Goatucation - Back to Basics. All about The Nigerian Dwarf Goat

For today's Goatucation I thought I would start at the very beginning as they say, and tell you all about, well, ME. The Nigerian Dwarf Goat. Maybe I will write about Jillian and Mallory on another day. They are not Nigerian Dwarf Goats - they are another breed so I don't think they are as special. Harumph!

We Nigerian Dwarf goats are a miniature breed of goat brought over from West Africa and we give a rather good bit of milk for our size. Right now the publicist is getting just about two quarts a day when she milks me and Abby. I have to admit that most of it comes from Abby because she is only three years old while I am getting on in years.  Hey, it happens to all of us - just look at the publicist. She is an old goat too.

We come in a variety of colors as you can see just from the goats on this Farm.  I am brown with white spots

  

Abby is black with just a couple of white spots

and Luke looks like a cow.

 Hi Luke you handsome hunk of goat! I can't wait for our date!

Ok, sorry about that. 

Back to the Goatucation. Our milk has a rather high level of butterfat too which makes it very yummy to drink. It is around 4 - 6%. This is why it makes such good cheese and ice cream, not to mention my rich soap. ( I am nothing if not a good SpokesGoat.) 

Since we are so small in size and very friendly we are good for people who want milk for their families. We are easy to train (heh heh) and manage (heh heh again).

If anyone would like to know even more about Nigerian Dwarf Goats here is the link to the Nigerian Dwarf Goat Association.

Hmmm, I have never been invited to the convention. I wonder what is up with that?

Tomorrow: Just WHAT is Jillian doing?

I Love to Answer Questions!

I am a very smart goat. I say this with all humility....

I also love to answer questions and I am so very happy when my readers ask them of me. In yesterday's post I wrote about what it was like to be milked and Daisy and my Aunt Vicki wanted to know more so here I am today with answers to their questions.

Actually it is my publicist and her male person that are providing the answers because I have never tasted cow's milk or goat's milk cheese but I am quite pleased to pass them along. According to them goat's milk tastes exactly the same as cow's milk. The only difference the publicist finds is that it is much richer as my milk is somewhere between 4 and 6% milk fat and she was used to drinking skim milk. What made her most happy was that if she drank any kind of fatted cow's milk she would get horrible heartburn buy our milk does not give her any discomfort at all. Goat's milk is also very good for people who are lactose intolerant because it doesn't contain any lactose. Many babies who cannot drink cow's milk or formula become quite happy and chubby on goat's milk.

Nigerian Dwarf milk is naturally homogenized so the cream does not rise to the top which makes is difficult but not impossible to make butter. But making ice cream is easy, fun and quite tasty! The publicist has done it quite a few times; by all accounts Triple Chocolate was the clear flavor winner.

As to how much milk we give, I am on a rest right now as I have mentioned When Abby and I are both producing at full volume we will give the publicist about a gallon a day. Right now Abby is giving just short of a quart a day (That is yesterday's milk in the photo). It is enough for the male person's morning coffee and cereal plus any baking needs. The rest goes in the freezer for soap or if any barter opportunities arise.

Now to the cheese! The publicist and the male person love cheese. She has done a bit of experimenting and has been very successful at making soft cheeses like feta and chevre. Her mozzarella was not quite as good but she has not given up! She also made two hard cheeses; a cheddar and a Colby. Both were very good and she is looking forward to making more this summer. It is hard for her to make cheese in the winter because her kitchen is very small in the trailer and she cannot keep the milk mixture at the right temperature because she cannot fit her pot in her sink. But come this summer she plans to make lots and lots of hard cheeses to have in her pantry for winter. They have to age for at least four months and get better the longer they sit.

I hope this answered the questions and by all means ask any more you might have. I do love to pass on any goat information I have.

Horns or No Horns That is the Question

I was asked why some goats have horns and others don't. As you all can see from my head shots I do not have horns while all of the other goats on the Happy Goats Farm do. I will now take the time to explain this to you. When a goat is just a kid the goat farm owner decides whether they are going to have a horned goat farm or a hornless goat farm. There are various reasons for each choice. My former owners obviously were of the hornless decision. It is not a happy memory to lose ones horns but there are very good reasons for doing it. As you can see from the photos that have been shown in my blog Michael and Luke like to butt each other. Buck horns are particularly thick and strong and they can hurt each other and they have been known to hurt the publicist and the male person with a surprise charge. Also little horn buds are very sharp and can damage a mama goat's udder during nursing when the kids pokes too hard to start the milk. You can just start to see baby Sarah's horn buds in this photo.

The people who had me directly before the publicist were of a mind to dehorn Abby when she was born but were inexperienced and as you can see, well, Abby has horns. The photo shows Abby with her kid Nora a few days after Nora was born. Her horn buds aren't showing yet. The male person was also somewhat poor at dehorning so the decision around the Happy Goats Farm was to have horned goats. This leaves me as the lone hornless goat in a horned goat world. So I am at somewhat of a disadvantage but I manage to hold my own.

The reasoning for having horned goats, especially in a place like Montana where there are predators who like to eat goats - can you imagine such a horrible thing?! - is that the goat has a method of protection. The horns are good for butting and for gouging. That does not sound nice I know, but if one is being attacked one has a right to defend oneself, right? We don't worry too much about that here on the Happy Goats Farm because we have a nice safe barn to go into every night.

Here is another photo of Michael and Luke getting ready to butt each other. They do this a lot when they have their play time.

Buck horns are much stronger and thicker than doe horns. Part of all that play head butting the boys do is practice for when they are going to try and impress us ladies. The strongest buck usually wins and the well, let's not go into the size of the horns. This is a family blog.

I hope this has helped to answer the question about goats and horns.

Cursed Paparazzi!

Those cursed paparazzi are at it again. As if it is not enough that I cannot live my simple life on my farm; they have to always be here trying to catch me doing something they deem "wrong." I just don't understand this sick fascination with my life just because I happen to be a famous spokesgoat. Why do people care what I do in my spare time? Why do they care how much I eat or what I eat for that matter? It is really none of their business. When I have an interview or media appointment I do my job but when I am just relaxing in my pen or out for a walk I should be able to do so without fear of unflattering pictures or false stories being printed.

I was fortunate that my publicist caught this one paparazzo in the act and we have the offending photos in hand. I am going to share them here so that I can negate their impact should any other "inquiring mind" try to print more "Grossly Growing Goat" stories about my expanding waistline. I repeat people I AM PREGNANT, NOT FAT!!! I have to eat a lot of hay, grain and apples to keep me strong and healthy for the upcoming kidding. What kind of nanny would I be if I tried to diet during my pregnancy? I ask you!? So my publicist and I present these pictures to show you what a healthy, pregnant goat should look like halfway though her kids' gestation. I am most likely carrying twins. Of course the monster took them from behind which is my worst angle right now. Ugh! I stand up for all reproducing animals - humans too - to say that a certain amount of weight gain is necessary and healthy!

So there! Pricilla has spoken!

A Walk in the Sun, A Munch on a Tree

Today was a beautiful day so the publicist decided to take me out for a walk. Oh , Abby came too. We went up past the barn and over to the big lot next door. There are some open areas and lots of trees. Mmmmm, trees are good for so many things.








I can scratch my head.















I can try and climb the tree for an even better scratch.
















Abby likes to eat the bark.














It was a fun way to spend a day in the sun. After the walk I went back into my pen and stood in my favorite place - right next to my goat house where I could soak up more of that warm, warm sun.









This is one of my favorite ways to spend a day; a nice walk, a little munch and a lot of sun. What could be better?

It's a Cat's Life?

I came in the trailer to type up the blog and what did I see? Pumpkin the cat looking like she owned the place. I thought we goats had it good but now I am starting to wonder. Pumpkin was sitting in the publicist's chair looking quite comfortable and I have heard it said that she doesn't move when the publicist wants to sit down! Can you imagine such a thing?! I mean really; I would think the cat would give up the seat but no! She just looks at the publicist like the publicist is crazy (which if you ask me she is but that is a tale for another blog post.)

I don't get to go in and sit in the publicist's chair like that. Although I think it would be pretty hard for all of me to fit right now. I have to admit that I am getting rather large these days - but it is all kid! Or I should say kids. I usually have twins. But if the cats get to lord it over the publicist why don't the goats? Is this really fair? Perhaps I should call some kind of goat council and see what the others have to say. Hmmmm, but I would have to include Abby in that and I am not sure I would want to let Abby have anything special......I will have to ruminate on this.

What do you think? Do you think the publicist's cats have it better than her goats? I mean we do get extra grain and all those apples. And lots of tail scratches and head pats. Maybe I am jumping to conclusions. Let me know your thoughts and I will post mine later.

The Tale of the Extra Goat Treat: Part IV, Me! Pricilla

Now of course I am going to think this is the best chapter in our ongoing Tale because it is about MY share of the delicious goat treat. You saw me waiting (not) so patiently while Luke ate his treat. Then the publicist brought that big bowl of yummy apples into my pen. I did my famous Goat Dance of Joy when I saw it coming - no one has been able to capture this on film as of yet. I am too clever about where I dance.

I ran down to my spool where I share goat treat with Abby - she jumps on top and I stay on the bottom. If you will recall from Abby's tale, this way I get whatever drops down from above. I am not a dumb goat!

Unlike the other goats, I think I look adorable with apple coming out of my mouth.

I make sure to eat every delicious bite - apple is one of my favorite goat treats. Pears are second, carrots third, broccoli leaves fourth, spinach fifth....well, I could go on. I guess I like a lot of good things that grow in a garden.

So now you have a job to do. YOU have to pick the goat you think enjoyed their goat treat the most. Was it Luke who did look cute standing up on his gate. Or Abby who gave that fierce look that said, "back away from the goat treat." Or Michael, who escaped when his gate was left open.

Or Me, who looks the cutest with apple coming out of her mouth. Just post you answer here - voting will remain open until Saturday, February 7th, when Mr. Randomizer will pick a winner. The lucky person will get to pick a bar of my rich soap for a prize. How easy is that?

The Tale of the Extra Goat Treat: Part II, Abby

I know you haven't been formally introduced to Abby yet - the publicist says I must interview her but it is my blog and I will do what I want. Abby just bugs me - there I said it. You know how it can be with mothers and daughters, right? But on with today's tale....



If you will recall from yesterday's post there was extra goat treat to be had and we had it! I am showing you how much we all enjoyed it over four days and at the end there will be a vote to see which of us you think enjoyed their goat treat the most. The winner will get to pick a bar of my rich soap as a prize. Today I present Abby:






Abby is a very greedy goat. She never shares her goat treat at all. In fact if you try and come near her while she is eating you get a look like this. To me it says, "back away from the goat treat and no one will get hurt." What do you think?




She does eat her treat with enthusiasm and like Luke looks pretty funny with apple coming out of her mouth.





I think she is trying to tell the publicist to stop taking pictures and just let her eat her apples. I don't eavesdrop (much) so I can't be sure of exactly what she was maaaaaing. That or she is just chewing enthusiastically...one or the other.






To me the biggest advantage to Abby's sloppy way of eating her goat treat is the fact that she is on the top spool and I am on the bottom so I get what drops! I get extra treat! Don't tell Abby or she will butt me.





Tomorrow you will see how much Michael enjoyed his goat treat.

BRRRRRRR!

I just want to say that I am a NIGERIAN dwarf goat. My roots are in AFRICA. Where it is WARM. I don't mean to shout but it is COLD today. And windy. Which makes it feel even colder. I have spent my entire life in cold places (as far as I know - I think I was born in Idaho but I can't remember that far back) but that doesn't mean I like them. This year has been very snowy and very cold and this goat is having a hissy fit. Today we came out of the barn and the wind was blowing and it was very, very, very, very ,very,very,very cold. I have to say our publicist is good about these things; she doesn't like the cold either so she put us back into our warm barn. She also cares about our little goat feet - she puts hay down where we walk so we don't have to stand on the snow all the time.



Now yesterday was beautiful. It was still cold, but the sun was shining. There is nothing a goat likes more than to bask in the sun, well except for maybe grain, or apples, or pears, or carrots. I spent most of yesterday in my favorite place enjoying the beautiful sunshine and chewing my cud.



On days like that it is good to be a goat.

I Am Not Fat - I Am Pregnant!

I know I should not have to bring this up, but I am a famous spokesgoat and need to look my best at all times. I never know when I will have a media appointment and then there are always those pesky paparazzi. You never know where they will pop up. Last summer I found one hiding in the corn stalks! A goat has no privacy!

I have announced my pregnancy so it should be no surprise that I am gaining weight but the tabloid press can be so nasty. All this talk about "Piggy Pricilla" and "Greedy Grain Gorging Goat" can really get to a doe. I NEED to gain a certain amount of weight to give birth to healthy kids. I think I look wonderful in this condition. So I am asking the press to back off - or I will be forced to butt!

My publicist did not approve that last statement, but I am hormonal....

Winning is Fun!

I just love it when I win things. Now for me winning is as simple as not having to spend too much time with Abigail, but for you winning is as wonderful as three bars of Happy Goat Soap. I am sure you recall this post when I told you about the delightful interview my publicist did at the SimplyShiny blog. With the interview we offered a great prize; three bars of Happy Goat Soap and a wooden soap dish! The big drawing happened yesterday and a winner has been chosen.

Drum roll please!


AbbaDabbaBags has won the soap! Hooray! I wonder which soaps she will choose? She has a lovely shop on etsy where you will find lots of pretty bags in many different styles.

At this time I want to give SimplyShiny our Coveted Scratch of the Tail Award for featuring us on her blog and for providing the opportunity for such a cool giveaway. Be sure to check out her blog on a regular basis as she writes about so many interesting topics. Even a goat finds them fascinating. She also makes really pretty jewelry that you will find in her ShinyAdornments shop on etsy. Do you think if I pierced my ears these would look good on me?

SpokesGoat Alert - Now to be Known as The Coveted Scratch of the Tail Award!

I was thinking about "SpokesGoat Alerts" and how boring that must sound so I have come up with a new idea. I have run this by my publicist and she thinks it is a marvelous idea! Perhaps you recall from an earlier post my comment on how much I enjoy a good scratch of my tail. I thought it would be a good idea to rename the SpokesGoat Alerts and call them The Coveted Scratch of the Tail Awards. I don't know about you but nothing feels better to me than a scratch on the tail...


So here we grant the first two Coveted Scratch of the Tail Awards: they are presented for two beautiful Treasuries on etsy featuring Happy Goats Soaps.

The first list was curated by JunkyardGypsy and features our Rich Goat's Milk Shaving Soap Scented with Dragon's Blood - don't be scared it's a sexy scent with a cinnamon overtone. Her shop is full of recycled items and there is even an barnyard friend for me!

The second curation by TamaraDesigns shows our Sea Urchin Soap Scented with Lavender. (Aren't the new pictures great?) I took a look through Tamara's shop and she makes beautifully detailed paper cutouts. I love this one, don't you?

I thank both of these lovely creators and bestow upon them the Coveted Scratch of the Tail Award!

Goats DO Love Pine Trees

As the spokesgoat for Happy Goats Soap I do have to do some work. Today my work is actually a pleasure. We offer a lovely soap called Goats Love to Eat Pine Trees Soap and my publicist thought it would be a good idea to prove this. A very generous person over at the Forest Service office gifted us with their personal Christmas tree - yum! Our male person chopped it up into four sections and we all got to share in the munching - yum! Then the Forest Service gave us its office Christmas tree. How exciting - even more yummy green pine tree to eat. Yum! This time of year with all of the tasty weeds covered by snow it is nice to get something green.

I have been enjoying my pine tree even though I have to share it with Abigail. I also use the trunk of the tree to scratch my head. I guess this spokesgoat thing really isn't that hard after all, is it?

So why not head over to Happy Goats Soap and check out ALL of the rich, beautiful soaps available. I wouldn't be a good spokesgoat if I didn't encourage you to do that, now would I? The soaps make a good, fluffy lather and leave your skin feeling moisturized, not dry. You can read here what our customers have had to say.

Goat Rant

I am ususally a very mellow goat but today I am going to have myself a good goat rant. What do you think has me all ruffed up? Cats! Cats you ask? Yes, cats! Why is it the cats around here get to run free? I see them all around running in the fields, running in the garden, running up to the top of the hay pile. Well, I WANT TO RUN TO THE TOP OF THE HAY PILE. Don't you think it is more appropriate for a GOAT to be on top of a hay pile rather than a cat? I know I do. Cats don't eat hay; well Stinky does but she is a strange cat. (You will meet here when I continue my series of interviews with the other animals around here.)

A goat is meant to roam free. I know, I know I have a HUUUUUUGE pen and I should be happy. I have a lovely, handcrafted goat house built with love by my male person. BUT I HAVE TO SHARE THESE WITH ABIGAIL. Why can't I run free like the cats. It shouldn't matter that all those times I escaped I tried to run back to my old home. Or after that I tried to visit the horses across the street. Or after that I tried to go down the bank to the river.

I am calling for goats to take over the world. I think we would do a good job of running things. Just think - hay for everyone, grain for everyone, roaming free just like cats. Doesn't this sound great? So join me as I start a goat revolution. Just don't tell my publicist. I know she would think this was a bad idea on the spokesgoat front....

GOATS OF THE WORLD UNITE!!!!!

Spokesgoat Alert

It is a busy day in the Spokesgoat world! I am more than proud to note that an exceptionally funny blog called Nanny Goats in Panties has featured ME today as her Goat Thing of the Day. You cannot imagine how thrilled I was to see myself! While the writer of this blog is not actually a goat, I feel she understands goats completely. Do check it out - you will surely chuckle.

How I Came to Live on The Happy Goats Farm

I realize that many of you may wonder how I came to live on the Happy Goats Farm. I wasn't born here; in fact, I don't remember where I was born. I do remember where I was immediately before my current home. It was a beautiful place full of goats, chickens, horses and llamas. Then one day my publicist put me and Abigail in a truck and took us for a ride. This is how I, and Abigail of course, came to be at the Happy Goats Farm. But, I will admit, I was not a Happy Goat at first. I missed my old farm. I missed my old publicist. I did not know this new publicist; and let's just say she was VERY unpracticed at being owned by goats and leave it at that. It was a very pretty place but it was not MY place.

I will be honest. I kept escaping from my pen. I know this was frustrating for my new people but I was just afraid and it was all so new. This does, though, lead to a funny tale: one night I escaped and Abigail joined me. We started running, running, running until we reached the end of the farm. We turned right thinking to head back to our old home. I ran, Abigail ran, our new male person ran, the publicist ran and the family cats ran. All down the road in a row. Until I was distracted by some tasty weeds on the side of the road. My appetite allowed me to be caught and brought back to the farm. I will admit I did this several more times; one night the horses across the street also escaped and were running the other way. This is how I met the neighbors...

Obviously I have adjusted to life on the Farm and am now a very Happy Goat. Otherwise I wouldn't have my current job and I love my job! How many goats do you know that are so gainfully employed?

I wanted you to see what I get to see when I am grazing so I have posted a photo of my view. This is a winter view - it is much nicer in the spring and summer.

Spokesgoat Alert

We start today with another Spokesgoat Alert. I do want to thank all of these wonderful people for featuring our soaps in their beautiful Treasuries. I as a humble spokesgoat am very honored.

The very talented TwoLeftHands curated a glorious Treasury and featured our I Heart My Goats Soap. Her shop is full of the most adorable dolls I have ever seen. But I will be honest, this is one creature I NEVER want to see up close! What I do wish for all of you is for Cupid to grant all of your Valentine's Dreams!

Interview with Michael The Goat

I, of course, am the most well known of the goats on the Happy Goats Farm but I feel it is important for all of you to get to know the other goats here. (Actually my publicist is making me do this - she feels it will be good press.) I am choosing to start with Michael because he is my son and I think the nicest goat on the place beside me of course. He can have a bit of a one track mind, so please bear with him....

How did you come to live on the Happy Goats Farm?

Mom, uh, you kidded me. Duh!

What is your purpose on the Farm?

I eat lots of hay...gotta get a doe,gotta get a doe,gotta get a doe,gotta get a doe!

I run around and chase Luke...gotta get a doe,gotta get a doe,gotta get a doe!

And I protect the publicist...she's fun!

If you ran the Farm what changes would you make?

Well, for one thing I wouldn't be in a pen all by myself! I would be in with the does, of course!

Gotta get a doe,gotta get a doe,gotta get a doe,gotta get a doe,gotta get a doe,gotta get a doe!

I think I would feed myself more grain too.

It seems you only think about yourself, do you ever think about the other goats on the Farm?

I do think about Luke - I really didn't think we needed to add him into the family. And I don't understand how you can say that when I am thinking of you girl goats all the time! Gotta getta doe, gotta get a doe, gotta get a doe.

Well, Michael I can see this interview is going to devolve from here so I think I will end it. Do you have any last comments?

Gotta get a doe!

I did warn you that he had a one track mind people! But he is a good looking goat if a mother can say so. I will continue the interviews as time goes on. Hopefully Luke will be a little less focused on ..... what am I saying. He's a buck too!

Boys Will Be Boys

I am sure like many of you females out there in the world that no matter what your species - THERE IS NO UNDERSTANDING MALES. We have two males on our farm, Michael and Luke. Male goats are called bucks for the educational portion of today's blog...Michael is my son and Luke came to us from a farm in Spokane, Washington. I will, as I mentioned in another post, be interviewing them so you can get to know them better but I thought you would like to see them first.

Yesterday my publicist/udder massage specialist took her camera out while the boys were uh, engaging with each other. Now, I watch the boys everyday; I am after all a doe and what doe does not like to look at a handsome buck? Even after daily viewing I can't tell if they are playing or trying to kill each other! They stand on their hind legs and bang their heads together so hard sometimes. Perhaps this explains their, hmmmmm, stubbornness. Yes, let's just call it stubbornness.

You don't know any males like that, do you?

Ahhh, Sunday!

I love my Sundays. I don't have any official spokesgoat duties and I just get to relax and enjoy myself. Unfortunately today was not a nice day. I woke up to another new layer of snow. Now my publicist is very nice about getting the snow off of my hay pile, but really! I am getting tired of all this snow. I can't find any little weeds to nibble on or any fresh grass. A goat gets tired of hay, hay, hay and more hay.

But I am not going to be a whining goat. I will share with you a funny story. Yesterday Michael decided he didn't want to stay in his pen. Why yesterday was his day to attempt to escape I have no idea but it was fun to watch. He would run up the side of his fence and LEAP. Well, after about 5 attempts - HE MADE IT! He jumped right out of his pen. Now I did not give him up but shortly thereafter the publicist/udder massage therapist came out and Michael went trotting up to her quite proud of himself. Needless to say, she was not happy....pen adjustments were made.

Starting next week I am going to interview the other goats on the Happy Goats Farm so you can get to know them better. Perhaps I will start with Michael so he can tell you more about his athletic feats.