Our First Kid - More To Come 2018

[Nanno]

They do grow fast, don't they! And I agree--dam-raised kids can be every bit as friendly as bottle babies if you take the time to love and play with them. We let them climb on us, jump on us, chew our hair, and other "naughty" things when they are very young. We start discouraging these behaviors as they get bigger. If you watch their mothers and the other goats in the herd, they follow a similar pattern. They let little babies get away with all kinds of things, but as the babies start to grow up the adults start making rules and boundaries. Phil and I like to try to follow this same protocol and the kids seem to understand it.

Can't wait to see photos! You had some gorgeous kids this year!

[GoldenTreePackGoats]

Wow, life has been so busy. Good news is that everyone is doing well. We found Dice and Domino a home as some blackberry munchers and are working to reduce the rest of our herd down to just 4 sadly. Pluto may be heading to a home where he will have his very own twin children to provide massages and treats, (fingers crossed.) 

Boy do they grow fast. I weighed Dice and Domino before they left and were shocked when they were 35 pounds. Time flies. 

Our sweet Kodiak
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Dice 
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Domino
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Dice and Domino got to ride inside of the new owner's goat mobile. I guess he had a few bucks previously and they would go everywhere in the old beaten truck. He said it has always smelled like buck since and so he didn't mind to have the kids in the cab with him. 
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We hope they have many great adventures at there new home.

[Nanno]

They sure are beautiful boys. I hope they thrive in their new home. Are they bottle kids or did you just wean a little early?

[GoldenTreePackGoats]

We weaned them a little early so they could have this opportunity. They were dam raised and weaned at 9 weeks.

[GoldenTreePackGoats]

Well it's been forever since I've had time to sit down and get on the computer for more than a minute. We found a wonderful home for all of our goats except the 4 we kept, Kingsley, Huck, Togo, and Kodiak. 

I don't know if other's can relate to this but truthfully, I feel like since Yukon passed in July of 2017 a part of my goat passion died with him. Maybe it's because we're approaching the anniversary of his passing or maybe it's just all the compiled goat tragedies. When he passed we nearly lost 3 others due to the mystery virus, followed by herd wide parasite drug resistance, then almost losing Kingsley during surgical castration, and losing our first doeling during our first kidding season ever. Goat life is hard, and I think sometimes I forget all the good moments that have come with these tragedies. 

Either way, I don't connect with any of my goats like I did with Yukon and it hurts. Instead I have unique relationships with each of them that they think is extra special <3 

Here are some recent pictures, I was gifted a decent camera for my birthday so I took an afternoon with the goats in the pasture and attempted to get some decent shots. 

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Here are a few from last month: 

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[Nanno]

Aw, thanks for the beautiful photos and the update. I'm glad you were able to find excellent homes for your other goats. I hope these four live long, healthy, happy lives and that they can help you rediscover your goat passion. You've had a terrible time over this past year--far more than your share of heartbreak, disaster, and expense. That would take its toll on anybody. I hope these fellas are easy keepers, and maybe one of them will eventually become that "special" goat like Yukon was. Or maybe a different "special" goat will wander into your life. There is always room in our hearts for more than one extra-special critter. Cuzco was my "super-special" goat, but now he's gone and Sputnik is my "super-special" fella. My love for Sputnik does not detract from the love I had for Cuzco, nor does it make Cuzco less special. Love is a very big thing, and I hope one day you find another extra-special goat like Yukon--not to take his place (as if that were possible!), but to come up beside him.

[goatzrule]

I'm so sorry you lost Yukon, when we first started with goats we goat a small Alpine buckling he was small but not so much that one would think he was runty. When he was 10 months old he started getting skinny we wormed gave him grain and all that, he kept getting skinny with in another months we made the decision to put him down. That hurt so badly I still haven't gotten over it. After that (and one major kidding problem no survivors) we seriously considered seeling all the goats. About a week after that it rain so heavy the sky was gold from the sunset and right when we knew we had to keep going. I am really glad we did, if we didn't I wouldn't have this wonderful herd. Goats are wonderful little critters. They find ways to charm you when your down. I really hope you get another super special goat to go along side Yukon.

[GoldenTreePackGoats]

Thanks for the uplifting words.
They really do, whenever I'm upset or depressed from watching my grandmother decline from dementia I go straight to the goat pen and they cheer me up.
Hope we all have healthy herds for the next year!