We have been raising goats for about seven years. We started out with three Nubians. Two, two week old doelings and one, nine month old buckling (Annie, Sarah and James). About a year later the our first kids were born to, two "flashy" black and white males. Sadly, since we were very new to goats we got both of the boys wethered. :( This marked the beginning of the next stage in our adventure of raising goats. When the boys were barely a day old, the younger twin bit a wasp, we learned that day that benadrill works very well for goats. :) For the most part our first try at milking was not exactly a good experience, Sarah kicked like a maniac and we didn't know how to get her to stop, then she got mastitis and so after a few weeks we all just gave up and let her nurse the kids herself. So off the five goats went to the pasture for the next three months.
One morning in September we were taking water out to them, when we got to the field we saw a sad scene. Three of the goats, the mother of the twins, the spotted twin and the buck had been killed by dogs in the night. About a week earlier I had brought up the other doe and the other wether kid because I thought that she was pregnant and I wanted to watch her for a while. Since she balled when she was alone, the kid was to keep her company.
To this day I am thankful that I brought them up, even though it just turned out to be the first of Annie's many falsies. When Annie did finally get pregnant the result was a beautiful fawn colored doe by the name of Cassie, who has turned out to be the highest producing doe we have. The little wether that was with her has grown into an impressive fellow, Esau has to weigh at least two hundred pounds but is as gentle as a puppy, proven by the fact that my little sister (who has the same name as his mother) rides him like a pony.
These years have been quite an adventure filled with smiles and laughter that come with each spring as new babies come into the world, and the sadness and tears that come when you lose a newborn that there was nothing you could do for, or the pain when you say goodbye to that special one that you had come to see as not just another animal but as a friend. Even after all the sadness I hope that I will be able to live alongside these wonderful creatures for many years to come.
