June 7, 2013

Coming Soon.... Baby Goat Updates







Note Rosie's ears. Those are, "I'm gonna show 'em who's boss around here" ears



Ziggy is an excellent mom. Unlike Lily, who lets Surprise butt her twins all over the place, nobody messes with Ziggy's kids! She has been very proactive in getting that message across. Every goat knows to steer clear.

I have more to tell, but hope to get more photos to give you all an update on all this year's kids.

22 comments:

Willow said...

Always enjoy hearing about and seeing the kids!

Anonymous said...

Oh that white one:) I would like to see more news!

Renee Nefe said...

Glad that Ziggy is protecting her kids from Princess Surprise.

Sandy Livesay said...

Leigh,

Love any pictures you post on baby goats. I'm glad to hear Ziggy is being a true Mama.

Have a beautiful day!

Benita said...

Look at how green that grass is!

I hope one of those baby goats butt Surprise back. She need to be taught a lesson. :)

Leigh said...

Willow, thank you! They are a treat.

Gasilhane, there is a lot to tell! I need to get some recent photos and take the time to blog about it. :)

Renee, Surprise is a bully, plain and simple. But, that's the way of goats.

Sandy, thank you! I wish you a beautiful day as well.

Benita, with all our rain, the grass doesn't have a choice but to be green, LOL. I admit that Ziggy doesn't go full blast at Surprise, having, herself, been butted all over the place by Surprise. But she let's Surprise know she means business about protecting those kids.

What Surprise doesn't realize, is that she's not irreplaceable!

Tombstone Livestock said...

Filed any paternity papers on Ziggy's kids yet?

The Stay @ Home-Gardener said...

Did you originally want this many goats??

MTWaggin said...

Too stinking cute I'm telling you! Love a good momma!

Katidids said...

Oh, they are so cute. LOVE the photos, keep em coming!

Anonymous said...

They are so beautiful! Thank you for sharing with us.

DFW said...

Good for Ziggy! Love the pics.

famousthecat said...

I just love. Thanks for brightening my day, little goats!

Julie said...

They are so cute!

Unknown said...

Sounds like ziggy recovered! Cute babies...

Anonymous said...

As always...so adorable!! Hugs!

R's Rue said...

How cute!
Love the name!
www.rsrue.blogspot.com

matty said...

Darling babies! I read that Momma's will start fighting all the other goats to move HER kids up the "food chain" in the herd. My new moms are very aggressive since they kid. I can't wait for the drama to calm down!

More pics soon?

luckybunny said...

Love these pictures!

Leigh said...

TL, LOL. Pretty sure it's Elvis. The proof will be in how big they get.

Cloud, you know, that's something we never really decided. The number of goats ultimately depends upon what the land can support. My hope is that with crossbreds, I won't need as much grain, that they'll thrive better on forage than the Nubians do.

Sherry, Katidids, and Stephanie, thanks!

DFW, Christie, Julie, and Pam, thanks!

Nancy, Ziggy recovered beautifully.

Regine, hello and welcome!

Matty, interesting, I know they'll fight to protect them. Lily seemed to be the exception, but then she's new at this. She lets Surprise push her kids around and even chase them out of the goat shed. And more pics soon. :)

Donna, thanks!

The Stay @ Home-Gardener said...

Yes, but is it simply for happy dairy? Perhaps, walking around manure-machines on hoof? :)

How many goats do you believe 3 acres of grass pasture land could support?

Leigh said...

Cloud, goats are sooo versatile. If not dairy or meat, then manure and brush clearing.

I think your question, how many, is one of the most common questions folks ask about goats. There are a lot of factors, including type of grass and how many months out of the year it's available. We are currently keeping our 4 bucks on one acre, and they can't keep it eaten down. They get no supplementation in summer, not even hay, and stay in good weight and condition.

My 3 does and 6 kids have a half acre pasture and a half acre weeds. Because they are in milk and higher maintenance breeds (2 Nubians), I have to feed grain, alfalfa, and black oil sunflower seeds in addition to grazing. I'm hoping that by switching to mixed breeds, I can eliminate much of the supplementation. This, of course, goes along with our self-sufficiency goals.

My suggestion is to start with two. One isn't good because they are herd animals, and miserable if alone. From that you can begin to judge how many your land can sustain, and how many you'll need to meet your needs.