Chat
08-14-2014, 09:34 PM
Photos coming tomorrow...
Well, we went and looked at the two Alpine does I found on Craigslist and we decided that they were nice enough for the price that we'd better not pass them up. We've already named them "Delilah" and "Jezebel". Hopefully they won't live up to those names!
They're on the stunted side, but they look like a couple of gals that are itching to shoot up and fill out if given half a chance. After our success with Pac-Man, who at nine months was the size our girls had been at four months, I am feeling optimistic that we can get these goats caught up too. Their heads are very big in proportion to their bodies, and they look gangly. To me that screams "I want to grow some more if you'll just feed me properly!"
Contrary to the owner's description, they are not three feet tall at the back and 50-60 lbs. They are more like 28" tall and probably about 90-100 lbs. At two years old they are slightly smaller than my yearlings, but as I said, they look ready to blossom if given the chance. Conformation-wise, they look nicer than Nibbles or Lilly.
I was very concerned at first that they were down in the pasterns. The photo looked iffy and even when we saw them in person the pasterns looked suspect. But it was very hard to tell because their toes were so long that they were rocking back onto their heels, and they had very long hair that entirely covered the hooves and curled up at the end like elf shoes, adding to the illusion. The first thing I did when I got them home was trim their feet. They were very good about it despite being quite nervous, and they were patient even though it took some time to cut through all that overgrowth. Then I trimmed the hair around their hooves and suddenly they had nicely angled pasterns. Nothing wrong with them at all!
I don't think the owner knew very much about goats. These were pets and were never even bred, and they both look copper deficient and thin. But they were not starved or neglected--just not fed for optimal growth. I stopped at the vet to get some blood work done and make sure they don't have CAE. Until I get that back they've got their own pen separate from everyone else. The poor things know nothing about electric fence and keep accidentally touching it and then leaping three feet and crying. They're currently huddled in the middle of the pen as far from every side as possible, as if they think the fence is going to attack them. Hopefully they'll have it figured out in a day or so.
Well, we went and looked at the two Alpine does I found on Craigslist and we decided that they were nice enough for the price that we'd better not pass them up. We've already named them "Delilah" and "Jezebel". Hopefully they won't live up to those names!
They're on the stunted side, but they look like a couple of gals that are itching to shoot up and fill out if given half a chance. After our success with Pac-Man, who at nine months was the size our girls had been at four months, I am feeling optimistic that we can get these goats caught up too. Their heads are very big in proportion to their bodies, and they look gangly. To me that screams "I want to grow some more if you'll just feed me properly!"
Contrary to the owner's description, they are not three feet tall at the back and 50-60 lbs. They are more like 28" tall and probably about 90-100 lbs. At two years old they are slightly smaller than my yearlings, but as I said, they look ready to blossom if given the chance. Conformation-wise, they look nicer than Nibbles or Lilly.
I was very concerned at first that they were down in the pasterns. The photo looked iffy and even when we saw them in person the pasterns looked suspect. But it was very hard to tell because their toes were so long that they were rocking back onto their heels, and they had very long hair that entirely covered the hooves and curled up at the end like elf shoes, adding to the illusion. The first thing I did when I got them home was trim their feet. They were very good about it despite being quite nervous, and they were patient even though it took some time to cut through all that overgrowth. Then I trimmed the hair around their hooves and suddenly they had nicely angled pasterns. Nothing wrong with them at all!
I don't think the owner knew very much about goats. These were pets and were never even bred, and they both look copper deficient and thin. But they were not starved or neglected--just not fed for optimal growth. I stopped at the vet to get some blood work done and make sure they don't have CAE. Until I get that back they've got their own pen separate from everyone else. The poor things know nothing about electric fence and keep accidentally touching it and then leaping three feet and crying. They're currently huddled in the middle of the pen as far from every side as possible, as if they think the fence is going to attack them. Hopefully they'll have it figured out in a day or so.