What have we gotten ourselves into?

We have made some amazing progress on our property over the past few weeks. Adding pigs, a greenhouse, and flower beds for native pollinators.

A few weeks ago when the shelves started clearing and limits placed on certain items at the grocery store, we really sat down and starting thinking of more ways to be more self sufficient. Making our own bread, starting even more seeds, hatching our own chicks, growing our own pork.

The hogs have been with us for a full week so far! Their personalities have blossomed. We have caught them frolicking in the rain, covered in mud, chasing after each other, and they come running whenever Bryce calls. (Not just for food! They want a good scratching, too!)

But one last big obstacle remained which is a staple for us in the house.

Milk. Goat milk, to be exact.

Raw goat milk is a luxury for us, as it’s quite expensive and difficult to source. The boys can handle pasteurized goat milk, but at $4.40/quart and the mediocre flavor compared to raw goat milk (we love raw goat milk), it is hard to justify going to the grocery store every week during the Shelter at Home orders.

Now if you know me personally, you know I’ve been on Operation Goaty-Goat for the better part of 3 years. I’ve wanted goats, dreamt of goats, and have had goat names picked out since even before we had the boys.

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And so we brought these two lovely ladies home on Wednesday of this week! (Oona on the left, Edda on the right). They have a large fenced in section of yard and woods to browse and graze off our basement walkout. Allowing them to have part of the woods was important. Goats are different than sheep and cows. They will graze grass if they have to, but they prefer to reach upwards and browse for their food. So the brambles and low hanging branches of our trees will provide lots of food and entertainment for them.

Shout out to my handsome husband for working long, hard days to get this fencing and a milking section put together! His love language is definitely service!

Since simply adding two does to the homestead would be too easy, they’re BOTH pregnant! And due in anywhere from 3-6 weeks! We’re in for a crash course in goat raising, but will have our own supply of raw goat milk in just a few short weeks. (And adorable goat babies!)

Oona and Edda are both Nigerian Dwarf does. Their history is a little fuzzy, and they are far from show quality. They are quite skittish, but will come close to us if they hear the boys or know we have treats for them. Both have kidded in the past and haven’t had any complications. They’ve also never been milked before; however, have raised several healthy babies in the past.

We’ve got a lot of relationship building and training ahead of us, but I’m looking forward to it! Bryce has big dreams of leashing them for grazing around the yard to help with mowing the grass, while I have dreams of spending mornings with a cup of coffee and a comfortable chair down in the goat yard watching babies frolic around.

We found an organic alfalfa hay that was delivered this week for us, which is available to them 24/7 on a hay trailer repurposed from a spray tank trailer we had laying around. The 840-pound 4’x4’x7′ bale fits perfectly on it and should last quite a while! We added some scrap steel siding as a makeshift roof to keep it dry.

I suspect a possible copper deficiency with the coppery discoloration of their fur, and will be researching more on that over the next several days. I have a free choice baking soda and goat mineral available for them if they need it.

Their sweet feed is given lightly, and only as a special treat when we come around. I’m trying to teach them that good things happen when I come out!

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Some supplies we’ve gotten specifically for our goats include:

• Fence Feeders
• Goat Mineral Supplement
• Selenium and Vitamin E gel
• Stainless steel pales (1 quart for minerals, and 2 quarts for the milking stanchion)
• Collars
• Brushes (We have a wire brush to help remove their winter coat, and a brush to clean off their belly and udders before milking)

There are still a few more things we need for birthing and milking, but we will get those in soon!

I do plan on switching to a more natural/herbal based approach with our goats in the future; however, I do not want to shock them any further from what they are used to, especially since they are pregnant!

Why Nigerian Dwarf?

Our decision to get Nigerian Dwarfs came down to several different reasons that we felt would work out best for us.

• Small stature making them easier to handle, less intimidating for the boys, and don’t require as much feed or space! (Ours are actually rather large for the breed.)
• High butter fat content. This is what makes the milk so sweet and can range from 6-10%! (Cow milk is usually around 4%)
• Won’t produce a large amount of milk per day. You can expect anywhere from 1 pint to 1 quart per doe each day which will be plenty for our family!
• They go into heat more frequently than other goats. This could allow for staggering of the pregnancies for us to, theoretically, always have a doe in milk.
• The breed is known for having twins or even triplets! Once the babies have weaned, they can be sold to help recoup some of the initial investment.

I have high hopes for these ladies! I know it will take time to transition to new people and their new home.