Making the leap into dairy goats have been extremely enjoyable. I love watching the kids leap and kick mid-air as they simply enjoy life for what it is; a beautiful breath of fresh air daily! The dogs seem not to mind their antics either and even frolicked along with them on our weekend walks.

The ritual of having bottle babies has helped me with the grief of losing my horse as well. I don’t have much time on my hands to sit around and think or dwell on my loss and who can be sad with these little psychos running amuck!

Margo and Reddington have lived in a pen I set up in the house for the last 4 weeks. It was a simple set up with a plastic tarp, a layer of dog training pads and topped with hay which had to be cleaned and refreshed every other day. I gave them a box to lay in as well as jump onto since they love to play king of the mountain; I had to cover the pen with Johnny’s old horse blanket though as they had a tendency of getting onto the box and then trying to jump out. Goats man….

This weekend they were evicted. They were upgraded to the outdoor shed so that I can have my laundry room back. They don’t seem to mind, though the first day was hard for them as I was also reducing the number of feedings. I reduced feedings so I could stop bringing them with me to work during the week. I am that crazy goat mom but it was getting to be too much. Their screams that first day for their afternoon meal could be heard from the closest neighbor three parcels down I am sure! Luckily no authorities appeared to investigate. Oh, how I love living at the top of a mountain; (Smiling ear to ear) the things I get away with. HA!

The kids have almost doubled in size but are still too small for their goat collars so they are currently adorned with cat breakaway collars and have the luxury of free-ranging when I am out in the yard. Once they get bigger I know curiosity will kick in and they will have to stay penned or tethered to something. I picked up some beautiful hand made bells for them to wear once they get large enough. I love that they will be able to make the hills alive with music like a fairy tale or the hills of Switzerland, though Luke says they don’t really need help being any louder than they already are. Their yells for me (mom) can be maddening but I just yell back “Over here kids!” and they quickly locate me and quiet down. Bottle babies are another animal altogether (giggle).

Do you have goats? Were any of them bottle babies? If so, what have you noticed that is different about them vs. those that were left to mature on their mothers? I am so glad I made this goat journey. I hope to include two more females to my herd later this year, goat math might be a little more of an issue than chicken math for me. Luckily Luke lets me do what I want and knows he can’t stand between myself and my critters especially when they will eventually be part of the reason how I can work from home full time. Homestead with a view is on the rise people! 2019 is our year, yeehaw!