Hide and Seek with Harry

Even though my Kevin is only two months old and still up to kid tricks it is fun to have a tiny goat around the Farm again. It reminds me of when Kevin was first born and discovering all the places to play around here. Today Abby brought Harry into the big goat pen and he was running and hopping all over the place. There were lots of new structures for him to explore and lots of new things to sniff.

He spent most of his time around the big goat house. I can understand this; to a baby goat it must look absolutely HUGE. He was sniffing around the one side where the door pieces are kept.

Then he snuck under them. Where's Harry?

There he is!

Silly little goat.

Abby was looking for him and went over to check him out and make sure he was OK.

Such excitement for a little goat.

The publicist wanted you to see what she sees when she is trying to take photos for you.

Yup, the hopping goat. Hopping on her head. Hopping in front of the camera. Hopping, hopping hopping. He actually hopped on her today and knocked her over on her butt. Silly Kevin!

GOATUCATION - How Much Space do We Goats Need?

Today's Goatucation question comes from our regular reader, Cici. She asked: How much space is the minimum requirement for keeping goats happy? I assume she wants to know both inside and outside needs. Well even if she doesn't I am going to tell you 'cause that is the kind of goat I am.

Since I am a Nigerian dwarf goat I am going to tell you about my needs. I don't know what bigger goats need. Jillian and Mallory are a little bit bigger than I am but they have some dwarf in them. For outside grazing each goat needs at least 130 sq. ft. of pasture. This is so we each have enough of the tasty grass and yummy weeds for browsing.

Inside the barn or goat house each goat should have 10 sq. ft. of space to rest at night and to be safe from predators. I know I like my pen in the goat house because I can get away from Abby and her butts. Now even little Kevin has his very own pen. The publicist was going to take a photo of it but she forgot. Silly publicist.

So here on the Happy Goats Farm there are three different goat pens. The bucks have one

The does have one

And there is a spare one that is used for different things. Right now Abby and Harry are using it until Harry gets a little bit bigger.

We also get to go grazing around the different areas of the Farm. The publicist and male person are very good to us and let us eat the yummy grass and tasty weeds almost anywhere we want.

They just get nervous if we get too close to the thing they call "the road." Then they run after us waving their arms and shouting. It's rather funny, actually.

Larger goats require more space but I am now back to my svelte self since Kevin was born and I am no longer a larger goat. Ha! You know what I mean - my readers are smart!

I hope you enjoyed this installment of Goatucation. Be sure to check back next Monday for our next lesson. Thanks Cici!

Simple Sunday

It's been a very busy weekend on the Farm so we give you a simple post today. Enjoy the sweetness of a new baby goat.

Happy Sunday everyone and tune in tomorrow for our next installment of Goatucation!

Uh-Oh

The publicist came out of the barn and what do you suppose she saw? Knowing this is a Farm full of crazy goats I suppose all manner of thoughts are running through your heads so I will tell you right now to stop the suspense.

She saw Kevin the goat in THE BUCK PEN!!!! Now, granted Kevin the goat was born a buck but he is technically no longer a buck so he does not belong in the buck pen. But there he was.

Michael the goat and Luke the goat didn't know what to do with this little white goat in their midst. He didn't smell like a buck and he didn't smell like a doe. WHAT was he?

They chased him around for a bit. First Michael chased him hither and yon.

Then Luke chased him yon and hither.

Kevin finally decided this was not a good place for a small white goat and he found the hole in the fence through which he entered. I sure hope he learned to not go in the buck pen. Those boys could hurt him!

The publicist had her share of challenges taking these photos so I hope you all appreciate her efforts for you. The bucks think she is a doe and every time she goes in the buck pen they, erm, mark her. Among other things......

Abby Teaches Harry How to Graze

And so it begins...all of the important lessons that little Harry will now have to learn. Today he got one of the really important lessons from his mom, Abby. She took him out for his very first graze. Now that is truly an exciting occasion for a little kid. He gets to explore the world outside of his pen and nothing beats that first taste of yummy greens and tasty weeds. Until you get your first taste of grain. Or your first taste of apple. I guess we goats are somewhat food focused. But with four stomachs you would be food focused too! But back to little Harry's big day.

The publicist brought him out of his pen with Abby bleating behind. She put him down to see what would happen. He started - oh no - hopping! It's true. We have another hopper on our hooves. We didn't get any actions shots today because Kevin kept climbing on the publicist's head as she tried to take photos. It made it difficult for her to, uhm, focus the camera.

After Kevin settled down to HIS grazing the publicist was able to get some photos of Abby teaching Harry. It was very nice to see. And it really hasn't been all that long since I taught this to Kevin.

It was a nice sunny day and little Harry was almost lost in the weeds. It almost looks like he is stealth grazing, but he is too young for that yet.

Abby then showed him the tastiest grass to eat and he took a little nibble.

She then took more than a little nibble.

Harry looks rather impressed by that mouthful, don't you think?

All in all it was a perfect day for his first day out grazing and we all had a lovely time.

Harry Meets Kevin

It was a big day here at the Happy Goats Farm - little Harry met his Uncle Kevin. Now this might not sound like big excitement to you but to a two day old goatling it was a day to remember.


The publicist took Harry out and set him down by Kevin the goat. Now I am thinking that Kevin looks less than friendly in this photo. It was the first time Kevin ever saw a brand new goat, though.




Kevin really wasn't sure about this little tiny creature at first. He gave him a sniff.







Then he gave him a bit of a head butt. It was a very gentle head butt if I do say so myself.







Then little Harry tried to run away.





Kevin caught up to him and by this time Harry was really maaaaing.





But I guess he figured that Kevin was A-OK because then they walked off together for some goatling explorations.





Isn't it amazing how big Kevin looks next to Harry. It's hard to believe that Kevin is still a baby at two months old with teeny, tiny Harry around.

I think the whole experience just wore little Harry out though because when Abby caught up to him he just sat right down in the middle of the driveway!

The publicist then picked him up and carried him back to his little goat house so he could rest out of the sun. What a spoiled little goat!!

Stay tuned for the further adventures of Harry and Kevin the goatlings of the Happy Goats
Farm!

Harry's First Day Out

It was a beautiful day so the publicist thought it would be OK if Harry came out of the barn and out to the pens. She carefully carried him down with Abby following behind her bleating away. Abby for all her other problems is a very good mother. The publicist put him down and he started to explore his new surroundings.

Abby started to lick him. We mamma goats just love to lick our new kids.

After a bit she calmed down and let Harry just stand on his own. I have to admit he is a cute little guy.



He did get tired after standing around so he sat down next to his mommy.

This must have given Kevin some ideas because he was a pretty mellow little hopper today.

Pretty soon we will see if Kevin is going to teach Harry all of his hopping tricks!

I Would Like to Introduce My Grandkid - Harry the goat

It was a truly happy day on the Farm yesterday as we received a new member into our midst. Please welcome my grandkid,Harry the goat!!! His eyes are not blue, sadly, it's just the camera.

In honor of his birth so close to Father's Day this little bundle of fur has been named for the publicist's father. She is positive he is rolling over in his grave - well he isn't in a grave but you get the idea. Heh heh. Abby had a pretty easy labor and welcomed little Harry with lots of licks. We nanny goats lick our kids a lot in the beginning to clean them off.

He took his first steps within minutes of his birth, wobbly as can be but he was a real trouper! He made his way over to Abby's udder for his first drink of her rich milk with that nutrient rich colostrum.

The publicist thinks he is a little cutie. He is smaller than Kevin was when he was born.

You can sure tell from looking at the little guy that there is NO doubt as to which buck is his daddy.

They are like little goat doppelgangers aren't they? This is Luke when he first arrived at the Farm. He was two months old when he first came to us.

He is of course a very proud daddy goat.

The photos are not as good as the could be as they were taken in the barn in the dark with the flash. The publicist will have much better ones tomorrow when she takes the kid out for his first walk in the sun. I guess it is the year of the buck at the Happy Goats Farm.

Good News

UPDATE - Abby is in labor!!!!

GOATUCATION - Are Goats Social?

Welcome to the second in my Goatucation series. As you know I love to answer questions. Today's query is from Marie at Cpaphil Vintage Postcards. I first learned of Marie and her very cool site when I was visiting my friend Margo's blog on Postcard Friendship Friday. This is an internet event that occurs on Fridays (uhm, duh) where you share your postcard experiences. Since I am a goat I don't have any postcards...erm,burp. But on to your Goatucation for the day. Marie asked:

How social are goats? If I raised just one would that be pure torture for him not to have goaty companionship or would the family's human presence be enough?

Well to put it bluntly, we goats are party animals! No, not really. But we do need the company of other goats. We are herd animals and therefore well, need a herd. Whether that herd is two goats or twenty we just need to have a goat friend with us. There have been very rare instances of goats living the single life but there are just as many cases of single goats wasting away because they do not have a herdmate.

Here on the Happy Goats Farm we will not send any of our goats to other Farms unless they take two of our goats or already have a goat on their Farm. We feel it is THAT important for the goat's good health.

You will note that in most of the photos the publicist puts on my blog that there is usually a second goat not too far away. Oftentimes she has a hard time cropping out other goats to get the photo she wants. Even when we go grazing we tend to stay pretty close to one another. I even stay pretty near Abigail.....and that is saying something!

Now the bucks are separated from the does for obvious reasons and they can be alone in a pen but they get very upset when they are out of sight of the rest of the herd. So even though they don't graze with us they gaze with us. Heh heh. If Michael or Luke is up in the barn for any length of time and the rest of us are out in our pens they get VERY upset. They just want to know that our little herd is together even though separated by fencing. When Michael and Luke go out grazing they tend to stick pretty close to one another.

We all go up to the barn at night. The boys go up to their pens first and then we girls go up to our pens. Before the male person refitted the barn to make room for Jillian and Mallory they had to spend the night in the goat house and they were not happy goats. They wanted to be in the barn with the rest of the herd. It is just the way we goats operate. I guess we are strange this way but there is strength in numbers.

I hope this has answered your question Marie! I also think that all of you would enjoy the pretty postcards and very interesting reading over on Marie's blog.

I have the question for next Monday's Goatucation (Thank you Cici) but I am still looking for more - so please, ask away! I would really like to answer the questions that interest you the most. Otherwise you might learn things you don't want to know....

Happy Father's Day

From the Farm daddies to all of you daddies out there...




we all hope you have a very Happy Father's Day.

Be sure to stop back tomorrow for my second installment of Goatucation - where I answer your questions about goats.

A Happy Announcement

I am sure you remember the happy day that Jillian and Mallory arrived on the Farm.

We were thrilled - well mostly - to have them here after we learned that they were not being treated nicely at their old Farm. Goats should not be treated poorly! Goats have feelings! Goats need to have enough to eat - they should not have to scrounge for food. Jillian and Mallory are very happy here. They have learned what it is like to be spoiled goats and I think they like it.

They have had adventures here like battling over their goat house

and jumping on top of the big goat house. Battling again. Hmmmmm.....

You will also recall I am sure that Jillian had a date with Michael and danced the paso doble.

So you see that Jillian has had a lot of exciting adventures in her short time here on the Farm. I am now happy to report that we think her life is going to get even more exciting. We are pretty sure that Jillian is pregnant! Isn't that great?! More kids for the Farm. Just look at her in this photo; doesn't she look a little, well, round?

It is a little tricky to tell these things for sure with us goats as you can't go to the pharmacy and buy a pregnancy test but the publicist thinks she is indeed pregnant. If she is right there will be more little kids in September. Michael will be a daddy goat. Won't he be proud?