Goatorama kids of 2014

[Nanno]

I burned a slash pile the other day and Phil took the opportunity to pose in front of it with Finn in his arms. The way this little goat is growing, Phil won't be able to do this much longer!
   

We also are getting the point where we don't want to pick him up even if we can. Finn has been bathing his face and legs in buck cologne lately and he's getting too gross to play with. The poor little guy is so friendly and sweet and he doesn't understand why no one wants to hug him any more. Phil and I can't wait till this breeding season is over so he can do his job and be done with buck-hood. I want to be able to cuddle him again!

I weighed all the kids today and was pleased with their progress.

Finn: 121 days, 75 lbs.
Snickers: 94 days, 65 lbs.
Sputnik: 94 days, 58 lbs.

Snickers' and Sputnik's weights might be a little high--they'd just finished the all-you-can eat buffet at Lilly's diner, which probably left both of them about 4-5 pounds heavier than they'd been five minutes earlier. Lilly is a good provider and Sputnik especially has blossomed ever since I started having him eat meals at Grandma's Place.

Petunia is no slouch when it comes to milk quantity, but Lilly is in a league of her own. One of my friends commented that she's more comparable to a cow than a goat. She even has the black and white spots! Her milk is strong and has a goaty aftertaste that I don't like, but apparently it contains magic kid-growing elixir that makes babies big and strong. Go Lilly!

[sydneyjd]

What a cute and interesting mix of colors goat. Nice Pic!! Your babies are 60+ lbs at only 90 days? O_O Wow,how do they get so big so quick? Mine don't grow that fast.

[Nanno]

My kids are all dam-raised and the moms are heavy producers, which really helps with the early growth. Since no one wants to drink Lilly's milk except the babies, I'm happy to let them have it for as long as they want it and as long she'll allow it. I kind of wish Lilly had nursed Finn a bit longer, but by three months she kicked him off and wouldn't let him come anywhere near her udder, even on the milk stand. She's been a lot more tolerant of her grandkids than of her own offspring for some reason. But no matter--Finn was actually starting to get obese on Lilly's bountiful supply, and I like that his enormous milk goiter is finally almost gone.

[Nanno]

Finn. Is. Awesome. I absolutely adore this little guy! He's too yucky to take hiking any more, so I thought I'd bring him with me on a trail ride today. He can't spray me or rub is pee-stained nose all over my pants if I'm up on a horse! He's never been around horses very much so I wasn't sure if he'd follow. Well, he followed perfectly! He was noisy for the first half of the ride because he was upset that I was up in the air on a horse instead of walking like a normal person. He acted like he didn't know where I was, and when I would call him he'd look all around but he wouldn't look up. After lots of stops involving me leaning down and handing him cookies from the saddle, he finally figured it out and stopped calling for me.

Finn's not the least bit afraid of horses and sometimes he almost ran underneath Jet, but he never got stepped on. I'm surprised he's not more nervous around them. Except for Cuzco, all my other goats are terrified of the horses and bolt in terror when one so much as looks at them. But Finn was walking right under my left stirrup by the time we headed back. He followed Jet into the horse trailer for the trip home and I had to make him get out. I'd have let him ride in there with Jet except that I was with a friend and I didn't trust him to be safe in there with two horses. It's kind of cramped with two horses and he's still a little guy.

My friend brought her Labrador and Finn and the dog got along perfectly. They rode nicely in the truck bed together. Finn was not the least bit nervous around her, even when she would race up behind him and blow past him on the trail. When we got back to the trailhead there was a group of people there just starting out on their mountain bikes. Finn went over to say hi and was an instant hit. One lady loved him up like crazy after he started rubbing his head against her leg. I told her she might not want to do that and explained why his face was yellow. She backed off a little, but Finn is pretty charming and still got a lot of loves from the ladies in that group. In fact, he felt so comfortable around them he went and jumped right up into their truck bed so he could meet the guys who were up there unloading bikes!

But as much as Finn loved meeting strangers and acted as though he wanted to go home with them, he came back to me as soon as I called him and followed me and Jet back to our own trailer without protest. I think Finn is shaping up to be an incredible trail companion. I'm incredibly please to see that he also has a ton of "presence" just like Cuzco. He carries his head high, steps out boldly, and has that same self-confident look in his eyes. I have a feeling he's going to grow up to be a camera-poser like Cuzco.

[Nanno]

Earlier this month we took The Three Stooges for a hike.
   

Since Finn has hiked more than anybody, he showed everyone else how it's done.
   

Sputnik's favorite part was the cookies.
   

The first water crossing was an adventure. Snickers fell down on the log.
   

But he made a spectacular recovery and managed to cross without getting so much as a damp toe.
   

Sputnik, being somewhat more coordinated than Snickers, and having the advantage of watching the other two go first, fared better.
   

   

What a view!
   
   

[sydneyjd]

Cool Nanno and Phil

[nebs]

All three are good looking colorful bucks, but boy I sure like Finn's coloring!

[Nanno]

All three are good looking colorful bucks, but boy I sure like Finn's coloring!

Yes, Finn is indeed something special.

[Nanno]

My friend Jordan just sent me some photos of the ride we took with Finn a couple of weeks ago. Finn seemed to love the horses. Jordan's horse is very used to goats and was kind to Finn--a good start for the little guy!
   

Finn followed my horse faithfully for the entire ride. If he wasn't on Jet's heels he was right at my stirrup.
   

[Taffy]

Fun photos! It's amazing how tiny Finn is compared to the horses and yet he's happy to be with them. I see you're wearing an orange vest. Was it hunting season where you were riding?