I haven’t posted a new blog article for a bit, because
frankly, it’s been rather hectic around here. Some of you may remember that Sam
and I used to have dairy goats years ago before we moved to the big city. We
had thought we might get some again once we got settled on our new place,
though the jury was still out on that. Any kind of dairy animal is a lot of
hard work, plus the dairy part really ties you down. Want to go out to dinner?
Have the goats been
milked? Want to get out of town for the week-end? Who will
do the milking for you? Guess what, unless someone else in your family is
already good at it and doesn’t mind lending a hand, you ain’t goin’ nowhere!
You can’t just ask a neighbor to drop over, nor can you take them to the kennel
for the duration. You could conceivably take the goats with you on a camping
trip. I honestly do know people who do that—in fact my nephew Chris rents his
out for packing—but do you REALLY want a flock of bleating goats running after
you as you hike or ride up the mountain? I didn’t think so!
Well, so I saw an ad on Craigslist for a milking Nubian doe,
a purebred buck, and their four kids. She was a nice-looking doe, as was the
buck, and kids are always cute. Sam and I talked it over and thought we’d like
to buy at least the doe and the two doelings, so I emailed the seller and said
we’d like to come over. It took several days before I heard back, but then we
had an address and phone number and made arrangements to visit.
Before going any further, I should explain that I am very
spoiled on having top-quality dairy goats. Yes, if I wanted them just for the
milk, any old milk goat would do—but I want PRETTY goats with really nice
udders, and of course Nubians have the best (i.e. richest) milk, so that’s what
I wanted. I’m not a cheapskate either, and I don’t mind paying for quality,
especially if the animal in question has the pedigree to go along with it. I
had to do a little homework to get back up to speed (we haven’t had goats for
35 years!), so I would understand what was in those pedigrees, but now I feel
fairly confidant.
So we drove to where the goats were, and of course we bought
them. We declined on the buck, though he was well-mannered, pretty, and not a
stinker right then (I should warn you that buck goats are famous for their very
strong odor during certain parts of the year); but I didn’t see that we could
use him since we were buying two of his daughters. All went well and we brought
the goats home.
Then we got to thinking (and that usually gets me in
trouble) that we should buy another milking doe, since the one we now owned had
two kids nursing—so no milk left over for us right now. I had already sent an
email to some folks with a nice herd in Northern Idaho to ask if they had any
mature milkers they might sell, and I heard from them the very next day. Yes,
they had a number of does for sale. I called back and made arrangements to come
up there, not realizing that it was a six-hour trip one way. Sam and I are
nothing if we are not intrepid, so the next day we drove to Northern Idaho and
returned home with TWO more purebred Nubian does!
We needed a buck, now that we owned three mature does, and
since neither Sam nor I want to get into the baby goat business (most people
breed their does and then sell the kids as future milk goats or raise them as
replacements), we decided to buy a Boer buck. Boers are smart, friendly, and
look like Nubians in that they also have the lovely Roman profile and long,
pendulous, bell-shaped ears, but that’s where the similarities end. They are
primarily meat goats, so they do NOT have dairy character. They are little
blocks! Fortunately, we knew where there was a lovely three-year-old buck, and
as luck would have it, his owner was in the process of getting out of goats. A
short drive later and “Dino” (short for Houdini) was ours too. He is currently
residing in the chicken house adjoining the garden area (which is presently
filled with grass and weeds) and is happy as he could be. He’s really a
sweetheart, even though he smells quite bucky. Sorry, but I don't have picture of Dino!
In another day or so we’re going to Pasco to pick up three
more Nubian does, plus that cute Nubian buck that we turned down last week.
We
will have six mature milking does, two doelings, and two bucks, so we now
officially have a herd of goats—or they have us, which is realistically more true.
I also joined the American Dairy Goat Association and today registered a herd
name—I put in for “Imnaha.”
So, you may ask, what am I doing with all that goat milk?
Making cheese! I hope to sell a bunch of it at the local farmer’s market this
year! Wish me luck!
