New family members!!

[Shanti]

Here are 4 new family members. We picked them up tonight from a lady that has to sell her farmette and move due to financial strife. She had to find homes for all of her goaties. :(
We took 4 and I hope she finds homes for the remaining goats she still has.

This is Rusty. A 1 year old Pygmy goaty! :)
Its a doe. Future breeder.
http://i128.photobucket.com/albums/p197/ShantiVeritas/rusty.jpg

Here is our new mom, a pygmy. We dont have a name yet. She has a beard too!! LOL
And her horns do have hoses taped on so she cant hurt other goaties. :) She is 4 years old.
http://i128.photobucket.com/albums/p197/ShantiVeritas/newmom.jpg
And here are her 2 babies. They are 2 weeks old.
The one laying down is the little doe and the one standing is a billy.
We dont have name for them yet either.
Hold on for cuteness!!!
http://i128.photobucket.com/albums/p197/ShantiVeritas/babies.jpg

Now we have a pygmy herd of 7!! :)

[person of shadow]

They're all so gorgeous!!!
Love rusty's color! And those babes are adorable!

[Shanti]

I was only going to take the mom and 2 babies but when I saw rusty, oh my, she is a beauty! Had to bring her home too. :)
In the light she has a red glow to her coat. I just love it.

[person of shadow]

Yes, I see what you mean! She's de-horned right?(I've never had anything like a goat so I don't know alot)

I do hope that the others find homes, did she have alot of them?

Congrats!

[person of shadow]

Also(just out of curiostiy)

Do you keep the does seperated from the billies at all times?(I don't know if they can get pregnant year round or are more like dogs)

[Shanti]

Rusty is a polled goat. Some goats have a genetic link to being born without the capability to grow horns.

The babies dad is a polled goat so they carry the gene too. The little girl may be polled, its hard to say if her horns will bud slow or if she wont have any. Her brother has his horn buds already.

Pygmys breed all year round. Most other breeds are seasonal. Pygmys come into heat about every 3 weeks for only a day or two where they are receptive.
They carry kids for 5 months and nurse for an average of 3 months. So for at least 8 months no pregnancies!
Some people just run their herds with everyone of all ages together and some prefer to separate sex and /or ages and so on. Its really personal preference and depends on your herds behavior.

Right now I am running all together except the 2 babies. Mom is nursing so she isn't receptive. I take the babies to her every 2 hours then put them in a kennel in the house because its just to cold for them in the goat house. It was nice out, above freezing for the last several days, but now a blizzard is moving in and the cold is with it!

My Pinky, I hope is pg. She is 4 and never had any kids.
My Rusty is prime and able to have a first litter. She isnt in heat though and she may be pg since the previous owner was running her in the herd with bucks.
My billys are just turning 6 months so they are ready to begin their manhood!! :)

I'll run them all together and pull whatever I need to, whenever I need to.

When the weather improves again I'll let mom and her kids run together, separate from the herd, for awhile, then give mom a rest for a few months with just her daughter. Billys can breed as early as 12 weeks. Wean and pull the billy from mom!

I have my goat yard divide into 2 halves with chain link fence for quick separating plus I have another 2 1/2 acres to divide up as time goes on.

If Rusty is pg, she could have any color babies. There were several bucks in the herd! All different colors and all beauties too! :)

The lady I bought them from has about, oh gosh, 2 dozen goats left!

Most goat breeds are seasonal breeders.
But the Africans, Nigerian Dwarfs and Pygmys, are year round. Some other breeds are year round but I cant think of the names. They arent as common as the seasonal or mini breeds.

[Scarlettvixen]

gorgeous shanti!

[Pinion]

http://www.addis-welt.de/smilie/smilie/fest/e118.gif

Congratulations!
Beautiful babies, all of them!

I feel bad for the lady who had to give them up.

[Cindlady2]

Well, I would say you have a very good start to a big heard! :)
Just don't get more than you can handle.

[Philosophia]

They are so gorgeous! :hugz: Congratulations!

[Childof_theMorrigan]

wow! awesome!! congrats my dear :)

[Shanti]

Well, I would say you have a very good start to a big heard! :)
Just don't get more than you can handle.

Having more than we can handle isnt a prob. We want a nice large herd.
Some are for breeding, which all these guys are, some for fiber, some for milking and the extras we get are our food.

Heck its the same with our angora and rex bunnies. Breeders, fiber and dinner.

Dont worry though, food critters I dont post pics of! :)

[Pinion]

Do you name the food ones?

My grandmother never named anyone who was gonna end up on a dinner plate. I have always thought if I come back as a farm animal, I'm gonna do my best to get named! http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c122/ArcadiaRafferty/emiticons/wink.gif

[Shanti]

Do you name the food ones?

My grandmother never named anyone who was gonna end up on a dinner plate. I have always thought if I come back as a farm animal, I'm gonna do my best to get named! http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c122/ArcadiaRafferty/emiticons/wink.gifMy kids try to! Technically no!
Once they have names they are either going to be breeders or pets.
Thats one prob I already ran into. A couple of critters my kids were determined to name so they are pets now.
We have one goaty for food right now. My kids call it the eating goat! That works! :)

[person of shadow]

Wow, Learn something everyday!

So now I know that, when I get into goats(Once I move, I am being hopefull) And I breed(not overly of course) for kids in 4-H, I need to get the ones who don't have horns!

Thanks Shanti, and again congrats!

[Cindlady2]

Yep, never name what your going to eat!

[Morrigan_Wolfwind]

Goats! They're all so cute!

I like Rusty's color, and the kids are just ADORABLE.

[Brónach Druid]

Congrats! They are all so cute!
I envy you! You are so lucky to be able to have all those wonderful critters!

[Willow Rosette]

Oh Shanti you are just full of information. Im so impressed.

Those babies are just so adorable. I cant believe the little boy can breed so soon!