Monday, April 2, 2012

What gets my goat..?

Here is the truth. My husband would be perfectly happy living in a condominium where he never had to mow a lawn or fix a clogged drain. He is very capable, and can do all the things one must do to maintain an old house in the country, but it is not anything he really enjoys. So it is really quite sad for him that he has to be married to me... an aspiring homesteading type. Little by little I've added livestock to the place. And each addition means more work for both of us. There is fencing and housing and hauling and shoveling. It started out innocently enough with 4 laying hens. Then our daughter brought home a rabbit. And I got a few more chickens and raised a couple of lambs. Then some ducks and they had ducklings. This year we decided to raise two piglets. They are due to arrive in May. Two weeks ago my husband, (after enjoying an adult beverage) said, "We should get a dairy goat. We can feed its milk to the piglets to boost their protein intake." I looked at him, hard, for about 30 seconds. Then I hit the address for the local trade paper on my laptop and within about 5 minutes had sent an email to a woman advertising some dairy goats for sale. I mean, it isn't every day that my patient man SUGGESTS more critters come to live here. I put a deposit on a mama goat and her newborn kid tonight. They arrive next weekend. Now I get to learn how to milk... make butter, cheese, goat milk soap. Wheee!

5 comments:

Sharon K said...

You are going to love those goaties, D. Purebred or mix? Yummy milk, ice cold.

Daryl said...

Sharon; They are Saanen's, (dairy goats.) The baby's ears are floppy due to very cold weather when he was born. I am told they will perk up but I am not terribly concerned. Have never tried goat milk, this will be a fun experiment.

solarity said...

I said you needed a goat! [Dancing happy dance}

Mary Anne in Kentucky

Cottagecheap said...

How cute!

Cheryl and Phil said...

Been there, done that! If the kid isn't yet neutered, get it done ASAP; he can go to freezer camp, too (REALLY tastes just like lamb). You do NOT want an intact buck-STINK doesn't begin to cover it, and the odor taints the doe's milk. Always loved our dairy goats but they are hard to fence because they climb & pull down the fences. Electric helps. Chill the milk ASAP & keep it cold - delish!