and her ducklings in the back, behind the fence, and under the heat lamp.

[barleychown]

Well, something about this time of day makes them miss their momma. They have spent the last hour crying, off and on.    I feel bad. I've done everything I can think of to make them happy, including trying to provide foods they would recognize, like blackberry vines, since the place they came from wasn't really feeding them, just letting them fend for themselves. 

Hopefully they have settled for the night.

[Patty S]

Poor babies! Did you try bottle feeding them?
(Got goat milk?)
Maybe they just want a little shot of that "comfort zone".

I love the pic that shows both their faces.  Nice shot!

[barleychown]

I did. They said rubber is NOT momma.  Smart lil' brats, they are.

They seem to have calmed down now. Hopefully that was the last of it (at least for today!)

The one with more black (Chloe) has warmed up to me, and was even in my lap for a while today. Cleo still has some issues, but she doesn't flinch when I touch her today.

[Tonya]

They are just toooo cute, Sarah! I am so glad you took them in and are giving them a loving home(they'll realize soon enough that you are their "adopted" momma ) Goats are awesome! I have a pic somewhere of Summer with my mom's goat Roscoe(he wound up turning into too much for mom to handle and she gave him to her friend), they are so cool!! What do your neighbors have to say about your menagerie? I would LOVE to live near you, but at the rate I am going, I'll be rivaling you one day! Keep those pics coming!

[patches]

Actually, Sarah, about 15 years ago I almost bought a baby pygmy goat at the State Fair.    I was so adorable, and I fell in love with it.    Unfortuantely, two things prevented me from getting it.  The first was she refused to drive 100 miles with a baby goat in her new car;    secondly, she convinced me that I could never sell my idea of it being a "Goag"  (a new breed of dog) to the city or my neighbors. 

[Bonnie]

Oh, I love little kids. They look right at home. My neighbor used to have two pygmy goats. I've been trying to get Dianne to get some.

[barleychown]

Tonya, I have a church on one side, and they all love the animals, and the house on the left at the back does, too. The only one who's ever given me a moment's greif is the woman to the right, and mainly I think she's just an unhappy old woman who needs something to talk about. She's very ill right now, and no longer able to be outside, so I doubt she even knows about my newest additions.

Patti, several major cities, including Seattle, Pasadena, and Portland have okayed the keeping of goats inside the city limits. What I'm doing is not new, just not common, YET. 

This morning they seem calmer. I did yet more reading last night, and most say it takes about a week for them to settle in.

[Triss]

A week is not too bad Sarah.

[Tina]

They have each other so they may even settle faster. I hope so. I want to watch them grow with you.

[Dianna]

 

I want some goats!

They sure are cute little babies, Sarah! Are they eating everything in sight?

[barleychown]

They spend the majority of their time in a pen, and I go out and walk them along the back fence for about 10 minutes every hour. They have access to alfalfa at all times, but they would rather have blackberry bushes.

They are leaps and bounds better today! They even stepped into their harnesses to be walked. And, very little crying today.

[Tina]

Very cool, Sarah. I'm glad you are adjusting to them so well.

[Patty S]

Lily met Chloe & Cleo yesterday.  I thought she'd be afraid to get close to them, but & she didn't waste any time ripping branches off a nearby bush & feeding snacks to her new friends!
   

There were several (very happy) Broadleaf plantain plants in Sarah's yard & I picked one for them, but they weren't very impressed with it.  I guess they know there are so many cool things to eat around there, that they've decided it's OK to be finicky already!
 
(We couldn't think of the name of the weed, when I shot the video.)

Aren't they just the most adorable little girls?!