Goats and more goats.....

Kidding Season Has Begun!

For the next several months, my life ceases to be my own. The kidding storm has begun.....
First came Pearlie's twins- they are full siblings to Bridie- the little girl, shown above- not named yet- is looking for a new home. She will be a wonderful bottle baby.
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Next is Gretel's little boy- the first of the Chicago kids to hit the ground in 08'. He came out kissing everybody and Gretel is a super mommy with a beautiful soft udder. Please excuse Gretel's butt, she's just out of childbed, not nursed yet so you can see her udder. Gretel's not too bright you see- I went out to give her a bell for her collar this morning when I checked the mommies pen and she lost him when I picked him up to give him a hug- we can't tell if he is polled yet, but there is a good possibility that he is.

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There are few does who need to go to new homes- here are some of them.
Angela is a purebred Nubian upcoming dry yearling.

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Aradia is a Saanen doe, posing in the red collar, that has never bred that needs a pet home or to work as a pack goat. If you take her and she has kids, it is your gain!

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This is Laurie, a lovely Saanen upcoming dry yearling. I had to choose between her and her sister because of space limitations, what with kids coming and all. Standing beside her is her mother, Pai'Gow.

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This is Sarah Rose, a half Nubian/half Saanen junior yearling- she was bottle raised, along with Angela, and is very friendly.

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This is Helga, a litter sister to Gretel. Helga got the brains of the outfit. Sorry I got her on the move and behind Wildflower's butt- they know when you want to take their picture and run to hide as the camera shutter is working. Helga is bred to Chicago and won't leave until after she kids- he doe kid by Chicago from last year is possibly the best kid I have ever bred. I like her udder a lot- but, I can only keep so many.

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Here is Lena, theToggenburg. Yes, the brown one. She's bred to Pan, my Golden Guernsey buck for SR kids. She can leave when she kids.

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This is Opal. Opal is a fantastic milker. It is hard to get her to stop. I hate to see her go, but as I say, I can only keep so many and the future of the herd is in the kids. She is also bred to Pan and can leave when she kids.

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Contact me at: GlastonburyFarm@juno.com We test every year for CAE and do not have CL in our herd.*

It seemed like the right thing to do at the time.....

Back in 1994, I bought my first dairy goat- Bonanza Jelly Bean- a Saanen/Nubian cross doe who initiated me into the wonders of goat milk- and off I went into the goat world. I had had a little white 'brush nanny'- aptly named 'Nanny' (pictured above)- a couple of years after I got back from University and taught horsemanship to young girls. The person who stands out in my mind at that time as one who pointed me in the direction of living on the land was Dr. Vicken Totten, who was a resident at the hospital my mother worked at. As one of those 'failure to launch' types, I did not leave Kingsport until I was 30 years old. Whew!

And here I am now, just turned 50, meno-pausal- children raised, working towards a licensed cheese dairy in the Gatlinburg market- and having the opportunity to breed a wonderful breed of goat- the Golden Guernsey from the Isle of Guernsey in the UK channel isles. Not many of those around- about 450 +/- purebred breeding females worldwide.

On this blog, you may find interesting pictures of things around the farm- daily scenes, dogs, goats, kidding season, recipes and this I like to do- Grandfather Moountain Highand Games, all things Scottish, The Wizard of OZ, goat shows, etc.- things like that.

You will also find things about the natural world and all natural ways of creating glowing health and woman's natural wisdom. Like the header says- 'go to the mountians and drink goat milk'-

Go with God and in good health- Betsy